Though MG is known historically for its range of affordable British sports cars, over the decades it has also produced sedans and hatchbacks under the different groups of owners between 1924 and 2006.
Chinese manufacturer Nanjing Automobile bought MG in 2005 before merging with the much larger Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) in 2007.
The last British-built sports car to land on New Zealand soil was the two-seat MG TF sold in the mid-2000s. And there was a brief flirtation with the SAIC-supplied MG3 and MG6 hatches under British Motor Distributors here in the early 2010s.
But the lack of an automatic transmission killed MG’s aspirations for conquest sales against fleet competitors.
As well as the MG, SAIC now has several divisions, Maxus (marketed here as LDV), Roewe, and Nanjing Automobile, and joint-venture manufacturing partnerships in China with General Motors, Volkswagen, and Iveco.
So, it’s no surprise that MG is reinventing itself with a line-up of electrified SUVs – the ZS and HS – to meet global appetites. Most importantly for New Zealand the price is right, the specification is right, and there isn’t a manual gearbox in sight.
THE TECH
Following the introduction of the mid-size MG HS Plus EV Essence SUV to New Zealand last year, this March MG added a more fleet friendly Excite version.
The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) architecture of the HS Excite combines a direct-injection fourcylinder 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a 90kW electric motor to produce a total of 189kW and 370Nm.
Power from the dual motors is sent to the all-wheel drive system through a 10-speed automatic gearbox.
Coupled with a liquid-cooled 16.6kWh lithium-ion battery, the HS Excite provides a zero-emission electric driving range of 63km (NEDC) on a full charge which we found is more than enough for most daily commuting.
The Excite, like the higher-end Essence, accelerates from rest to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds, yet returns a combined fuel consumption figure of 1.7 litres/100km and emits 39 grams of CO2 per kilometre.
THE SPEC
For an entry-level variant, the Excite is well specified and fleet drivers won’t feel at all short changed.
Standard equipment includes electronic park brake, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and taillights, automatic illumination halogen headlights, keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, and a tyre repair kit.
Inside the cabin, there’s a leather wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, and leatherette upholstery with seat heating for the two front occupants. The driver has a six-way electricallyadjustable seat, and is informed by a 12.3 inch digital instrument cluster.
The heating, ventilation, surround sound audio and navigation are driven through a 10.1 inch multi-function colour touchscreen with 1280p HD resolution.
The HS Plus EV Excite comes with the MG Pilot active safety suite, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also benefits from a front-toback seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
SAFETY
MG calls its driver safety technology suite MG Pilot which encompasses 10 systems.
They include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane assist, traffic jam assist, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, intelligent headlight control, and an intelligent speed assistance system.
As yet ANCAP hasn’t given the HS Plus EV a safety rating. However, the standard internal combustion engine (ICE) HS SUV, without the dual-motor system of the Plus EV, was given a fivestar ANCAP rating in 2019.
It scored 92% for adult occupant protection, 83% for child occupant protection, 64% for vulnerable road user protection, and 77% for safety assist.
THE DRIVE
On the road the Excite Plus EV feels solid and well planted, no doubt helped by its kerb weight of 1737kg, and the dual-motor system that drives all four wheels.
Thanks to its length of 4574mm, its width of 1876mm, its height of 1685mm and its wheelbase of 2720mm, it’s not unwieldy.
Yet it has plenty of space for both the occupants and their luggage. Starting, the dual motor system will prioritise running in hybrid mode and will use the petrol engine to warm up the battery components before engaging EV mode.
However, the driver can override this by pressing the button marked EV which will tell the drivetrain to use solely the stored electricity in the 16.6kWh traction battery until it’s depleted.
Unfortunately, the Excite Plus EV doesn’t offer fast DC charging, and will accept only up to 6.6kW of charging power from a Type 2 AC outlet, which will take roughly three hours to top up the battery from completely flat.
Overnight charging using a three-pin home charger connection will take up to seven hours.
OUR VIEW
Until the arrival of the MG HS Plus EV, the default midsize plug-in hybrid SUV was the Mitsubishi Outlander which now commands a retail price of $61,900 for the five-seat LS variant, and the fleet specific version of the Ford Escape PHEV is priced from $60,990.
The plug-in hybrid version of the five-seat Hyundai Tucson retails from $83,990, which unfortunately puts it out of contention for the Clean Car rebate, which has a ceiling of $80,000.
Fleet buyers could consider the Hyundai Ioniq II PHEV at the more attractive retail price of $53,990 but it’s more of a lower-slung aerodynamically enhanced hatchback than a proper high-riding SUV.
Therefore, fleets looking for an affordable but well specified plugin hybrid SUV that qualifies for the Clean Car rebate of $5750 should give the $51,990 HS Excite serious consideration, especially with its seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty on both the vehicle and the traction battery.
