MG GT review: styling that writes a cheque the base engine cannot cash
MotorsSouq Editorial Team
Buy the turbo trim if the GT's styling is what drew you in — it is the only version that actually delivers on the badge. The base 1.5-litre is a perfectly competent, warranty-backed budget sedan wearing a sportier suit than it needs, and there is no shame in buying it for the looks alone as long as you know that is what you are paying for.
Pros
- Fastback styling and 10.1-inch touchscreen look a class above the price
- 437-litre boot is generous for the segment
- Turbo/DCT trim genuinely delivers the pace the styling promises
- Six-year/200,000 km warranty matches the rest of the MG range
Cons
- Base 1.5-litre engine does not match the sporty styling
- Shares underpinnings with the cheaper MG5, so the premium is mostly cosmetic
- Resale and workshop familiarity are the same still-developing story as the MG5
- Sits in an odd gap between MG5 pricing and MG6 performance
The GT sits alongside the MG5 as the style-led option in MG's compact-sedan range, launched across the Middle East in October 2021 with a fastback roofline, a sharper front fascia and a 10.1-inch touchscreen shared with the rest of the current lineup. It shares its underpinnings with the MG5, which shows up mostly in how the two cars ride and steer, and less in how they look.
Two very different cars under one name
The base 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine makes 109 hp through a CVT — identical in character to the MG5, unhurried and undramatic, which sits slightly at odds with a body that looks ready to be driven harder than that. Buyers who choose the GT purely for the styling and drive it like a normal commuter sedan will be entirely satisfied; buyers expecting the coupe looks to translate into coupe performance will not be.
Higher up the range, a 1.5-litre turbo paired with a dual-clutch automatic makes closer to 168 hp, and this is the version that actually earns the GT badge — brisker in a straight line and noticeably more responsive off the line than the base car, at a price still under the MG6.
Living with it in Bahrain
Boot space at 437 litres is generous for the segment, useful for a family doing the school run or a causeway trip to Saudi with luggage, and the fastback shape does not sacrifice as much rear headroom as its profile suggests. Ownership costs mirror the MG5 — the same six-year warranty, the same dealer network, the same still-developing resale story — so the GT is really a styling decision layered on top of the same value proposition.