With so many electric SUVs out in the market right now, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. After a while, many of them feel sorta the same. They look and drive similarly, with familiar-looking interiors, and in power-restricted Cat A, performance is generally also broadly identical across the board.
MG, to its credit, has tried its best to differentiate its S6 from the competition, not by being dramatic, but simply by enhancing the qualities that attracts customers to the electric SUV genre.
As the name suggests, the S6 is the larger sibling to the S5 SUV that was launched last year. It certainly looks the part, with the sharp-looking slim headlights offering a clear visual connection between the two cars. Likewise the rear taillight bar, although the S6 does try to cut a more elegant look with its vertical lighting arrangement in contrast to the racing-inspired pattern if the S5.
On the whole though, the car’s rounded shape and soft curves come across as fairly generic, and the S6 is not really a car that would attract stares or turn heads on the roads.
However, the conservative design does quite well to hide the S6’s mass, because the car is actually fairly sizeable. At slightly over 4.7 metres long and 1.9 metres wide, the S6 is one of the larger Cat A electric SUVs you can buy. Leaving aside detuned larger premium offerings like the BYD Sealion 7, Xpeng G6 and Tesla Model Y, only the Leapmotor C10 can best the MG S6 for size in this segment.
It therefore naturally translates into lots of interior room, and the S6 is indeed extremely spacious for occupants, thanks to its generous 2,835mm wheelbase. Legroom and headroom is plentiful, and three adults can fit comfortably at the back without a scuffle breaking out.
The car’s lengthy dimensions also mean that it boasts a massive 674 litres worth of boot space, which is larger than even what some station wagons offer. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a frunk with 86 litres of capacity, enough to contain a small bag or some of your weekly grocery shopping.
It’s well-thought out for the driver too. MG is one of the few Chinese car brands that have opted against the full touchscreen treatment. There is still a fairly large 12.8-inch infotainment screen of course, but the car also features physical buttons and controls, which makes it so much easier and intuitive to adjust the air con temperature, for instance.
More impressive though is the overall fit and finish, which feels like a massive step up from earlier MG models when the brand first resurfaced here a few years ago. The soft touch plastics feel nice to the touch, and the seats are upholstered in a plush mix of Alcantara and leather. There’s also a faux carbon fibre trim running across the length of the dashboard, but if that’s not for you, opting for the beige interior option swaps this out for wood.
And while the S6 doesn’t come with lots of fancy gadgets like an in-built fridge that some of its rivals offer, it is still nonetheless fairly well-equipped with all the necessary frills that buyers expect from modern cars today. There’s ventilated seats and a wireless charging pad, and even a head-up display to help you keep your eyes on the road.
And while you’re the road, you’ll experience the S6’s generally pleasant driving demeanour. The power output has been capped at 109kW/146bhp to allow it to just make it into Cat A. But it also boasts a healthy 350Nm of torque, the most out of any MG model sold in Singapore bar the Cyberster sports roadster.
As a result, the S6 moves off the line pretty effortlessly and smoothly. The restricted power means that it will never offer the kind of performance that will threaten the status of your driving licence, but there’s enough in it to keep up and overtake traffic without feeling strained.
By and large though, the S6 feels more at ease cruising on the highway, with its well-sorted suspension and exemplary refinement delivering an impressively comfortable ride. It does get a touch unsettled on rougher surfaces, but that’s really a common trait among many SUVs, and on the whole the S6 manages the balance somewhat better than most.
Despite being one of those rare SUVs that are rear-wheel-driven, the S6 isn’t even remotely sporty or engaging in the corners. Instead, it plays it safe, with decent poise and composure, and a steering that’s light and manoeuvrable. There’s a touch of understeer if you push it too close to the limits, and the S6 demonstrates its character as a family-oriented SUV in an upfront and obvious manner.
More relevant to everyday drivers here though is the S6’s claimed driving range of 530km on a full charge, which is a fair bit more than most of the contenders currently available out there. It’s realistically achievable too, as I returned the car with about 50 percent battery left having done around 260km, so the figures does extrapolate somewhat accurately.
And that really encapsulates the strengths of the MG S6. It’s not flashy or eye-catching, but it does all the important stuff extremely well. It’s practical, spacious, easy to drive, comfortable and offers plenty of range to ease your range anxiety. Certainly, if you’re looking for a Cat A electric family SUV, the MG S6 is an outstanding choice, for it simply ticks all the right boxes.
