Opinion: MG's First SUV Could Be A Better 7-seater Than XUV500, CR-V

MG’s first SUV for India will be based on the Baojun 530 in all likelihood, and will be bigger than the CR-V

• If launched, it would be the only seven-seater mid-size SUV after the Mahindra XUV500.

• The 5-seater version will be available with both petrol and diesel engines.

• Being the longest and having the largest wheelbase, the three-row version should be among the most spacious ones in the segment.

MG Motor is all set begin its Indian operation with a mid-size SUV in Q2 2019. The SUV in question is expected to be a rebadged version of the Baojun 530. Baojun is another brand under the SAIC umbrella. Co-developed with General Motors, the Boujun 530 went on sale in China in March 2018. GM has now rebadged the 530 as the second-gen Captiva, and it has been showcased at a motor show in Bogota, Colombia.

If you compare the 530 and the new Captiva, only the badges seem to be different. However, what grabs our attention is the optional 7-seat configuration of the Captiva. The 530 is available as a 5-seater only.

We believe MG could offer a 7-seater version of its SUV as an option. Only the Mahindra XUV500 is a 7-seat SUV in the segment that comprises offerings such as the Jeep Compass, Mahindra XUV500, Hyundai Tucson and the upcoming Tata Harrier. MG might take the route that Honda has taken with the CR-V by offering the petrol version with 5 seats and diesel with 7.

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While the Mahindra XUV500 can fit adults in the third row, it isn’t the most accommodating out there. The Boujun 530, on the other hand, is 70mm longer than the Mahindra and offers 50mm more wheelbase. So the third row of the MG SUV should be more spacious than the XUV500's. Moreover, it is also bigger than the new Honda CR-V, which now offer 7 seats for the first time. Here’s how these SUVs fare on paper dimensionally:   

Price-wise, we assume the MG SUV should start from around Rs 17 lakh-18 lakh. If a 7-seater version is launched at under Rs 20 lakh, the MG SUV would be more expensive than the XUV (mention price) but significantly cheaper than the CR-V (mention price). MG’s plans to equip it handsomely further raises our expectations from its debut product in India.

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