MG M9

You and I might not equate a brand like MG with luxury immediately. Well, the M9 hopes to change that as it aims to truly bring a posh experience to the table. It is promising luxury, best in class space and comfort, and usable real world range too.

But has MG nailed the luxury quotient or is there some room for improvement left? I spent some time driving and experiencing the M9, and I’ve figured out the answer to this question.

The M9 is huge! At over 5.2 metres in length, it is almost as long as the Hilux, and bigger than its competition Toyota Vellfire. This size automatically makes it impossible to miss, and its premium design makes it stand out even more.

At the front, it gets sleek LED DRLs which are connected by a dark chrome element. LED projector headlamps are placed vertically on the slim bumper. You also get a chrome strip which runs up to the headlamps. This front look is not in your face, and the slight curves along with sleek design elements give it a very minimalistic look.

From the side you get an idea about its size. The profile is flat and fairly bland. To add some contrast, MG has added some chrome around the tail lamps, under the doors, and a Z-shaped chrome strip runs from the D-pillar to the bonnet. It sits on 19-inch dual-tone alloy wheels wrapped in self-sealing tyres from Continental. 

The rear profile isn’t as exciting and looks like a square slab. The highlight here is the connected LED tail lamp setup which splits at the edges and drops down resulting in a cool waterfall-like effect. Just like the front, the rear also gets a slim bumper and you’ll find some more chrome touches here as well.

MG offers the M9  in three shades: Metal Black, Concrete Grey, and Pearl Lustre White. The latter two are offered with a black roof. While the Metal Black does look very appealing, the Concrete Grey shade really brings out the luxury quotient.

Design & Quality

Getting in and out of the MG M9 is very easy. The front doors open wide enough to allow easy ingress and egress, and the rear doors slide electrically giving you unrestricted access. You do need to climb inside, which will be difficult for the elderly, but there is a side step which helps a lot. Getting to the third row will require walking in between the second row seats, and this will surely take some effort.

MG has taken a minimalistic approach with the M9’s cabin, just like it did with the Windsor. You get a dual-tone black and tan brown theme, giving it a premium look. This theme is further complimented by chrome elements on the door handles, centre console, door pads, and steering wheel. 

There is also a brushed aluminium strip which runs across the width of the dashboard. Gloss black inserts are kept to a minimum, so keeping this cabin clean will not be a hassle. Finally, to make it even more premium, MG has offered ambient lighting almost everywhere, starting from the dashboard, going to the sunroof, and ending at the third row.

In terms of quality, there is a little inconsistency. First let’s talk about the good things. All the buttons on the steering wheel and door pads have a solid click and don’t feel loose. The touch-based controls in the centre console come with haptic feedback, which is a nice touch, and the AC vents also have the required weight.

The entire dashboard is wrapped in leatherette and so are the door pads. You also get suede-like fabric on the door pads and seats, which feels very premium and uplifts the luxury experience. But, as soon as you touch the plastics, you realize that they should have been better, as they don't feel very smooth to touch.

Just a minor improvement in the plastic quality would have made the cabin feel even better. As for fit and finish, there are no panel gaps anywhere and nothing feels loose or flimsy.

Front Seats

The driver gets a 12-way power adjustable seat (with 4-way lumbar support) along with both tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, which makes it very easy to find your ideal driving position. The front passenger also gets an 8-way powered seat.

In terms of space, there were no complaints in my experience. The front seats are wide enough to accommodate people of larger frames. There is no shortage of headroom, the bolsters hold you in place, and the underthigh support is decent as well. In the footwell, you have enough room to keep your feet comfortably.

These seats are ventilated, heated, and come with 8 different massage functions.

Surprisingly, for a car this big, there are no major blind spots. The flat bonnet and tall seating position gives you a commanding view of the road, and the large windows contribute to the overall visibility. Rear visibility would have been an issue due to the length of the car and the small rear windshield, but the IRVM is camera based which gives a clear view of what’s behind.

Second Row Space

This is the highlight of this car and this is where you’d want to be if you buy the M9. You get a lounge experience in these seats. The seats are spacious, provide good support, there is ample headroom, more than enough legroom to stretch your legs, and there are footrests mounted on the front seats.

