There’s a new electric MG SUV in Europe, and it’s hot-hatch quick in a straight line.
With a claimed 100km/h sprint time of 4.9 seconds, the tri-motor MG Marvel R is just 0.1 seconds slower than the outgoing Volkswagen Golf R over the benchmark sprint.
It’s also 0.2 seconds faster than a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD, although the Model Y Performance comfortably has the Marvel covered for now.
Revealed for India during 2020, the Marvel R will be on sale in Europe soon.
It hasn’t been confirmed for Australian showrooms, but MG Motor is keen to get the Marvel R here eventually.
“We’re excited to see the potential of the MG Marvel R and its performance would certainly excite Australian buyers,” a company spokesperson said.
“There are currently no plans to introduce the Marvel R to the local MG line-up, but it’s one we’re watching with interest.”
Under the skin is a tri-motor electric powertrain. Its maximum combined output of 212kW and 665Nm is split across two rear and one front motor.
Claimed range is more than 400km on the stricter WLTP test cycle, and a charge to 80 per cent on a DC public plug takes 30 minutes.
Inside, the Marvel R packs a 19.4-inch touchscreen, along with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver.
That big screen dominates the dashboard, and appears to be running newer software than the smaller displays in the HS and ZS offered in Australia.
Boot space is 357L with the rear seats in place, expanding to 1396L with them folded flat.
Although it was revealed in China during 2020, the Marvel R is now bound for Europe with a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.
Opting for rear-wheel drive also gets you a 150L boot under the front bonnet.
Although the Marvel R isn’t a lock just yet Down Under, MG currently sells the cheapest electric car in Australia.
The ZS EV is priced from $43,990 drive-away, undercutting the Hyundai Ioniq Electric Elite by $10,000 and Kona Electric by more than $16,000.
MG also offers a plug-in hybrid version of its mid-sized SUV, the HS Plug-In Hybrid, with 52km of pure-electric range.
It’s priced from $46,990 drive-away, and currently goes head-to-head with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
Rivals from Peugeot and Ford are incoming later in 2021.
