Car Reviews > MG > 6 Saloon > MG 6 Saloon Car Review
A Saloon to give the hatchback a run for its money?
The MG6 Saloon is the new 4-door salon that MG is hoping might just be the saloon to give the hatchback a run for its money. The 4-door saloon has a £500 premium over the 5-door variant of the MG6, and the Chinese owned firm claims that the three box traditional shape will help to lure fans of the BMW hatchback series into trying out the competition.
The big question in all of this, of course, will be whether consumers really think the new MG6 Saloon is worth paying that extra money for. Certainly, the saloon has more boot space, being no less than 25 litres larger than the 5-door, with an enormous capacity of 498 litres. The floor also still has enough room under it to be able have the normal space saver spare tyre upgraded to a full size wheel too if the consumer so wishes it. The load bay can also be expanded even further simply by folding down the rear seats.
Aside from that, there is little else to really differentiate the new MG6 Saloon from the 5-door version, which does also unfortunately mean that the vehicle shares the same engine too – the 1.8 litre petrol turbo which is without a doubt the weakest aspect of the design of the car as a whole. The 158 bhp unit has been extensively reworked from the version that was used in the old Rover K series and yet that reworking just has not gone anywhere close to being far enough, as even with the turbocharger it just never feels truly powerful. When a car is being marketed as a sports saloon, the feeling of power is not a luxury but pretty much an essential requirement and necessity, and it just is not here. The diesel version, which is apparently due for release by the end of this year, could well provide that extra bit of power but that does not remove the lingering sense of disappointment from this version.
On the plus side however, both the handling of the vehicle and the general drive are both very good indeed. The MGS Saloon has good body control, just as the 6 hatchback did too, and the ride is capable of both isolating shocks from potholes and even when going over undulations, so there are definitely no complaints in that department. That results in a vehicle that is relaxed at slow speeds but also has no issues when pushed a little bit further, the only sour note perhaps being sounded by the lack of a 6th gear with which to cut down on motorway revs and boost the claimed economy level of 35.6 miles per gallon.
The interior of the car feels suitably up to date and modern in style, although again, there are problems, most notably with the hard and flimsy feeling plastics and the somewhat ill fitting buttons that have been used.
The base saloon retails from £15,995, going up to £17,495 with the addition of accessories such as front parking sensors and GPS, and up to £19,995 with extra features such as a rear parking camera, sunroof, and Bluetooth phone connection.
by Autoweb