The Chinese Alternative

 

Chinese vehicles are beginning to arrive in numbers on the Australian market. Frankly, I would never buy one for two good reasons.

The first is, I don't buy new cars. The fact that they lose a very large proportion of their value when you drive them out of the showroom explains that.

In the case of vehicles produced by Chinese companies, recent behaviour in their treatment of our exports is reason enough. Having said that, the research and development undertaken by SAIC, the Chinese company that owns the brand, takes place in Longbridge in the UK. The cars are actually manufactured in China or Thailand.

I had occasion to hire a car last week, and my promised Toyota Yaris somehow morphed into an MG3, so I'll write a brief review.

The MG logo is everywhere.

The car was fun to drive, as steering, handling, and road feel were all of a pretty high standard compared with its rivals. Build quality was so-so, being let down by fit and finish and lots of hard plastic.

The bells and whistles were all there, including a graphically excellent eight-inch touch screen, which handled the installed Apple Carplay very well. Bluetooth was simple and clear. Seating was basic but comfortable, although my trips were all short, so I can't say how it would fare on a highway run.

It was also reasonably refined considering the price point, and road and engine noise were generally subdued. The power steering pump made a yowling noise which was only present on the first start-up of the day. Once warmed up, it disappeared.

Engine is 1.5 litres.

The engine-transmission combination, whilst old-tech, works well. The auto is four-speed only, but preferable, in my opinion to the CVTs that are becoming commonplace in this market segment. It also used very little fuel. I didn't measure it but paid $8 to top the tank up after three or four trips from one side of town to the other.

The seven-year warranty and entry price of $17490 are pretty convincing, and these are the factors that are persuading buyers. That's a lot of car for not much money.

It seems to me that some Chinese manufacturers are following the pattern established by the Koreans. Their first offerings were pretty horrible, but they are learning quickly.