HOME ON THE RANGE (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_mg5evlongrange_2022

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 107

Back in 2021, MG was continuing to specialise in providing budget brand buyers access to full electrification at super-affordable prices. A year before, the company had announced its second zero emissions model, the MG5 EV estate, then improved it a year later with a larger 61kWh battery to create the MG5 EV Long Range model we're going to look at here from a used perspective. This was the UK's first and cheapest EV estate and in this updated '21-plate form offered a 250 combined driving range, an increase of 36 miles over the original 52kWh version. All for a reasonably conventional price. Exciting? Possibly not. Clever? Definitely.

Modelsword count: 3

5dr Estate (EV)

Historyword count: 215

An affordable family budget doesn't get you much these days if you want your next car to be a full-EV - certainly not much that's practically-sized. Unless you opt for one of these, the MG5 EV, a rather different kind of estate and one that in its original form became a lot easier to justify in 2021 when MG re-launched it in the 'Long Range' 61.1kWh battery form we're going to look at here. The MG5 was basically a European-ised version of a model from MG's Chinese parent group SAIC, the Roewe Ei5. The brand first launched it in 2020 with a 52.2kWh battery that offered a modest 214 mile driving range. Customer interest was also, well, modest. But in '21-plate 'Long Range' form, this car's worth a second look, not only because of its longer 250 mile potential between charges but also because it gained MG's 'Pilot Driver Assist' system that offered extra camera safety tech. Most of the other EVs at this price point from the 2021-2022 era are smaller and can't go as far between charges. The MG5 offered something a bit different - and was further improved with a facelift in late-2022. It's the 2021-2022-era 'Long range' battery version of the original-shape version though, that we're going to look at here.

What You Getword count: 340

The exterior styling, which was unchanged with this 'Long Range' model, is restrained and conservative and not particularly suggestive of a budget brand. In profile, a crisp shoulder line runs above the door handles, with lower creases that give the flanks some shape. A set of 16-inch 'Meteor' alloy wheels were standard and silver roof rails decorate the plusher 'Exclusive' version. Whichever variant you opt for, you certainly get a lot of metal for the money. This MG5 is 4.54m long, which, to give you some perspective, is about 100mm shorter than a Ford Focus Estate, though this MG's 2.6m wheelbase is only 43mm shorter than that Ford's. This Chinese contender is 1.82m wide and 1.54m tall too. Up-front, the specialist motoring press has been a bit disparaging about the cabin ambiance, but it's actually not that far off volume brand standards, without feeling especially plush - even in the top 'Exclusive'-spec variant with its white-stitched leatherette upholstery. MG tried to meet the current prevailing class standard for infotainment too with a 8-inch centre monitor. It'll usually display in a split screen format, with audio, navigation and Apple CarPlay options easily accessible. Anything else you might need to know can be found in the instrument binnacle, which combines a central 7-inch screen with (rather curiously on an electric vehicle) outer analogue dials, the left one for speed and the right being an EV Power Meter. When the ignition is fired, the outer edges of both analogue dials are completed by the edges of the centre screen, with a green battery % graphic on the left and a blue voltage display on the right. On the back seat, there's ample headroom and legroom, even for taller occupants. And you could fit three adults in without much trouble, thanks to the relative absence of a central transmission tunnel. Finally, this is an estate car, so you'll want to know about boot space, which is rated at 578-litres with the rear seats in place - around the same as a Ford Focus Estate.

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