2026 MG QS overview | CarExpert

The MG QS is but extra proof the Chinese language have properly and really infiltrated the Australian automobile market.

4 Chinese language marques have turn into common fixtures within the listing of prime 10 best-selling manufacturers, and you’ll find Chinese language fashions throughout a raft of segments from gentle vehicles all the way in which as much as utes and enormous off-road SUVs.

And but, surprisingly, till not too long ago the Chinese language have largely averted the big crossover SUV phase that’s house to the top-selling Toyota Kluger, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento.

GWM’s short-lived, five-seat Haval H8, axed in 2018, had been the one entrant till final yr when Chery launched its Tiggo 8 Professional Max… although we’d argue that’s extra of a mid-sizer, even when it does have a 3rd row of seating.

Then, this yr, Chery lobbed the Jaecoo J8 and Chery Tiggo 9 cousins, BYD confirmed the Sealion 8 for a 2026 launch, and MG launched this: the QS. The Chinese language are making up for misplaced time, it appears.

We’ve been properly overdue for a big MG SUV with three rows of seating, as MG launched its RX8 within the Center East again in 2018. However that was a body-on-frame off-road SUV, whereas the brand new QS is correct crossover SUV with car-like unibody development.

The outdated RX8 and the brand new QS do have one factor in widespread, although: they’re each not likely MGs.

See, MG’s father or mother SAIC Motor likes to place the MG octagon on automobiles from its different manufacturers the place they will plug a spot. That’s how the LDV Terron 9 ute turned the MG U9, and it’s how the Roewe RX9 has turn into the MG QS. In different markets, you’ve even been capable of purchase MG vans and other people movers.

Roewe is MG’s Chinese language-market sister model, with mannequin designs which might be usually rather less sporty and slightly extra elegant. And in contrast to the Roewe RX5, which acquired a nostril job to turn into the second-generation MG HS, the QS is pure Roewe externally.

Not that we’re complaining. That is, to my eyes not less than, a reasonably good-looking SUV. Oh positive, your pareidolia might discover that grille paying homage to a menacing smirk, with the angled headlights obvious and the plunging diagonal LED daytime operating lights trying like fangs.

However should you don’t see faces in inanimate objects, you’ll discover the good-looking metallic accents across the grille, on the D-pillar, and alongside the rockers, which add a sublime and distinctive contact.

There are trim items paying homage to fender vents, although bafflingly they learn ‘Final’ on all QS variants although none of them are known as that. This isn’t the primary time MG has performed this in Australia…

Throw in a set of engaging 21-inch alloy wheels that properly fill out the arches, and this QS Essence – not Final – has received some severe showroom attraction.

How a lot does the MG QS price?

To see how the MG QS traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument

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What’s the MG QS like on the within?

The MG QS has a contemporary, distinctive and customarily well-appointed cabin. There are some minor usability points, nonetheless.

There’s no head-up show, although that is the top-spec QS. That mightn’t sound like the tip of the world, however in two of the three digital instrument cluster themes, the velocity readout is displayed on the prime of the display screen. Relying in your seating and steering wheel place, this readout will be blocked.

Talking of the digital instrument cluster, you’ll be able to select between the default view, a full-screen map view (useful!) and an ‘clever drive’ view that exhibits little animated variations of the vehicles round you (dumb!)

A separate ‘immersion mode’ means that you can have a minimalist show with solely key data seen, whereas for every of the primary views you’ll be able to select what seems on the aspect of the display screen – for instance, gas economic system or media data.

The touchscreen infotainment system is mostly good, and a marked enchancment over earlier MG techniques. MG has additionally resisted the temptation to maneuver nearly all the pieces to the touchscreen, and it’s arguably simply two to 4 bodily buttons away from hitting the candy spot.

You continue to get bodily buttons for fan velocity, and turning the air-conditioning, hazard lights and demisters on and off, plus a shortcut button to the local weather menu and the infotainment’s house menu.

The house menu is neatly laid out, and you may regulate the temperature on right here with out additional burrowing into the local weather menu. Nonetheless, although you should use the local weather management, we’d like a bodily button for adjusting the temperature.

