UK Press Launch, Bognor Regis - 25 September 2013

When we got the invite to go to Bognor Regis for the launch of the MG we all thought “what an odd place to choose…” Then we found out it was being held at Butlins, and immediately thought they had gone completely mad, but most of us turned up anyway. A few didn’t, but then maybe they thought going to Butlins was too much for them to bear. The Press conference was quite interesting as they drew parallels between the two companies. Both companies are well known in the UK, both had their hay-day many years ago and both very nearly died not long ago. They said that most people would not consider going to Butlins, like most people would not consider buying an MG, meaning both companies have found it very difficult recently. But they have now had huge investment of cash, and are on a revival where they are offering good quality for reasonably priced products.

First we had a look around Butlins, and to say I was surprised is a complete understatement. Gone are the old chalets which have now been replaced with very modern hotels around the grounds. The place was immaculate; the staff were friendly and there is so much for children and adults to do. So would the MG3 be as impressive?

We drove this B-Sector, five-door, five seat hatch from Bognor, on some very interesting roads, and over the very pretty South Downs. It is not the quickest thing on four wheels, and at times did feel slightly underpowered (even on some of the smallest of uphill gradients), but the sort of people who buy this type of car buy it as a run-about, and not for speed.

It is powered by a 1,498cc petrol engine that produces 106ps coupled to 5-Speed manual gearbox. This engine is not the cleanest in its class at 136g/km, which will put it at a slight disadvantage. The official combined fuel consumption is 48.7mpg, but we achieved around 41mpg during the time we drove it, however we were driving it through towns, villages and country roads, so it was not really a fair test. It does show what it achieves in real life driving though.

The length of the MG3 is 4,018mm, which is about the same size as most of its competitors, but the design team (based near Birmingham) have managed to cram an awful lot of room into such a small hatch. There is enough cabin space for four adults with room to spare, and three children in the rear will have plenty of leg, shoulder and headroom.

MG is now owned by the huge Chinese company SAIC, which sold 4.42m cars last year worldwide, and now employ over 400 people in the UK on engineering, design, production and assembly.

On the road the MG3 does not do anything out of the ordinary, it goes around corners, brakes, accelerates, is fairly quiet and not overly powerful, but it doesn’t do anything badly either, it is just a very average car in every department, except for the price.

There are four models available: 3Time, 3Form, 3Form Sport and 3Style. Prices start at a very competitive £8,399 and go up to £9,999. The top spec car which is under £10,000 has a long list of standard equipment including: Diamond cut 16’’ alloy wheels, Cruise Control, Auto lights, Auto wipers and rear parking sensors. All models except the base car have DAB digital radio as standard, and all cars have very attractive and distinctive LED daytime running lights as standard. Customers can personalise their MG3’s with a choice of graphics, priced from £199-£225, which are fitted at the factory and certainly add a bit of glamour and individualisation to their car, which I feel are well worth every penny.

The MG3 is quite a good looking and does not look like a cheap and cheerful small car. There are some nice lines and it looks in proportion from every angle. The UK designers have certainly got it right for European tastes, and it seems like they have not been influenced by their Chinese owners.

The main competitors for the MG3 include: Hyundai i10, KIA Rio, Skoda Fabia, Peugeot 208, Citroen C3, Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa, to name just a few in this crowded yet popular sector of the market.  

So was the MG3 as surprising as Butlins? Well… both were good and better than expected, both are definitely on a come-back and both offer value for money, with added and unexpected quality. Both are British Icons that no longer deserve to be known as has-beens, and I don’t think either of them will.

Martin Ward, CAP Manufacturer Relationship Manager