Like a cut-price Porsche Taycan! MG IM5 luxury EV review Australia
This is the MG IM5 or the IM5 presented by MG Motor in Australia and it is a very convincing electric sedan. There’s a few different versions available. The pricing is surprising and you are getting a lot of luxury for the money. In this review, I’ll show you what it’s like to drive. We’ll check out the inside and I’ll tell you some great alternatives to it. So, if you haven’t already, please subscribe and ring the bell and let’s check out the IM5. The MG IM5 is offered alongside the MG IM6, which I’ve done a full detailed review of, and that SUV model might be more appealing to family buyers who are looking for maybe something that sits up a little bit higher and has a bit more space inside in terms of the boot space in particular, but really, it’s maybe not as appealing in terms of the driving dynamics. And it also has less EV driving range than this IM5. Now, there are three versions of the IM5 available with two different battery packs. And the entry- level grade, the premium rear wheel drive, has a 75 kWh battery. And it does have slightly slower charging than the other models in the range. But you are getting heaps and heaps of EV driving range, as I’ll explain to you later on, and plenty of standard spec and tech in that entry- level grade. You’re getting full LED lighting. You’ve got 20-in alloy wheels with decent tires. You’ve also got keyless entry, a lovely leather interior. There’s a 26.3 in big screen across the dash. You also got a touchcreen for all your controls between the seats. And there’s Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless charging, heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, climate control, heaps and heaps and heaps of standard stuff, and loads of standard safety tech as well. But if you want a bit more EV driving range, it’s probably worth considering going for the midspec model, the platinum 100 kWh version. It’s still rear wheel drive, but it gets heaps of EV driving range and the same level of standard equipment. It’s $9,000 more, and it certainly stacks up pretty well. It’s got faster charging as well as part of that bigger battery pack and the different architecture. And then there’s this one here, which is the performance model. The same big battery for it, 100 kW hours, but it has heaps more power and torque. And this one is the performance focused version, obviously with a name like performance. It gets a few extra features, including four-wheel steering, adaptive air suspension, and different tires as well compared to the other 100 kWh version. So, this could be the one to go for if you are after as much performance as you can possibly get for your money. and it does have a pretty good price point for a fast one like this. But here are some good alternatives that you might also want to consider. An obvious alternative to this would be the Tesla Model 3 because it’s a very impressive electric sedan with a few different versions available and it starts a pretty assertive price point and you can get a dual motor all-wheel drive that’s super duper fast if that’s what you want or a midspec really really long range one with 750ks of EV claimed driving range. So that could be a very good choice for you if you are looking for that really long distance cruiser. But the Model 3 also asks you to change a few things about the way that you interact with the car. So, it might not be ideal for everyone. If you’re after something that’s maybe a bit more realistic feeling in terms of the interior experience and the controls, have a look at a Hyandai IonX 6. Even though it does have a very polarizing exterior design, and well, they’ve had to clear some stock because people obviously don’t really like that exterior design, it’s now more affordable than ever, starting at about $50,000 drive away. It makes a lot of sense if you are thinking about an electric sedan like that and you like the look of it. The interior is lovely and it’s very very good to drive. And another one that sort of splits the difference is the BYD seal. It has some nice controls on the inside, but it is very touchscreen dominated and it has a pretty nice drive experience. Don’t go thinking that the performance one, the high-grade version is really very performancy. It is very fast, but it’s not as fun to drive as the Ionic or this for that matter. So, it could be a very good choice. But I think that one of the entry- level grades makes a lot more sense in the BYD sale range, and you’re getting a whole lot of car for your money. But which one would you pick? Have you say in the comments? Uh, now let’s talk about the dimensions. I’ll put some numbers on your screen so you can see for yourself. It is a big unit, almost 5 m long on an almost 3 m long wheelbase. So, don’t go thinking that the swoopy slinkiness is necessarily smallness cuz it isn’t. Uh, and when