It’s additionally a bit irritating having to dive right into a menu or use the voice assistant to regulate the heated and ventilated entrance seats and heated steering wheel.

MG remains to be extra user-friendly than some Chinese language manufacturers although, providing programmable shortcut buttons on the steering wheel. We will’t consider too many vehicles exterior the MG model that mean you can regulate the AC utilizing the steering wheel.

The touchscreen features a useful anchored shortcar bar, with buttons for house, navigation, media, car settings, cellphone and the surround-view digicam. Annoyingly, nonetheless, it doesn’t appear to constantly seem when you may have smartphone mirroring on.

Wi-fi Android Auto labored a deal with, booting up rapidly each time we began the QS, and by no means disconnecting unexpectedly, although from time to time we’d have a problem with media skipping barely. In a unique QS Essence tester, nonetheless, Paul Maric had no finish of troubles with wi-fi Apple CarPlay.

On the base of the centre stack, you’ll discover a conveniently situated wi-fi charging pad with one other rubberised pad subsequent to it.

The centre console has two ranges. The highest tier options the monostatic gear selector, rotary dial for drive mode choice, and buttons for the park brake and auto maintain operate – by the way in which, the auto maintain will keep on so that you don’t have to show it on each time you begin the automobile. There’s additionally a pair of cupholders with a woodgrain curler cowl.

There’s a softly padded lid for the centre console bin which, without having a very massive opening, is sort of deep. The button to pop its lid, nonetheless, is much too straightforward to hit along with your elbow.

Beneath the higher tier of the centre console is a rubberised shelf the place you’ll be able to put a handbag or pockets, and which encompasses a pair of USB-C energy shops and a 12V port.

Storage is sort of good within the QS, with the bottle openers within the doorways additionally massive sufficient to suit 1.5-litre bottles plus a pair of smaller bottles.

There’s a simple entry and exit mode that strikes the motive force’s seat while you get in and switch the automobile on, which is neat.

The entrance seats are plush and comfy, and but nonetheless proved supportive within the corners. They function heating and air flow, annoyingly with out bodily buttons for adjustment, and unusually you’ll be able to really activate each features on the similar time.

It’s an odd feeling to have the QS’ seat heat your posterior as cool air is propelled by the vents at your again. We mentioned unusual, not unhealthy.

The expansive panoramic sunroof is one other luxurious contact, although we do want it had a thicker shade.

The woodgrain appliques, which simulate open-pore wooden trim, are tasteful. They’re accompanied by odd textured, gray trim items that are much less so, and lend an nearly industrial look to a cabin that’s in any other case aiming for contemporary stylish.

The sprint prime is completed in exceptionally smooth trim that eschews a conventional leather-look graining for a particular sample, whereas the centre console is wrapped in firmer, leather-look trim to present it an upscale look. The highest half of the doorways are additionally completed in engaging, smooth supplies.

You might want to look right down to the doorways to search out laborious plastics, and these do look fairly low cost – however there’s not a lot of this materials, fortunately.

Chinese language manufacturers have gotten lots higher at translating warning messages and menu gadgets to English, however the QS has some doozies within the ambient lighting menu.

When you go into this menu and press ‘situation settings’, there’s an possibility for ‘respiratory impact’ – okay, that one’s fairly logical, the ambient lighting pulsates. However what’s ‘welcome to get on’, for which you’ll toggle between customary, elegant and robust modes?

There’s additionally a ‘light-sensing’ possibility, the one one which has an evidence… however the rationalization merely reads “robotically on or off with the width lamp standing”, which is unnecessary.

The QS options proximity entry, so that you don’t must take the important thing fob – which is oddly emblazoned with The Roaring Raindrop, a car from the MG marque’s very distant previous, on the rear – out of your pocket.

The flush door handles come out when the car is unlocked, and so they’re straightforward to open. The rear doorways do require a agency slam to close, although, even when they don’t really feel gentle and tinny.

