MG HS Essence 2025 review

You’d need to be living a hermit-like existence in an abyss somewhere not to have noticed the exponential increase in MG vehicles on Australia’s roads over the last seven years – a degree of popularity built on razor-sharp pricing and an alluring warranty rather than overall product excellence.

The last MG HS, for example, may have looked quite respectable at launch in 2019, but beyond its visual superficialities, it was a fundamentally cheap car and drove like one. Which gives this second-generation HS mid-sized SUV plenty of room for improvement. And, for the most part, it has made substantial improvements in a multitude of areas.

It’s larger and more intelligently packaged, much classier inside, more sophisticated to drive, and more upscale in appearance. But just being better than the below-par previous model isn’t going to be enough in 2025 – not when competing directly against the Japanese benchmarks populating Australia’s huge-volume mid-sized SUV class.

Our test MG HS is the top-of-the-line Essence FWD, which lists at $40,990 before on-road costs but is currently that amount driveaway.

For similar money, you could be driving Mazda’s still-terrific CX-5 Maxx Sport G25 FWD ($40,310 before on-road costs), Toyota’s ubiquitous RAV4 GX Hybrid FWD ($42,260 before on-road costs), Honda’s impressive CR-V VTi-X+ FWD ($44,700 driveaway) or even Honda’s slightly smaller ZR-V in higher-grade VTi-L+ form ($43,400 driveaway).

The top-spec MG’s appeal is clearly in its standard panoramic sunroof, expanded labour-saving features and leather-look interior (in no-cost two-tone tan/black in our test car), which introduce enough visual ornamentation to make this HS appear like it’s worth more than it is.

But is there true substance beneath this ‘glamour’ or is the new-gen HS Essence still a value-oriented SUV relying on superficial razzle-dazzle to compensate for its deficiencies?

What are the HS Essence’s features and options for the price?

Opting for the flagship Essence (over the $34K Vibe or $37K Excite) does bring quite a few equipment benefits, many of which are standard in the HS’s similarly priced Japanese competition, apart from its headline fancy sunroof.

Our test car features Cashmere Silver Metallic paint ($700) and a black PVC interior no-cost interior. Buyers can also opt for a brown PVC interior trim.

Exclusive equipment highlights of the MG HS Essence include:

• Panoramic sunroof with electric sunblind
• Auto-folding mirrors
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Front parking sensors
• Wireless phone charging
• Driver’s seat memory and electric lumbar adjustment
• Passenger’s four-way electric seat
• Heated front seats
• Dual-zone climate control
• Eight-speaker audio system
• Rear privacy glass
• Electric tailgate

When you look beyond the obvious, however, the Essence’s luxury story starts to unravel a bit. The seat upholstery may be perforated but it’s just dollied-up vinyl, which soaks up heat and combines with inadequate climate-control cooling to make the HS’s interior old-school unpleasant on a hot day.

Indeed, when running flat-out on ‘low’, our test car’s air-conditioning condenser randomly switched itself on and off – feeding stale, unrefrigerated air into the cabin before turning back on again 10 or 15 seconds later.

The front passenger’s seat doesn’t get height adjustment, leaving it mounted too high, while the driver gets cushion tilt, but only from the back part of the seat like cheap ‘luxury’ models from the past. And only the driver gets an auto up/down power window – the front passenger gets auto-down but not up, which is the definition of penny-pinching.

How does the HS Essence drive?

If you approach the HS Essence with low expectations and drive it at a glacial to moderate pace, you’ll be impressed. When the demands are minimal, the HS effortlessly transports itself from point A to point B, feeling smooth and appearing to be quite premium.

But once you start to ask more of it – even just a little bit – the MG HS fails to rise to the occasion. The reasons why are numerous, but the chief offender is its drivetrain.

The on-paper promise of a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder producing 125kW/275Nm, tied to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, isn’t tremendous – not when pulling a front-drive SUV weighing 1630kg – but its 0-100km/h acceleration claim of 9.6sec paints a reasonable picture.

