MG 3: Good Car or Chinese Tosh?

[Partridge]

Its shape and scalloped sides remind of the Renault 14 somehow.

[Mash]

Our local "niche" dealer took one to a show earlier this month so I thought I'd have a bit of a nosey at it.  Seemed ok to me, not unattractive and no bits coming away in my hands.  Yeah, maybe, would be my verdict if looking for this type of new car.

[trigger]

Just found this that I took in 2010 of the what i guess was the MG 3's prototype.

 

2010 MG Zero Concept Car by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

2010 MG Zero Concept Car by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

I prefer it!

[scruff]

Thanks Chinatom for the best posts on AS for ages. I'd love to be a fly on the wall at Longbridge, do you think the Brits working there are banging their heads against the wall or do they actually think the zany MG3 is going to work??

[RedSparrow]

Hmmm

 

 

[twosmoke300]

Later mk1 honda jazz's were made in China! Seemed ok build quality wise but the trim clips were made of plastic with French levels of fragility.

[PhilA]

Designed by the same person who's designed the entire UK small-car market.

 

I think they have him in a room filled with models of the 1996 Fiat Punto and have told him to "vary the theme a little" with each successive drawing.

 

 

That being said, it'd probably sell well here because MG has become a "classic" whereby all the faults of the past have moved on with the people who remember them and the young/hip/trendy/spendy crowd want something different to tool around in. Just don't tell 'em it's Chinese and they'll snap it up, preferably covered in Union flags.

 

--Phil

[hairnet]

theres astra jazz fabia swift and clio in that blue one.........

[Novanick1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP2-gwd3QWk MG3 car review 

[saucedoctor]

Would.

 

I like the car too.

[oman5]

Would.

 

I like the car too.

EFA   ...ATCNBE!!

[chaseracer]

The whole Chinese car building empire has one "elephant in the room" to overcome to establish itself in Western markets. Are they actually going to build decent, reliable cars, with a good spares back up, or are they going to do as they have done in the past [i.e FX4 taxi steering boxes] build them out of sub-standard materials which will cause serious component failure.

Yeeeeeees...  <_>

 

And has Geely managed to start building said components properly now they've picked up the bankrupt remains of LTI for a song in the Manganese Bronze fire-sale?

 

[CortinaDave]

I think they look alright! As a ZR replacement its not a million miles away from what would sell IMO.

 

the 6 appears to be a bit of a donkey however. That wont stop me from owning one when the stratospheric depreciation makes them hit the £500 quid mark in a couple of years.

[Novanick1]

although it looks quite nice, i still hate those decals. and its aimed at my age group. now thats saying something   

[Tayne]

Don't tell us that you're 5'4" and then use your own body as an illustration of how much room there is inside.

[Jim Bergerac]

although it looks quite nice, i still hate those decals. and its aimed at my age group. now thats saying something   

 

You can get them without decals. There seem to be a few firms that think decals are desirable to customers but they don't seem to be popular. Early BINIs and Fart 500s aside, you don't see many of these things with them. For example, most Adams and DS3s (as well as newer BINIs and 500s) are usually fairly plain. Maybe big wheels and bright colours but never stickers.

[Novanick1]

You can get them without decals. There seem to be a few firms that think decals are desirable to customers but they don't seem to be popular. Early BINIs and Fart 500s aside, you don't see many of these things with them. For example, most Adams and DS3s (as well as newer BINIs and 500s) are usually fairly plain. Maybe big wheels and bright colours but never stickers.

cars look so much better plain and simple than covered shitty Porsche engineering stickers.   

[dollywobbler]

Crikey. Consumer television does still happen then. Sort of. I love how 'grippy' it looked, being driven gently around some corners. Inspiring. But she was quite cute.

[Partridge]

Would.

[RedSparrow]

Why the fuck would someone buying a hatchback want cruise control?

[RedSparrow]

Also, did that bird just say 'Dachia'?

[Novanick1]

Also, did that bird just say 'Dachia'?

thats how most of the motoring press call Dacia, it frustrates me ever so much  

[outlaw118]

Now sub £7k......
http://www.toomey.uk.com/mg/used-cars/1925

[Jim Bergerac]

The Dat-Cha pronunciation was used on their TV ads as well. Day-sia sounds better so no idea why they do that.

 

Seven Grand is salty for a two-year old ex-rental MG6 when you can get a new plate one for just over £9,500: http://www.motorpoint.co.uk/VehicleAdvert/MG%20MOTOR%20UK/MG6/430198

[overrun]

Would. I like the car too.

She is definitley a WAD.

 

Love how she failed to stop, in-shot. #womendriversrollingeyes

[overrun]

The Dat-Cha pronunciation was used on their TV ads as well. Day-sia sounds better so no idea why they do that.

My mate says it. Apparently it's how it's pronounced in Russia.

 

I hate that 'Finch' cunt who does the voiceover on the advert.

[Tayne]

Surely how they pronounce it Romania is more important.

[overrun]

Surely how they pronounce it Romania is more important.

Haha Correct! Oh well, it's late...

As I am a man who stands by his mistakes, I shall not edit that.

[morris_ital_lover]

Why the fuck would someone buying a hatchback want cruise control?

 

Topgear noted that the Chinese really want gadgetry when they went to China, I realise that a lot of that show was taking the mick but there were some serious observations inbetween. I suspect that cruise control, like the graphics, is a "suitable for China" option that makes no sense here.

 

As for the MG3, I suspect they won't sell in big numbers here, but we're not the market they need to focus on yet. If they can crack China, which is a huge market, they'll be reinvesting the proceeds in R&D and a couple of models down the line people will start to pick them up... Datsun didn't conquer Britain in a day!

[dieselnutjob]

cruise control is pretty useful on certain roads around London where they have gone completely mental with speed cameras, or where the are road works with an average speed check