2023 MG 5: Everything we know about MG Australia’s Toyota Corolla fighter

MG Australia is readying its first new-generation passenger car since the brand's launch in Australia, the new 2023 MG 5 sedan – here's everything we know so far.

Set for launch in early 2023 – with a late 2022 arrival possible, but unlikely – the MG 5 was revealed more than 12 months ago in China, but buyers in right-hand-drive markets such as Thailand have needed to wait until the second half of 2021 to get behind the wheel of the new MG sedan.

Official Australian details are scarce at this stage – but Chinese and Thai spec sheets provide an indication of what to expect.

The new MG 5 sedan is sized similarly to a Toyota Corolla sedan, Hyundai i30 Sedan or Skoda Octavia liftback – though at 4675mm long, 1842mm wide and 1473mm high (with a 2680mm wheelbase), it's likely to be classed as a mid-size car when it arrives in Australia.

Those dimensions make it 45mm longer and 82mm wider than the Corolla, or 14mm shorter (in overall length) yet 13mm wider than the Octavia liftback. Compared to a Toyota Camry, it's 215mm longer (but 2mm wider), while the aforementioned Hyundai is only 25mm shorter and 22mm narrower in base guise.

The new sedan is not to be confused with the MG 5 wagon, a Europe-specific electric car that bears no relation with the Australia-bound four-door.

When it arrives in Australia, it will join the smaller (and ageing) MG 3 city car as the marque's second passenger car, and will join the ZS (including ZST and ZS EV) and HS SUVs in showrooms.

The MG 5 wears the latest iteration of the Chinese-run brand's design language, with its bold front end in line with MG's Chinese offerings (including the One SUV) – but a new sight for Australian customers.

LED headlights (with automatic functions) and tail-lights are available, as are 17-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Primacy tyres. The Nuclear Yellow colour seen here leads the way, with Arctic White, Black Knight, Silver Metallic, Scarlet Red and Metal Ash Grey hues also available.

Inside, links are drawn with MG's latest ZST and HS models, with a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen (with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and satellite navigation) in the centre of the dashboard, joined by a 7.0-inch instrument cluster display (flanked by digitised readouts).

Range-topping models in Thailand feature black (or black/red) synthetic leather upholstery, along with a six-way electric driver's seat, four-way manual passenger seat, heated front seats, and a tilt-adjustable steering wheel (but seemingly without reach/telescopic adjustment).

Other available features include keyless entry and start, automatic climate control, a sunroof, six-speaker Yamaha sound system, electric parking brake, and three USB ports – but it appears to lack features fitted to more premium small-car offerings, including wireless phone charging, a branded premium sound system, fully-digital instrument cluster, and digital radio.

Available active safety technologies in Thailand or China include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane change assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear collision warning, and a 360-degree camera.

Details of what will power Australia-bound MG 5 models are unclear, however a range of engines are available in models sold overseas.

All Thai models feature a 1.5-litre non-turbo petrol four-cylinder shared largely with the MG 3 city car, sending 84kW and 150Nm to the front wheels through a CVT automatic (with eight stepped 'ratios'). Chinese models feature an 88kW version of this engine, available with a five-speed manual.

Flagship variants in China use a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder used in the HS medium SUV, routing 127kW and 275Nm through the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Given the non-turbo 1.5-litre engine would put the MG 5 well behind the small sedan class on power and torque – think the 110kW/250Nm Skoda Octavia 110TSI, 125kW/200Nm Toyota Corolla, and 117kW/191Nm Hyundai i30 Sedan – the 1.5-litre turbo mill is a more likely bet, though this remains speculation, and is yet to be confirmed.

The 2023 MG 5 sedan is slated to launch in Australia in early 2023, though supply constraints and other external factors could see that timeline moved forward or back over the coming year.

It's expected Australian models will be built in MG parent company SAIC's factory in Thailand, where right-hand-drive manufacturing for the region is set to be based.

Prices are yet to be confirmed, however in Thailand prices range from 559,000 to 689,000 baht ($AU23,300 to $AU28,700). The lattermost figure makes it 9.5 per cent than a range-topping version of the smaller MG 3 city car, which is priced from $19,490 drive-away locally – suggesting a well-equipped, non-turbo MG 5 could be priced in the low $20,000s drive-away in Australia.

Meanwhile in China, flagship non-turbo models are priced on par with lower-spec MG ZS small SUV variants (about $AU22,000 drive-away locally), while range-topping turbo variants (which in China add the active safety suite) are positioned on par with mid-spec turbo ZST models, about $AU27,000 drive-away.