MG RX5 SUV Spied Testing In India; Could Rival Creta, Compass, XUV500

MG is set to open shop in India in the middle of 2019 and the British marque has begun testing its vehicles in full swing. An LHD example of MG’s RX5 midsize SUV has now been spotted and it could be the vehicle that’s assigned the duty to rival the Jeep Compass in India.

Pictured: MG RX5 (UAE-spec)

The RX5 is essentially a product of Roewe, another brand like MG under the SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) umbrella. Interestingly, MG already sells the RX5 in the Middle East market, which is why we think chances of the RX5 coming to India as MG’s debut SUV are bright.

Pictured: Roewe RX5

Measuring 4,554mm in length, the RX5 is bigger than both the Jeep Compass (4,395mm) and the Hyundai Creta (4,270mm). In fact, this 5-seater SUV is roughly the same size as the 7-seater Mahindra XUV500 (4,585mm) as far as its overall length is concerned.

All these SUVs are priced within the Rs 10-20 lakh price bracket although the Jeep stretches up to 22 lakh. The MG RX5, if launched, would go up against the Creta, the Compass and the XUV500, and we expect its prices to start somewhere around the Rs 14 lakh mark.

In the UAE, the MG RX5 features two turbocharged petrol engines: 1.5-litre (169PS/250Nm) and 2.0-litre (221PS/350Nm). It gets a standard 6-speed manual transmission but there’s an option to have a 6- (2.0-litre) and 7-speed (1.5-litre) dual-clutch automatic transmission as well. There’s an AWD (all-wheel-drive) setup on offer as well on the RX5. While MG hasn’t zeroed in on the RX5, we expect it to get the 1.5-litre petrol engine along with the Jeep Compass’ 2.0-litre MultiJet II diesel engine if it comes to India.

The RX5 also has a plug-in hybrid model, the ERX5, that MG could contemplate launching here at a later stage. The Compass will also get a plug-in hybrid model with its mid-life refresh. The electrified RX5 make use of the same 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine coupled with electric motors and a lithium battery pack.

Speaking of design, the Roewe RX5 has a clean, Euro-inspired, styling. Its cabin appears premium too, with soft-touch material finish and leather upholstery.

The China-spec RX5 also gets a built-in cabin purifier.

The Roewe RX5’s infotainment system is based on Alibaba’s YunOS and features a massive Tesla-like 10.4-inch screen.  Every owner in China gets an independent ID and with the help of that one can easily lock or unlock the SUV, remotely switch on the AC and do similar other things.

SAIC and Alibaba claim that the RX5 is the world’s first mass-produced internet-based car. It can make payments through Alibaba’s AliPay by itself for several things like regular servicing. MG Motor India has expressed that it wants to offer its owners various personalised experiences with its first car. This further solidifies our belief that the RX5 could be MG’s first product in India since it can offer its customers that ‘premium experience’ that MG wants.

Recently, another SUV from the SAIC portfolio, the Baojun 530, was also spotted testing in India. The Baojun 530 is a product of the partnership between SAIC, GM (General Motors) and Wuling, and products from this venture haven’t had a good track record in the country. The Chevrolet Sail, Sail U-VA and the Enjoy MPV are also the outcomes of this venture. We feel that chances of the RX5 coming to India as the first MG SUV are higher compared to the Baojun.

Source: cardekho.com