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By Jonathan Crouch

MG steps into the mid-sized luxury EV segment with this IM5 saloon. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 37

MG's IM sub-brand delivers an impressive luxury contender in the form of this IM5. Targeted directly at Tesla's Model 3, this EV aims to tempt those looking for an aspirational mid-sized electric model that isn't an SUV.

Backgroundword count: 198

Our market seems packed with aspiring Chinese EV brands - and all of them want to emulate the sales performance of MG. What was once a 'Morris Garages' marque is now Britain's second favourite electric car maker for private customers. That puts the company just behind Tesla - which is interesting because until now, MG hasn't had any products to rival Tesla. But that changes with the introduction of their IM5 (saloon) and IM6 (SUV) models. It's the IM5 we look at here. Imagining MG as a luxury brand is almost as strange as it was fifteen years ago getting used to it as a Chinese one. If you're struggling with that, you might not be surprised to learn that in many ways, the IM5 is an MG in name only. It was actually developed by fellow SAIC-owned Chinese brand IM Motors (hence the name), which was founded as recently as 2020. This Shanghai-based car maker is a collaboration between SAIC, the e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech. And in 2024 at the Geneva Motor Show launched a car called the LS6. The subsequent Europeanised version of which is this MG IM5. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 327

Whatever kind of IM5 you choose, you're unlikely to be disappointed in its lack of speed. But speed isn't everything when it comes to driver satisfaction, as many EVs before this one have effectively proved. Even the base 75kWh Standard Range rear-driven model you will choose to side-step the UK government's luxury car tax has a healthy 291bhp and a reasonable (though hardly exceptional) 304 miles of range. It makes 62mph in 6.8s en route to 124mph. MG expects the majority of customers to choose the 100kWh Long Range model, also rear-driven, which offers 402bhp and boosts range to 441 miles. This makes 62mph in 4.9s on the way to 136mph. In the unlikely event that this output is insufficient, there's also a top Performance model, a real super saloon. This has the same 100kWh battery and 402bhp rear motor as the Long Range derivative. But adds another identical motor on the front axle to create a dual motor AWD powertrain with a fairly shocking 742bhp. 62mph? Allow just 3.2s en route to a most un-EV-like 166mph. Range is 357 miles. On the Performance version, to scrub off all that speed there's a bespoke Continental braking system with three 'force' calibrations - 'Comfort', 'Standard' and 'Sport'. What you can't have on any IM5 is adaptive damping with air springs - which is curious because such a set-up can be had on the similarly-engineered IM6 SUV. Across the range, you get five driving modes ('Super Eco', 'Eco', 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Custom'). And two regenerative braking modes ('Standard' and 'Low'). On the highway expect exceptional refinement, aided by a clever noise-cancelling system and the super-slippery 0.23Cd drag coefficient. All models come with four-wheel steering. And the car can perform so-called 'One Touch' parking manoeuvres; with this, if you get yourself into a tight situation, say down a dead-end street, the car will slowly reverse itself along the exact line it came in on - for up to 100-metres: neat.

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