it comes to your ground clearance, keep in mind that, well, if you choose the standard ones or if you have it in the standard height for the high-grade one, you’ve got 135 mm. So, don’t go jumping any curbs. Now, there are some things I want to call out in terms of this design. Not those wheels. I like them, though. And I really also like the Continental brakes behind there. Um, it’s the door handles because they do pop out as you approach, so that’s good. Uh, they’re pretty easy to grip onto as well, unlike some others in the class. But it’s the sill. Look at that. You’ll trip over that. I already have a couple of times. It’s massive. That is a huge thing. Like, I’ve got a size 12t. Look at that. It’s bigger than a size 12t in terms of what you have to interact with when you’re getting in and out. So, keep in mind if you’re an older person with mobility concerns, maybe this one won’t be the right choice. Now, let’s have a look at the back end. Sorry about the bins in the background. That’s just how it is. It’s bin day today. And you can see that it’s got, like I said, a bit of Aston Martin going on at the back. And the boot finish is well, kind of slinky, isn’t it? No rear wiper, as you can see there. You do have a camera that you can use as your rear view mirror because that glass is basically tiny. makes the uh Polestar seem like it’s got a good idea with the no rear window thing. Now, let’s open the boot. Not that one, that one. And we’ll have a look. You do have a hatchback style boot area. It is quite a strange shape, so big items might not fit necessarily, but you can see in there that there’s a good amount of space. I’ll put the cargo capacity number on your screen so you can see. Um, and you’ve also got uh a really interesting little thing here, the IM Mag. So, it’s actually got a magnetic section there. So, if you do need to magnetize something in place, I guess you can. You’ve got a 12vt port in the back here as well with a light. You don’t have any hooks for shopping bags, which is a concern. There’s no cargo cover either. Uh, and I guess I mean, it really depends on what you’re expecting. Uh, and under the boot floor, well, you can’t get under there cuz there’s nothing to see cuz it doesn’t have a spare wheel, but it’s got a frunk. Let’s check that out. So, it’s not a big frunk, but it is a frunk in here. And whoops, that’s where you’ll find your tire repair kit. Yeah, I don’t know whether that feels like 80 grand, honestly. But, um, the fact that you’ve got a little bit of extra space in there means you don’t have to sacrifice your boot space to hide your tire repair kit, but yeah, it’s not as much frunk space as the SUV, and it’s certainly not as practical in terms of boot space as the IM6 SUV. radio people. If you saw my IM6 review, you know that a lot of it is about screens. I’m not going to go into as much detail on the screens in this review. Um, I just want to get through it a bit quicker. But the interior is lovely. I really do like it a lot. It’s minimalist, but not too minimalist. It doesn’t ask you to sort of rethink things that much. Although, these controls on the steering wheel will take some learning. One of them over here for your volume. This one over here will show you a rear view camera. As you can see there, um, if I switch that off, it goes away. Just by toggling up, I can get it to come back. And the reason it’s there is because the view out the back there, as you can see, is um, bad. But yeah, uh, at least they’ve figured out a workaround. Okay. Uh now in front of the driver there is a decent size screen here with plenty of information which you can cycle through some of that info by using that same wheel there but you push it across uh to scroll through different things. Um yep there’s a few different bits of info on screen there as you can see. And look the other controls as you can see you’ve got blinkers and lights on this one and over here is your gear selector uh and your cruise control. So, you’ll need to tap it all the way down. The A indicates autopilot or auto cruise or whatever. Um, so you can tap it all the way down to put cruise control on. And then to actually change things with your cruise control, you’ve got paddle shifters on the back there. So, one side will adjust your distance and the other will adjust your speed. So, that’s all pretty easy to get your head around once you understand how it’s supposed to work. Then you’ve got this screen up here again with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly available. And it does have a number of other menus beyond that. As you can see, you’ve got Tik Tok, you’ve got an around view monitor, it does have connected services, so you have a weather feed if you want to see what the weather’s doing. It’s getting hot. Uh but yes, you can see there it’s um it’s fine. It’s easy to get to terms with. And um it’s just a matter of like