Battery size: 96.5 kWh
Miles per kWh: 4.0
E-Rating™: A
Max charge rate: 350 kW
Range: 313 - 388 miles 
Introduction and model history
The MG IM6 is a 4.9-metre long electric SUV that’s aimed at the family SUV class, including rivals like the Skoda Enyaq, VW ID.4, Kia EV5, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Peugeot E-3008, Ford Mustang Mach-E, BYD Sealion 7, Leapmotor C10 and more.
It’s a five-seat SUV, sadly; no seven-seat option for now, but it’s certainly spacious and it’s got tech party tricks to spare. Ranging from a nighttime camera to make it easier to see your surroundings in poor light and bad weather, to semi-autonomous features including being able to remember how you drove into a space, and reversing out in exactly the same way – not to mention standard heated- and ventilated seats, 26-inch screen and 20-speaker sound system - the MG IM6 looks seriously tempting on paper.
And if you’re wondering why MG has suddenly changed its naming strategy, that’s because this is actually not really an MG. ‘IM’ stands for Intelligence in Motion, which is a Shanghai-based brand that’s majority owned by SAIC - the parent company of MG. It was decided that the IM5 and IM6 would be a good fit for the European and UK markets, so here we are.
Range, battery and charging
Unlike the sleeker MG IM5, the IM6 SUV is only available with one battery; a 96.5kWh (100kWh total) lithium-ion NMC pack. That huge battery gives the IM6 a WLTP range of between 313- and 388 miles depending on whether you go for the four-wheel drive IM6 Performance or the rear-wheel drive IM6 Long Range.
I’m not going to go into depth about the real-world range and efficiency right now, as the test drive I had in an MG IM6 Performance was pretty brief, but it’s reasonable to expect a range of around 230- to 280 miles in the Performance, or 300- to 350 miles in the Long Range.
And you won’t have to wait long when you stop for a charge, either, as the IM6 can charge at over 350kW, making it one of the fastest-charging electric cars on sale. MG claims that it’ll deliver a 10-80% top-up in as little as 17 minutes despite the big battery capacity. Another way to think of it is that (provided you plug into a 350kW ultra-rapid charger), you can potentially get 100 miles of additional range in around five minutes. Faster than the average barista can froth your coffee, that’s for sure.
As you’d expect, the MG IM6 uses a Type 2 and CCS socket – the same as just about every other EV on sale, and so it’ll be compatible with all public- and home chargers in the UK and Western Europe. The socket is located on the passenger side (in UK cars) rear corner of the car.
Practicality and boot space
The IM6 is a spacious car, as you’d expect of an SUV that’s longer than a Tesla Model Y and Skoda Enyaq! It’s not offered with seven seats, unfortunately, so the Peugeot E-5008, Mercedes EQB or Kia EV9 remain your best bets if you want that level of seating flexibility.
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If it’s a roomy five-seat family SUV that you’re after, the IM6 will do the job nicely. The 665-litre boot is pretty massive, with a wide hatchback aperture, a floor that’s flush with the load lip and 60/40 split rear seats that fold down to leave a long, smooth load bay. You’ll certainly get your chunky double buggy in there without any hassle.
There’s also a 32-litre ‘frunk’, which is good for keeping your cables stowed safely out of the way. Officially, the boot space is still not quite up to the space you get in the Model Y, but Tesla states capacities to the roof rather than to the top of the rear seats (which is a far more useful measurement, let’s be honest) so I’d disregard the Tesla official figures and say that these two have very similar boot sizes.
The rear seats are spacious, too, although the floor is quite high and can make long-legged passengers feel like their knees are bent up. Generally, though, there’s loads of head- and legroom, the standard panoramic glass roof makes it feel nice and airy, and you get climate control, a centre armrest and charging ports back there.
Interior, design/styling and technology
The interior design of the IM6 is bland but inoffensive, and I reckon the materials and general perceived build quality are pretty good. There’s a huge amount of screen in here, too. A 26.3-inch panoramic driver display sits on top of the dash, and offers integrated wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto readouts. There’s also a portrait, 10.5-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash that control’s most of the car’s functions and infotainment.
There are very few buttons in here – even your vents have to be adjusted digitally, as do your side mirrors, and that’s not necessarily a good thing! Still, I don’t hate the system; the graphics are good, the features that you want are there and it’s not as intrusive as the Hyperscreen in the Mercedes EQE SUV, for instance.
It’s a tech extravaganza in the MG, too, and not just in terms of the screens. A 20-speaker sound system, 265-way ambient lighting – and the signature Rainy Night Mode. This feature enhances visibility in extreme conditions, replicating your immediate surroundings on the screen to make it easier to see pedestrians and other vehicles on the screen - free from rain interference. I can’t say that I had a rainy night drive in the IM5 to try it out, so we’ll have to take MG’s word for it until we can spend more time with the car.
There’s also a whole suite of semi-autonomous systems, including a ‘one-touch park’ mode, and another feature that will make the car reverse up to 100-metres in the exact tyre tracks that you just drove in on. Useful for getting out of a tight driveway, or if you’ve gone down a narrow road and need to reverse out.
Motors, performance and handling
Our test car was the MG IM6 Performance Launch Edition, which gets adaptive air suspension (unlike the standard Performance model). I do wonder what the ride comfort and body control would be like in the standard IM6 variants, as it’s not brilliant even in the Launch Edition. You can just feel that this is a heavy car, and the extra height that it has over the IM5 really seemed to translate to more body lean and a generally more stodgy-feeling drive. It bumps and shudders a bit, and… well, I was just a bit underwhelmed by it having just driven the IM5 and been rather impressed.
Still, there’s no doubting that it’s fast. Really, really fast. The IM6 Performance gets dual electric motors for permanent four-wheel drive and a 742bhp combined power output, which will fire it up the road in 3.5 seconds. I mean, that’s ridiculous, isn’t it? And it feels ridiculous on the road, too. Fun, but also unnecessary. I’d definitely settle for the more modest, 402bhp IM6 Long Range, which will still do 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds. That’s hardly slow, is it?!
I do wish that MG would offer that lower-powered Long Range model with four-wheel drive, though, as I’d quite like the all-wheel drive for a bit of all-weather peace of mind but I really don’t feel the need for the lunacy of the Performance model’s power output. I also wish that MG would add a one-pedal mode, as the brake regen’ options in the IM6 are both very mild, and I favour heavier brake regen’.
Otherwise, the IM6 is a confident and relaxing car to drive, whether you’re in town or on the motorway, and the standard four-wheel steer helps to make it impressively manoeuvrable for such a chunk vehicle.
Running costs and pricing
The MG IM6 Long Range starts the range at £47,995, while the Performance comes in at £50,995 and the Launch Edition at £52,995. It’s really only the power and driven wheels that you’re paying for, as all IM6 models come with a huge standard kit list including 12-way electric seat adjustment up front, 20-speaker sound system, pano roof, 265-way ambient interior lighting, wireless phone charging, and all of those tech features that we’ve already mentioned.
MG has said that the IM5 and IM6 will be available to test drive from September this year, but we’re yet to see PCP monthly finance or lease deals, which will ultimately be a much bigger factor than list price. We’ll just have to wait and see what those monthly costs come out at!
MG provides a seven year, 80,000 mile warranty that covers the vehicles as well as the high voltage battery.
Verdict
The MG IM6 is a technical extravaganza, and for the range and features that it’s offering it’s also good value. I found it rather uninspiring to drive despite the outrageous performance, and some could find the interior styling a bit challenging. But with this much equipment, charging and range, it’s not hard to see why it could still be a big hit.
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