FIRST REPORT
MG 3
Should the Clio E-Tech be nervously checking its six? Watch this space
WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether our positive first impression of this affordable new hybrid supermini can last in extended daily use
What am I, Autocar’s superminicorrespondent? I’d be quite happy with that, actually, having previously run a generally fabulous Renault Clio E-Tech hybrid and then an endearingly honest petrol Dacia Sandero on our test fleet. Now I’m trying the new MG 3 – a car on which I delivered Autocar’s first verdict back in May, and a very positive verdict at that. Well, MG did promise “everything about it was designed to put a smile on your face”.
The old 3 seemed a generation behind the competition even when I last drove it some six years ago, the justification being that it was one of the cheapest cars on sale. This new 3 is a wholly different proposition: MG says it effectively skipped a generation, which checks out, and it’s now priced £4000 higher, putting it into Clio territory. And in terms of how it behaved on the road, my initial feeling was that it wasn’t notably inferior to the class leader.
Row of buttons includes air-con and volume controls