There’s an acceptable level of performance (just) when it’s operating in its ‘zone’, and the engine sounds okay when revving out.

But catch it off guard, like at low engine speeds or, worse, from a standing start, and its laggy lethargy is so profound that the HS seems to take seconds to respond – even with the gearlever flicked into ‘Sport’.

In an emergency situation or when trying to join fast-moving freeway traffic, the desperation of the MG’s drivetrain response makes day-to-day motoring a frustrating, anxiety-inducing chore.

It’s a pity that the HS’s core drivetrain is so underdone because its dynamics deserve much better (MG says a plug-in hybrid version is coming, thankfully).

The HS’s steering is pleasantly weighted, reasonably accurate and nicely consistent in feel, and while its handling balance clearly favours understeer, the independent multi-link rear suspension set-up is capable of enhancing the HS’s poise … though it really should do this all the time, rather than needing to be brought into play by deft driving.

Wearing 225/55R19 Bridgestone Alenza tyres, the HS Essence also rides acceptably well – neither plushly nor punishingly – and body control seems mostly in check. It’s also reasonably quiet, even though you can hear the suspension working and are aware of the engine’s vocal induction note when being pushed.

What is the HS Essence’s interior and tech like?

As per its latest-generation MG compatriots, the new-generation HS is in a different league when it comes to interior design, functionality and craftsmanship. There’s a newfound maturity to its dashboard architecture and general interior finish that goes well beyond MG’s previous attempts.

That said, the ‘glamour’ that signifies this top-spec HS Essence remains fairly superficial.

The perforated-vinyl seat trim and black trim presents well – the alternative black-over-tan colour treatment even looks classy – though all the fancy seams and aerated holes in the world can’t save the Essence in an Australian summer.

Without seat ventilation (and combined with the struggling climate-control), our silver test car proved furnace-like in its heat-retaining properties.

At least the seats are comfortable, despite very basic adjustment for the front pair, with kudos going to the vast rear bench for its all-round space and support, backed by a flat rear floor and tonnes of legroom.

The Essence’s driving position is good, its leather-clad wheel is great to hold, and the full-size grab handles on all four doors are excellent. As is the airiness afforded by its vast panoramic sunroof with electric blind.

Storage isn’t great, though, with oddly shaped door bins seemingly incapable of standing a bottle upright, and a pair of centre cupholders too cramped to comfortably take a pair of large Aussie coffees.

There are other ergonomic flaws as well. The broad lower section of the organ-type accelerator pedal can catch on the soles of trainers when braking. And the pedestal door mirrors are too large to take advantage of their separated design, creating a huge blind spot next to both A-pillars which hampers urban vision and manoeuvrability.

The 12.3-inch centre touchscreen features an upgraded version of MG’s control interface and fonts, and it’s better, if still far from benchmark in its processing speed and logic. It sits alongside a 12.3-inch driver’s screen that only displays fairly basic information.

Audio quality from the Essence’s upgraded eight-speaker stereo is reasonably strong, however it combines with an archaic USB-A connector for the wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, which again proved frustratingly glitch-prone in yet another MG test car.

It worked only occasionally, regardless of whose phone was connected, despite the cord being properly plugged in and clearly charging the phone!

Measuring 507 litres beneath a nicely designed retractable luggage cover, the HS’s boot space is decent, though some margin below the room offered by its best rivals. Drop the 60/40-split rear backrests and volume expands to a reasonable 1484 litres, and there’s a space saver spare under the floor.

In comparison, a Honda CR-V offers 589 litres behind the second row and 1671 litres with the seats dropped – even though it packages a full-size alloy spare wheel beneath the floor – while a Toyota RAV4 has a 580-litre boot when fitted with a space-saver spare.

Is the HS Essence a safe car?