Step into the second row and also you’ll discover a flooring that’s just about flat. There are air vents within the roof, plus controls on the rear of the centre console for adjusting AC settings. A pair of USB-C shops may also be discovered right here, whereas the smooth entrance seatbacks function map pockets and the fold-down centre armrest homes a pair of cupholders.

The doorways again listed below are nonetheless completed in a mixture of soft-touch plastic and leatherette trim, with laborious plastics reserved just for the underside.

The bench is snug, although the center seat is firmer and barely elevated. Nonetheless, at 180cm tall I might comfortably sit upright on this place, even with a panoramic sunroof above. The dearth of a driveline hump can be a boon for legroom.

Step into the third row and all the beautiful supplies seen up entrance evaporate. It’s nothing however laborious, scratchy plastic right here, although the seats are completed in the identical plush materials as the primary and second rows, and a few textured plastic trim makes an attempt so as to add some distinction.

There are cupholders and air vents on both aspect, however just one USB-C outlet again right here. There are additionally no top-tether or ISOFIX anchor factors again right here, so little one seats must be fitted within the second row.

How does the QS’ third row measure up? Effectively, with the second row in its default place, I had sufficient toe room and my head solely barely brushed the roof if I maintained correct posture.

My knees touched the second-row seatbacks, however it was fully potential to regulate the second-row seats to a place the place individuals my peak might be snug throughout each rows. Suffice to say, youngsters can have no drawback.

There’s a button on the second-row seatback to tilt and slide it ahead, however this could solely be discovered on one aspect of the automobile. On our tester, this was on the motive force’s aspect – not superb for loading kids into the third row when street-parked, as this must be performed from the traffic-side of the automobile.

With the third row up, boot area is restricted – as is often the case with three-row SUVs. You would possibly be capable to match a pair of in a single day baggage, or a small suitcase.

There’s a 12V outlet plus some storage below the boot flooring, with the spare wheel really mounted below the car. So why, then, is the spare a space-saver? Give us a full-sizer!

To see how the MG QS traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument

What’s below the bonnet?

For now, there’s only one engine within the QS lineup, a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol mill, although a plug-in hybrid powertrain is about to affix it.

Over a mixture of inner-city, suburban and freeway driving, we averaged 10.2L/100km. Over the course of every week, this swelled to 13.2L/100km.

It’s price noting our tester was barely damaged in, with only some hundred kilometres on the odometer – much less, even, than the Melbourne-based instance featured in these pictures.

To see how the MG QS traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument

How does the MG QS drive?

The MG QS’ outputs don’t look extraordinary on paper, and but this huge SUV feels fairly sprightly round city.

Throttle response off the road is surprisingly fast and even with just a few passengers on board, if not a full complement, the QS didn’t really feel underdone within the powertrain division.

The nine-speed computerized shifts pretty easily and rapidly, which is sweet as there aren’t any paddle shifters and no different technique to manually change gears.

The steering is gentle with out being too gentle, and helps make this huge SUV straightforward to twirl round a decent parking zone or metropolis avenue with out feeling disconcertingly obscure.

The QS can be a cushty cruiser. There’s an occasional thump from the massive 21-inch alloy wheels, however the Essence additionally consists of adaptive dampers which assist offset this.

We drove the QS over a mix of surfaces and located the experience to be usually fairly snug; there’s a little bit of bobbing on some undulating surfaces, however the QS doesn’t really feel too floaty or uncontrolled.

You’ll be able to pop it into Sport mode which companies up the dampers, provides some extra weight to the steering, and quickens throttle response.

This could solely accomplish that a lot to make the QS dynamic, although. Whereas it feels extra tied down in Sport mode, push it right into a nook and also you’re greeted with understeer and physique roll, whereas even a quick mountain drive had the brakes smelling completely cooked.

However whereas the everyday QS purchaser isn’t going to take this canyon-carving, the spongy brake pedal will likely be disappointing in all driving situations. There’s no really feel within the pedal, and it makes the QS much less confidence-inspiring to drive.

