MGS6 EV Essence AWD review: electric to the core

Pure electric vehicles are making pretty decent inroads in New Zealand this year thanks to a variety of factors, not least the fuel-price crisis. They're popular at the budget end of the market and among luxury buyers too: battery electrics (BEVs) accounted for a healthy 20% of overall registrations in June and sit at 13%-and-growing for the year-to-date.

But there's one area of the Kiwi market that's still going to be a tough nut to crack cleanly: medium SUVs, our single-biggest sales segment. Toyota's most popular medium SUV is the RAV4, not the bZ4X. Kia's the Sportage, not the EV5. Hyundai's the Tucson, not the Ioniq 5. And so on.

With the exception of the wildly popular Tesla Model Y, BEVs still struggle to get into the medium-SUV conversation. It's partly capital cost, but also surely some acceptance-issues in what's a fairly conservative group of buyers.

Here's where MG NZ comes in, with the new S6 EV-SUV. The company is on record as saying it's out less to conquest other EVs than to give buyers of mainstream hybrid/ICE family cars something to think about.

The MGS6 (this company does not believe in model-name spaces) truly achieves price parity with combustion SUVs: $56,990-$63,990 for the single Essence specification in either RWD or AWD puts it right in the thick of things with the likes of the RAV4 ($50,900-$66,990), Mitsubishi Outlander ($43,990-$81,990) and Kia Sportage ($49,990-$64,990).

The S6 Essence AWD largely suceeds in its mission to deliver a polished, mainstream family SUV experience.

It's also a very normcore SUV in terms of the look and feel. Handsome enough and bursting with tech/equipment, but not in the least bit EV-idiosyncratic and designed to be very intuitive to operate. Like a family SUV... but electric.

On the outside: what are the MGS6 Essence AWD's main design features?

You wouldn't choose to spend the extra on our S6 Essence AWD test car (it's a $7k premium) based on impressing the neighbours. It's almost identical to the RWD from the outside, unless you can get on your tippy toes to see the AWD's glass panoramic roof.

For what it's worth, we don't reckon the S6 is quite as interesting to look at as the smaller S5.

It's very-MG at the front, clearly part of the family that also incudes the HS SUV (that's the company's ICE/hybrid option in this segment) and especially the smaller S5; as the numbers suggest, the S-models are closely related.

For what it's worth, we don't reckon the S6 is quite as interesting to look at as the S5, especially at the back. But given the S6's mission to achieve the broadest possible appeal (and therefore presumably offend the least -possible number of potential buyers), that tracks.

OVERVIEW

On the inside: what's the MGS6 Essence AWD cabin like?

The S6 interior and controls will be familiar and welcoming to anybody who has driven... a modern car. There's the obligatory EV twin screens, a decent-but-not-OTT 12.8 unit for the infotainment and a shallow 10.25in screen for the instruments; the latter is under a traditional binnacle rather than standing proud, so it all looks quite conventional.

There are clear physical controls for climate, audio and a shortcut to the home screen. You also get old-school switches for mirror-adjustment on the doors. Nice.

There's also the obligatory high-set centre console "bridge" with storage space underneath. The rotary gear selector is located there, alongside a touchy feely Alcantara-trimmed phone charging pad (recessed so your phone actually stays in there); it's 50W, cooled and one of the more effective such devices we've used.

There are clear physical controls for climate, audio and a shortcut to the home screen. You also get old-school switches for mirror-adjustment on the doors. Nice.

MG has never really had the knack of friendly looking infotainment graphics and while the S6's are not terrible, they're not all that easy on the eye, either. The layout is fine, but the touch-surface is not the most responsive and the menus are not always rapid to react: you sometimes have to give a firm press and wait, to make sure you're activated the function you want.

You cannot argue with the S6's quality and equipment. There are very few hard surfaces to be found within arm's reach and the whole cabin exudes solid fit and finish. The glovebox is dampened, there's ambient lighting and seat heating front and rear (vented for driver and front-passenger, too).

The luxury vibe is a tiny bit undermined by the tinny audio, despite MG's claim of "cinematic" sound quality. It's pretty average and yes, we did experiment with the settings.

The dreaded vegan leather is present on the seats, but only around the edges: the main material is suede, which looks and feels appealing. It warms quickly with the seat heaters on in winter... and won't be sticky in summer.

MG puts the S6's long 2835mm wheelbase to good packaging use with vast rear-seat space. We're talking luxury car levels of legroom and an incredibly airy ambience once you factor in the AWD's glass roof (there's a power shade if you don't want the light to shine in).

