Unveiled: 2011 MG 6

Pedrocas

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The MG6 will go on sale in the UK next year, and Autocar's chief road tester Matt Prior has had an exclusive drive of the Longbridge-developed car.

Contrary to what many people think, the MG6 - or Roewe 550 as it?s called in China - is a clean sheet design, and not based on a shortened Rover 75 platform.

See the MG6 test pictures

The Roewe variant went on sale in China last year, and has already sold 100,000 units. The MG6 will be on sale in the UK from the start of 2011, with final assembly taking place at Longbridge.

The good news is that not only was the 6 largely engineered in the UK, but it will also be sold here on a Europe-exclusive chassis set-up, honed and tweaked on the roads we tested it on. As a benchmark, we took a Ford Focus Zetec S along on the same route.

The roads are in and around mid-Wales, and are some of the most challenging and demanding in the world. If a car works here, it'll work pretty much anywhere.

Climbing aboard, there's a shock. The 6's cabin may be a belter by Chinese standards, but it's not on a par with better European cars. There are soft-touch plastics and a dark ambience, but it's a bit austere and the design looks flat in places. It's a pre-production model, but it could use finessing by a few notches.

Moving off, I reckon the gearchange on the five-speed manual and NVH levels could (and I believe will) be improved too.

The only engine at launch is a 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol, though diesels and other petrols will follow. It's a reworked K-series and - although it meets Euro5 emissions levels - accelerating away from a couple of roundabouts as we head west, it gets a little strained higher up the rev band.

What the MG6 does do, though, is drive well. And I mean really well. MG's head of chassis, Andy Kitson, admits the Focus has been the firm's benchmark for ride and handling. The MG6 has a rare blend of suppleness and poise.

The steering is still hydraulic rather than electric, and apparently it's slower than the Focus's, but it doesn't feel it. Kitson says there's still a little work to do on the valves to alter the feel at straight ahead but it's not bad now. And once there's a little lock wound on, it's excellent.

Then there's the ride. Hopping to and from a Focus reveals that the Ford's cabin suffers less vertical intrusion over bumps, but it's obvious this is the car MG has benchmarked. In its poise and agility I'd even say the MG6 is superior. It feels more neutral than the Focus, with a pivot point further forward; the Ford in comparison feels led more by its front.

The MG grips tenaciously before eventually letting slip from the front first, and it changes direction superbly. It is comfortable, tool greater vertical inputs into the cabin aside, there's no crash, even over bad bumps.

Fact is, the MG6 is already (and there's still tweaking to do) borderline best in class to drive.

Is that enough? Probably not on its own. But it's also spacious and expected to be priced competitively.

If all goes well there's scope for up to 150,000 vehicles per year to be assembled out of MG Birmingham, even in its current size.

Read the full test drive story in this week's Autocar magazine (7 April 2010).

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/248727/

MG-641010517468731600x1060.jpg


MGMotor-MG6-841010322536761600x1060.jpg


MGMotor-MG6-841010322485191600x1060.jpg


MGMotor-MG6-841010322499411600x1060.jpg


MGMotor-MG6-841010322551601600x1060.jpg


MG-641010517504831600x1060.jpg


MGMotor-841010324331521600x1060.jpg


MGMotor-84101032432431600x1060.jpg


MGMotor-841010324346211600x1060.jpg


:cool:
 
Autocar has driven the Europe-bound MG6, and I've been stealing pictures of chinamen.

Autocar has driven the Europe-bound MG6, and I've been stealing pictures of chinamen.

I've used my right to copy these pictures from Sohus because Autocar believes pictures must not exceed 75 pixels, and if there's anything I hate more than helicopter cowboys it's small pictures. I only like big pictures, like my penis. It is a MG6, as you can see, and not the Roewe 550. I think. Anyway, Autocar has driven it and they rather liked it. Story after the pictures.

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/04/14/Img400775_f.JPG

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/04/14/Img400709_f.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/04/14/Img401488_f.JPG

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/04/14/Img401480_f.JPG

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/04/14/Img401338_f.JPG

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/04/14/Img401459_f.JPG

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/04/14/Img401511_f.JPG

* chinese man sold separately

Avtocar said:
The MG6 will go on sale in the UK next year, and Autocar's chief road tester Matt Prior has had an exclusive drive of the Longbridge-developed car.

Contrary to what many people think, the MG6 - or Roewe 550 as it?s called in China - is a clean sheet design, and not based on a shortened Rover 75 platform.
The Roewe variant went on sale in China last year, and has already sold 100,000 units. The MG6 will be on sale in the UK from the start of 2011, with final assembly taking place at Longbridge.

The good news is that not only was the 6 largely engineered in the UK, but it will also be sold here on a Europe-exclusive chassis set-up, honed and tweaked on the roads we tested it on. As a benchmark, we took a Ford Focus Zetec S along on the same route.

The roads are in and around mid-Wales, and are some of the most challenging and demanding in the world. If a car works here, it'll work pretty much anywhere.

