MG IM5 first drive | Move on up

MG is keen to take a slice of the premium segment and will target company car drivers with its new IM5 saloon.

Overview

It was only a matter of time before MG started eyeing the premium segments after establishing itself as a key volume brand in the UK. There’s no shortage of competition in the value segments where MG has previously dominated, after all, and now it’s losing market share to rival brands from China.

In a bid to grow its share of electric car sales, MG is looking squarely at the true fleet market where Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y take a healthy chunk of registrations.

To do this it has developed a new line-up of premium electric models with very competitive pricing.

The IM5 is a five-door fastback with a footprint that places it firmly among executive models like the BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE. But prices start at £39,450, placing the IM5 firmly within reach of those drivers looking at more compact models.

And don’t mistake the IM5 for “just another cheap Chinese car”. In fact, we think it’s one of the most convincing models to reach our shores. The technology, driveability and perceived quality are all up there with the best in the business.

Base models use a 75kWh battery and a single electric motor. Then there’s a Long Range version with a more powerful motor and a 100kWh battery. This one manages 441 miles on a single charge. At the top of the range is a dual-motor Performance version that has enough poke to keep pace with a Porsche Taycan.

While IM is technically a sub-brand, in China, the cars will be sold as MGs in the UK. For a host of technical reasons, one being that the rear emblem is also the boot button, there are no MG badges on the car. Instead, it uses the IM logo. MG told us that it hopes to re-badge the car at a later date.

Comfort and practicality

At first glance, the IM5 certainly lives up to its premium billing. The svelte exterior, with its massive width and low roofline, gives sporty, upmarket vibes and certainly catches the eye of bystanders.

The soft, curvy lines enhance aerodynamics, predominantly, and set the tone for a modern, high-quality interior. Step inside and you’ll find a contemporary cabin with clean lines and a light, airy feel. There’s a full-length glass roof, a fully digital interface and plenty of space.

The seats and most of the interior surfaces are upholstered in a soft imitation leather. It’s not quite as plush as the real stuff but is the result of environmental policy rather than an attempt to cut costs. You get full electric adjustment up front, with lumbar support, heating, cooling and a massage function.

The centre console swoops up towards the dashboard, housing a pair of cupholders and a wireless phone charging pad. There’s a large storage space beneath, but no glovebox.

Rear seat passengers get plenty of legroom, while the flat floor makes it possible for three adults to share the rear bench in comfort. The rear seats are also heated but there are no buttons back there to turn them on, it can only be done using the screen up front.

Boot space benefits from the car’s fastback body style, with easy access and a total capacity of 457 litres. The rear seats can be folded for a larger loadspace.

While the tailgate aids overall practicality, it does contain a tiny rear window which offers almost no rear visibility at all. Thankfully, there is a rear view camera system to mitigate the effect.

Safety and technology

Aside from the limited rear visibility, the IM5 is easy to drive and benefits from a host of driver aids and technologies to simplify life behind the wheel. Among these is a very proficient camera system that aids parking and manoeuvring as well as offering a blind spot view when driving on motorways.

A variety of self-parking features are also fitted, which can autonomously drive the car into and out of parking spaces. There’s even a reversing aid that can retrace your previous 100m, so if you accidently drive down a tight street and can’t turn around the car will reverse itself back out.

Every version of the IM5 also has four-wheel steering, which makes it much more nimble than its dimensions would suggest. It can swing in and out of parking spaces with ease, while a party-trick “crab mode” allows it, at low speeds, to move sideways to get closer to kerbs.

On top of this, adaptive cruise control comes as part of the MG Pilot system. This includes automatic lane centring for semi-autonomous driving on major roads.

Pretty much all of the car’s functions are controlled via its expansive screens. There’s a 26-inch panoramic display along the top of the dashboard, which provides the infotainment and instrument cluster functions. Then, a second touchscreen, mounted lower down, falls to hand and is used in place of conventional switchgear. It contains the car settings, climate controls and can even control certain elements of the larger screen above.

The setup works fairly well. It’s a little frustrating that things like switching on headlights and mirror adjustments can only be performed through the screen, rather than having physical buttons, but the interface is, overall, impressive. As is the 20-speaker audio system.

We were treated to a symphony of beeps and bongs from the various driver warning systems, with it not always clear what was upsetting the car. There is a an 'ADAS' menu which allows drivers to disable the systems they don't want, or turn everything off at once.

Driveability and range

If you opt for the entry-level IM5 it uses a 75kWh battery and has a power output of 295PS. That gives a range of 304 miles (WLTP) and decent performance, with 0-62mph taking less than seven seconds. Not bad for less than £40,000.

Step up to the Long Range, however, and there’s a 100kWh battery. It also switches from a 400v electrical system to an 800v one, giving much quicker charging speeds. The larger battery can perform a 10% - 80% charge in just 17 minutes, while the smaller pack takes almost half an hour.

Long Range models manage 441 miles, officially, and have a power output of 407PS. They’re seriously quick and with rear-wheel-drive, actually quite a lot of fun too. In our test we were seeing around 3.5mi/kWh, but another driver managed 4.6 – enough to hit that WLTP range figure. Even by our standards, it’s looking like 340 miles is quite easily achieved.

The range topping IM5 is called Performance and it certainly earns the title. Total power is 751PS, using the same 100kWh battery. Range does suffer and you can expect closer to 200 miles from a charge if you’re really pressing on. At one point we saw 2.0mi/kWh. Behave more sensibly, however, and you should be able to get around 3.0mi/kWh. Officially, it can cover 357 miles on a charge.

While these power figures might seem ludicrous, what’s most impressive about the IM5 is how well it handles the performance. The Long Range manages the 0-62mph sprint in less than five seconds, yet it feels very grown up and relaxing to drive. There’s a fluidity to the chassis and the car handles very naturally, as you’d expect it to. It’s planted, refined and a pleasure to cover miles in.

We did find the steering a little devoid of feel. It’s very light and quite springy, unless you switch to sport mode where it becomes too stiff. The brakes also take a little getting used to. There’s a lot of regen, which means the friction brakes take a fair bit of pedal travel to activate. While they are beefy units, the bite isn’t quite as strong as a powerful, heavy car demands.

In the Performance model, acceleration is blisteringly fast. Like, seriously quick. And it doesn’t just hit for the first second or so, the power feels relentless. Throttle calibration is remarkably good, too, allowing for good moderation of the performance. The dual motor setup provides a grippier, more assured feel, than the single motor car.

Company car tax and running costs

The most expensive MG IM5 (Performance) costs just £48,495. To put that into perspective, that’s around £2,000 less than the cheapest VW ID7. It’s £12,000 less than the starting price for an Audi A6 e-tron, or a Mercedes EQE.

If you get the entry-level car, it doesn’t even attract the luxury car tax supplement in the first six years owing to it costing less than £40,000.

For a company car driver the financials are extremely compelling. We’re talking about a car than car out-pace a Porsche for less money than a mid-range Mercedes C Class diesel. Or a large electric saloon that comes in at the same price point as a plug-in hybrid Audi A3.

Every model gets the full array of kit, too, there are no options or trim levels.

That said, we’ve yet to see the residuals and running costs, so no leasing rates have been published yet. If the numbers are as compelling as the car is, MG could have an absolute winner on its hands. It just needs to hope that drivers can resonate with the unknown “IM” branding.