The MG3 and Suzuki Swift are New Zealand’s two cheapest hybrids; no further argument required on why it’s a great idea to get them together. Most importantly of all, the hero colour for both models is a pretty blue: called Brighton for the MG and Frontier Pearl for the Suzuki.
Yes, we know what you’re going to say: only one of these is a real hybrid. The Swift is a mild hybrid (MHEV) at best, with a modest 12-volt electrical system powering an integrated starter-generator (ISG), to eliminate the starter motor and reduce load on the 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine; it can also add a little power boost when required.
The electrified MG3 is an impressively complex full hybrid (HEV), hence the “Hybrid+” badge. Unlike the Swift, it has an electric motor that can drive the wheels; up to 30km/h it runs as an EV as much as possible, from there to 80km/h the 1.5-litre petrol acts as a generator to make electricity, and then the electric and petrol motors drive the wheels together.
But we’re not here just to talk tech and/or semantics. We’re here to find out which is the best or most appealing car… and whether those two things are the same.
You can buy a Swift GLS Hybrid from $25,990 (manual, or $27,990 auto) or an MG3 Excite Hybrid+ for $29,990, but for this test we’ve chosen the top specifications of each.
So here are the MG3 Essence Hybrid+ at $31,990 and the Swift RSC Hybrid with two-tone paint at $30,500 (single colour $29,990). You might also notice our test Swift has been assaulted with accessories; it’s kind of a Suzuki NZ rolling showcase for what you can add to the car… but please ignore the garnish if you can.
Both are supermini-sized hatches and both come with extravagant economy claims: it might be more basic tech, but the Swift returns 4.3l/100km in the 3P-WLTP test - exactly the same as the MG3. The qualifier is that the MG3 is two-and-a-half times more powerful: it makes a combined 155kW compared to just 61kW for the Suzuki.
Even taking into account the massive weight difference - the Swift is just 984kg, the MG3 1308kg - power-to-weight is still dramatically in favour of the MG, with 118kW/tonne versus 62kW/tonne. No surprise that the Chinese car is at least four seconds faster to 100km/h than its Japanese rival.
We drove both back-to-back on a three-part loop, to test fuel economy and driver appeal: an inner-city circuit, a 100km/h motorway run and then a combination of brisk backroads with some highway stuff to finish.
The MG’s big battery and electric motor did the business in town with 4.7l/100km; the Swift returned 5.3l. But on the motorway, the Swift got its own back with 4.2l, compared to 4.7l for the MG. And for the final drive on backroads and highway, the MG returned 4.8 (you can see how consistent full hybrids tend to be), while the Swift finished at 5.2l/1000km.
A win to the MG for fuel economy then, with an average of 4.7l versus the Suzuki’s 4.9; virtually nothing in it though, especially when you factor in the horrendous roof racks fitted to our test Swift, which we reckon could potentially add 10% to fuel use. Anyway, the bad news for both is that they each require 95-octane fuel.
The MG is especially appealing in city driving, because it spends so much time in EV mode; it’s strong and smooth. The Suzuki sounds busy, but it doesn’t feel undernourished: the continuously variable transmission fills in the gaps low-down and the 60Nm ISG boost (for up to 30sec, up to 3900rpm) adds some substance on part-throttle.
While the MG’s steering feels much more substantial at first, the car simply doesn’t steer as enthusiastically or accurately as the Suzuki. The MG’s ride and handling also lacks the control of its rival and it’s a lot more noisy on coarse chip. The Swift is genuinely fun to drive and revels in being used hard. It’s fun.
We did say fun, not fast. The gulf between the straight-line performance of the two is enormous; on long uphill stretches of open road, the Suzuki might as well be taking on a hyper-hatch: the MG simply gathers up its torque and drives away effortlessly.
The new Swift’s cabin has made enormous progress over the rather dowdy previous model: there’s colour and texture and a nice big 12in infotainment screen.
But next to the MG’s digital-centric design ethos, it still looks very traditional: analogue instruments compared to virtual, lots of buttons where MG has put more of the cabin controls into the 10.25in infotainment display. MG3 owners get further connectivity with the iSmart mobile app and it also boasts an awesome 360-degree camera system that even gives you an outside view of the car at intersections; the Swift makes do with a humble reversing camera, nothing more.
Some of this is a matter of taste. Some may prefer having physical controls for climate air and the like; others may think the dominance of digital is more befitting a 2024 hybrid. Both cars also have their foibles: the Swift’s home screen is cluttered and potentially a bit confusing; the MG3 can’t offer some functions without switching out of phone projection mode completely.
The Swift allows more scope in driving position adjustment, mostly because it has both tilt and reach adjustment in the steering wheel; no telescopic function for the MG3. Both have driver’s seat height adjustment; Swift ups the cozy factor with seat heating.
The MG is a bigger car overall (120mm more wheelbase, for example), but there’s not a lot in it in terms of passenger space front and rear. The Swift feels more airy, but the MG3 has tangibly more rear legroom.
The MG also has a slightly bigger boot with 293l; but the Swift makes better use of its 265l by offering a 60/40 split-folding rear seatback, whereas the MG3’s only releases in one piece.
To answer the original question: the MG3 is the best hybrid, if that’s what you want: it drives like one, the powertrain technology is seamless and it’s capable of truly extraordinary fuel economy in the right circumstance. It’s the fastest in a straight line by some margin, too. If you’re city bound most of the time, it’s the one (especially with that brilliant 360deg camera setup).
But we reckon the Swift is still the better car. It gets to almost the same place as the MG in terms of fuel economy (we won’t mention the roof racks again) with less complexity and weight. It also offers some additional touches of practicality (reach-adjustment for the steering, split/folding rear seat) that count for a lot in a budget hatchback.
The flagship MG3 has some great tech like the iSmart app and the surround-view camera, but a $29,990 single-colour Swift RSC is actually the same price as the entry-level MG3 Excite Hybrid+, which doesn’t have those features. So using comparison-test maths, you are actually paying extra for that stuff.
They are the logical arguments. But frankly, the Swift also just puts a smile on your face, in so many ways.
