MG's Middle East onslaught gathers pace with budget HS

Sporty? Yes. Pretty? Certainly. Cheap? Most assuredly

The new MG HS. All photos courtesy MG

It's an SUV, with all-wheel drive on the high-end models.

A peep inside the cabin, with its two-tone styling.

Resplendent in red.

From the back.

Plenty of tech in the cabin.

The HS is the latest budget option from MG.

Stars through the sun roof.

MG continues its Middle East offensive with the launch of the HS model in the UAE, a neat-looking and – as we've come to expect from the brand – inexpensive new SUV.

You'll pay just $18,150 (Dh66,660) for the base model, while a full-spec version comes in at $21,650 (Dh79,500).

The company is looking to the sportier side of the market, as the compact HS is powered by a 2-litre turbocharged engine, which generates 231hp. MG claims this blows away any of the vehicle's current competitiors.

The frisky stylings continue inside the cabin as the HS comes with two-tone bucket seats and a sport option should you want to really push the car. The tech is there too - there are a pair of digital screens and satnav comes as standard.

Red racing calipers with decent stopping power area a feature on the high-end models.

MG says the car encapsulates the soul of a sports car, which is, of course, what the marque is famous for. We've yet to drive it so it remains to be seen whether this is the case, but, looks-wise, the HS is fulfilling the brief so far.