What is it? Superminis may not be as profitable or in demand as SUVs nowadays, but they still represent a sizable chunk of the market. Now that hybrids are becoming increasingly popular, the Chinese firm MG has given us a new MG3 supermini, and this time, it’s a hybrid only. The old car was released in 2013, and now, over a decade later, the 3 is taking the small car sector very seriously and is now priced as the cheapest new hybrid car on sale.
But is it any good? We’ve been driving it to find out. What’s new? Chinese brands are flooding the UK’s new car market, but MG has been the one brand that has pedigree and heritage behind its badge. Since the firm was bought out and re-branded in 2011 with the MG6, it has been given a new lease of life through its SUVs, an estate and even the newly released Cyberster sports car.
Just taking a glance at the new MG3, from every angle this second-generation car is different to its predecessor. It has a new body and interior and it sits on an entirely new chassis. The firm also offers the MG3 with the latest Pilot safety features and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come fitted as standard.
The drivetrain is also new and promises to be cheaper to run, cleaner, and greener than the model that it replaces. What’s under the bonnet? There is only one powertrain when it comes to speccing an MG3 which is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to an electric motor that produces a total power output of 192bhp and 250Nm of torque.
I.