Two cars making MG cool again: IM5 versus IM6 - a head-to-head of the new Tesla rivals

There are two new MGs in town and they don't look like MGs anymore...

Just when you thought you could pigeonhole modern day MG, the now Chinese-owned brand has launched an entirely new range of cars that are entirely different.

MG has brought parent company SAIC's Intelligence in Motion cars to the UK and in doing so has shaken up everything car buyers can expect from its electric car offerings.

The attention-grabbing IM5 'hatchback' and IM6 SUV stand alone in a new premium MG line, under an arm called 'Technology Showcase'. They sit below the 'Aspirational/Halo' Cyberster EV roadster offering and far above the 'Core' MG EV offerings such as the S5 EV and the M4 EV.

MG says the range centres around four pillars: 'Purposeful Innovation, Ultimate Performance, Intelligent Safety and Elevated Experience.

But corporate speak aside, what are these IM model all about, where does IM come from and are these models going to live up to the hype they've already garnered in China?

To answer all our IM questions, Motoring Reporter Freda Lewis-Stempel drove the IM5 and IM6 back to back on launch in West Sussex - and a head-to-head seemed the natural conclusion.

IM Motors is a Shanghai-based brand that's a tie-up between SAIC, e-commerce power player Alibaba and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech, a leading R&D specialist.

IM introduced its L7 electric saloon in 2021, but it's the L6 (first launched in China in May 2024) that's arrived in the UK as the IM5.

So, IM sits under the same SAIC umbrella as MG but, whether that's enough for people to be convinced it's an MG, is up to each and every buyer to decide. We don't really think it matters.

When you see them on the road neither the IM5 nor the IM6 will have an MG badge.

Instead, there's just very discrete MG lettering on the back dwarfed by the IM motif front and back.

Not only does this visually sit the IM models apart from the sensible, affordable MG reputation MG has, but it also stops MG itself having to fork out a lot of money to homologate the cars for the UK market.

People certainly gawk at the cars more as you drive by for their lack of MG badge – attention is never a bad thing in marketing they say.

The IM5 is longer and sleeker, with a length of 4,931mm and a height of 1,474mm. The IM6 is more bulbous measuring 4,904mm and a height of 1,669mm

The IM5 is the Tesla Model 3 rival, and the IM6 is the Tesla Model Y rival.

The IM5 is longer and sleeker, with a length of 4,931mm and a height of 1,474mm. The IM6 comparatively has a length of 4,904mm and a height of 1,669mm.

But while the IM6 SUV is chunkier than the sculpted saloon-like IM5 (the IM5 is technically a hatchback but only on paper), it's still far more contoured than the Model Y.

We all like different looking cars (there's probably someone out there who doesn't even believe the E-Type is a beautiful vehicle), but I imagine most people would agree with me when I say both IMs are far sexier (not a word usually used to describe an MG) than their Tesla counterparts.

They are worlds away from MG's family offerings and seriously attractive.

The good news is that both the IM5 and IM6 are cars you'll be happy to get behind the wheel of - they share the same architecture after all.

If you want headline stats then go for the Performance variant of the IM5 or IM6.

The IM6 does 0 to 62mph in 3.5 seconds and has 740bhp to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. The IM5 does the same sprint in 3.2 seconds and also delivers this stonking 740bhp.

As you can tell both cars are blisteringly quick, and off the line the power is delivered as a smooth, successive build in both.

The IM5 and IM6 come with all-wheel drive options (just Performance for the IM5 and Performance and Launch Edition for IM6), both of which I drove on launch.

The two cars also share the same pin-drop quiet driving experience thanks to the 'Road Noise Cancellation', laminated glass and double-glazed panoramic roof.

But while the IM6 has active damping control and advanced air suspension, it still juddered slightly on the typically pothole-ridden roads of Kent and West Sussex, not fairing much better than the IM5 which uses a passive spring-and-damper set up. The IM5's ride quality actually seemed pretty much on par, and managed to add executive-style refinement to a low-ridding, extremely fast 'hatchback'.

They both faired in the very good category, so there's not much in it.

Handling-wise, there's was a little bit of roll in the corners of the IM5 but compared to the IM6's steering which seemed to get itself in a pickle no matter the driving mode, I much preferred threading the IM5 around the leafy country roads and stop-start traffic in towns than I did the IM6.

On a sunny day, the IM5's low centre of gravity, spicy acceleration and interior comfort really hit the spot.

Both the IM5 and the IM6 have the same slightly clunky braking - they just need more bite. Also one pedal drive would be appreciated for the lazy town driver among us.

Did someone forget the tech-first memo here? But really the braking was the only area to mark either car down on significantly.

Family minded buying aside, I'd pick the IM5 over the IM6, which is unusual for me because I tend to favour SUV ride height.

Somehow the IM6's visibility and road presence didn't quite fit with me (but I am only 5'3 so that might not be applicable to other drivers) the same way the IM5's did.

Onto range - and the standout good news here is that both cars have seriously good range, and come with a Long Range option.

The IM5 gives you the absolute maximum mileage you can extract from a single charge with the Long Range coughing up an stonking 441 miles. That just pips the Tesla Model 3's 436-mile maximum offering.