figuring out what you do next cuz where do I go? There we go. We’re back. Okay. So, yes, sat nav’s built in as well. If you want to use an in-built satnav, um, you can. Uh, but yeah, I just find that there’s no like back button here. So, where do you go? I guess you just swipe back like that. Anyway, so yeah, get used to that if you can. Um, I just find myself using Apple CarPlay personally. Now, this screen down here, as I said, is your control center for basically everything else in the car. So, you’ve got climate stuff down here on screen. If you want to adjust your seat stuff, you can do that there. Ventilated, heated, and heated steering wheel. All available right there. Um, so that’s I mean something you have to get used to. You’ve got a bar down there to quickly jump into the menu for your climate stuff, which is good. Uh, and your fan swiper is down there. You can also adjust what’s happening with the air. You can make it random or rammed on, which is a bad typo. Uh but yes, um you can also make it sweep side to side. So there’s kind of some cool stuff there. Uh and then you’ve got this menu system here with your parking adjustment stuff. So if you want to quickly get the car to park for you, reverse for you, whatever it may be, you can do that. You can adjust different elements of your scene, your themes, your music, your 360 camera by hitting that button there. And you can see right there. It’s a very good camera. can also jump through different menus, see what’s going on there and there and whatever. So, look, that’s all great, I would say. Uh, and it’s just a matter of getting used to these screens, these menus, these controls, cuz it will take a little bit of getting used to. Now, speaking of which, car controls in here. Um, now one thing that I really like about this car is that when you jump back in, you can quickly just go to this ADAS button and go close all and it will turn off the stuff that you might not like. Um, there’s one thing that is missing here. Uh, and that is the, um, speed sign recognition. So, the new speed zone recognition, which shows up here, um, it will still come back on and it will still chime at you. Um, unless there’s a way that I haven’t figured out to permanently disable it, but it’s there and it might give you the annoyances. Uh, but look, this screen, honestly, go spend an hour, 2 hours figuring it out at your dealership if you’re considering this car, cuz it’s deep. There’s so much stuff in this screen that will take some learning. Um, and you can even change the exterior lights, the interior lights, all that stuff on the screen here. But yeah, as I said, trying to keep it briefer with that sort of stuff. So, uh, let’s have a look down below here. You’ll notice that there is a storage area, which is quite large. There’s another little storage cubby here, which you can get something to fill in there if you don’t like that weird gap. There’s a wireless phone charger, and it has ventilation as well to keep your phone cool. There’s pair of cup holders, a decent size center console bin, good size pockets in the doors, although they aren’t lined. You don’t get a glove box, which I mean could matter. It might not. It actually makes the space more roomy for the passenger. Uh, but the weirdest part is probably these door handles. They are push button poppers. There are actual emergency pulls down there if you want to use them. Um, that’s just a bit weird personally, I think. But the trim is nice. You’ve got actual leather seat trim as well. Heated, ventilated, as I said, electrically adjustable both sides. Very comfy. No grab handles overhead, which is a concern in my opinion because you’ve only got the side handle there to sort of hold on to or down here um because this car goes very fast. So keep that in mind. Uh and then the panoramic glass roof as well, which is nice, but no shade. So yeah, I don’t know. You can make up your own mind about that. Here you’ll see that you’ve got a flip down uh visor cover. Yeah. with illumination and it is a click-in one, but it doesn’t extend out for you, the sun visor. Uh, and you’ve got that little useless mirror, as I said. So, look, like I said, I think that there’s a lot of beautiful stuff in here. Go and sit in one and play with the screens and see if you can live with it cuz that will be the biggest determining factor, I reckon. If you’re wondering what that bloke is, he’s your driver monitoring camera and you can switch him off early if you don’t like him. So, yeah, back seat time. Let’s have a look at it. All right, here we are in the back. This seat is set where I was set up for my driving. Um, look how much space I’ve got in terms of knee room, but foot room is really tight. I can barely wedge my toes in under there. Uh, I got pretty big feet, but yeah, um, it’s not as comfy as it could be. It means you’ve got quite a knees up position and uh, in terms of