This month marks the two year ownership period for the 2014 MG3 which I bought in November 2016, and is now my wife's car. I have already reviewed her at length on my YouTube channel for the "Tweed Jacket Reviews" series, and you can watch the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oHNIboTqXo&t=2s
Suffice it to say, however, that I am very happy with the car, although it does have a number of flaws and quirks. The mileage is currently at just under 53,000, and it has covered 20,000 miles in our ownership. In that time, the main issues we have had was the complete failure of the fuel pump six months ago (which stranded us by the side of the road), and also the airbag warning light intermittently coming on and off. This is due to a connector under the driver's seat which often just needs wiggling about a bit before it then establishes a proper connection again, but can be quite annoying. That is about it, really.
Average fuel consumption stands at around 42 mpg, some way short of a more modern engine, such as the one in my 2017 Seat Toledo 1.0 TSI, but reasonable given that the car does a lot of city driving. Insurance and servicing costs have been very reasonable, and tax is just about average. It is a shame that we missed out on the seven year warranty offered by the 2018 MG3 models, but you can't have everything...
The car offered, and continues to offer, very good value for money, being much cheaper than an equivalent Fiesta or Polo on the new and secondhand markets, and offering much of the same sort of experience. This is hampered, however, by some strange layouts for the controls, peculiar door mirrors, cheap feeling plastics for the centre console and exterior door handles and a gearshift which is not as solid as that in a Ford or Volkswagen. That said, all the interior controls still work and nothing has fallen off or rattles, so the build quality (from MG's Longbridge factory in Birmingham before production stopped in 2016) must be reasonably good.
The strength of the MG3, however, apart from its value for money and long list of standard features (beaten only by a Dacia Sandero) is the way it drives. The hydraulically steering is responsive, the handling is superb and the car has a degree of sportiness akin to warm hatches costing 50% more, whichever trim level you choose. On the top spec Style model, this is accompanied by sporty wheels and other details which accentuate its less than serious character. Of course, the controls for the DAB and Bluetooth enabled infotainment system feel cheap, as do those on the steering wheel for the cruise control, but as one of the cheapest cars on the market with these features, it is hard to complain.
The downside of the driving experience is the very firm ride, which absolutely hates potholes (and was a nightmare to film with when we did the video in September), and an engine which simply does not deliver the performance expected in such a sporty-looking car. That is unless it is thrashed, but then the fuel consumption gets even worse, even if the car does put a grin on one's face whilst trying... For most of the time, though, it is not necessary to drive so hard, so the acceleration is perfectly acceptable.
The boot is just as big as a Fiesta or Corsa, and the rear legroom is extremely good for a car of its size, which can be a real boon. Having rear electric windows which wind all the way down when many cars in this price bracket offer neither of these things is also quite agreeable... To sum up, I think we will be keeping the car for some time to come, as it still offers the best compromise of practicality, value for money and driving experience for the money. A further report will come in a year's time, I suppose! Feel free to watch the Youtube video to find out more.
