When MG handed over the keys for the RX8 to ILQ over the weekend, there was one thing that we wanted to try, off-roading and, boy, we did! The car comes with some very neat and surprising features for its price point. Below we have broken down the review into four different segments: design, features, performance and last, but not the least, safety:
The brand new RX8 is based on MG’s truck platform. Now don’t take this as something negative as this gives the car rigidity and toughness of a truck and, at the same time, the comfort of an SUV on the road.
The car features a striking design with a lot of ground clearance to tackle any off-road tasks. It also features seven seats which is a first for the MG. The third-row seat gives you the capacity to seat two more passengers, and can also be folded to give you more space for cargo.
The roof of the car features glass and by features; we mean it’s literally an all-glass roof (on the full option variant only) giving you that awesome panoramic view of the stars at night in the desert!
The car features a premium interior using mostly leather and this gives it a very high-end feel. The dashboard and seats mainly use leather with premium stitching. They’ve used faux wood instead of plastic to give a more premium look, it actually looks pretty good.
If there’s one thing the MG RX8 does better than other cars in its segment, it’s the features and this car has loads of them:
Speakers:
The car features six speakers around the cabin with a very punchy bass and sound. Trust us when we say we didn’t even have to crank the sound past 4 to get a good amount of sound in the cabin.
10” Touch Screen
Unlike other cars or even the more expensive ones they don’t feature such a massive screen. Not only is the screen very responsive but the colors are vivid and bright ensuring good daytime visibility.
Auto-Dimming Mirrors:
We believe if you’re living here you must have encountered cars with lights so bright that the brightness bounces in your eyes; not with the MG RX8 as it features auto-dimming rear view mirrors making your driving at night ever so better!
Wall Socket:
Yes, you read that right, this car features a wall socket of up to 150 watts output meaning you can charge your laptop or maybe iron your clothes on the go? ;)
Ventilated Seats:
The front two seats of the cars are ventilated featuring both cold and hot settings, so you can keep cool in the summers and stay warm during the winter months.
Air Purifier:
Oh! Yes, this car also features an air purifier that keeps the air inside the cabin dust free. Good for folks with allergies!
AC all over the car:
This car features 8 air vents in total, keeping not only the passengers nice and cool in the hot summer months but also the whole cabin. The AC is divided into two zones - front and rear - and can be controlled individually for the passengers’ comfort. Talk about having freedom!
Cruise Control:
Going to Dukhan or Al Khor? You don’t have to press your accelerator pedal the whole journey; just turn on cruise control and let your feet relax a bit!
Android Auto and Apple Car Play:
Oh! Yes, it features both of them making your life that much better!
Memory Seat:
Share your car with other people, too, and hate when they change the seat position? Not anymore! The MG RX8 can actually store 3 different seat positions!
Now, you must be wondering that a car with so many features must have a lousy engine but the MG has another trick underneath its sleeve. It features an Inline 4 Cylinder Turbo Charged engine producing 220 Horsepower. Now, this might sound very less or even slow, but we encourage you to test drive the car before judging it.
The engine has enough punch to easily go off-roading and overtake cars on the road!
The car features six driving modes:
Auto:
In this mode, the car automatically detects the terrain and adjusts the car behavior accordingly.
Offroad:
Going to Qatar’s silky sands? Use this mode and you’ll maneuver the sand like you are on the road!
Snow:
It doesn’t really snow here, but in case it ever does, you know you’re covered!
Sport:
Quite self-explanatory; this mode adjusts the vehicle gear and engine to give you a little more punch while driving
4L:
This mode means a low range in the 4x4 mode. This can be used to get out of sand in case you’re stuck while dune bashing :)
2H:
This mode sends the power of the engine to the rear wheels only, essentially turning off the 4x4 feature.
We recommend that you keep the car in Auto Mode and let it do its thing as this mode will take care of most things :)
A car can never feel luxurious if the suspension of the car is stiff and mushy. We’re happy to report that the car felt smooth and luxurious even over potholes and bumps!
The car has a high seating position ensuring clear visibility around you. Pair that with a balanced steering wheel featuring quite tight turning circles and you have an SUV that you can drive easily.
The car is also no slouch when it comes to safety features. It features front and rear sensors, rear camera, lane change warning making it robust at this price point.
Sounds inspired from an aeroplane? The seat belt sound that this car features almost sounds like it was taken directly from a plane. Don’t believe us. Hear it for yourself!
This might be something minor, but we noticed that closing the door required some extra force which gave us the feeling of the cars back in the 90s.
To complete our review, we would just like to add a few things for next year’s model in our wish list below:
Wish list:
Overall, we think this is the best car in it’s class. Highly recommended! You can book a test drive by reaching out to MG at 4040 1444.
The car starts at 87,000 QR for the base model and comes with six years of warranty and one free service. Mention that ILQ sent you there and you may or may not get a discount ;)
Now, are you planning to get an SUV?
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