Bring back the buttons!! Putting controls in the touch screen is a cost cutting exercise at the expense of usability and safety😡

Upgraded from the mg5 SR exclusive to the trophy just last week. It is a great improvement and feels a great step forward.

The Harlow taxi drivers absolutely adore the MG5!! I can just about imagine why, but I haven’t ever driven one myself!!

As far as flat fold rear seats, it is quite easy to pop the rear seat up and stand it up against the back of the front seats, allowing the flat fold of the rear seat backs.

One of my few grumbles I have with my current MG5 Excite is that there is no courtesy light, indeed no illumination of any kind, in the rear seating. This has been remedied in the car in this review. So much better getting an oldie into the back or a child into their seat in winter.

Thanks for this review. I drive the new Trophy model and agree with most of your points. To these I'd add ...miss the heated steering wheel included on my previous, cheaper, Renault Zoe; miss memory settings for the driver's seat; floating console is a mixed blessing as it conceals but that can be a problem; rear visibility can be aided by removing the small centre headrest when not needed; reversing camera is prone to impaired vision as its angled on a stalk and seems to attract dirt unnecessarily; vehicle includes a granny charger, but not a Type 2 cable; safe driver assist options are good to choose from, but oddly do not include - unless I've missed it - a warning of approaching vehicles when you're reversing out of your supermarket parking bay. Nearly there - the app is getting better and has had 3 updates since I bought the MG5. Like the main screen inside the vehicle, it can be slow to react, but persistence usually pays off. Its a good additional way into charging and comfort features, KERS - reminds me of my O Level Physics lessons - Kinetic Energy Regeneration System: energy from movement. The three Modes are undramatically different, but its a pity the default is Comfort, not Eco and ther appears to be no way of setting your own default.

I found your review first class and the narration was superb. I felt like a friend was talking to me. I loved your review of this car. Happy and the detail and will consider buying second hand after the depreciation bite at 3 years old.

My 22 plate exclusive has a lot of assists, don't have blind spot detection, but it does have lane keep assist etc within the MG pilot, the MG pilot is quite good on the motorway. My auto high beam is currently turned off as it decides to come on when it isn't needed so will be addressed at its service.

I agree that the exterior and interior look of the facelift is a huge improvement and it's a better, but far from perfect, infotainment unit. But that's all really, since Aug 2021 my MG5 LR has 75kgs roof rails, adjustable height boot floor AND MG Pilot, bar Blind Spot monitoring and 360 degree camera, so not so much new there. Wheels look better, but not at the expense of range and AC controls in the touch screen, no thank you! A new MG5 will come somewhere between 2023 and 2025 and that will sit on the same platform as the MG4.......so I'll bide my time 😏 But MG and, in my opinion, all manufacturers need to put safety first and reintroduce buttons for key controls whilst driving. This obsession with putting it all behind the screen is not just stupid, it is dangerous. You're probably safer using your phone whilst driving!!

Test drove one of these the other day, back to back with a Niro EV, and choosing between the 2, there wasn't much in it. The MG5 is obviously a bit more practical in terms of boot space if you load it up to the roof, but the Frunk on the Niro does add a bit of more usable space (you don't want your charging cable under the floor when the boot is full of camping gear!). The Niro did feel a bit nicer - nothing in particular I could put my finger on, but just a general feeling of better quality/more premium. I ended up going for the Niro, in particular the extra real-world range, and the one-pedal driving is what sold it for me (along with the better general feel), however I'm getting it through my work salary sacrifice scheme, and the difference in price between them was less than £20/month. If I was actually buying one then I would most likely go for the MG5, as the price difference is quite significant (~£33k for the MG vs ~£39k for the Niro), and it's a fantastic car for your money! According to the MG dealer, the black plastic strip under the number plate is apparently for taxi plates - which I guess shows that they recognise who one of their big target markets are (and I would say for good reason, it does seem like the ideal taxi).

Enjoy your presentation have the mk1 5lr and was seriously considering the model you reviewed but....the heating and ventilation controls has put me off . Its my 2nd MG had the earlier ZS but wanted longer range but as i say not sure i want to upgrade and now considering the BYD once it arrives in UK. So the purpose of your review has been successful keep up the good work 👏

It's a good facelift but I would have preferred to have seen an all new model based on the underpinnings of the MG4. That would have given them the chance to maximise boot & rear passenger space to match that of a Skoda Superb, which is what I drive. I guess we'll have to wait a bit longer for a full size EV estate car.

