What’s this new car all about then?
If the idea of MG making an SUV made stiff upper lips quiver in horror, what would a ute do? Actually, scratch that, the question should now be what WILL a ute do, because that is exactly what the MG U9 is; a diesel-powered double cab one-tonne ute that sits at the large end of the segment. Keep calm and carry on indeed.
In fact, at 5500mm long, 2265mm wide and 1874mm high, the U9 is 130mm longer than a Ford Ranger, while also being slightly taller and wider (9mm and 57mm respectively), while its 3300mm wheelbase adds an extra 30mm over the Ford.
This makes the U9 roughly the same size as the GWM Cannon Alpha, with both sitting somewhere in between the traditional double cab one-tonners and the big American pick ups.
The U9 is also one of the most powerful utes in segment, with 160kW and 520Nm on tap from its 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine. This exceeds everything apart from the plug-in hybrid petrol utes (Ford Ranger Hybrid, BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV), and the U9's diesel powerplant is hooked up to a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission and a BorgWarner 4WD system.
MG Motor says that while it has no immediate plans to offer a petrol plug-in hybrid version of the U9, it is in consideration, but the company sees diesel as the best option in the ute segment for the near future at least.
And that is for the same reason that Ford made the Ranger Hybrid a "Ranger first, PHEV second" proposition, subsequently making it a less frugal hybrid than the likes of the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV, with MG placing more value on the U9 possessing all the expected carrying, towing and off-road abilities of something in the segment.
And, indeed, the U9 is very much on par with the leaders in the segment in those regards, despite the fact that, unlike most of its competitors the U9 uses a monocoque platform (MG says it has no plans to offer a cab chassis version as a result) and features rear multi-link independent suspension, as opposed to the ladder chassis/rear leaf spring combo that is prevalent in the segment.
The U9 offers some class leading numbers here though, with between 779 and 879kg payload in the tray (depending on the model) and a full 3500kg braked towing capabilities.
This makes the U9 roughly the same size as the GWM Cannon Alpha, with both sitting somewhere in between the traditional double cab one-tonners and the big American pick ups.
Things don't work out quite so well when it comes to off-road numbers, however, with the U9 offering approach, breakover and departure angles at the middle-to-lower end of the segment (29, 20 and 25 degrees respectively), while its wading depth of 550mm is considerably down on the 700 to 800mm of most of its competitors.
In it's defense, however, MG Motor says that the bigger wading depth measurements of other utes are speed dependant (the Ranger's 800mm is at 7km/h or less) while the 550mm the U9 offers has no recommended maximum speed applied to it.
How much is it?
The MG U9 range consists of three variants: the Explore, the Explore X, and the top-spec Explore Pro.
The Explore starts the pricing at $60,990, and features 18-inch alloy wheels, a rear electronic locking differential, a 12.3-inch digital driver display and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, dual zone climate control, double lens LED Matrix headlights, front and rear parking sensors, folding rear seats, an electric tailgate release, wading sensors, and a six-way electrically-adjustable driver's seat.
While it is very much still a one-tonne ute that can pull 3500kg on a trailer, the U9's multilink rear suspension moves it far more towards the SUV-end of the ride equation than most.
The mid-spec Explore X costs $63,990 and adds 19-inch alloy wheels, triple lens LED Matrix headlights, rear tub lights, a 360 degree camera system, a heated steering wheel and heated front seats, voice control, a wireless charging tray, satellite navigation, an electric ally adjustable passenger seat, an off-road display in the cluster and full connectivity, including the MG iSmart app and over-the-air updates.
The Explore Pro tops the range at $68,990 and, in addition to the Explore and Explore X spec,packs 20-inch alloys, a front electric locking diff, interior ambient lighting, black exterior trim, black roof rails, an 8-way electrically adjustable driver's seat with ventilation, lumbar adjust and a massage function, heated rear seats, a panoramic sunroof, leather trim, trailer reverse assist, multi-fold rear seats, and MG's 'dual step' tailgate that features an additional section that folds down to become a very handy step.
The Explore Pro is also the only model that gets the optional Smart Hatch that allows the rear wall of the cab to fold down, opening the interior up to the tray for extended loads or, if you add a canopy, a surprisingly practical option for throwing a mattress into for a spot of camping.
The Smart Hatch costs $6190 and is a factory installed option that can only be selected at time of order.
What’s it like to drive?
While it is very much still a one-tonne ute that can pull 3500kg on a trailer, the U9's multilink rear suspension moves it far more towards the SUV-end of the ride equation than most. While we only had a relatively brief on-road drive in it, the U9 display a well-mannered ride that reflected its robust hauling capabilities robust, but wasn't intrusive.
The quality of the ride and refinement of the powertrain are enhanced by the high quality of the well soundproofed interior.
The diesel engine was impressively refined, but the way it delivers its power may leave you wondering if it really is the most powerful in the segment, with rather long gearing seeing the power gently swell, rather than hit all at once. It is definitely there though, as when it is both up to speed on the open road, or in low range, its torquey nature comes to the fore.
This is something that is exacerbated by the fact that the U9 is a rather large thing, meaning that the lane warnings and assists on your average narrow Kiwi rural road were screaming constantly on our short road drive. However, these can quickly be silenced tanks to a driver profile function that can be configured to your exact liking and activated simply by swiping down on the touchscreen to access it.
Off the road the U9 was mostly remarkable, with the Explore and Explore X models we drove on the launch making short work of the moderately challenging conditions (it was very wet and quite muddy) despite being fitted with road tyres.
The quality of the ride and refinement of the powertrain are enhanced by the high quality of the well soundproofed interior, with a driving experience far more reminiscent of a large SUV than that of a traditional ute, so it is slightly disappointing that the driver assists are so vocal.
Even wet grass was no real problem for the U9, while cranking things up a bit and bringing low range and the locking diffs into play proved it to be remarkably capable in more challenging settings.
The top-spec Explore Pro would seem to be the clear pick, offering an impressive amount of extra kit for the $5k extra it asks.
There was one glaring factor that did limit it a bit, however, and that was ground clearance. The U9 has 220mm of clearance, which is down on the competition by between 10 and 20mm, which may not sound like a lot, but was noticeable in a few areas, with quite a bit of undercarriage scraping going on, while those big side steps felt particularly vulnerable.
Still, with the U9 being at the larger end of the ute segment, its not really the first choice for hardcore off-roading anyway, and what it can do is very impressive for the segment.
What’s the pick of the range?
While we didn't actually get to drive it, the top-spec Explore Pro would seem to be the clear pick, offering an impressive amount of extra kit for the $5k extra it asks.
The Explore X already comes very well equipped and certainly isn't a bad option, but with the Pro's huge amount of extra gear and the fact that the entry-level Explore is also generously equipped puts it in a bit of a no-mans land.
But with even the $8k jump from the entry level model to the Explore Pro representing impressive value for money, it would be hard to go past the top-spec offering.
What other cars should I consider?
While it is easy to say "any of the many one-tonne double cab utes on the market", the MG is probably going to compete most directly with the likes of the other boldly-styled new entrants into the segment.
Out of all of them, the GWM Cannon Alpha diesel ($54,990 to $59,990) and LDV Terron 9 ($54,990) are its most direct competition, being roughly the same size (or exactly the same size in the case of the mechanically identical LDV) , albeit slightly cheaper, but also slightly down on standard kit when compared with the U9.
The Cannon Alpha is also available as a petrol-powered PHEV ($69,990 to $76,990), and this, along with the BYD Shark 6 ($69,990) add an extra option if you're not welded to diesel.