The two.0-litre engine has a little bit of a raspy notice to it, however noise suppression within the cabin is sort of good so this will likely be rather more noticeable to pedestrians than passengers.

Wind noise is well-contained, and there’s solely modest roar from the Michelin ePrimacy tyres over coarse-chip surfaces.

There are Regular, Sport, Snow, Off-Highway and Customized drive modes, with the latter permitting you to toggle between Eco, Regular and Sport modes for the powertrain and steering, Regular or Sport modes for the suspension, and Auto or Off-Highway modes for the all-wheel drive system.

There’s an computerized engine cease/begin system, which we all know many individuals discover irritating, however it’s easily calibrated.

Not so easily calibrated are the superior driver help techniques (ADAS). Let me preface this by saying that is removed from essentially the most poorly calibrated suite of ADAS I’ve skilled, however that also needs to provide you with an thought of the place we’re at in 2025.

When you’ve gotten out of your older automobile and right into a QS for a take a look at drive, and end up driving 2km/h over the velocity restrict whereas letting out a quick yawn and crossing a lane marking on a slim avenue with vehicles parked on the aspect, it’s possible you’ll discover the cacophony of bings and bongs to be overwhelming.

For these of us in new vehicles each week, the QS is pretty near regular. The alert noises are comparatively subdued, other than the lane departure warning which is a tad melodramatic, whereas the lane-keep help gently nudges you again into place and has totally different ranges of adjustability, and the motive force monitoring system was really fairly correct – sure, I actually was yawning all these occasions, not obnoxiously chewing gum.

There have been a few moments when the ADAS did genuinely give me (and my passengers) a fright.

Reversing out of a driveway onto a busy avenue, the rear cross-traffic help slammed on the brakes although I used to be reversing onto the alternative aspect of the road from the place the visitors was. The autonomous emergency braking system additionally tried to brake after I was travelling alongside a avenue with automobiles parked on both aspect.

Then there’s the adaptive cruise management, the place you’ll be able to hear the brakes being utilized, and it gained’t work in Sport or Customized drive modes.

You activate and regulate the adaptive cruise by pushing the button on the steering wheel formed like a steering wheel, then setting the velocity with the silver rectangular toggle button. There’s one other button that appears like a digicam and a push pin, however this activates the speed-limiter operate.

To activate lane centring, lengthy press the steering wheel icon. Alas, the QS’ system jogged my memory all too rapidly of different MGs just like the MG 4. As quickly as you press the button, all feeling is drained from the steering, leaving it gentle and bobbly like an arcade automobile. The wheel has a lot give, and the system strikes it in a twitchy, jerky style.

A scarcity of steering really feel with this function turned on can be forgiven should you didn’t must preserve your arms on the wheel, however you do. And also you’d need to, anyway – it’s actually not the very best lane centring system, and may ping pong you in your lane.

The overspeed alert defaults to on while you begin the car, which is annoying and requires just a few button presses (and an ungainly swipe) to repair every time. The chime is barely much less annoying than that in Hyundai and Kia merchandise, and not less than there’s no ‘new velocity restrict detected’ chime that defaults to on.

The cameras are a combined bag. In daytime, they’re bloody good, being crisp and clear albeit with a contact of lag. At evening time, nonetheless, they get very washed out.

Like so many different Chinese language vehicles, the QS additionally insists on turning on a aspect digicam view while you activate the symptoms. It’s not as useful as, say, Hyundai and Kia’s Blind-Spot View Monitor because the digicam is identified the aspect of the car and never on the blind spot.

One different minor gripe: the park brake doesn’t constantly activate while you flip the automobile off. Typically it does, generally it doesn’t.

To see how the MG QS traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument

What do you get?

There are two members of the QS lineup in Australia.

