MG6 Driven: Can this rival the Hyundai Elantra & Skoda Octavia in India [VIDEO]

We were in England a few days back with MG India to attend the annual #MGLive2018 event. This is the largest gathering of MG owners in the world and takes place at the Silverstone racing circuit and during our visit, we managed to get our hands on the new 2018 MG6 sedan. Now while this will not be the first offering from MG for the Indian market, the car itself got a major revamp recently and does come across as a great all-rounder. Do note that as the model you see here is for the Chinese market, it has a LHD (left hand drive) configuration.

MG6 in our video

The 2018 MG6 gets a design makeover and looks smart in this latest avatar. In terms of dimensions, it beats cars like the Altis, Octavia and Elantra hands down for length, width and wheelbase. Likewise, it also sits the lowest which gives it a sporty stance from all angles. I particularly like the massive grille up front which houses the big MG logo – it is flaked by swept back headlamps and the execution does look nice. Finishing up the front is the well sculpted bumper with well done dummy fog lamp housings.

The MG6 is one of those cars that look equally appealing from the rear as well. The tail-lamps do the talking and seem to be inspired from a particular German brand. That said, the idea works well and the MG6 looks brilliant once on the move. You also get a chromed exhaust outlet at either end and the low profile alloy wheels round up the exteriors. However it’s safe to assume that for the Indian market, these will be replaced.

On the inside, the MG6 continues to impress. As seen here, this sedan gets a no-nonsense, clutter free cabin which has been made possible due to the massive touchscreen interface. Lack of buttons works well and though I am not a fan of those hard plastics on the upper fascia, everything else feels nice and rich, more like a European car. This includes the design for the gearbox lever and cup holders. Nice touch there!

The speedometer console also gets a pretty large LCD display and a good set-up for the dials. The tacho is placed in reverse and looks nice when the needle starts moving North. Talking of which, the MG6 we drove had a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol motor mated to a 7 speed DCT transmission. A 6-speed manual is also offered. Don’t be fooled by the small capacity as the engine is good for 169 horses along with 250 Nm of torque. Just to put things into prospective, this 1.5 unit puts out more power than the 2.0 on the Elantra and the 1.8 on the Altis.

Our drive was quick and uneventful – just a few minutes around a smaller loop at the Silverstone. Ergonomics felt nice and I particularly liked the massive foot well area. The steering was light to my liking and the engine, as expected, was butter smooth. The gearbox however felt a bit lacking, taking more time to get into action than I would have liked. But once on the boil, the motor did impress and while doing so, sounded nice too. I guess the USP of this engine, given the ample torque low down in the rev range, is city commuting and pottering in traffic. I will reserve my judgement on the ride and comfort factor as the stretch we drove on was rather smooth, with a few minor undulations thrown in.

The MG6 is priced from Rs 9.5 lakh onwards in China which means MG could price it in the same range if produced locally here. This will slot it right in the middle of C and D segment sedans, thus offering buyers a ‘large’ good looking sedan at a relatively lower sticker price. Could this really happen? MG hasn’t put out anything officially but given the package on offer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this on Indian roads by late 2019 or early 2020!

Pics via Chandramauli Singh