MG Philippines has been through a lot ever since it changed distributors. Now under its parent company (SAIC Motor Philippines), the automaker is redefining itself by bringing in a barrage of new vehicles across different price points (as previewed at this year’s Manila International Auto Show).

It has been a few months since then, so the automaker decided to let the automotive media sample a handful of its latest offerings in a simple drive to Subic.

I was assigned to the MG 3+ Hybrid. Priced at P1,088,888, this little subcompact hatchback fills in an interesting niche in the automotive segment: a proper budget hybrid that could be a first car.

It looks aggressive, with a shark-nose grille, two-tone 16-inch wheels, and a smart-looking rear end. There’s nothing here that screams “I’m a hybrid car,” except the ‘Hybrid+’ badge found on the tailgate.

It does come in colorful hues, but the two available units were in understated white and silver finishes.

To give credit where it’s due, the interior is a nice place to be in. It’s an all-black affair with leatherette and fabric upholstery on the seats, soft-touch points with a two-layer dashboard design, a sporty two-spoke steering wheel, a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 10.25-inch infotainment screen.

While a fine cabin at first glance, it has the typical ergonomic pitfalls of a Chinese car, where controls have been overcomplicated in the pursuit of minimalism.

It has physical controls for most items, but they’re nonintuitive. My colleagues took a while to figure out how to adjust the volume. The steering-wheel controls were unlabeled, and the physical volume controls were hard to reach on the far-right side of the center control stack.

But we weren’t here to just fiddle with the car, but to drive one of the cheapest hybrids on the market. Underneath the hood are a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine and an electric motor. Total output is a zippy 194hp and 250Nm. There’s a three-speed hybrid automatic transmission and a 1.83kWh battery.

We silently set off into the terrible Quezon City traffic, with the brakes feeling slightly grabby. MG said that its system prioritized electric-only drive of speeds up to 30km/h. Once the roads are cleared, the car switches into hybrid mode. Here, the engine does fire up in a muted manner, but you’ll only feel the slightest of vibrations as the car acts as a series hybrid (the engine charges the battery) from speeds of 30-80km/h.

Typical of a Chinese car, the steering was numb and light, even in Sport mode. Visibility is great since it is a subcompact hatchback, and there’s a 360° camera to make parking even easier.

Once we got onto Skyway Stage 3 and NLEX, the engine would directly drive the wheels (and also charge the battery if needed). This is where it felt like a normal ICE car. When we needed the power to overtake, the hybrid system would act as a parallel hybrid with the motor aiding the engine to give that extra boost.

The brake regeneration has three levels: Low, Normal, and High. Just take note that you won’t be able to do any one-pedal driving even in the highest setting.

While this may sound like a fine city car, the MG 3’s pain point comes in its NVH performance. Traffic noise easily permeated the cabin, and at highway speeds the tire roar was particularly loud, especially at the back. We later found out that the tires were overinflated, so actual results could have been slightly better.

The rear seats were fine for short trips, but I do not recommend them for tall people on longer trips. There was a generous amount of knee room even behind my driving position, but there was very little headroom if I sat up straight. Slouching forward solved that, but the firm cushioning made for a very uncomfortable journey.

If anything, amenities in this car are plentiful—rear climate vents and a USB-A charging port at the back, six speakers, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity (via USB-A only), a USB-C port for charging, a front USB-A port for a dashcam, and an electronic parking brake with auto hold.

It even has a complete suite of advanced driver aids such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring, all of which worked incredibly well on the long drive going to Subic.

Finally, for those curious about the fuel economy figures, we got 13.8km/L after an hour of crawling in city traffic, and an impressive 18.18km/L when we arrived in Subic. Of course, real-world usage over several days will yield different results.

The MG 3 Hybrid+ truly is an interesting offering in the segment, much more for first-time car shoppers. It has all the benefits of electrification, plus the additional incentives of the EVIDA law, so it’s definitely worth taking a look into and trying yourself (Sinophobia be damned).