The exterior design is inoffensive, no, that's not fair it actually looks pretty good 😁. Not over designed like the MG4, the wheels could be a little bigger, though. The interior also looks good, with actual real buttons 😁, but you are right, the touchscreen does need more work (upgrade for 2023/24 ?). If you bought one, you wouldn't need to make excuses to friends - "it was cheap" - they would be impressed. MG are doing a Hyundai/Kia, but at a much faster rate - the Chinese are definitely coming 😂.

Any taxi drivers on here, who already have either the old style or the new style MG5 that could give their opinion for this car as a taxi, in particular for airport runs. Help greatly appreciated

Can't you assign the heating and ventilation to the ⭐button on steering wheel?

A lot of Harlow taxis are original MG5s!! A great car for the taxi business!!

We have a late Mk1 MG5 LR that has MG Pilot so I don’t think we will be looking to upgrade any time soon, although the charging App might be useful

Nice review- thanks. £30k plus brings it quite close to some excellent second hand EVs, altho not estates.

The biggest issue with ALL current MG's , aside from quality questions etc etc is that MG Pilot is bloody dangerous, Lane keep assist can literally drive the car into oncoming traffic, I've experienced this with my ZS and so stopped using it. This to me shows a glaring issue with the NCAP safety ratings that appear to base this on wether the safety tech exists on the car, rather than does it actually work.

Two thumbs up for this review! Really looking forward to the EV wagon fight that is coming in 2023! Just hope that you can dive a little more into the range testing in real winter weather, since i live in Norway and its several minus degrees here during winter with snowy roads :)

The lack of physical buttons for functions that you need to operate while driving, is what is keeping me from buying these cars. It's just plain dangerous to have to fumble around with a touch screen while driving, especially in adverse weather conditions. Come on! In Belgium, when you handle a mobile device while driving, it will lead to a hefty fine of hundreds of Euro, which is great for convincing people of the danger of doing this. And now most new EV cars force us all to do this? We need buttons, tactile feedback, which we can operate without having to look at them. If it weren't for this real problem, I would be tempted to buy this car. It ticks all other boxes for me, but this is a show stopper for me really.

The MG5 is certainly a good looking car, but I wonder if one could put a bed in the back and use it as a camper!! It doesn’t look tall enough!!

What if any is the road tax?

Shame the range has not been improved. The Kia eNiro is still a winner with 280 miles and up to 300 in summer.

I have one and I've gotten used to all of it's shortcomings EXCEPT the seat does not go back far enough - another 2 inches would have saved me a cramp on a long journey 21:30 I tried the other MG's but they were even smaller - maybe it's just me or if I was racist I'd say they were built for short chinese people... Another Odd thing that most have missed is that the middle light button on the roof has to be depressed in order for the lights to come on when a door is opened - it's counter intuitive

Definitely needs proper buttons for all basic items.... Centre console for far to big and the piano black finish is bad.... Also needs a front boot....

Basically heating display is not working because you don't know what you are doing.

Great detailed review - as usual you really go into depth with what matters to people when using a car day to day. Looked at the old MG5 when choosing an EV last year but thought it was a bit small as a family car. This new one certainly looks better and has a nicer interior but still the same underpinnings so still not for us. In the end we got a smaller EV (Peugeot e208 - lovely car) and kept our diesel estate. Will wait and see what other estates come out in 2023/4 before buying - having driven the e208, going back to the diesel is like going back in time. Can’t see us ever getting another ICE car.

I set my heating controls to 18 c then never touch them again. Rarely use air con I just open the window.

I have the first generation MG5 and mines has all the assis that the new one has so mistake there????

As usual a well balanced in-depth review from Auto EV I’m at an impasse I’m a Taxi Driver and I would greatly value your advice on whether the MG 5 refresh long range or the MG ZS refresh long range be more suitable I would be very great full for any advice you would be able to give again may I say congratulations on a very skilful in-depth review

Was interested now no longer it’s no good that all in one screen failing so much

Loverly review

It looks leagues better than the original both inside and out

Do you think it would make a good taxi in your opinion?