The boot is decent at nearly 600 litres and the S6 adds a frunk; the AWD's is nearly 20 litres smaller than the RWD model thanks to the extra drivetrain hardware, but still a generous 67 litres.

INTERIOR

On the road: what's the MGS6 Essence AWD like to drive?

On the road, the S6 feels like a very mature machine. The AWD serves up a healthy increase in power and performance over the RWD (an extra 86kW and 2.4 seconds quicker to 100km/h, at 5.1sec), but it's delivered in a measured way. Even in the most aggressive Sport drive mode, it doesn't rocket off the line: acceleration builds progressively and only gets really serious once you're under way.

The S6 AWD is another one of those fast EVs that feels like it covers ground more effortlessly in the standard mode than Sport.

Having said that, there are clear differences in the dynamic package across the four pre-set modes (Comfort, Normal, Sport, Snow, plus a configurable Custom menu). So it really is worth playing around with them to find one that's to your liking. There are also five different regen settings, so you can tailor the S6 all the way form one-pedal driving to free-rolling.

There's no stop/start button: it's twist-and-go, so once you sit in the driver's seat and press the brake pedal the powertrain is awake and ready to go. That's a common EV configuration and works fine, but we're not so keen on the console-mounted rotary gear selector. It feels vague and it's a tad inconsistent in the way it clicks back-and-forth between Drive and Reverse, for example; you really do have to wait and make sure you see the correct gear indication on the dashboard before you press the go-pedal.

The steering weight is adjustable, but it feels pleasingly substantial even in its lightest setting. It's part of what gives the car a confident feel in corners; that and a decent sense of chassis balance, with good-quality Michelin tyres.

The S6 AWD is another one of those EVs that feels like it covers ground more effortlessly in Normal mode than Sport. In the latter, the abrupt way the power is delivered to the front motor requires care with the throttle; in the former, you can use more of the power more of the time, with less right-foot finesse required.

The suspension is stiff, though. Theoretically no firmer than that on the RWD model, but it certainly feels like it. It can feel really jolt into big bumps, even at open-road speeds. It's a feeling some may like and equate with sportiness, because it doesn't come at the price of poor control: the suspension just drops into surface imperfections and then settles immediately. But it has the potential to irk in urban driving.

SPECIFICATIONS

On ownership: what's the MGS6 Essence AWD warranty and servicing situation?

The vehicle is covered by a 10-year/250,000km warranty when serviced at an authorised dealership (a 3-year extension on the standard offer). 

Servicing is required every 12 months/25,000km. MG NZ offers capped-price service plans.

On the whole: what do we think of the  MGS6 Essence AWD?

The S6 Essence AWD largely suceeds in its mission to deliver a polished, mainstream family SUV experience. It has good range (nearly 500km), the dynamics are fairly well-sorted, and the cabin is spacious and well-equipped.

It's not bursting with character, but then it doesn't need to be. It needs to tick enough boxes to attract the attention of those currently buying combustion-based medium SUVs, and it certainly does that.

We're not sure we'd opt for the AWD, though, unless the extra traction is a must for your day-to-day driving conditions. You get the same look and equipment with the RWD, and it's arguably a nicer drive. It certainly has a nicer ride. 

MGS6 Essence AWD FAQs

What kind of car is the MGS6 Essence AWD?

A medium-sized family SUV.

Does the MGS6 Essence AWD have hybrid or EV technology?

It's pure electric.

What’s the efficiency of the MGS6 Essence AWD?

It's rated at 16.0kWh/100km.

Is the MGS6 Essence AWD safe?

The MGS6 was tested by ANCAP this year and received a 5-star rating, valid until December 2031.

What safety and assistance features does the MGS6 Essence AWD have?

What are the MGS6 Essence AWD's main rivals?

• Leapmotor C10 AWD ($64,990): Super-fast C10 is a bit of a sleeper: 0-100km/h in 4.0sec, but super-spacious too.
• Tesla Model Y AWD ($77,900): You can't ignore the big-selling Model Y, but it costs in dual-motor form.
• Toyota bZ4X Motion ($68,990): Recent upgrade to bZ4X dual-motor has boosted range and power.
• Toyota RAV4 XSE PHEV ($61,990): RAV4 is known for being a HEV, but new model offers PHEV options too.
• Mazda CX-5 Takami ($61,990): New-gen CX-5 is ICE-only for now, and Takami is the top.