The New MG3 Has More In Common With An MGB Than You’d Think

So, the 2024 Geneva Motor Show. The event’s long-awaited return hasn’t exactly seen it hit the heights of its pre-Covid glory days, but it has at least marked the debut of a new electrified supermini that’s a crucial part of its manufacturer’s future product lineup.

No, not that one. This is the new MG3, and it’s the replacement for the now decade-old B-segment supermini that properly helped re-establish the MG name in the UK under its new Chinese ownership.

It’s a pretty back-to-basics car, this. For starters, it’s only available as a hybrid. There’s no fully-electric version (yet), and nor can you plug it in - it’s just an old-school, original-Prius-style setup that some manufacturers have retrospectively started calling ‘self-charging’.

Called Hybrid+ by MG, the system pairs a naturally aspirated, 101bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 134bhp electric motor. The peak output with both working together is a not-insubstantial 192bhp, sent through the front wheels.

The system will automatically select from five hybrid drive modes based on driving conditions and battery charge levels, ranging from completely electric running, to the engine driving the wheels while charging the battery, to both power plants running together.

It’s all sounding fairly promising so far. In one area, though, MG might have leaned too heavily into the nostalgia surrounding its name, because the 3 has a gearbox that sounds like it’s straight out of the British Leyland era: a three-speed automatic. Just like the MGB roadster got in 1968!

In all fairness to MG, it does point out that much of the heavy-load driving, like hard acceleration, is handled by the electric motor, but still. What’s next? An overdrive gear? A manual choke?

Despite the old-school ’box, the 3 will hit 62mph in 8.0 seconds. It’ll also do a quoted 64mpg and emit 100g/km of CO2. It offers the usual choice of Eco, Standard and Sport drive modes, each of which tweaks throttle and hybrid system calibration.

Inside, there’s a 7.0-inch digital instrument display and a 10.25-inch central screen, with the expected Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. There’s also – praise be! – a bank of physical buttons for key functions.  It launches in two trim levels - entry-level SE and Trophy, which adds keyless entry, heated ‘leather-style’ seats and steering wheel, and a 360-degree camera.

Pricing and dates for UK availability are yet to be revealed. We’d expect a decent undercut in pricing over rivals like the hybrid Renault Clio and Toyota Yaris. The upcoming, new-shape Suzuki Swift will also be a close competitor, although it’s only a mild hybrid rather than a full hybrid like the MG. With a standard seven-year warranty, it’ll probably be one of the best value-for-money hybrids available in the UK, which must count for something. Even if it has a gearbox from the 1970s.