The new-generation HS received a full five-star rating when independently tested by the ANCAP safety authority in 2024 – scoring 90 percent for adult occupant protection, 87 percent for child occupant protection, 83 percent for vulnerable road user protection, and 74 percent for safety assist systems.

Standard safety equipment of all new MG HS variants includes:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Forward AEB
• Forward collision warning
• Lane-change assist
• Lane-keeping assistance
• Lane-departure warning
• Emergency lane-keep assist
• Intelligent cruise assist
• Intelligent speed-limit assist
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Driver monitoring system
• Rear collision warning
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Front cross-traffic alert
• Tyre-pressure monitoring

The HS Essence does have plenty of standard active-safety features but the calibration – particularly the driver monitoring – can be infuriatingly intrusive, as well as frequently incorrect. And turning the driver monitoring off requires a too-deep dive into the centre display – exacerbating the ‘inattention’ it claims to have witnessed.

At one stage, our test HS told us to take a break and flashed a beeping ‘cup-of-coffee’ symbol in the instrument pack after driving barely a few hundred metres. The car had been parked for at least an hour prior to this.

And one evening the instrument pack warned that the park brake was still engaged while we were driving – even though it wasn’t – and simultaneously blanked out the green indicator arrows while the blinkers were on.

Combined with the borderline-inoperable smartphone mirroring and an inconsistent delay when locking/unlocking the car via keyless entry, these electronic glitches (in a brand new, 1700km-old vehicle) tended to diminish our faith in the HS somewhat.

What are the HS Essence’s ownership costs?

The MG HS’s official combined fuel consumption figure is 6.9L/100km, in combination with an urban number of 8.9L/100km and an extra urban number of 5.8L/100km.

In comparison, a 2.0-litre Mazda CX-5 Maxx has the same 6.9L/100km combined fuel consumption, while a 2.5-litre CX-5 Maxx Sport quotes 7.2L/100km. A Toyota RAV4 Hybrid’s official combined consumption is just 4.7L/100km – despite offering considerably more performance than the HS.

Based on our predominantly urban driving, the HS 1.5T isn’t particularly economical, with heavy-traffic fuel consumption way over 10.0L/100km (we averaged an alarming 14.2L/100km, though that would undoubtedly improve with some freeway driving). And it requires expensive 95RON premium fuel.

Recommended service intervals for the MG HS are every 12 months or 15,000km, with its capped-price servicing cost over five years/75,000km totalling a substantial $2354.

To MG’s credit, the capped-price servicing extends to 10 years, though the eighth-year/120,000km service is an eye-watering $1647.

In comparison, a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid’s five-year servicing cost (over the same 75,000km distance) is capped at $270 for each service, meaning just $1350 in total. And a Honda CR-V is even more affordable at $199 per service (or $995 for the first five years), though its distance interval is only 50,000km.

MG’s new-vehicle warranty in Australia is now 10 years/250,000km, with included roadside assistance.

The honest verdict on the HS Essence

When putting its best foot forward – which is arguably the entry-level, cloth-seated Vibe at $33,990 before on-road costs – the MG HS offers plenty of mid-sized SUV for the money. At that price, its generous cabin space and generous warranty will be more than enough to tempt families looking for a new car that won’t cripple their finances.

Yet even the top-spec Essence, currently priced at $41K driveaway, has its charms – particularly for anyone who loves a big sunroof. Or even a decent stereo.

But in our opinion, there are more sophisticated mid-sized SUVs for similar money to the HS Essence that drive better, perform better, use less fuel, and very rarely display any electronic glitches.

They may not be as brand new as the all-new MG HS, but there’s a lot to like in a Honda CR-V or ZR-V, a Mazda CX-5, and Australia’s favourite SUV, the Toyota RAV4.

The new MG HS isn’t a bad car – it’s actually quite good, for the most part. But it’s also a disappointingly flawed car that ultimately falls short, the more that you ask of it.

Here’s hoping MG continues to software update its new HS in an attempt to iron out the many wrinkles preventing this SUV from being the best version of itself.