These seats are 16-way power adjustable. So you can move them front and back, up and down, and you can move them left and right. There are ottomans in both seats to rest your legs, and the headrests can also be adjusted electrically. You also get two buttons on each seat which bring them back to the position you’ve set in the memory function.

Moreover, you get seat ventilation, seat heating, sunblinds. and 8 different massage functions which work really well. You also get a ‘Sleep Comfort’ mode which puts the seats into a bed-like position, moves the front passenger seat ahead, and raises the ottoman.

All of these things can be controlled from a small screen placed on the outward armrests. With this screen, you can also control the windows (save for the driver window), open and close the sunroofs, adjust temperature and fan speed, and change the ambient lighting. This gives you more control over the car than the driver.

On top of all of this, both 2nd row passengers get entertainment screens which you can use to access OTT apps, mirror your phone, and you can plug in other devices through USB or HDMI ports.

On the visibility front, there are no issues. The cabin theme is fairly light, which makes it feel airy, and the extremely wide windows offer great outside visibility. But, there is an issue here. While the windows are wide, the sunblinds are not, which means even if the blinds are up, there will still be space left on the side for sunlight to get in. If you have reclined the seats, the sunlight will fall directly on your face, which can get annoying.

Third Row Space

These seats may not have the luxury of the second row, but space has not been compromised. You can not only recline the third row, you can also slide them front and back, which makes it easy to find the required leg room.

Due to the shape of the car, you get a decent amount of headroom, enough for an average sized adult to sit comfortably, and knee room is not an issue. The floor here is slightly raised, which reduces underthigh support, but the overall space is enough to sit comfortably during long journeys.

However, while MG wants you to seat three people here, the space is good only for two. This bench seat is not wide enough to accommodate three passengers, and while there is a fixed middle headrest, seating three compromises shoulder room. It is better to use the M9 as a 6-seater, not a 7.

As far as visibility is concerned, you get wide quarter glasses which provide good outside visibility, and since the floor is raised, you sit higher than the first two rows, allowing you to look past them easily.

Storage Options

If there is one thing I liked more than the 2nd row experience, it’s the sheer amount of storage options. Front row passengers get two cupholders, large door pockets with 1-litre & 500 ml bottle holders, a decent-sized glovebox, a tray to keep your phone, storage in the floating armrest, and an open compartment under the floating armrest. There are small cubbies in the door armrests as well.

Second row passengers get bottle holders in the doors, cup holders and phone slots in the seats, two small cubbies in the inward armrests, seatback pockets, and a big storage compartment behind the front armrest.

In the last row, passengers get seatback pockets, two cupholders, and two small slots to keep their phones.

Charging Options

To charge your phones, you get a wireless phone charger, and two USB Type-A ports in the front. There is a 12V socket as well, but it is used to power the rear entertainment screens.

Second row passengers get two USB Type-A ports and two USB Type-C ports. One pair each placed inside the inward armrest. Here you also get a 220V 3-pin socket to charge your laptop or to power any small appliances like an electric kettle.

Lastly, in the third row, you get one USB Type-A port placed on each side.

To sum up, the M9’s cabin has everything to justify the luxury tag. It gets all the space you can want, a rear seat experience that makes you stay in the car for as long as you can, and the practicality to keep everything you can. The only thing off is the plastic quality, but you will get used to it.

Features

Apart from all the features you get in the rear seats, here are some additional daily use features:

Apart from these features, you also get a 12.3-inch touchscreen, which has good resolution, but it is not so easy to use. It has an Android-based operating system and the user interface takes some time getting used to. It also lags occasionally which marrs the experience. 

Also, controls for brake energy regeneration, drive models, and lights are in the screen itself, along with climate control, seat ventilation, and seat massage, which should have had physical controls. 

It also supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which work seamlessly. This setup is paired with a 13-speaker JBL sound system which offers a clear and crisp surround sound experience.

Next is a 7-inch digital driver’s display which does relay all the necessary information in a neat and clean manner, but you can’t see the battery percentage here, only the range is visible. To check the battery percentage, you need to fiddle around with the touchscreen, go through multiple menus, and then you’ll be able to see it.

