MG M9 EV Grand Trophy review: Luxe-MPV silently reminds you that size does matter

Seeing its cyclops-like face jut out of parking lots is endlessly amusing — a routine reminder that what you've just driven (or what you're walking back to) is an undeniable Goliath on our roads. Every other car around is instantly made midget-like; cowering in fear when they roll up or park alongside. 

That's exactly the sort of life an owner will have with the fully-electric, uncannily familiar MG M9 EV.

Focused on getting its passengers around in supreme comfort and silence, MG's first seven-seater enters the growing fray of MPVs focused not just on quantity, but quality in passenger accommodation.

And although it will not seat nine people (as its name may perhaps suggest), this is still a mammoth-like machine whose sheer size will ensure everyone on board rides in sublime comfort — no matter whether they're driving, riding shotgun, or settled all the way behind in row three.

Dialling it down to make a big impression

A large part of that is down to the M9 EV's size. At 1,850mm tall, 2,000mm (!) wide, and an incredible 5,270mm long, its sheer physical presence already beckons you to wonder just how much space it might contain within its boxy shell. 

At a time when bling is in for larger cars, the M9 EV is content with keeping things simpler. Its daytime-running lights are embedded within that Cyclops-like eyeband (we're talking X-Men, by the way, not Greek mythology), and it doesn't have a fake 'grille'. You may not even notice its actual headlights at first, tucked quietly into the angled nooks flanking its face. 

Interestingly, however, all that this simplicity accomplishes is a further enhancement of the car's enormity. The M9 EV's designers seem to have recognised that a vehicle of its stature needs no excessive shouting to announce its presence. Coupled with its length, width, and unabashed boxiness, we'd argue this is one of the most-interesting, if not best-looking MPVs on our roads today.

The rear does switch things up a bit, though. Full-length light bars are all the rage, but larger MPVs and SUVs normally still have their taillights running up along the D-pillars.

The M9 EV's stretch downwards instead, for a look that sets it apart from its growing swathe of competitors. The wraparound shape also nicely mirrors the front end. Coupled with the car's hulking mass, don't be surprised to find yourself the subject of curious stares as you're rolling to a halt or cruising along on the expressway. 

Piloting a gentle (and manageable) giant 

Considering its size, the M9 EV is also easier to manage on the road than one might first expect. For starters, you're perched high up with a commanding view out ahead. For something so wide and with a bonnet so long, getting a grip on where the car's corners lie — and in turn, placing it on the road — is also surprisingly stress-free thanks to the large windscreen and the car's relatively low beltline. 

Best of all, however, is the car's powertrain.

As mentioned, the M9 EV is fully electric, with a single motor sending 180kW (or 241bhp) and 350Nm of instant torque to the car's front wheels. At the helm, the experience is pleasantly confounding. The vehicle's lateral movements (and your side mirrors) never once shed the reality that you're piloting a giant. Yet the ease with which the M9 EV sets off also gives it an effortless air — one that a driver will not immediately associate with a 2.5-tonne, 5.3-metre long car. 

Naturally, it helps that the car does all this in silence. Before you've realised it, the numbers on its 9.0-inch digital display have suddenly reached "80km/h", and while a 9.6s century sprint timing isn't quick, bear in mind again its size and weight.

Unsurprisingly, the M9 EV revels best in open highways where it has the space to cruise — but even driving on normal roads isn't tiresome. Waves of red lights are unlikely to frustrate, given the car's ability to accelerate and decelerate smoothly. And on the latter note, transitioning between the car's regenerative braking system and actual brakes is a seamless affair too.

Nonetheless, all this isn't to say that the M9 EV will not make inexperienced drivers nervous.

If its size doesn't already make itself evident on narrower lanes, it most certainly will once you've headed into a multi-storey carpark. Getting the car into a lot, in particular, requires extra patience and caution, since it's not just its width, but its 3,200mm wheelbase that necessitates more precision. We suspect parallel lots will be out of the picture entirely for the majority. 

The flipside is that a standard 360-camera helps immensely in gauging your corners. Interestingly, despite its hunkering size, the M9 remains practical for Singapore in one crucial aspect, too: Height (or the lack thereof). With its proportions, it will still clear 1.9m-tall carparks — a privilege that its segment's arguable pioneers, the Toyota Alphard and Vellfire, have to live without.