headroom, well, pretty close to the glass. So, if you have taller rear occupants, it might be maybe not ideal. Seat comfort is very good though. As I said, no overhead grab handles. You do have lights and these little hooks in the back. So, that’s promising at least. And it’s not too shiny in the glass here. So, um I like the fact that it’s tinted and it’s not hot either. I mean, it’s a little bit warm outside, but I’d hate to sit back here on a 45°ree day cuz they’re coming apparently. Now, let’s have a look at this in front of me. Um, if you’re wondering what that is, that’s not my personal baggie. Um, it’s a little mag bag that you can get as an accessory. So, it’s got a magnet in there. And I mean, that might be handy if you want to store some extra goodies. You can get a number of different accessories that you can mag to that, including like an iPad holder or something like that. So, that’s handy for those who are planning to use the back seat for people quite often. Uh, you’ve also got decent size pockets on the seat backs. There are directional air vents there as you can see. There’s also a charge port down there too. And you’ve got a decent set of holders in the doors. Same with the electronic openers. Uh nice soft padding all up the door there. So, it’s all pretty well considered. I would say it’s just whether the feet space is enough for you. Uh, and when it comes to the other considerations here, yeah, of course you’ve got ISOIX points in the window seats, three top tethers as well, a flip down armrest with some cup holders and a little storage spot where you could probably wedge a phone or something like that. But yeah, it’s going to be more comfortable for those who have uh just two kids in the back or two grown-ups in the back. But as you can see, it is a bit tight in terms of the headroom. Oh, and also there’s these little levers on the side. So, if I pull that, you can actually have a bit of recline to the seat if you want to. So, you can pull it forward completely, obviously. And then if you pull that little lever, there’s one over there as well. Um, you can, yeah, adjust the back rest recline, but h I reckon comfy if you don’t have size 12s. I know I don’t actually need to show you under the bonnet here, but let’s talk through the powertrain specs for this model range. So, the premium rear wheel drive entry- level version has 217 kW and 450 Newton m. It’s got a single electric motor at the back and rearwheel drive with a single-speed transmission. Then up from there is the platinum rear wheel drive. Now, it gets the much bigger battery, remember? It also has extra power and torque, 300 kW, 500 new m to help out with that, but it’s still rear wheel drive. And then there’s this one here, the performance dual motor all-wheel drive with a combined 572 kW and 802 Newton m electric motors front and rear and a single speed transmission as well. Now, if you’re wondering what does that mean for the performance specs, naugh to 100. You’ll see all of them on your screen now. Yes, this one 3.2 seconds. That is phenomenally fast. I’ll show you what it’s like in a sec, but first let’s talk range and charging. Okay, let’s talk battery specs for the different versions of this vehicle. So, the premium rear wheel drive one, the entry level, has 75 kW hours of LFP battery and a driving range of 490 km, WLTP. And then there’s the midspec version and the high-grade one which get the 100 kWh NMC battery pack. And the platinum rear wheel drive midspecer has 655ks of WLTP rated range. 575 for this high-grade one. So still very impressive. And now it’s time to consider the charging stuff. So your charge port is here on the passenger side rear. So good for curbside parking. And you’ve got 11 kW AC charging on all grades. You’ll need three-phase power. And you’ll see how long it should take to be able to replenish the battery in each of the versions on your screen now. And then there’s the DC charging consideration. So the entry- level one has a 400vt architecture. So it can’t do as fast DC charging as the highrade ones, which are nearly 400 kW DC charging. If you could find a charger that could output that, you’d be able to achieve a very, very speedy charge time in about 15 minutes. But even the entry-level one with the slower architecture is still capable of apparently being able to replenish its battery in about 20 minutes. So really, I’m not so sure that it matters all that much. And finding those really, really fast chargers that are operational and not occupied can be difficult in Australia. But even so, some good stuff to consider. And now it’s time to go drive it and see what it’s like. Oh, but before we do, forgot to mention vehicle to load capability is 6.6 kW. Pretty impressive. So, what’s the IM5 like to drive? Well, I’m really really impressed by it in a lot of ways. And one of the ways that impresses me a lot is the technology. So, you’ve