The digital IRVM is also a nice addition. While you can’t change the view by moving it, you can zoom in and out, change the colour temperature, change the brightness, and move the view up and down by the buttons provided behind it. In our experience, the feed did not lag, and the view was clear.

It also gets a 360-degree camera which gets a top-down view of the car, and the feed of the chosen camera next to it. You can choose which camera’s feed you want when the feature is being used. There is no visible lag or frame drop, and the camera quality is acceptable. It also gets a blind view monitor, the feed of which is displayed on the touchscreen when you indicate.

Other features like the wireless phone charger, dual sunroofs, and ambient lighting work as intended.

In terms of safety features, it comes with 7 airbags, electronic stability program (ESP), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), all wheel disc brakes, electronic parking brake with auto hold, rain sensing wipers, auto headlamps, ISOFIX child seat anchors, and a 360-degree camera.

It also gets Level 2 ADAS features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, high beam assist, and autonomous emergency braking. These features worked well in our limited usage.

While it has not yet been crash tested by Bharat NCAP, the MG M9 does have a 5-star safety rating from ENCAP.

With all three rows up, you have enough space to keep 4-5 cabin sized suitcases. Due to the limited space, keeping large bags will not be feasible. But if you want more space, you can fold the third row and get more than enough space to keep your family’s luggage. However, folding the third row does not give you a flat bed.

Also, while an electric tailgate is a helpful feature, the high boot lip makes it a little difficult to load and unload your bags, especially if they are heavy.

With the MG M9, you get a single 90 kWh battery pack mated to a front-wheel mounted electric motor. With this setup, MG claims a range of 548 km, but this figure is based on their internal testing.

The M9 does not get a start button. You simply get in, press the brake pedal, shift to drive, and you’re ready to move. 

City Performance

When driving in the city, you get enough power to cruise around easily and overtakes won’t take much time. From the get you, you get enough power to quickly pick up speeds, and at no point does it feel slow or lethargic.

It can also handle bumper-to-bumper traffic with ease as it crawls effortlessly. But, due to its size, maneuvering it in traffic takes a lot of care.

Highway Performance

On the highway, you shouldn’t expect a very fun driving experience. While it has a lot of power, the performance on the highways remains calm and relaxed. You can easily get to triple digit speeds, acceleration is linear, and overtakes won’t take a lot of effort.

If you want to have some fun, you can drive in Sports mode, which offers better throttle response and quicker acceleration, but this car is meant to be driven in a relaxed manner.

While MG has claimed a range of 548 km, in real world conditions, you can get a range of around 400 km, which is enough for both city and intercity commutes.

Ride Comfort

The M9 comes with a stiff suspension setup, which is expected in a car that’s as heavy. When driving on well built roads, you get a very plush ride quality. 

However, on rough roads and undulations, the rear seat passengers feel side-to-side along with up and down movement. When the car brakes, you also feel front and back movement, which isn’t uncomfortable, but definitely noticeable.

I wished the suspension of the M9 settled slightly quicker. This was most evident over successive expansion joints on the highway where I felt vertical movement in the rear seat.

On the plus side, the cabin is very well insulated, which keeps all the noise out, even the noise of the wind. This disconnects you from the outside world and lets you enjoy the luxury.

Handling 

This is a huge car which has noticeable body roll. Sudden lane change results in a lot of side to side movement which can scare the driver. 

At high speeds it does remain stable and the steering gets the required weight, but it's not a car you can play around with, as it does not inspire confidence to take sharp corners.

The MG M9 scores big on sense of occasion — both inside and outside. It delivers in spades in whether it’s space, features, practicality or everyday usability. Before you sign a cheque for one, I’d urge you to take a thorough test drive to see if the ride comfort works for you. 

Finally, it all boils down to the asking price. MG has hinted at an ex-showroom price in the Rs 70-75 lakh ballpark, which makes the M9 serious value for money. 

Other Options To Consider 

Toyota Vellfire 

Reasons to consider 

• More established brand, thus better ‘image’

• Reliable hybrid engine

Reasons to ignore 

• Costs well above a crore

Kia Carnival 

Reasons to consider 

• Strong diesel engine that’s perfect for long road trips

• Better execution of features such as infotainment and ADAS

Reasons to ignore 

• Backseat experience isn’t as luxurious