My first test drive today 26th April 2011 - welcome back MG
First drive of an MG6 SE
From the outside
A very neat looking car with an aggressive looking nose. Solidly built, nice shut lines and a reassuring weight and thunk to opening and closing the doors. Boot space is enormous and even a round rubber thing in the boot (space saver but better than a can of spray). The silver MG badges looks very nice indeed and suit the car especially againast the grey paint.
As a passenger
Very comfy but body hugging seats. Quite an expanse of black plastic right in front of you but you can easily look over that to see what’s going on outside. The interior feels spacious and certainly no risk of hitting elbows with the driver. A car to feel safe in...yes....very probably I could nod off in the passenger seat on a long journey.
The driver was certainly pushing the car to accelerate and brake hard to demonstrate its capabilities – by gum it goes! With a lovely throaty engine grunt too as you take off reminds me more of a ZT2.5V6 than the old K series 1.8.
Glove box is a bit on the small side.
In the driving seat
Once you slide into the comfy hugging seat all the controls fall to hand quite easily. Good all round visibility but in the rear view mirror the back screen does look a bit small.
One niggle is that smart key that you have to dock in the dash. Seems a bit clunky and awkward to use – perhaps if I read the manual it might all fall into place but for the moment that side didn’t impress me as easy to use – certainly in comparison to a modern Land Rover.
It fired up nicely, revs smoothly and is eager to take off. Clutch is smooth and intuitive. The modern style handbrake is a nice touch and works well.
Gear change is smooth and positive but does require a bit of effort but that adds to drivers feel of the car. A little green arrow pops up on the dash when it’s time to change gear.
Controls like indicators, lights, ventilation and satnav all seemed easy to use and logically placed. At first glance the instrument binnacle seems on the small side but saying that everything is clear.
Driving over some rather potholed roads the MG6 wasn’t shaken and stood its ground delivering a comfortable but not a wallowy ride. Tyre or wind noise was nonexistent – certainly looks like the engineers at Longbridge have worked their traditional magic.
Cornering at any speed was a delight and surefooted...no murmurings of any squeals and composure was maintained in the cabin.
Admittedly I didn't get on a motorway but the lack of a 6th gear didn't seem a problem on my run.
The dealer
The dealer was still sorting out his new signage but had a TF in the showroom.
I was advised that the full launch of the car is in May and that everything will be in place for that. As yet the proper brochures aren’t available but they should be soon.
The dealer thought the saloon would be out soon with the possibility of a diesel variant before the year is out. He was very optimistic on the future of MG and what’s in the pipeline.
This dealer had taken the MG6 around the track and was amazed by its capabilities and going very fast and stopping very quickly.
Conclusion
A great car more ZT than 75. Easy to drive, stylish, well built with a funny key! For my needs I’d like an auto please
Would I buy or recomend one – YES!
Thank you for contacting me last week MG and arranging the test drive. If you want someone to test one for a long weekend please let me know! It was getting lots of looks as I drove around.
Last edited by richardk on Tue Apr 26, 2011 9:43 am; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : correct typo in title and add more info)