As an EV, it's even decently fuss-free to run. We managed a consumption figure of exactly 5km/kWh after 170km on the road (mixed rather evenly between highway and city driving) — which should translate to a range of close to 450km with the car's 90kWh battery.

Business class travel

But of course — to focus solely on the driving experience would be to miss the car's plot. Perhaps more importantly, the M9 is designed to cosset and ensconce its occupants, and does not skimp on the creature comforts it offers.

While it's the quality of materials used that stands out immediately, what impresses over the longer term is the level of consistency throughout the cabin, with the stitched surfaces flowing all the way the rear. Even the seats in the last row are quilted and nicely padded for support, and offer those seated here the space to stretch out fully. With the car's 2-2-3 configuration opening up a central walk-through aisle, getting to the back is a cinch too. 

Still, it will come as no surprise that the second row is where the family will be fighting to ride.

Take any working adult who's just finished a 9-5 day out for dinner in this car, and challenge them not to fall asleep when settled into the ventilated captain's chairs. Featuring a multitude of massage patterns, and a seemingly infinite number of configurations, these are a different sort of machine on their own. 

Best of all, everything is controlled via responsive touch displays embedded in the seats (in this Grand Trophy variant). Don't bother expending effort to reach for the A/C controls, or panoramic sunroof buttons, they're all adjustable with a few taps — though it's worth noting that these screens are not detachable, and that window shades are not part of the overall M9-package. Our favourite feature was a Sleep Comfort mode, through which the chairs automatically shift into a lie-flat position with a single button's touch.

MG also says the M9 was designed to offer an 'office-on-wheels' sort of experience, and here, individually foldable tray tables, pop-out cup-holders, and a 220V two-pin socket round out the (literally) business-class experience. 

Considering that the complete lack of noise can also be quite jarring, the silence doled out here is just the right amount too. One gets the sense that even the most polished hybrid drivetrain, or the silkiest straight-six would struggle to replicate this level of refinement.

Another benefit: Conversations with passengers never devolve into a shouting match even if they're seated all the way behind (we tried) because of how quiet the cabin is.

If we're nitpicking, however, the M9 EV's ride does feel a bit looser and less settled than desired on a car aiming to be the final word in comfort. To return to the driver, navigating the car's operating system requires a fair bit of adapting - though the experience remains pleasant overall with the responsiveness and vibrancy of the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen.

On the whole: A unique — yet also familiar — option for the towkays

Living big is not without its drawbacks.

No amount of tech wizardry or clever designing can cancel out a vehicle's physicality, and to live with the MG M9 EV is to also commit oneself to a life of more intentional itinerary-planning. On a different note of usability, adapting to the car's extensive infotainment system — and just general mode of operation — requires some adapting as well. (Its gear selector-cum-cruise control stalk and roof-mounted hazard light button are but some examples).

At the very core, however, the MG M9 EV's combination of size and electric power remains a compelling and still-uncommon formula that accentuates its goal of embodying a spacious, refined and expensive-feeling people-mover. After all, today's roads are the best evidence that buyers are willing to accept compromises in manoeuvrability, in exchange for zero compromises in space and comfort.

Still, to come back to its uncanny familiarity, the likely elephant in the room we haven't addressed is that the M9 EV faces off against another formidable foe in Singapore: Itself.

Globally, MG shares a parent with Maxus in the form of one very large company named SAIC Motor, and the Maxus MIFA 9, sold by Cycle & Carriage, is really the same car in all but name. Effectively the same mechanical packages, separated only by a couple of features (if you squint), it's likely that the choice between both will come down to badge loyalty and price.

What we like

• Unusual design and sheer physical presence
• Easier to place on the road than expected
• Business-class travel in second row; spacious third row
• Electric drivetrain works superbly on a car like this, aiding its effortlessness and refinement

What we islike

• Unwieldy proportions not the most ideal for Singapore
• Infotainment system could be more intuitive
• Ride quality lacking slightly in smoothness

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This article was first published in sgCarMart.