The MG3 Hybrid+ has a price that is – as expected – competitive. We also went on a short trip with it.
In Geneva, MG took the wraps off a brand new model that will also be launched in the Netherlands. Not a fully electric car this time, but a hybrid. And not one of those half-baked mild hybrids, but a full-fledged hybrid: the MG3 Hybrid+.
Specs MG3 Hybrid+
This is rare in the B segment anyway, but we will come back to the competitors in a moment. The MG3 has a 1.5 liter four-cylinder that produces 102 hp, combined with a 136 hp electric motor. This results in a system power of just under 200 hp (194 hp to be precise). All this is linked to a 3-speed automatic transmission.
This should allow the MG3 Hybrid+ to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.0 seconds and reach a modest top speed of 170 km/h. It drives fully electric up to a maximum of 80 km/h. By the way, it is not a plug-in, so plugging in is not an option.
But how does the MG3 drive?
Today we also went out briefly with the MG3 Hybrid+. And let's just reveal the conclusion straight away. Definitely a smooth car, for a competitive price that you can drive further than Hazeldonk this summer.
Today we started at Van Mossel's head office and we did not cross the border. But you probably understand where we're going with this. It is always difficult to estimate from photos, but the MG3 is a B-segment car of the size Fiesta (out of production) and Kia Rio (out of production). In short: MG sees opportunities. They do not compete with the cheapest car in this segment, the Dacia Sandero. Because it has a starting price that starts below 20,000 euros.
This MG3 Hybrid+ will be on the hunt for 2 groups of buyers. People who really want an automatic and people who really want a hybrid. Those automatic enthusiasts will find the price of the MG3 interesting because it is cheaper than the cheapest Dacia Sandero automatic (more than 23,500 euros). And if we throw it at hybrid. A Yaris hybrid only starts from 26,000 and the same applies to, for example, a Renault Clio Hybrid, which is very similar in size to the MG.
We were allowed to drive the Luxury version of the MG3 Hybrid+. This is equipped with keyless entry, heated front seats with PVC/fabric upholstery, steering wheel heating, a 360-degree camera, LED headlights, a rain sensor, rear privacy glass and a special premium finish of the doors. The latter, well. To be honest, we thought the material at the top of the dashboard and on the doors had a basic, plastic-like look.
In any case, you don't have a lot to choose from with MG, apart from the equipment levels. The color! You can choose from that and for the rest the standard equipment level should be enough. And with an automatic transmission/air conditioning/CarPlay/cruise control and parking sensors as standard, the basics are actually covered.
The MG3 Hybrid+ has 192 hp as combined power and the MG is indeed quite smooth. There is some delay in the actual acceleration. So don't expect truly EV-like acceleration from a standstill. You cannot choose Full-electric yourself. The car makes its own choices. But it can drive fully electrically, up to 80 km/h. If you go faster, it will of course be over quickly with that 1.8 kWh battery. The battery is larger than that of competitors Yaris and Clio.
During intermediate acceleration, the MG can simply be called smooth. You will make progress for this class. You have to be careful with the accelerator pedal. Because the 3-speed automatic transmission makes itself heard when it downshifts. This is one of those cars where you have to adapt to the gearbox a bit. Of course it could be the other way around. Ideally, this car should simply have more movement. But hey, you have to see that price reflected in something, of course!
The Hybrid+ steers quite lightly, but you still have an idea of what is happening below you. In any case, what you know is that turning at low speed and accelerating quickly with the wheels turned in almost always results in a spinning inside front wheel. Even on this dry day, the car had difficulty maintaining traction at the front when accelerating smoothly.
But will the target group of this car do that? That's what we wonder. The customer who is considering a Clio probably does. Our assessment is that the Yaris and Sandero customers believe it. In any case, the comfort (at least with a light load) is fine for all groups. Although we did hear some rattles coming from the dashboard on cobbled roads in our copy. All in all, the MG3 convinces at first driving impression.
How much does the MG3 Hybrid+ cost?
That's all well and good, but in the end there is only one figure that is really important with the MG4: the price. We can now also report this. Van Mossel will market the MG3 Hybrid+ in the Netherlands from €22,769. This does not make it the cheapest car in the Netherlands, but it is the cheapest hybrid in the Netherlands (of course we do not count mild hybrids).
As we are used to from MG, there are not many options to check. In the MG3 Standard you have climate control and adaptive cruise control, among other things. You can also opt for the Comfort (€24,269), with 16-inch alloy, rain sensor and heated exterior mirrors. Do you also want LED headlights, heated seats and a 360° camera? Then you must have the Luxury (€25,769).
Main competitors
As we already revealed, the MG3 is the cheapest hybrid in the Netherlands. There are three direct rivals in this segment: the Yaris Hybrid, the Mazda 2 Hybrid (the same car, but with a Mazda logo) and the Clio Hybrid. In terms of value-for-money B-segmenters, the Dacia Sandero of course the dead-end competitor. For the correct comparison, we will take the Sandero with automatic transmission.
Then we arrive at the following list:
- MG3 Hybrid+ (194 hp): €22,769
- Dacia Sandero TCe 90 CVT: €23,835
- Toyota Yaris Hybrid 115: €26,050
- Renault Clio E-Tech full hybrid 145: €26,290
- Mazda 2 Hybrid VVT-i 116: €26,790
The MG3 is simply cheaper than a comparable Dacia, so you know the price is competitive. Compared to the other hybrids in the B-segment, the MG is certainly cheaper, because they are all above 26 grand. The MG also has more power.
So MG once again has a car that offers great value for money. Would you prefer it to the Dacia or an established B-segment car? Please let us know in the comments!
This article MG3 Hybrid+ is the cheapest hybrid in the Netherlands! first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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