Chinese MG, although a forerunner in Europe when it comes to EVs, is going for the path of least resistance to make a little money on the side, feeding on the current anti-EV attitude of a certain (general) buyer public. It’s called the HS Hybrid+.

This one, offered in two trims, Comfort (from €34,285) and the Luxury version (from €37.285), joins the showroom with the HS Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), which currently lists at a promotional price starting at € 35.285.

Fully electric alternative?

There is a fully electric Chinese MG ES5, but not (yet) in Europe. The closest like-for-like MG EV in Belgium is the new MGS5 EV, successor to ZS EV.

Although MGS5 EV is relatively close in length to the HS, its lower height (1621 mm vs 1685 mm for HS) gives a less ‘SUV tall’ feel. And if that matters to you, contrary to many other EVs today, you’re only allowed to tow a trailer of a maximum of 750 kg, half of the HS.

However, with a current starting price of €29,985, it’s certainly a better deal in terms of Total Cost of Ownership and, without a doubt, far better in terms of ecological footprint.

Bart Hendrickx, PR Manager MG Belux, says: “The Hybrid+ is a great addition to our best-selling MG HS family. It combines performance and SUV practicality with a super-efficient hybrid powertrain that keeps operating costs low.”

“Like our recently introduced MG3 and MG ZS Hybrid+ models, we are confident that this will be a very popular choice for both our existing and new customers.”

Brief moments in pure electric mode

The MG Hybrid+ powertrain consists of a 1.5T hybrid gasoline engine (105 kW), working harmoniously with an electric motor (146 kW), a built-in generator, and a battery with a large capacity of 1.8 kWh. This results in a combined power of 165 kW (225 hp).

It pushes this 2,165 kg SUV from 0 to 100 km in 7.9 seconds thanks to an advanced two-speed automatic transmission that was first seen in the MG HS Plug-in Hybrid.

It has a small 1.8 kWh battery, just enough to support the petrol engine with short bursts of electric power. That means the car can drive for brief moments in pure electric mode, like pulling away from a stop, creeping in traffic, or at a very low speed for short distances.

The MG HS Hybrid+ achieves a consumption of 5.5 l/100 km (WLTP combined) and a 126 g/km CO2 emission. That’s a pretty good result for a non-electrified SUV in this class, though still far from what you can do with a PHEV if you charge it regularly, or certainly miles away from the zero g/km of an EV.

100 km pure electric

To compare: the MG HS PHEV has a combined system power of  200 kW (272 hp) and accelerates from 0-100 km/h in about 6.8 seconds under optimal conditions. It features a 21.4 kWh battery, allowing for approximately 100 km (WLTP) of pure electric range.

That pretty much covers most people’s daily needs. That way, you can achieve a 50-60 g/km CO2 emission or an equivalent to 1.7 l/100 km fuel consumption.

However, while a lot of PHEV owners don’t bother to charge their vehicles regularly, this would mean 7.6 liters/100 km with a depleted battery and 170-180 g/km of CO2 emissions.

EV is always the greenest choice

The MGS5 EV Long-range version features a 170 kW (228 hp) engine, while the Standard range version has a somewhat lower power output (125 kW). It accelerates in 8 or 6.3 seconds, and with a 64 kW battery, it has a range of up to 480 km, with ‘zero emissions’.

A first-of-its-kind cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study by the University of Michigan and Ford, spanning vehicle types, classes, regions, and usage patterns, recently showed once again that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are always the greener choice when comparing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Pickups, popular in the US, are the worst when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, especially when only with a combustion engine (ICE). Next-worst are SUVs with ICE, followed by hybrid SUVs (like the MG in this case) and the PHEV SUVs.

BEVs (fully electric) have a significantly lower lifetime footprint, and that’s even in countries with coal-heavy grids like India, which is still roughly 70% on coal power.

Equal or lower TCO

Finally, if you want the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) over, say, 5-7 years, doing lots of daily driving, and you have access to cheaper home or workplace charging, the electric MG option can save you a few thousand euros.

The HS PHEV offers a mix: it provides a lot of pure electric driving when possible, but also uses gasoline as a backup. The trade-off is more technical complexity, but it helps avoid ‘range anxiety’ if you often need to go long distances.

HS Hybrid+ will cost more in fuel over time, but is likely to provoke less ‘friction’ if you can’t charge at home while living in a city center or an apartment building without EV charging possibilities. The choice is yours.