Porsche, Maserati, and Bentley are all great sporting names that have now had to wave the sea of SUVs. These marque have seen the huge demand for SUVs and crossovers that they saw it fit to somehow incorporate it into their current lineup.
Porsche sell more of the Macan and Cayenne than they do 911s, Caymans, and Boxsters combined. Maserati and Bentley both have SUVs on the way with Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, and Lamborghini following soon.
And now the latest sporting badge to join the tide of SUVs is MG. The MG GTS is the marque’s first ever SUV and was designed and engineered between parent company SAIC in Shanghai and MG in Longbridge. The GTS will be built on a new scalable platform and is roughly the same size as most compact crossovers such as the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, and Nissan Qashqai.
It’ll go on sale in China mid-2016 with the UK and other markets expected to get it around 2016. Only one engine and transmission choice will be available; a new 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to a six-speed dual clutch automatic. The engine develops 217bhp and 350NM of torque, which is quite respectable. 0-100 km/h is done in around 8 seconds. A smaller 1.5-litre petrol engine is also expected to join the range.
A good effort then from MG and SAIC on their first venture into the SUV market. But the reason most people buy SUVs, after practicality, is style. You have to admit, the GTS is quite a decent looking thing. The family resemblance from the MG3 and MG6 are definitely there but with its own spin on the athletic looking SUV. You can’t accuse it of being a carbon copy of another car as it manages to stand out in its own right.
MG, and in fact Chinese cars, have come a long way these recent years. Their designs and technology are catching up with the establishment. Only time will tell of their reliability and qualify are on par too.
