Scene stealing

Adelaide weather presents fine opportunities for driving, but the eastern coast hasn’t been as welcoming. Motoring writer Dr Robert Menz tests new MG and Pajero models.

What does the name MG mean to you? MG has a history of letters such as pre-war TC and subsequent similarly shaped TD and TF. Perhaps you covet the streamlined A, or perhaps have owned one of the world’s second best-selling convertibles, the B (Mazda’s MX5 holds the title of best seller).

Cecil Kimber was the production manager for Morris Garages. In 1924, wanting to increase the performance of Morris products, he registered the octagonal MG emblem and introduced the slogan ‘safety fast’ to identify his sports cars.

With the demise of the MG Rover group in the mid-1990s, MGs are no longer sports cars. The MG Marque is now part of the Chinese government-owned SAIC Motor Corp, which has retained the octagonal emblem. Safety Fast lives on as the name of the magazine of the UK’s MG car club. There are three models of MG presently for sale in Australia: the diminutive 3 hatch, the compact ZS SUV, and the mid-sized HS SUV. The ZS range includes Australia’s cheapest fully electric vehicle. HS is a mid-size SUV, and although it is a little shorter in length and height than the Forester or RAV4, it is marginally wider than each. HS Vibe (with a 119 kW 1.5 L turbo petrol engine) starts at $31,990 drive-away at the time of writing and the top-ranging HS PLUS EV Essence test car is $52,690. More important, however, is the ready availability of many of the MG models, which includes two AWD models with 2 L 168 kW ICE (internal combustion engine).

At this price, you should be expecting an extremely well-equipped machine, and the MG does not disappoint. It’s a very smart looking car. I will not bore you by listing all the safety and Infotainment features; you can read them here https://resource. digitaldealer.com.au/

But allow me to highlight a couple of them. I was intrigued that the electronic instrument cluster would show up the current speed limit even when there where temporary roadworks with a 25 kph speed limit. I wasn’t sure if this was a supersmart, real-time, GPS and was intrigued to discover that one of the forward-facing cameras reads the speed limit signs on the side of the road and displays the speed, whether in navigation mode or not.

The panoramic sunroof has a tilt as well as slide function. And the high beam automatically dips in response to on coming or following traffic.

Neat features include ambient lighting which changes colour, and a red MG emblem projected to the ground when the driver’s door is opened at night. The cruise control had only 5 km/h increments, although it did hold the speed quite well.

Annoyingly, the regenerative braking did not work when the cruise control was set – for example, driving South Eastern freeway from Stirling to the toll gate –although it did add 2-3 km of electric driving if just coasting down the hill, feathering the brakes as needed.

The MG essence was a delight to drive and surprisingly nippy. The combined power of the ICE and electric engines is 189 kw/370Nm driving the front wheels through a 10-speed, automatic and electronic LSD (limited slip diff). The handling was not as impressive as the statistics would suggest, despite LSD and Michelin tyres. The front wheels squealed in protest if you tried to accelerate too hard through a tight corner. It’s surprising with all this power that MG has not introduced an all-wheel-drive version of the PHEV.

In addition, the instrument cluster does not include an odometer and there’s no spare wheel, just a repair kit. The nonPHEV HS models have a space saver spare.

Ownership costs are kept low with a 63 km electric driving range, ideal for daily commute, seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty on the car and battery, and capped-price servicing. The only option you could consider would be a wall charger.

I managed two trips to Fleurieu Peninsula during my week behind the wheel. A sunny Saturday drive to Middleton took me to the inaugural Middleton jazz festival, held in the picturesque Abbott Reserve and featuring the cream of South Australian jazz performers. I also managed a mid-week geological trip with the Waterhouse Club exploring the fascinating rocks, strata, sediments, evidence of glaciation, and the Delamerian Orogeny. We travelled through time, from 2.6 billion-year-old rocks pre-dating all fossils to the last glacial period during which first Australians could readily walk to what are now islands such as Kangaroo and Tasmania. And we were eventually returned to the present with a delicious lunch at the Hotel Elliot.