got all the active safety tech that you would expect, but you can quickly turn the stuff off that you don’t like by just using the screen down here. It’s a couple of buttons on the screen, and it will basically customize it to what you want to a degree. Uh there’s one thing that just seems to uh not turn off and stay off, and that’s the new speed zone warning. That’s a little chime that tells you that it thinks that you’re in a new speed zone. It can be annoying, but there is a button to fix that as well. Hopefully, it’ll be rolled out with a software update so that everything can be in the custom menu, but it really is very, very good technology. And also, the camera tech in this car is brilliant, too. So, if you’re a nervous parker in particular, you might find that this car is easier to park than you would expect. It’s got auto parking if you want to use that, obviously. But there’s also a really good camera system with surround view. And you’ve got blind spot view cameras as well and a sort of like a A-pillar moderator. So it will basically uh see through the A-pillar for you if you’re in um traffic, if you’re at a low speed um and you’re turning in a certain way. And then there’s the rear view camera system as well. So you can use a control on the steering wheel and just get a rear view camera showing up there because that actual mirror is not very good. Now let’s talk some more about this drive experience because this one is the dual motor all-wheel drive. As I said, it’s the performance one and honestly this is more performance than most people will ever need. And that’s why I sort of think that it’s probably going to be better for most people to not go for this one. Go for the cheaper version because you’ll save money. You’ll still have a fast car and you’ll have more EV driving range as well. In that midspec one in particular, it seems like the sweet spot. But this one, I mean, it is a dual motor, all-wheel drive, and it is insanely fast. I’m in comfort mode right now. If I just put my foot down gently, it is finding the horizon faster than you would expect. In sport mode, it is insanely quick from a standstill to 100 ks an hour. As I said, the performance time here is very, very good. But it’s not just a straight line demon. So many EVs are just good at going fast in a straight line. This car is better than most at going fast around corners or slower around corners for that matter. And when it comes to the braking, you’ve got regen, you’ve also got multi mode. Uh, no single pedal driving mode per se, but you’ve also got quite honest brake pedal feel. It does have a very very sophisticated suspension system in this high-grade version. You’ve got the air suspension that’s height adjustable and firmness adjustable as well. And then you’ve got the steering which has a couple of modes that you can adjust as well. And the steering I think is quite lovely. It’s really really light but still accurate feeling and there is still a bit of feel to the driver’s hands. And the ride it’s brilliant too. It’s very comfy in most situations. I mean, it’s got low profile tires on big wheels, so you can still feel lumps and bumps in the surface occasionally, especially sharp edges. And you can feel the weight of this car, too, at times. But the sophisticated chassis technology here does make it feel more maneuverable and more nimble than you might be expecting. The four-wheel steering system also plays its part there because, well, it makes it feel a little bit more agile at higher speeds and a little bit more maneuverable when you are in urban situations. If you’re parking or something like that, it will really, really help. And there’s even a creep mode or a crab mode, so you can, you know, zigzag your way along the road if you want to. I don’t use that. I think it’s a bit silly, but it’s got the tech there if you want it. And that’s the story of this car. It’s got all the tech and it executes it brilliantly. It’s also very very quiet. Um, and at higher speeds on coarse chip roads, that’s only when you’ll notice that there is a bit of road noise intrusion, sort of 110 ks an hour or something. But generally, the refinement levels here are luxury spec. In fact, better than some luxury cars, twice or three times the price. And that sums it up. It nails the brief in terms of the drive experience. one of the best newcomers in my mind to have reached Australia in the last 12 to 18 months. It’s very, very good to drive. But what about efficiency? Let’s talk about that now. Okay, there’s a few numbers to contend with here because there are three different powertrain options essentially. So, the entry-level version with the rear wheel drive and the smaller battery pack, you’ll see the figure for it on your screen. That’s kilowatt hours per 100 ks. The lower the number, the better, just like petrol. And then the midspec one. Well, it gets a bigger, heavier