2026 MG QS Essence review

If you go back in time just a few years, MG’s line-up consisted of only a trio of cars. If you wanted a small or medium-sized SUV or a hatchback at an affordable price point, you were set, but that was your lot.

Fast-forward to 2025, and it has a small army’s worth of models in its arsenal, ranging from the little MG 3 hatch all the way up to the MG U9 ute – with plenty of options in between, including the new luxury IM sub-brand and a Cyberster sports car.

Bolstering its fleet is the MG QS seven-seat SUV, providing an option for family buyers in need of more space and seats than the HS SUV currently provides.

But how does it stack up against other seven-seaters from the more budget-focused brands?

For a proper seven-seat, large SUV (as opposed to a medium one with 5+2 seats, as is often the case around this price point), the starting price of the MG QS is very reasonable.

There are two grades available: the Excite, starting from $46,990, and the Essence, starting from $50,990, both drive-away. However, this special "SUV plate clearance" pricing is only available at the time of writing, until November 30, 2025.

The variant I had on test was the top-spec Essence, with the only added extra being Cashmere Silver Metallic, which costs $800.

As standard, the QS Excite features dual 12.3-inch screens, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an eight-speaker sound system, ambient lighting, and a 360-degree camera.

It also comes with eight-way power-adjustable front seats, black fabric upholstery, a powered tailgate, tri-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, heated door mirrors with memory, and 20-inch wheels.

Above this, the Essence adds perforated black leather upholstery, four-way heated and ventilated front seats with four-way lumbar support, memory functionality for the driver’s seat, a wireless phone charger, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, 21-inch wheels, and adjustable suspension.

Aside from metallic paint, the only other additional cost is for beige leather in the Essence, which is $700.

The MG QS competes with other seven-seat large SUVs such as the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max, LDV D90, and the Hyundai Santa Fe.

The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate costs $47,990 (drive-away), while the LDV D90 Executive 4x4 starts from $51,568, and the equivalent Hyundai Santa Fe Elite AWD from $63,150 (both before on-road costs).

It’s worth noting that you can get into the base variant of the Santa Fe – which won 2025 Drive Car of the Year and Best Large SUV Under $80K – for less, with the FWD starting from $53,650 and AWD from $56,650.

Also worth mentioning is that the Chery Tiggo 8 is also available as a plug-in hybrid, specifically in the form of the Super Hybrid model, while the Santa Fe range offers several hybrid options as well.

On paper, the MG QS is quoted to provide a fuel economy of 8.4 litres per 100 kilometres in the Excite or 8.8L/100km in the Essence.

On average, I found the use to be quite close to the claim, achieving 8.9L/100km through a mix of freeway and urban driving conditions.

However, when laden with six people (four adults and two children) across all three rows on a trip down the Great Ocean Road, the quoted use on the instrument cluster was a much higher 12L/100km.

That might seem fair, given that it had a lot of weight on board at the time, it was driving along twisty stretches for extended periods, and it has no hybrid assistance of any kind.

But we had 150km of range left in the tank – more than enough for our 70km journey before the next fuel station – yet not long after setting off, the gauge started to drop drastically, 1km every 15 seconds.

We turned back and topped up to ensure we had enough to make it there, wasting about an hour in the process. Being stuck with two kids in the forest didn’t seem all that fun, so it was probably for the best.

Whether it offers genuinely poor fuel economy in less-than-ideal conditions, or it was a side-effect of the glitchy infotainment system, I don’t know. 

The combined fuel consumption of its rivals is relatively on par, with the Chery claiming 8.7L/100km for the Tiggo 8 Ultimate, LDV 9.4L for the Executive 4x4, and Hyundai 9.1L for the Elite AWD.

While the Santa Fe can use 91RON, the others, including the QS, sip the more expensive 95RON at the bowser.

The MG QS range is petrol-only, but the broader MG fleet includes models with hybrid power.

The MG 3 hatch and MG ZS small SUV have hybrid options, as does the medium-sized HS SUV.

MG also has a range of fully-electric models in its line-up, too, of various sizes.

The MG QS comes with a 10-year/250,000km warranty, provided it is serviced by an MG dealer. If not, the coverage reverts to seven years/unlimited kilometres. 

Servicing intervals are set at 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

Since the QS launched earlier this year, MG has taken the axe to its servicing costs, following widespread criticism that they were too expensive.

Previously, three years of servicing the Essence would have cost you $2189, while it now will set you back a more palatable $997.

In comparison, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate is covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with servicing every 12 months/15,000km.

