The seats are comfortable, but squishy, and there's an all new facia with a bewildering array of surfaces and materials. It seems well put together, though and while the simple facia might not have the most modern gadgets, it's clear and easy to use. There's a centre touch screen, but that's really just a digital display for the audio system; no sat nav is offered, although there is a USB charge slot in the front. All models except the entry level get a DAB radio, and the mid-level 3Form gets air con, cruise control, Bluetooth, and steering-wheel audio controls. The 3Style+ is predicted to be the top model and adds special 16-inch wheels, automatic lamps and wipers, reverse parking sensors, electric mirrors and leather seats.
Safety equipment consists of twin front, side and curtain airbags, electronic stability control, corner brake control, electronic hill hold and traction control, though there are no radar-and-camera-based safety systems such as autonomous braking, or pedestrian recognition.
The four-cylinder 16-valve, chain-cam engine needs revving, but it pulls quite well even if performance is modest, with 0-62mph in 10.8 seconds and a top speed of 108mph. The little lump gets quite raucous after 4,000rpm, although it's not an unpleasant noise. Gear-change quality is nothing special, but the ratios are reasonably spaced, until you get to fifth that is, where you find the engine spinning at over 3,000rpm at 70mph and no sixth to take the pressure off. Combined fuel consumption is quoted at 48.7mpg, but MG seemed unsure whether that was under the more realistic WLTP test proceedure; either way it's not outstanding.
There's not been too much done to the suspension, which consists of the class standard of MacPherson strut front and a twist-beam rear. The ride is on the firm side, but it's a well-balanced little car, with little side-to-side head tossing and plenty of longitudinal compliance over sleeping policemen. The 16-inch Goodyear tyres are noisy though.