since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
MG Motor Malaysia came up with a winner in the SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) EV (electric vehicle) market in May but supply issues dampened customer expectations somewhat. Now that vehicle supply is restored and stable, the company is going all out to promote its MGS 5 EV again.
A media drive to Kuantan was organised with a durian farm detour along the way to get the ball rolling. After an insightful drive to Desaru, Johor in the MG5 last year, we were looking forward to another motoring experience in the MGS5. The fact that it is electrically powered made the drive more anticipated.
We were curious to see how the MGS5 would fare against the other EVs we have driven over the past three years. With more power charging stations being progressively installed all over the nation during that period, range anxiety is becoming less of an issue. It was certainly with that mindset that we started our drive in the MGS5.
The MGS5 has a clean body styling that helps it blend in with the crowd in its category as an SUV EV. The sweeping LED (light emitting diode) daytime running lights (DRL) could easily be mistaken for headlamps by those unfamiliar with EV frontal styling and that plays a dominant role in lending character to the SUV.
The small LED headlamp cluster lies below the DRL and offers good beam coverage on the road for night time driving. The wide grille located at the lower apron plays it part in channelling air to cool the brakes, battery and other functional ancillaries.
Aesthetics at the rear echoes the fuss-free design approach in the front. The light strip running the width of the SUV reflects its contemporary standing. Adding an aerodynamic touch is the roof spoiler that extends over the rear windscreen while the under bumper shield lends a rugged outlook. The angled rear light clusters add to the SUV’s overall character.
And of course, summing up the car’s profile are the two-tone alloy wheels that catch the eye with its simple but elegant design. The alloy wheels are fitted with Bridgestone Turanza T005 tyres of the size 225/55 R18 that are said to be EV compatible.
Stepping inside the MGS5, the simple touches in styling continue; there is no unusual design notes and one that we could get down to getting acquainted with right away. The 12.8-inch central infotainment touchscreen with voice command is one through which we could access the car’s functions such as drive modes, level of battery regeneration, GPS, among others.
The driver’s digital instrument panel is smaller as per the norm these days being a 10.25-inch unit. It relays quite a lot of information including the battery range and the percentage of electric power flow. The latter serves somewhat like a tachometer in ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles; instead of telling you how fast the engine is working, it tells you how much electric power is being used in percentages.
In much the same way as an ICE tachometer, the power output indicator guides us on the best percentage range to use to achieve the best mileage range. It also shows the level of battery regeneration on road gradient descent and during braking; the harder the braking effort, the greater the battery regeneration.
The MGS5 is available in two model variants based on the battery output capacity – COM and LUX. There are two battery options for the COM variant, these being the 49kWh and 62kWh batteries that deliver 340km and 430km range respectively (WTLP – Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure). The LUX variant comes standard with the 62kWh battery.
All variants come with an electric motor delivering an output of 125kW (170PS) and 250Nm but the electric drive power goes to the rear wheels. MG says the MGS5 is the only rear-wheel drive SUV in its segment. The LUX variant is also given the exclusive DC fast charging of up to 140kW that enables 10-80 per cent charge in 26 minutes.
MG Motor Malaysia made the LUX variant available for the Klang Valley-Kuantan drive and as such we could enjoy the drive in greater luxury. This included the panoramic sunroof, leather-fabric seats with perforated MG logos, power adjustable driver’s seat, wireless phone charging pad, six premium speaker system, 360-degree surround view camera, to name some.
Kuantan Drive
When we started on our Kuantan drive from the Klang Valley, we noted that the battery range for the MGS5 LUX that we were driving was 428 kilometres. That was almost 99 per cent of its maximum range and since the entire journey was about 280 kilometres (including a detour to a durian plantation near Bentong), we were confident of covering the distance on a single charge.
As mentioned earlier, achieving the best battery range was like getting the utmost mileage from an ICE vehicle. The faster and harder you drive, the lower the range and mileage. Although we ran into quite lot of traffic before reaching the toll booth along the Genting road (which helped the battery regeneration process), we took the liberty of indulging in some quick driving when the highway opened up (under convoy formation).
A battery charging stop was made at the Gambang rest stop Petronas petrol kiosk that had two Gentari DC chargers. At that point, our battery range was whittled down to 86 kilometres, which was about 20 per cent in battery level. The remaining distance to our destination was about 55 kilometres, which means we had a range buffer, but it was deemed best to have a quick recharge. The 20-minute charge (which costs slightly more than RM50) extended our battery range to almost 200km, more than sufficient to get to the Swiss Garden Beach Resort.
We like the rear-wheel drive feeling as there was a more neutral dynamic performance when taking corners, unlike front-wheel drive vehicles that displayed a tendency to understeer. It was a quiet drive naturally for an SUV EV and the Bridgestone tyres didn’t pick up too much noise over the varying road surfaces. The good aerodynamic profile of the MGS5 also led to less wind turbulence on highway drives to allow us to enjoy the music without raising the volume as we drove along.
What we found somewhat annoying was the verbal warning each time we were above the speed limit along the respective sections of the route. It would continue to provide the warning as long as we are above the speed limit. It wasn’t fully accurate either as it would sometimes continue to issue warnings when we dipped below the speed limit.
MG Motor Malaysia says the software couldn’t be tweaked to delete this function for now. Apparently, MG is working on a software upgrade that would be rolled out on the go in the near future to address this verbal warning feature.
During the rough road stretch to the durian plantation, the MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension came with dampers that softened the ground impacts noticeably to make ride comfortable. As we were assigned two to a vehicle, we didn’t have the pleasure of gauging ride comfort as a rear seat passenger.
We chose the Normal mode for the highway drive on the return journey although we tried out Sports mode on the drive to Kuantan. That, along with some robust driving, was the reason why our battery range fell rather quickly.
The return drive the following day was in the same MGS5 SUV but this time, the vehicle came with a range of 307 kilometres or 70 per cent of the battery level. We took it as a challenge to complete the 250km distance (based on our Waze guidance) to our destination in Sungei Penchala on a single battery charge.
We used the electric power output flow indicator as our guide and kept within the 0 to 30 per cent flow rate. On downhill sections, we even had the battery regeneration at a good rate. Here, we set the regeneration rate at normal instead of strong. The similarity with ICE vehicles is that on driving up gradients, more electric power was being used (more petrol burnt in ICE vehicles). We tried to be as gradual as possible in the use of the accelerator when driving uphill to minimise electric power.
Well, with all the efforts that we put in, we did it in covering the distance on a single charge. The range at our final point was 31 kilometres or just under 10 per cent battery level. From here, we concluded that prudent driving helped in getting optimum EV range.
For an SUV EV, the MGS5 is attractively priced. At the time of its launch in May, the MGS5 was available from RM109,900 to RM129,900 (without insurance) for the respective variant. We are told that the same price range still applies and the MGS5 is certainly worth checking out if you are into SUV EV. The forthcoming fuel subsidy cut might just be the reason to go electric motoring.