The LDV D90 Executive 4x4 comes with a seven-year/200,000km warranty, with servicing every 12 months/10,000km.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Elite AWD is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is extended to seven years if exclusively serviced with the brand. Intervals are set at every 12 months/10,000km.

The MG QS Essence will cost $2512 to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

The MG QS has a five-star ANCAP rating issued in late 2025.

The safety authority gave the QS an 88 per cent pass mark for its adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for children, 76 per cent for vulnerable road users, and 80 per cent for its safety assist technology.

In terms of safety equipment, the QS has a comprehensive list of features as standard, although there are some omissions from the entry-level Excite that I’d like to see included for $50K.

In addition to the features listed in the table below, the QS is equipped with seven airbags and a door exit warning alert.

However, the Excite only comes with rear parking sensors, not front sensors, which are reserved for the Essence grade. 

While I appreciate that the QS isn’t a premium vehicle, front parking sensors can be found on many cars under $50K, so not having them on the base variant is a miss in my view. 

Similarly, the Excite misses out on auto high-beam headlights, commonly found on most new cars today, except perhaps at the upmost affordable end.

Additionally, the Essence is equipped with LED front fog lights, but when I found myself in need of them during a drive through The Otways in heavy fog, they made no difference at all.

Most of the advanced driver assistance system features work just fine, although some can be frustrating.

The driver attention monitor doesn’t go off at the drop of a hat, which is good; in fact, during my time with the car, it barely went off at all, only if truly distracted.

However, the speed chime goes off constantly, even when you’re only one or two kilometres over the limit for a second. It also misreads signs, and not just those of school zones or side roads. 

Every day, driving along a bridge over the Monash Freeway where the limit was 70km/h and there were no roadworks or temporary changes, it would insist the limit was 30km/h and nag me to slow down incessantly. 

The lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist are generally fine, but the noise the warning makes if you veer too close to the lines is unnecessarily shrill, and the assist tugs the steering wheel too sharply. Many systems are now more refined in this way than in the past, but not in this case.

You can turn all these things off, but you have to do so every time you start the car again.

The MG QS is a large seven-seat SUV, measuring just shy of five metres in length. It looks big, and its bold and athletic stance commands attention.

It features a modern and practical appearance, marked by a distinctive diamond-pattern grille, wide and dramatic air intakes, and slanted, aggressive-looking headlights.

In profile, flush door handles help give the QS a sleek and aerodynamic design, although they are the flip-out type, as seen in Kia EVs such as the EV3, EV5, and EV6, which can be awkward to use, especially when your hands are full.

At the rear, long LED lights feature prominently across the tailgate. Chrome accents across the vehicle complement the five-spoke 21-inch alloy wheels nicely.

In China, the QS is badged as the Roewe RX9, with MG only modifying the interior for the local market and retaining the exterior design. This is why Australian cars still feature the ‘Ultimate’ badge on the side, even though the reference is meaningless here.

I think it’s much more attractive than the Tiggo 8 and boxy D90, personally, though it’s no match for the ultra-modern Santa Fe.

The MQ QS doesn’t just look big on the outside, it has lots of space inside too, which makes it really useful as a family car when you need to utilise those third-row seats.

In the front row, there is ample space around the driver and passenger, as well as plenty of storage. 

There are two cupholders in the middle, plus ample room in the doors for most bottles and other little bits and bobs, unless they are very large (sorry, no Stanley Cups allowed), a storage bin under the armrest, a glovebox and more space under the centre console for small items as well.

The black leather is nice and soft, and comfortable too, and the contrast stitching and light headliner help lift the otherwise dark aesthetic. The large panoramic roof brings in a lot of sunlight, but the thin blind feels flimsy and cheap and would likely rip over time.

I’m also not a fan of the wood-like panelling along the door and the accompanying sliding cover for the cupholders. It feels old-fashioned and poorly executed, and it lets down what is generally otherwise a high-quality interior.

The room in the second row is also very good, with space in the doors for bottles and map pockets for toys, snacks, laptops and the like. Two more cupholders are stashed away in the centre armrest when the middle seat is not in use. 

Occupants here also benefit from their own climate controls, as well as two USB-C ports.

The second row of seats slides and reclines, providing more room in the third row for adults or teenagers, although the third row reclines only.

With the second row forward, the third row is useable for an adult and not too uncomfortable, even on longer journeys. However, there isn’t much room for your feet, so in that respect it can feel cramped. There are air vents, too, as well as speakers, two cupholders, and one USB-A port.

Entry and exit with child seats in the second row is also quite tricky, meaning you have to go in via the boot. That’s not too much of a problem for younger folk, but trust me when I say grandparents don’t find it so easy.

