How is the quality and layout?

• Updated dashboard is a big improvement
• High driving position and awkward seats
• Minimal physical controls, but sensible layout

The interior of the MG 5 has seen a major upgrade and it looks significantly more modern than the pre-facelift car. The biggest change sees the old, clunky touchscreen replaced with a new unit shared with the MG 4 – this now sits proud of the dash instead of being set low down. The centre console has been raised up and simplified, and the button count of the whole car reduced significantly to just a single row below the infotainment screen, a rotary gear selector, and four driving controls dotted around it.

You do still get steering wheel controls that are easy to use, and deal with the 10.25-inch infotainment and the 7.0-inch driver information display. This is flanked by LCD readouts for speed and the percentage of power you’re using, plus graphic indications running along the outside. It’s a little busy to look at and we prefer the simpler digital cockpit in the MG 4, or key rivals like the VW ID.3.

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Quality is vastly improved over the car it replaces, though, as is the feeling of plushness – you get some higher-quality plastics and even a fabric strip across the dashboard. There are also lots of pops of blue, which helps lift the interior and stop it feeling too monochrome.

Infotainment and tech

The 10.25-inch infotainment display is shared with the MG 4 and it’s hugely better than the system fitted to the old car. It’s fairly simple to use, with large onscreen buttons running down one edge to take you to major functions quickly, and the display itself is sharp and bright. Some switches are unnecessarily fiddly, though, like the climate control’s buttons and knobs which are very small to hit while on the move.

It offers Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, and there’s a neat shelf below the centre console which holds USB ports to connect your phone up while keeping it out of the way.

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Comfort

• High driving position
• Seats not comfortable for many
• Rear space is adequate

You sit high up in the MG 5, with a driving position that feels almost SUV-like – that’ll suit plenty of people just fine but others might not like the feeling of perching on the car. The front seats themselves are similarly divisive, with very aggressive lumbar support that some might find expertly cradles their sore back, though our tester found it quite uncomfortable.

The rear seats are relatively flat and there’s a fold-down armrest for a little extra comfort. The windows provide a good view out and refinement is good too – of course there’s no engine noise, but wind and road noise are also quite well suppressed.