The middle child in MG South Africa’s Renaissance range puts forth an impressive showing following mixed impressions with the Chinese automaker’s two other products available locally.
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MG HS 1.5T Luxury Fast Facts
- Price: R534 900
- 0-100 km/h: 8.74 seconds
- Top speed: 195 km/h
- Power: 125 kW
- Torque: 275 N.m
- CAR fuel index: 8.28 L/100 km
- CO2: 156 g/km
MG’s three-model return to the South African market has so far proven something of a hit-and-miss affair. Having been suitably wowed by the ballistic pace and presence of the scissor-doored Cyberster roadster in our March issue, we were left feeling somewhat divided by the MG ZS 1.5 Luxury that we tested in our April 2025 issue. On the one hand it represents value-packed and broadly pleasant product, but on the other it felt every bit its 2017 vintage in terms of powertrain, handling and cabin execution. So, with the introduction of the HS – a model that was unveiled at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed – we were presented with the opportunity to see what a more modern MG product has to offer.
It must be said that with the influx of Chinese models coming into the local market, we are seeing something of a cookie-cutter phenomenon when it comes to their designs; generally looking modern and neat, but ultimately quite samey. Thankfully, the HS manages to cut quite a distinctive figure, incorporating strong haunches and a broad, scalloped bonnet that crowns sizeable LED headlamps and a prominent grille with scale-like louvres. The rear aspect is particularly pleasing, with the faceted ‘shard’ brakelamp lenses a UK-flavoured nod to the modern London skyscraper of the same name.
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As is often the case with keenly priced products coming out of the Chinese market, the correlation between sticker price and size is somewhat skewed. While the HS competes pricewise with some more compact rivals such as the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Grand Creta, its overall dimensions are in fact closer to those of more expensive cars such as Toyota’s RAV4 and the new Volkswagen Tiguan. Indeed, the HS’s cabin is spacious and the boot and utility capacities of 288/1 088 litres, respectively, furthers the impression of this car sitting a rung above its price station.
MG has placed a great deal of emphasis upon the HS’s levels of perceived quality and NVH suppression, both of which were found to be somewhat wanting in the ZS. Thankfully, the HS has more than met its mandate in these departments, being cathedral-quiet and well insulated from road, wind and mechanical noise. These impressive road manners conspire with a cabin that feels solidly constructed from materials of a good quality to make the HS feel like one of the most upmarket products in its price bracket.
In terms of its driving characteristics, the HS acquitted itself impressively. The 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbopetrol’s 125 kW and 275 N.m outputs are segment-respectable, but it’s the powertrain’s calibration that’s particularly noteworthy here. Of late, we’ve noticed a tendency for Chinese manufacturers to neglect this facet of their products – the upshots of which are hair-trigger throttles, overly bitey brakes and transmissions that hunt around aimlessly, often to the cost of refinement and fuel efficiency. This is definitely not the case with HS. The four-cylinder engine is quiet and smooth, while its interaction with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is assured and feels almost seamless. Factor in throttle and brakes that are easily modulated, and progress in the HS is effortless. Our testing saw the 0-100 km/h run dispatched in a respectable 8.74 seconds, but more impressive was the average fuel consumption figure of 7.61 L/100 km we managed to achieve on your fuel run – a good figure that bests the likes of the FWD Jaecoo J7 we tested in August 2024.
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There’s nothing to complain about driving-wise, with the turbocharged engine proving punchy enough to make overtaking fuss-free and the suspension and chassis setup is impressively resolved, allowing the HS to serve up a composed and fluid ride, even on its standard 19-inch rims. Pressing on unearths some gradual understeer but little in the way of body roll, making the HS a well-balanced drive.
In fact, our only gripes centred around the infotainment system and somewhat intrusive active safety features. The touchscreen infotainment system, although far from the fiddliest we’ve encountered, is nonetheless not all that intuitive, especially when it comes to adjusting the climate settings via embedded controls. Interacting with this system inevitably draw your eyes to the screen, and away from the road, at which point the overly cautious driver-scanning module of the MG Pilot active safety system (which includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping and blind-spot assist) quickly chastises your seeming lack of focus. Thankfully, the driver awareness scanner can be deactivated via an easy-to-access shortcut on the infotainment system’s home screen, although this measure must be repeated every time you start the car.
Like many of its Chinese contemporaries, the HS brims with the latest comfort, convenience, tech and safety features. This model’s luxury specification incorporates (deep breath) dual-zone climate control, heating and electrical adjustment for the front seats, camera-assisted parking sensors, panoramic sunroof, rear privacy glass, power tailgate, seven airbags, a wireless phone-charging pad and an eight-speaker audio system with wireless smartphone connectivity. After-sales cover is provided by a 200 000 km mechanical warranty and a 90 000 km service plan, both spanning five years – the latter being one of the most generous in this segment.
Having walked away with a somewhat mixed impression of the fairly old-fashioned-feeling, but nonetheless competitively priced ZS, it’s good to see that one of MG’s more modern SUV offerings is a well-resolved product. Some ancillary interface and sensitive active safety feature niggles aside, the HS impresses with its generous packaging and specification, stylish looks and impressively composed road manners. Factor in a very competitive price, even for the feature-laden Luxury-spec model
Find the full feature in the May 2025 issue of CAR Magazine.