Even the latest Renault Zoe has good switchgear as well as the screen in front of the driver!! One can also control the temperature of the car you get into from your armchair using an app!!

Someone I met when I was charging my Renault Zoe was a nurse who found her car very unreliable because she had a bad battery problem.

In belgium you get a discount on a 10000 km one , - 11000 euro . On a luxury

Good review but lacking of batter info as many others also annual service cost will be nice. About the frozen screen If you don't remove the protection film from the car screen, this can cause freezing.

Lose the touch screen stuff , I like big knobs .

On the MG4 you just touch the top of the screen for all the hvac controls to appear; is this not the same?

I wouldn’t worry about the heating controls - just put it onto auto and leave it. No need to keep going into the controls.

By the sound of it, it’s a car with problems that could be solved by a decent tech software!! I would suggest changing the provider of the software so that you can have the software to YOUR specifications rather than the software manufacturer’s.

Quality review

I have looked at the MG5 before - the main draw was the price so that is now less of a differentiator to offset the uncertainty that comes from a relatively new to the UK manufacturer - SAIC. I was not impressed that you only managed a single full size case in the boot and the opening looks small. Overall I can't see any advantage over a saloon whereas the more common ICE estates seem to do a much better job of delivering capacity which is why people buy them.

Great video 👍🏻. I’m trying to choose between new MG5 and a used KIA E NIRO which are a similar price, any help out there

More info need..about heetpomp..dosent have..which battery nfc..or..

If im honest with you, frunks are a horrific invention that you end up avoiding using. Road grime from the bonnet, plus you look like you just broke down and the shape is often useless. 😂

One way around heater to to leave heater on and just toggle between eco and normal 😞

This is 2022 and I find that there are a lot of new cars that are not very good, and you have highlighted some problems with this car. Let’s be honest we are all having to pay a lot of money for these cars so why do we have to put up with all these shortcomings.

I met u the other day with my big brother down at a loch in lochmaben

Great review ! proper estate cars have rear seats which fold flat, giving you a large usable space, this and the totally naff infotainment system means its a 👎 from me.

I believe that moving some ‘comfort features’ to be controlled by the ‘Infotainment computer’ started as part of ‘certain expensive car manufacturers’ plan to introduce ‘Features as a Subscription’, so you buy your car with various extra features, then after a period of time or a number of miles, the computer would turn those functions off unless you had agreed to pay an annual subscription fee (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were the original features intended for the subscription model). Adopting that model would enable car manufacturers to keep making money from cars they had previously sold. If there were physical buttons it might be possible to ‘hard-wire’ around the computer, but as you say, removing buttons also saves money. Just imagine that you had paid top price for a new car with all the extras, but when you came to sell it, it had suddenly become the base model… Oops.

I guessed right then🤗

I think it's needs to be regulated that demist should be 1 press or people are going to start driving into things

TBH, the HVAC controls in the screen would be a total dealbreaker for me. It is just such a regrettable trend in automotive design these days. I can't help but think that the regulators will eventually cotton on to the possible safety consequences of this approach. But in the words of the Dragon's Den folk, I'm out! Pity as it is otherwise quite a nice car.

It needs front parking sensors and a heated steering wheel and more physical buttons. Good try mg ,

I'm sure you can programme steering wheel buttons for air con.

Am I crazy or??? The front looks quite Fiat tipoesque?

Pity boot still too small for me as a taxi driver.doing airport runs....

Not that much space in the trunk as I had hoped for. Also, did you actually have to close the trunk manually on a car made in 2023? I thought that was outdated even on my 2012 Peugeot..

No ta .skoda enyaq for me..

can you get a set of golf clubs in the boot with the seats in yuse ?

Good.but also +punt big baggag

Thanx for your review, like them! After watching some of your videos when you say the following words in one sentence “I it’s OK, it’s good, it’s fine, it’s not bad, not any problem, it’s alright, honestly, in my opinion” about one single detail of a car I finally get what you want to say: either you like to have it differently and hesitate to say straight forward “it is cr*p”; or it is really, really good and you hesitate to enthusiastically say “it is good”. No offence but putting repeatedly details into perspective meandering through many similar words is a bit tiresome. I prefer a tight and clear statement. 😉

Awful looking front to this car. Why do they have to look like something weird