MG RX5

MG has begun testing the RX5 SUV in the country alongside the Baojun 530. One of these would become MG Motor India’s debutant offering, set to be launched in the first half of 2019 with an expected starting price of Rs 14 lakh. However, we feel chances of the RX5 getting launched here are more compared to the Baojun 530. The RX5 is essentially a rebadged Roewe, another brand under the SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) umbrella like MG. In the Chinese market, the RX5 is powered by two turbocharged petrol engines: 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre, along with a plug-in hybrid version that uses the same 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine. Both the 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre turbo petrol come with an option of a manual or a dual-clutch automatic transmission. Apart from the two petrol engines, the India-spec SUV will also offer the Fiat’s 2.0-litre MultiJet diesel engine. The RX5 is a feature-loaded SUV with goodies on offer such as a larger 10.4-inch touchscreen, LED headlamps, and panoramic sunroof, among others. If launched, the MG RX5 would go up against SUVs such as the Hyundai Creta (higher variants), Jeep Compass, Mahindra XUV500 and the upcoming Tata H5X-based SUV.