Supermini | On the road

MG3

By Bill McCarthy

MG’s supermini has taken a quantum leap forward from the first version introduced back in 2013. Better in virtually every area, but still offering incredible value for money, an iconic badge and industry-equalling seven-year warranty – notot to mention low insurance rates, making it particularly attractive for younger buyers.

It’s also stylish and practical, with the largest boot space in its segment. The firm’s blurb says: “Designed to make a bold statement, the New MG3 is targeted at style-conscious buyers seeking something different from the rest of the market, offering a wealth of personalisation options.”

A typical sales pitch, but accurate in many ways. One of the first things that strikes you about it is the ease of entry and exit, the kind you would expect on a larger SUV.

It is a smart looking car, with the iconic MG badge set in the middle of a deep, wide grille flanked by LED daytime running lights, wit deep air scoops below.

In addition there are body coloured door handles, powered electric door mirrors and rear spoiler, together with side sills with body coloured with black insert, so it does have a funky, sporty look.

Equally distinctive is the side profile where the body coloured side skirts lower the stance and it is all finished of nicely with 16-inch diamond-cut alloys.

“It’s quite a package and hard to argue about value for money, even the range topper is under £14k”

if that’s not enough, there are also customisable options, with six distinctive colour variations.

It is well equipped, with many goodies found on much more expensive cars. It features all round electric windows, all versions come with Bluetooth telephone and audio streaming and AUX/USB as standard, plus an eight inch colour touchscreen and steering wheel audio controls.

The interior continues the sporty theme, but lacks some of the soft touch plastics sophistication of some of its competitors. But the harsh dark plastics are nicely offset with a tartan finish on this model, together with matching red stitching and graphic highlights. This model also featured sports seats and multi-function steering wheel.

The centrepiece is the screen, which features navigation, smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay, DAB radio and also houses the reversing camera on this model. Other controls are functional, if looking slightly dated.

Underlining the easy access and exit from the car is the class-leading head and legroom, which accommodates four people in comfort, with the fifth a tight squeeze. No surprise really in this class of car. But it does have a roomy feel to it especially with the large glass areas allowing plenty of light into the cabin.

The 105 bhp petrol engine is a lively unit. Mated to a slick-shifting five speed manual gearbox, it hits 60mph in just over 10 seconds. It is refined enough and has just enough poke on the motorway for reasonable overtaking. Fuel economy is a claimed 47-odd mpg, but I struggled to get 40, while CO2 emissions are on the high side.

Road performance is good with sharp, sporty handling making it an engaging drive, while the direct, responsive steering adds to the agility of the car. This can be at the expense of comfort through the firm ride. The suspension is specifically designed for British roads and can become uncomfortable over lesser surfaces.

In practical terms, it has one of the most spacious boots in its class, with an impressive 285 litres of capacity. Rising to 1,262 with the seats folded. A sizeable stowage space in a small car.

Versions include Excite at £12,195, Exclusive and Exclusive Nav and all featuring the single 1.5 litre petrol power unit.

Safety features include twin front, side and curtain airbags, electronic stability control, corner brake control, hill hold control and traction control as standard.

It’s quite a package and hard to argue about the value for money, with even this range topper costing £13,840 on the road.

Oh yes, and there’s that warranty, seven years or 80k miles for extra peace of mind.

Factfile

MG3 Exclusive 1.5

Price: £ 13,840

Mechanical: 1498cc, 105bhp, four-cylinder petrol engine driving front wheels via five speed gearbox

Maximum speed: 108mph

Acceleration: 0-60mph in 10.4 seconds

Economy: 47.1 mpg (NEDC2)

Insurance group: 6

CO2 emissions: 140g/km

Warranty: seven years, 80,000 miles’

Ford Ka

By Bill McCarthy

Not so much a ‘baby’ the KA, a dinky, quirky-looking little city car when it first arrived on the scene, has grown and grown.

It’s second incarnation gave it a more traditional look, while the third generation the KA+ looks like an earlier Fiesta and the muscular Active version here, looks like a mini-crossover/SUV with increased ride height and rugged exterior styling. This includes integrated roof bars, extra cladding, new front and rear bumpers, standard foglamps and daylight running lamps.

Less of a baby and more of a grown up with, says Ford (I didn’t have a chance to test this), room for five adults. It looked a bit tight to me I have to say, but no doubt a third could be squeezed in.

It also features a new 1.2-litre three cylinder petrol engine on this model and a highly economical 1.5-litre diesel engine.

The petrol, despite having larger capacity, does not feature EcoBoost and therefore performance is not as strong as the turbocharged 1.0 three cylinder, but still more than adequate and economical too with a claimed 50-odd mpg.

Like its bigger siblings, the Fiesta and Focus, and the standard KA+, it offers plenty of hi-tech kit. But it lacks the sharp styling, partly because of its crossover type practicality.

Connectivity comes via Ford’s SYNC 3 infotainment which includesboth AppleCarPlayand Android phone through the6.5-inch touchscreen.

It also has Quickclear heated windscreen, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlamps and other electrical and electronic goodies.

The interior highlights include grained finish on the instrument panel and durable trim materials in a stylish dark charcoal colour scheme.

The cabin has a pleasant ambience, feeling light and airy, with eye-catching stitching to upholstery and leather covered steering wheel and neat chrome detailing throughout.

Controls, especially the touchscreen are very intuitive and easy to use while switchgear is robust and logically placed.

The increased ride height givesgood visibility andfour are definitely seated in comfort with decent head and legroom for such a small car.

On the road the 85ps engine is never going to set the adrenaline rushing, hitting 60mph at a leisurely 13.5 seoonds. Around town it potters along nicely, but is equally at home on the motorway where it cruises comfortably.

Handling is good and it feels feels well planted and like most Fords, offers sharp, direct steering. The wheel in each corner design means that in spite of its higher ground clearance there is literally no body roll on corners and its fairly dinky size makes it easy to park.

Boot space with the rear seat in situ is a fairly modest 270litres, but this increases topretty spacious 1,029litres with them folded.

Like all Fords, there is a comprehensive range of safety gear, including six airbags, electronic stability control, assisted braking and tyre pressure monitoring.