battery, but it’s still rear wheel drive. And then there’s this one, the dual motor performance one, just like your fast petrol cars. The fast electric one is typically the least efficient, and that’s the case here, too, cuz it’s got two motors. It’s got different more aggressive tires. So, that all plays its part, but it’s still not inefficient in my experience. Now, I’ve done a mix of driving urban, highway, freeway, stop start, the same sort of stuff you might do. And I’ve been really impressed by the number that you’ll see on your screen now in terms of the efficiency factor. So, look, there’s really not that much to complain about. In fact, barely anything to complain about when it comes to the drive experience in the IM5. It’s a fairly democratic approach to safety in the IM5 lineup. They all have all the stuff. You’re getting things like autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist and junction detection. There’s lane keeping. There’s adaptive cruise control. You’ve got intelligent cruise that can stop, start, and steer and abide by the speed signs if it gets it right. There’s also, of course, a speed sign recognition system, a driver monitoring camera system, and plenty of other tech, including things like rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, a surround view camera, parking sensors all around the car, autonomous parking, and heaps more besides that. So, if you are thinking you want loads and loads of active safety technology and convenience features, this could be a very good choice for you. Now, when it comes to the airbags, there’s dual front, front side, a front center airbag, and curtain coverage for all the window seats. So, yep, safe. I think so. I’d give it five stars. IM offers a 7-year unlimited kilometer warranty for its models, which is very, very good for a luxury brand. And if you are a commercial vehicle customer, maybe you’re going to use it for rid share taxi or something like that, you do have to consider you get a shorter warranty. But the battery warranty is generous at 8 years and 160,000 ks. And there’s some other considerations for the parts of this particular one. Uh so the four-wheel steering system and the air suspension system has a 5year warranty. It doesn’t have the same level of maximum cover that you get for the rest of the car. Now there’s a couple of things to consider with servicing as well. Service intervals are 12 months and 20,000 KS. So, you have a cap price service plan of 5 years and 100,000 KS, but the cost for maintenance over that 5-year plan is quite high. You’ll see the average for both the single motor ones and the rear wheel drives on your screen now. And that I mean, it’s expensive for an electric car. Electric cars are simple. The servicing suggests that it’s not a simple job to maintain this car. That’s really quite surprising, I would suggest. Um, but also roadside assistance. You get 5 years for free no matter what kind of buyer you are. It’s pretty to look at. It’s lovely inside. It’s loaded with tech and the price is impressive. Plus, it drives really nicely as well. So, why wouldn’t you consider this if you’re thinking about an electric sedan? If you’ve got any points that you’d like to raise, have you say in the comments cuz I’d love to hear from you. I do reckon that this is a absolute corker of an electric sedan. And if I was in the market for something like this, I’d certainly be looking at it. But what do you reckon? Have you say thanks for watching, thanks for subscribing. And I’ll see you when I see you.
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The new MG IM5 (or IM 5 presented by MG Motor) is a luxury sedan with a number of different versions available.
There is a base model RWD for just over $60k drive-away, a mid-spec long-range RWD model for less than $70k, and the top-spec Performance AWD dual-motor model tested here at just $81k drive-away.
That’s a lot of money, but not considering what you get – luxury interior appointments, heaps of standard spec, and performance? Yep. That too.
This machine can do 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds. WOW. But it’s also a decent thing in terms of handling. Well worth a look!
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ALTERNATIVES:
Hyundai Ioniq 6 – https://youtu.be/qjaXtrNsFAU
Tesla Model 3 – https://youtu.be/pTbYYzPrl6s
BYD Seal – https://youtu.be/I_8UWR2KvVo
Kia EV6 – https://youtu.be/F4ZZQ943U10?si=342gvFybbFdoN_Ya
Polestar 2 – https://youtu.be/ifkaif8BY0E
Polestar 4 – https://youtu.be/3kKL0Vq9eEE
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00:00 Intro
00:28 Is it the right price?
02:53 What are the best alternatives?
04:30 Is it the right size?
07:28 Interior
16:25 Under the bonnet
17:29 Range and charging
19:18 Driving
23:58 Efficiency
24:59 Is it safe?
25:57 Ownership
27:11 Verdict
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