But even if you get the Standard Range IM5 with a 75kW battery or the Performance version with the bigger 100kW battery, you still have 304 and 357 miles of range on offer respectively.

And the difference between the Long Range IM5 and the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Model 4 is just a fiver – by the time you've spent almost £50k £5 seems a moot point.

The IM6 might be bigger and heavier, but it can go the long distances no problem with its 313 miles of range for the more powerful Performance 100kW variant. If you go for the Long Range 100kW version then you can cruise across countries with 388 miles of range – one sneaky mile more than the Tesla Model Y Long-Range Rear-Wheel Drive.

You know where MG's new IM models excel where other MG models don't? At ultra-rapid chargers.

The IM5 100 Long Range and 100 Performance and IM6 100 Long Range and 100 Performance are all capable of DC ultra-rapid charging up to 396kW. Only the IM5 is capped at 153kW. In 'pull up, plug in and go' context this gives you 10 to 80 per cent charge in just 17 minutes across all four 100kWh battery models.

This 396kW charging smashes Tesla's 250kW speeds out of the water.

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We arrive at the main point of similarity between the two cars – the interior.

Hop from one to the other and except for the actual shape of the cabin, you'd be left scratching your head to find a single point of difference between the two cockpits.

Both the IM5 and IM6 have the option of a leather-style grey interior or an all-white leather-style interior.

While it can be more of a faff to clean, I'd definitely recommend the white – it flatters the car better, makes the interior airier (especially with the panoramic roof) and just feels plusher.

The IMs interiors are a leap up from normal MG interiors. The only hard plastics to be found are on the door bins, the rest is soft touch and there's even velvet-style carpet in the footwell. Whether it's socially acceptable to take your shoes off and wriggle your toes in this underfoot luxurious texture is up to each driver to decree.

It's always socially acceptable though to use the heated and ventilated seats for front passengers, heated seats for rear passengers, and ventilated wireless charging.

The front seats are electronically adjustable with memory function and four-way lumbar support, while the rear seats have manual backrest adjustment.

They're made for comfort and not sportiness which explains their chocolate bar appearance, and while not very supportive during fast cornering, they are very plush.

Obviously, there's more room in the IM6 for rear passengers, but even the IM5 has a good amount of legroom and headroom.

Those travelling with a brood will appreciate the practicality of both cars, with the IM5 offering an 18L frunk and 457 litres of boot space, and the IM6 giving you a larger 32-litre frunk and 665 litres in the boot.

The rest of the interior in both models is dominated by a huge 26.3-inch infotainment screen with a 10.5-inch touchscreen below for driver functions and vehicle setup.

They look good and are easy to use (when stationary) and wireless CarPlay connection is one of the best I've tried in a while. CarPlay even managed to seamlessly reconnect itself each time I got back in the car, which sounds like a small thing, but 80 per cent of the cars I test drive can't seem to manage this.

However, it is just too much screen in both models.

The cockpit is a barren buttonless landscape, which means you're constantly having to look away from the road for everything, even changing the temperature or driving modes.

To be fair to MG they've tried to work around this with customisations and shortcuts, but you still have to take your eyes off the road. And you're not looking sideways but rather down to the centre console – so properly off the road.

When I changes the aircon, the driver awareness safety system ironically told me I was distracted. I wanted to tell it a far less polite version of 'you don't say'.

With the IM focus on tech comes the 800 driving assists now fitted to modern EVs, but because you can customise them they aren't too annoying actually.

The most useful features are the 360 degree parking camera with 'transparent chassis', the 'One Touch Automatic Park Assist' which reverses, pull outs and curbside parks for you, and the rear cameras which can be accessed via one roll of the steering wheel button and give you a crystal-clear view of the road behind. You'll be relying on these rear cameras because the rear windows are the smallest slivers I've ever come across, especially in the IM5.

The most fun tech by far though? 'Crab mode' - the car scuttles around diagonally to allow movement in tight spaces.

The IM5 75 Standard Range, 100 Long Range and 100 Performance cost the following: £39,450, £44,995 and £48,495.

To compare, the Tesla Model 3 starts from £39,990 and hits £59,990 for the Performance spec.

The IM6 is more expensive than the IM5. The 100 Long Range costs £47,995, the 100 Performance is £50,995 and the Launch Edition is £52,995.

Again for comparison the Audi e-Tron starts at £47,305 and goes up to £57,540, and the Model Y begins at £49,990 and peaks at £51,990.

MG dealers will have both the IM5 and IM6 available to test drive from September.

As you've probably deduced I prefer the IM5, but there are so many similarities between the cars that it really comes down to what you need - are you needing a family EV or an electric hatchback/executive drive?

They aren't perfect but they are transformative for MG. And honestly if I were Elon Musk right now I'd be adding these two cars straight to the top of my ever growing list of problems.

Actually they could cause a headache for more than just Tesla because the IM5 and IM6 take MG into a new upmarket sales arena that a lot of snooty brands would never have dreamt MG would appear in.

IM makes MG cool, and let's be honest MG are many a very good thing - affordable, safe, well-specced as standard - but they aren't cool.

Until now that is.