My FH5 Log: Chinese foods for thought (PART 3)

The last of the three Chinese-made cars that arrived on Forza Horizon 5's Series 4 update has arrived and unlike the previous two, it comes from a British carmaker currently owned by a Chinese motoring giant. I'm talking about MG, which is currently under SAIC control, and the Chinese-made MG in question is the MG3 hatchback.

Having fought my way through the Hot Season playlist to get the keys for this Chinese-made British city car, it's time to have my dibs on the MG3.

Unveiled at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show, the MG3 city car promises to be a fun-to-drive supermini hatchback fit for everyone's daily life. With styling inspired by the Zero Concept, the MG3 is powered by a 1.5L MPi DOHC VTI-Tech engine that develops 106HP of power while mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Thanks to its £8,399 price tag, it's one of the cheapest cars to buy in Britain since its launch.

It's good to have a modern-day MG arrived in the game despite the fact that it's currently made in China. Having spent a day driving with the MG3, I'm starting to think that this tiny little hatchback is cheap and cheerful but, to be honest, it's difficult to say because while calling it cheap is the easy part, calling it cheerful is the hardest thing to say because of its driving feel that doesn't behave like a European car.

To test out just how cheap and cheerful the MG3 is, I sent it for a little race through the Mexican gravel and drive like how a typical driver in a third-world country would do. Funny but worth the shot. Roll the tape.

Now that's a typical third-world driving attempt in a car built by a terrifying world superpower destined to take over the world. Ah, the joys of being a communist car, eh?

With the arrival of the MG3, the last Chinese-made car in this series update looks like the Chinese invasion in Forza Horizon 5 is complete, although it won't be the last for them because the Chinese are cooking up some more in the world of Forza for many years to come. So, out of the three Chinese-made cars appeared in the Series 4 update, which one is your favorite?

MG MG3

2014 MG MG3

Would you look at that, this is just another one of the ugly cars to come out this year and before you can say "kill it before it lays eggs", let's introduce to the weird-looking supermini that some say it's Britain's answer to the Dacia Sandero, Ford Fiesta, Kia Pride, Mazda Demio, and the Skoda Fabia, in case you're wandering.

It's called the MG3 and although this car maybe a brand new model, it's not new to us because this car's on sale on the People's Republic of China two years ago. Of course, the Chinese version of Top Gear do had a spin on one of these Chinese-British superminis. Talk about dual citizenship here but for this new model, like the MG6 GT and Magnette sedan, it's produced somewhere at Longbridge, which was in Birmingham if you look at the map.

2014 MG MG3

Just one question; how did it came here? Well, don't ask me, ask the folks from MG Motor UK because some say, they wanted to make a low-cost compact car that claims to be "Made in Britain, Sold in Britain" and tries to compete cheap cars made from, let's just say, South Korea or Japan or Romania or India or any other emerging countries you may know.

For the new MG3, I might say that if you drove one of these, people are thinking you came from a retirement home going out at the thrift store and then buy some stuff and then went back home, without realizing that you are labeled as a "hoarder" because of so many stuff inside your house, so much that your grandkids can't get through. Oh geez... If you're a youngster who just got a learner's permit, what can I say? This is rather an unpleasant one, more unpleasant than the prehistoric Daewoo Matiz, perhaps. Hmmm...

2014 MG MG3 interior

2014 MG MG3 interior

I was quite puzzled to see such thing existed because judging by its appearance, it feels a bit "Made in China" especially for a car that was "Made in Britain, Sold in Britain". However, there's a catch, although it maybe not as youth-oriented as it seems, more like another one of the cars your lolo and lola might drive, the starter price is £8,399 or about 581,000 Php, making it one of the cheapest cars available in the UK so that makes it good value on par against its rivals. Standard features include electric windows, stereo, USB connectivity, stability control, hill hold control, tire pressure monitor, daytime running lights, halogen headlamps, and immobiliser. Hmmm, not bad though, not bad, with the list of standard features as well as the fact that it has MP3 connectivity and USB connectivity, that sounds more fun if you're a fashionista going out to the mall listening to too much pop music on the radio. However, for more expensive versions, ranging from 9,299 GBP up to 9,999 GBP, you can have digital radio, Bluetooth, easy electronic air conditioning, and so much gadgetry added to this sub-10,000 pound supermini.

Gee, that sounds acceptable but sadly, the seats are a bit cheap as well as the seat support that should have made it better. What it feels like is like the same feeling you'd expect from a "banger" car from the 90's. Yes, this car's got the 90's feelings when it comes to interior comfort or perhaps, more like seating in the house of an informal settler. It's a good thing it's not like an "informal settler" on wheels but sadly, it feels like...visiting to a house with a very dirty restroom on it. Eeeww... Sadly, if you're as big as mine, I think this is not the best choice of the job because the room's seem to be too small for you and the seating's a bit too low for your back, making it too difficult to get in and get out on a height of yours.

And then there's the way it drives and what can I say? It's not quite bad in terms of handling but still, it feels a bit heavy for a small car and the 1.5L MPi DOHC VTI-Tech engine that develops 106HP of power feels a bit like, what the Earl of Lemongrab might say it, UNACCEPTABLE! I agree on what the folks are saying that the 1.5L petrol engine feels too big for a small car, especially when it was mated with an old-school 5-speed manual gearbox. 0-60mph takes about ten and a half seconds, and top speed, it can do about 108mph or about 174kph.

Of course, being a cheap car, the suspension's rather firm rather than being too classy or more European like the Audi A1, the Citroen DS3, the Renault Twingo, or the Fiat 500 but sadly, it behaves like Asian compacts so it feels a bit jittering and as uncomfortable as a cheap van we've rented on our long trip during a typhoon making havoc last month and if I was on that situation where I'm taking this on the British motorways, I would be scared by this one because for being such a small car, it's worth the risk driving this one on the motorways until you smell some fear coming out from your car. Frenetic, isn't it?

So, what's the good thing about driving the MG3? The pricing, the standard features that will keep you occupied for hours, and it's worth the shot of being a city car. Bad things? Well, it handles like hell, the personalization is a bit lame, the engine's too big for a small car, the suspension's poor, and overall, the design is a bit too unfriendly for me.

Available colors: Red Rose, White on the Tiles, Stuck on Blue, Newton Black, Smokey Blues, Silver Fox, Orange Marmalade, Hello Yellow, Cherry Bomb, and Lady Gray.

Photo: MG Motor UK