MG GS Rui Teng launched on the Chinese auto market

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The brand new MG GS Rui Teng has finally launched on the Chinese car market. Price starts at 119.700 yuan and ends at 179.700 yuan ($19.300 – 28.970). Both the 2.0 turbo and the 1.5 turbo are immediately available. The GS Rui Teng is first SUV ever under the famous MG brand, now safely in the hands of the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).

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A neat interior, sporty and luxurious. Nice materials and a decent LCS screen. Alu pedals for extra MG speed. Buttons on the steering wheel seem awfully small.

There are two engines available: 1) a 2.0 turbocharged petrol four with 220hp and 350nm, mated to a six-speed DCT, sending power to all four wheels. 2) a 1.5 turbo petrol four with 167hp and 250nm, mated to a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DCT, 4×2 is standard and 4×4 is optional. It is unclear why MG opted to go for two different DCT boxes.

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More black in the back. Enough space for three.

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Design is hip enough for the segment. Wheels are of the right size whereas most Chinese automakers got ’em too small. Usable roof rails and a subtle window wing.

The MG GS Rui Teng is based on the third generation (2010) SsangYong Korando. The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), owner of the MG brand, owned a controlling stake in SsangYong Motor from late 2004 until 2009. The deal to use the Korando’s platform was agreed in those days, but details are misty. Interestingly, new reports have surfaced saying the rear suspension of the MG GS is based on the suspension of the Volkswagen Tiguan SUV, which is manufactured in Shanghai at the Shanghai-Volkswagen joint venture. MG calls the platform of the GS Rui Teng ‘SSA’.

Size: 4500/1855/1699, and wheelbase is 2650. Korando: 4410/1830/1675, wheelbase is 2650.

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The MG GS Rui Teng has been through a lot of name changes during its long development process. Over the years it has been called GTS, CS, and GS, before settling on GS Rui Teng. Interestingly, this gray demo car seen at a MG dealer doesn’t have any name tag on the back, indicating the name was still undecided right up until launch.

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Large MG logo in a small grille. Chrome parts in bumper are the only thing left from the original MG CS concept.

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This dusty ensemble is the 2.0 turbo.

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So many lines atop lines that the rear resembles a wedding cake. Skid pad is good but pipes are small.

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12 COMMENTS

  1. This MG model has been a long time in coming. It will also be launched in the UK this month, no?
    “Wedding cake” and all, it’s design can’t be called, run of the mill…., and the timing for the SUV market is just right.

  2. Strange that there seems to be a paint colour mismatch between the body flanks and bumper units. Perhaps that is just a pre-production thing. And has it been stated anywhere by SAIC that this us definitely a Ssangyong in a different frock?

    • You are right MG Writer. At second look it is clearly seen in the side view. They say the flex agent added to the bumper paint is what causes this. I have noticed it is particularly noticeable on white cars.

  3. The bumpers look too deep front & back.
    Also I thought it had been long established that the GS was NOT based on the Ssangyong Korando.

  4. How many times???? This is NOT based on the Korando. SAIC said one several occasions they ditched that platform some time ago.
    personally i think the wheels are too SMALL, other thank that i’d have one.
    The MG oldies brigade are becoming tiresome, if the brand remained all retro it simply wouldnt survive. Times change, so do branding, image, style and content.

  5. Frankly I like the design here; its edgy and it looks purposeful. The rear has more style than the front though. Id have thought with MG’s design history, round spot lights could be added at the front, alongside the grille.The back reminds me of BMW, echoes of Volvo’s V40 across the rear door and the blackened sides of the rear window. As a UK car fan, Dave is quite wrong regarding MG “oldies.” When you consider how well the BMW owned Rover retro styled 75 sold before SAIC took it and changed it to Roewe, retro still sells – if it is done properly.

  6. I agree with UKCARFAN – there is a happy middle ground and a design that actually respects the brand’s roots rather than tramples all over and ignores them is more likely to entice someone out of a rival bland box. Nobody would mistake an Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, MINI or BMW – or even a VW Golf – for something else. And all those recognisable brands command a premium price and consequently a bigger profit margin, and can sustain longer product cycles and customer loyalty. It isn’t exactly rocket science but even so it is amazing how many car makers – and even enthusiasts – fail to appreciate that to sell better than average you have to make better than average.

  7. I’ve never owned an MG roadster, but have owned a few sedans. The GS appeals to me as a modern interpretation of that side of the family.
    Like all MG fans, I too have some retro feelings about the brand. However, I fully accept the GS as an MG.

  8. Do you know who is the provider of the DSG 7 gearbox that is mounted in the MG GS, do you have some information about this gearbox?

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