In summary, the MGHS plus PHEV is a worthwhile addition to the increasing number of medium-sized SUVs. It is testament to the increasing quality of Chinese automotive manufacturing, and would be an appropriate step towards electrifying your garage if you are not yet prepared to go fully electric.

Vehicle supplied by MG Australia. MGs available to purchase through Newspot MG, which has a branch on West Terrace.

A challenging legacy

Iwas lucky to spend a week behind the wheel of a Pajero Ssport GLS 2WD in glorious Adelaide sunshine late last year.

Pajero was manufactured by Mitsubishi from 1981 but reached the end of its production line in 2021. However ,the Pajero name lives on in the form of the current test car, which was introduced in the mid-1990s under the Challenger name in Australia and changed to Pajero Sport with the third model in 2015.

Mitsubishi’s Triton ute forms the underpinnings of the Pajero Sport, which is only slightly smaller than the last Pajero model but in fact larger in all dimensions than the original 1981 Pajero.

Despite its name this is not a sports car but rather a very confident, mid-sized SUV. There is a range of models in both two and four-wheel-drive versions, all powered by a 2.4L turbo diesel boasting 135 kW and 430 useful Nm of torque and a seamless eight-speed gearbox. The base GLX model is a five-seater and all other models are seven seaters.

Driveaway prices at the time of writing range from $47,240 for the GLX 2WD to $64,490 for the top-of-the-range GSR. Wait times are quoted at 99 days. If you can get your hands on a new one, you’ll be covered by Mitsubishi’s 10-year warranty, which includes capped-price servicing and roadside assist.

I know at least two people who have bought these cars specifically for towing vans on some of the roughest roads in Australia, a testament to their toughness and the 3.1-ton towing capacity.

Pajero Sport is very well equipped with even the GLX model having a range of safety and comfort features including keyless entry and push button start and Apple CarPlay (although this does require cable connection to the now older USB-A connector).

Safety features include emergency braking, stability and traction control, trailer stability assist and adaptive cruise control. Very importantly for rural driving, there is a full-sized spare tyre across the range.

The test car also has a power tailgate, integrated satnav, dusk sensing headlights and rain sensing auto wipers (which operated frequently). The higher-grade models simply have more luxury features. The four-wheel-drive models all have Mitsubishi’s Super Select four-wheel-drive system, including low ratios, selectable off-road modes and hill descent control.

The test vehicle had been set up for on-road towing with an aluminium bull bar and tow bar. Neither of these features was tested – despite us encountering a couple of suicidal kangaroos.

Despite its bulk, the Pajero Sport is nimble as a town car and has plenty of room for shopping. However, it really comes into its own in the country. The test vehicle’s handling abilities were much appreciated on a work trip to Yankalilla, and its touring capability passed a test with flying colours on a very long weekend trip to Wangaratta for the annual Festival of Jazz and Blues (https://wangarattajazz. com/ ).

My return trip through Deniliquin involved driving through some very heavy rain before reaching the river.

In summary the Pajero Sport is a very competent mid-sized SUV, a particularly comfortable touring car that is worthy of the Pajero name.

Next month, I’m swapping horse power for (Shanks’s) Pony power to walk the Larapinta Trail and raise funds in support of people with melanoma. If you wish, you can make a tax deductable donation at https://mpa-larapinta-2023.inadv.com.au/ robert-menz

Many parts of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales were flooded at the time but fortunately I only had to make two detours, avoiding Rochester and the great Alpine Road just out of

Wangaratta. An overnight stop in Nhill afforded the opportunity for an early morning stroll around the lake and Nhill swamp, a new discovery for me despite driving through Nhill many times. This area has strong aboriginal heritage and was a common meeting ground. The name Nhill apparently means early-morning mist rising over water and which was certainly the case when I was there. Some aboriginal people believe this mist to be their ancestors.

There was room in the back of the Pajero to take my bike which I used to commute around Wang and also to explore the city bike paths. Following the One Mile and Three Mile Creek shared paths proved tricky given the amount of water in both creeks and several of the underpasses where closed.

Dr Robert Menz is a motoring enthusiast who still thinks MGs should be British racing green and feature two doors and chrome bumpers. His family owned Pajeros for 20 years from 1985.