This wouldn’t be such an issue if you could override the gearbox by manually changing up, for example with paddles on the wheel, but that’s not possible. As a result, the power delivery can be jerky when the engine takes over from the e-motor under acceleration.
Thankfully MG now offers a solution to this problem: a non-hybrid variant of the MG3. It comes with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and, perhaps more importantly, a five-speed manual gearbox. Sure, it’ll only return up to 46.3mpg at best – nearly 20mpg less than the Hybrid+ can manage on paper – but prices start from £16,495, which is £2,000 less than the electrified version.
In fact, if you’ve got your heart set on a small car and don’t mind changing gears yourself, we reckon the simpler, non-hybrid MG3 might be the one to go for. At the end of the day, all it’s done is make an already good car potentially even more appealing.
MG3 Hybrid+: second fleetwatch
Listening to podcasts reveals audio clarity issues
I’ve recently started listening to podcasts as a way of staying sane during motorway journeys. My current favourite is ‘The Rest is Classified’, but I’m finding it hard to enjoy its tales of espionage with the MG3’s decidedly average sound system. The six-speaker set-up is fine with music, but lacks clarity when it comes to voices on podcasts or phone calls. I’ve tried fiddling with the settings, but couldn’t detect any improvements.
MG3 Hybrid+: second report
Supermini’s indecisive automatic gearbox has required us to alter our driving style
