Published
on 23
May 2013
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All rights reserved.
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To foreign car
makers, China's car market seems like a new gold rush. They can
virtually sell as many cars as they can build. In contrast, local
brands struggle to persuade customers that their cars are as good as
foreign brand ones, even though they might be built under the same roof
and with much the same sources of components. Just like how they chase
foreign milk powders, Chinese people do not have much faith in their
own products. One example is Shanghai Automotive (SAIC). Last year, the
country's largest car maker built an astonishing 4.5 million vehicles,
but the majority of them were sold under the various brands of GM and
Volkswagen, whereas its own brands Roewe and MG contributed only
200,000 units. Among them, the best selling model was the smallest MG 3
hatchback, but even this car registered only 40,764 units of local
sales, no kidding!
If you inspect the actual car, you won't find the MG 3 as poor as its
sales number suggested. In fact, it looks even quite stylish. Like the
larger MG 6 and Roewe 350, it was designed by a British team led by
Tony Williams located at the ex-Rover site (Longbridge) in the United
Kingdom. The majority of the engineering was also carried out there.
Its shape has some traces of Skoda Fabia or Suzuki Swift, but it is by
no means a copycat. Its front and rear ends have enough character. The
body shell looks quite well put together, too, with narrow panel gaps
and proper paint finish.
The MG 3 is about as long as Skoda Fabia, but it is wider, taller and
runs a considerably longer wheelbase at 2520 mm. This gives its cabin
remarkable space among B-segment superminis. Six footers will find
plenty of room both front and back. Only the fifth passenger will be
denied of long-distance comfort, blame to the protruding central
tunnel. The seats and driving position are decent. The instruments are
clear. The dashboard is just as stylish as the exterior, thanks to the
clever use of gloss white oval decors at various places and an
iPod-style audio control interface. What it fails to match European
rivals is the hard plastic used throughout the cabin, although adequate
graining means it is not as cheap as other Chinese local rivals. It
also lacks the touchscreen infotainment system that is becoming popular
in Western countries. The cabin provides a lot of storage cubbies but
many are too small to be useful. At the back, the boot size is okay,
but usability is hampered by a high load sill and a rear seat that
fails to fold completely flat. Overall, the MG 3 is still a fairly
practical small car in terms of packaging.
The MG follows the class norm to employ the combination of MacPherson
struts and torsion-beam suspensions. Unsurprisingly, it lags behind the
latest development in more advanced countries, such as electrical power
steering (it still employs hydraulic assistance), high-strength steel
monocoque or advanced crash protection. Its structure doesn't feel as
solid as it looks, and the hollow door thunk reveals the lack of sound
deadening. Still, its European-tuned suspension resulted in decent body
control, stability and grip. As long as you don't push it too hard in
corners, its high center of gravity is not going to hamper the driving
impression. The ride is firm and it crashes over ridges, but the
damping is good enough to overcome speed bumps. The steering is quick
(it is geared to 2.8 turns lock to lock) but too light and inaccurate
to inspire driving thrills.
The engine is carried over from Roewe 350, i.e. a 1.5-liter 16-valver
with intake variable valve timing. Its 109 horsepower is sufficient for
the class, but it needs at least 3000 rpm to deliver its promise.
Meanwhile, the soundtrack gets noticed from 2000 rpm and really harsh
above 5000 rpm, ruining refinement. Fuel consumption and emission
should fall well behind modern standards. That's why SAIC plans to add
Volkswagen-sourced 1.0TSI and 1.2TSI motors next year. The 5-speed
transmission does the job well, despite of a long-travel clutch, but
those opting for the 5-speed automated manual by Magneti Marelli will
find the gearshift frustratingly slow and disobedient. It is definitely
the worst element of the car.
No wonder it sells badly at home. The MG 3 does have a lot of showroom
appeal thanks to its smart looks and accommodative cabin, but once you
drive it on road you will be put off by its lack of refinement and
driving pleasure. Its problems seem to be deep-rooted. It needs a
better chassis, modern engines and gearbox, or simply more commitments
into its planning, development and production. The Korean succeeded
because not only they set the targets high but also they committed to
the targets with serious investment, efforts and time. If SAIC wants
only to make profit in a safe way, it should stick to the existing
joint-ventures with GM and VW. If it wants to upgrade its own brands to
world-class, it should think all over again the scale of investment
that it takes instead of just buying a British brand and hire a few
dozen British guys. Chinese people are not easy to be cheated. If you
cheat them once, they will never believe you again.
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Verdict:  |
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