You can only pop little ones under seven in the second row, though, because there are no top-tether points in the third, only in the second, and they’re mounted quite low, making them a pain to reach. So if you have two children and need to fit more adults in, the back is the only option for many people. I can fit between my kids’ seats, but my parents can’t.

Additionally, ISOFIX anchors can be found on the two outboard seats in the middle row, as is standard.

The boot offers a fair amount of space even with the third row up, rated to fit 203 litres. If you only need to use the front five seats, that cargo area can be expanded to 517L, and with only the first row in use that swells again to 1052L. 

Most of the time, I didn’t need the third row, and I had more than enough space for a pram, school bags, and everything else the family needed for the week. With all seven seats up, the pram still fit on its side.

The MG QS’s infotainment system falls short. The size and appearance of the two 12.3-inch screens are good, but they don’t work well.

Aside from the fuel gauge problems reported above, the infotainment and some of the electrical functions glitched multiple times during my week with the car.

The wireless charger connection was unstable and wouldn’t necessarily charge even when the lightning bolt symbol suggested it was. 

On several occasions, having been in the car for many hours that day (theoretically my phone should have had a topped-up battery) I kept finding it was running low, yet it was hot to the touch.

Apple CarPlay also had to reconnect every single time I started the car, and the screen would revert to being displayed in Chinese for no apparent reason. 

At first, I thought this was because the previous user had set it to Chinese and forgotten to change it back to English, but it happened two further times across the week, with the car switching to Chinese without being asked to.

The climate controls are mostly contained within the infotainment system as well, and are fiddly to access, with multiple jabs at the screen required to change things. There are physical shortcut buttons, but only to turn it on/off and for the fan, not for changing the temperature.

And there’s no volume control for the front passenger, only on the steering wheel for the driver. Instead, in its place is a drive mode dial, most of which are irrelevant for most people in day-to-day driving, such as Off-road and Snow. Even Sport is questionable here.

Outside of the infotainment, but still electronics-related, there were other problems. Once, the door handles did not sit flush as they should when I drove off, even once I’d hit over 15km/h, and the boot randomly opened by itself when I was nowhere near the car and hadn’t touched the keys.

The powered tailgate would never close the first time, despite a beep suggesting the button had registered my input – I always had to push it two times, and on many occasions, the driver’s door would only unlock if I pressed the button on the key twice.

The one highlight would be the 12-speaker Bose sound system, which is pretty good for the money. And MG offers owners access to its iSmart phone app, which is free for 12 months.

Regardless of the version of the MG QS you buy, it will be powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine producing 153kW/360Nm, with power sent to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The engine's performance is mixed, feeling laboured under acceleration, but punchier at cruising speeds, making the most of the available torque. At low speeds around town, it also trundles along just fine.

But put your foot to the floor, and there is a significant lag as if you’ve caught it out trying to have a quick nap on the job. It’s not quite clear whether this is a lag from the turbo or the nine-speed torque converter gearbox, but it is present whenever you ask 'too much' of the car, and is made worse by the sluggish stop-start function.

The ride is comfortable in most scenarios, but it can become quite bouncy if the road surface is poor, and braking hard sends waves through the underpinnings, despite the Essence's adaptive suspension. When sitting in either of the back two rows, large potholes and bumps can be jarring.

The steering is fairly direct and natural. It’s not especially agile, but it strikes a nice balance, helping the QS to feel controlled in corners. 

Even on winding roads, there isn’t too much body roll from the driver’s perspective, but head to the second or third row, and it’s more noticeable, with multiple family members feeling car sick.

The grip from the Michelin e-Primacy 255/45 R21 rubber is fairly good, although it can struggle somewhat in the wet when under pressure.

There’s not too much of a roar from the wind or road, but it does infiltrate the cabin enough to be noticeable, especially at higher speeds.

It’s great that MG now offers a large vehicle for families with more than two children, or who need the versatility of an extra row of seats.

I recently met a mum at the daycare drop-off who is a new MG QS owner, and she was really happy with her purchase, especially since she thought it drove well.

The warranty, even if you don’t service with MG, is still good, and thankfully the brand has cut back those important service costs to make the package more affordable too.

Space inside is good, and despite its size, the QS doesn’t feel especially large to drive or park. The interior and features are mostly good value for money.

And it even drives reasonably well for what it is.

However, the glitchy infotainment would be a problem for long-term ownership, as would the fuel economy if the issues I encountered became a regular occurrence. And those nagging safety chimes could be improved.

Compared with the more affordable Chery and LDV options, it possibly doesn’t fare too badly, but if you had something like a Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe or Toyota Kluger in mind, and you have the budget to shop higher, it is outgunned.

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

Read more about Kathryn Fisk