Climbing aboard, there's a shock. The 6's cabin may be a belter by Chinese standards, but it's not on a par with better European cars. There are soft-touch plastics and a dark ambience, but it's a bit austere and the design looks flat in places. It's a pre-production model, but it could use finessing by a few notches.

Moving off, I reckon the gearchange on the five-speed manual and NVH levels could (and I believe will) be improved too.

The only engine at launch is a 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol, though diesels and other petrols will follow. It's a reworked K-series and - although it meets Euro5 emissions levels - accelerating away from a couple of roundabouts as we head west, it gets a little strained higher up the rev band.

What the MG6 does do, though, is drive well. And I mean really well. MG's head of chassis, Andy Kitson, admits the Focus has been the firm's benchmark for ride and handling. The MG6 has a rare blend of suppleness and poise.

The steering is still hydraulic rather than electric, and apparently it's slower than the Focus's, but it doesn't feel it. Kitson says there's still a little work to do on the valves to alter the feel at straight ahead but it's not bad now. And once there's a little lock wound on, it's excellent.

Then there's the ride. Hopping to and from a Focus reveals that the Ford's cabin suffers less vertical intrusion over bumps, but it's obvious this is the car MG has benchmarked. In its poise and agility I'd even say the MG6 is superior. It feels more neutral than the Focus, with a pivot point further forward; the Ford in comparison feels led more by its front.

The MG grips tenaciously before eventually letting slip from the front first, and it changes direction superbly. It is comfortable, tool greater vertical inputs into the cabin aside, there's no crash, even over bad bumps.

Fact is, the MG6 is already (and there's still tweaking to do) borderline best in class to drive.

Is that enough? Probably not on its own. But it's also spacious and expected to be priced competitively.

If all goes well there's scope for up to 150,000 vehicles per year to be assembled out of MG Birmingham, even in its current size.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/MG-6/248727/
 
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I read the magazine version last week, sounds good. I hope it sells well because I've always liked MG and I hope they're back for good. In the mag he was talking about the fact that there's no more Rover, this means that MG no longer has to worry about treading on Rovers toes in regards to making similar cars:
Now that it's free from having to do something totally different to Rover, as it did in it's recent history, MG no longer has to be the baseball cap-wearing rowdy nephew. Instead, it's been able to give the MG6 a rare old blend of suppleness and poise.

Apart from the slightly dodgy interior quality it sounds like a good car.
 
BMW interior much? :lol:

Strangely, that doesn't actually look too bad. I would certainly give it a test drive before probably buying something else. All they need to do is shoehorn in some decent, sensible engines sourced from somewhere else, then it'll be great.
 
Well it doesnt look like a typicle Chinese attempt to build "a car" (which is more a copy/paste thing)

It actually looks quite good, I wonder if its as well made as it looks, and strong enough to pass european safety standards, it'll be fine.
 
This is the sort of thing the Chinese need to make to be taken seriously. This is a good thing, even if the interior is a blatant BMW ripoff. And it appears to have a Holden Commodore handbrake, which was widely regarded as being stupid and annoying.

Must be the UK design, not the usual Chinese take-a-western-car-and-copy-it-as-cheaply-as-possible, that makes it so bearable.
 
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^ In a cheap car, what's wrong with making the inside look like a BMW. It looks like they've done a rather good job.
 
^Thats true. If they were going to copy something, a BMW is a good place to start. But I maintain it would be better for the image of Chinese cars if they made something that is both good and original.
 
^Thats true. If they were going to copy something, a BMW is a good place to start. But I maintain it would be better for the image of Chinese cars if they made something that is both good and original.

Once they've worked out how to make something good, they'll make something that is also original.

I actually think this MG 6 looks alright. Ok, it is a little copy and paste from all over, but the overall result certainly isn't terrible. I'm more concerned with the chassis and drivetrain side of things though.

I wonder how much they'll cost, and whether we'll get them in Australia.
 
Uu,nice. I wouldn't say no. Some BMW for small cash :D
 
I see the new Astra in the front a bit. Maybe. Other than that, it's not terribly exciting. If it drives well then great.
 
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If I were in Britain...I'd buy it. 158hp should be plenty for the regular commute.

But why is it left-hand drive???
 
Because they drive on the proper side of the road in China. Not to mention export to the rest of Europe.
 
So what if the interior copies BMW? The same could be said of the US-market Honda Accord, and Infiniti didn't dream up the G's hofmeister kink out of thin air, and nobody is laughing Honda and Infiniti out of the market.
 
I have to say, I am absolutely stunned by what I'm seeing. Even just taking 'Chinese' out of the equation and replacing it with 'first serious entry into market' -- it's quite amazing and far better than I would have imagined.

If they keep the pricing down and maintain sort of the 'honest car for everyday people' (as James May would say) they might just have a winner here.

Steve
 
This car wasn't developed by MG's Chines parent company. As the article states it was designed at Longbridge.
 
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