2026 MG QS Excite customary tools highlights:

• 20-inch alloy wheels in 245/50 R20 tyres
• T145/80 R18 spare tyre
• Automated LED headlights
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Energy-folding, heated exterior mirrors with reminiscence
• Energy tailgate
• Panoramic sunroof
• Electrical parking brake
• Proximity entry with push-button begin
• Regular, Sport, Eco drive modes
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB+ digital radio
• Satellite tv for pc navigation
• 8-speaker sound system
• Cloth upholstery
• 8-way power-adjustable entrance seats
• Sliding second-row seats
• 60/40 split-fold second-row seats with straightforward entry on proper aspect
• Microfibre/leather-based steering wheel
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• 256-colour ambient lighting
• Woodgrain trim
• Tri-zone local weather management with rear controls, vents in all three rows
• 5 x USB ports (2 x entrance, 2 x rear, 1 x third row)
• 1 x entrance 12V outlet
• 1 x 12V outlet in boot
• 12 months’ complimentary iSmart entry
  • Distant adjustment of locks, local weather management
  • Distant view of auto data together with tyre strain, gas ranges
  • Car monitoring

The Essence provides:

• 21-inch alloy wheels in 255/45 R21 tyres
• Adaptive suspension
• Regular, Snow, Off-Highway, Sport, Customized, Eco drive modes
• Automated high-beam
• LED entrance fog lights with static cornering lights
• Wi-fi cellphone charger
• 12-speaker Bose sound system
• 8-way energy driver’s seat with 4-way energy lumbar, reminiscence
• Heated and ventilated entrance seats
• Perforated leather-based upholstery

Whereas each the Excite and Essence include a black inside, a Stone Beige colourway is a $700 possibility on the top-spec QS. All exterior paint finishes bar Oxford White Metallic additionally appeal to an $800 surcharge.

To see how the MG QS traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument

Is the MG QS protected?

The MG QS acquired a five-star score from security authority ANCAP this yr.

Customary security tools throughout the QS vary consists of:

• Adaptive cruise management
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Driver consideration monitoring
• Clever Cruise Help
• Clever Pace Restrict Help
• Lane-keep help
• Rear cross-traffic help
• Protected exit warning
• Tyre strain monitoring
• Entrance, front-side, far-side and curtain airbags
• Rear parking sensors

The Essence provides entrance parking sensors.

To see how the MG QS traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument

How a lot does the MG QS price to run?

MG did an about-face on the QS’ capped-price servicing program after unfavorable press protection regarding a sixth-year service that price nearly $3000.

After initially outlining at launch a complete price over seven years or 105,000km of $6962 to service the QS throughout the MG supplier community, the model slashed pricing in September to only $2893. Now, the costliest service is $699, with the most cost effective costing $299. It’s gone from being absurdly costly to service to being class-competitive.

MG gives one of many longest warranties within the enterprise at 10 years or 250,000km, although that is contingent on you servicing the QS inside its workshop community – now a way more palatable proposition. When you select to service it independently, the guarantee drops right down to a still-impressive seven-year, unlimited-kilometre program.

To see how the MG QS traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument

CarExpert’s Tackle the MG QS

The MG QS is sensational worth for cash. At a value level the place most seven-seat SUVs are an entire measurement smaller with inhospitable third rows, this new Chinese language SUV boasts a spacious and well-appointed cabin. You’ll be able to match adults within the again, too, whereas the second row is fantastically snug.

For much less cash than even essentially the most reasonably priced Kia Sorento ($51,630 earlier than on-roads), the $50,990 drive-away QS Essence gives a protracted, lengthy listing of ordinary tools – all that’s conceivably lacking is a head-up show and, if we’re being grasping, massaging seats.

The in-car tech has its quirks, however the QS is mostly extra user-friendly than quite a lot of different new Chinese language vehicles.

The superior driver help techniques are additionally modestly much less annoying than these in another new Chinese language vehicles, however they will nonetheless annoy or alarm you in day-to-day commuting.

They take away from a driving expertise that’s in any other case fairly good, because of a responsive powertrain, manageable steering and a cushty experience.

Throw within the distinctive design inside and outside, and the QS’ execs outweigh its cons.

CarExpert can prevent hundreds on a brand new MG QS. Click on right here to get an awesome deal.

Click on the photographs for the total gallery

MORE: Discover the MG QS showroom