MG3 Hybrid A/C at extreme temp

[glend14]

So we have recently had folks complaining about the MG3 Hybrid cabin heating system. I thought you might like a perspective on the flip side, the cabin cooling (A/C). As we are enjoying our usual summer weather here in Australia, I am happy to report that the MG3 Hybrid has no trouble maintaining in cabin temperatures of 23°C, while outside is a sunny 37°C, (99.68°F).

And during our winter, which obviously does not involve snow, ice, sleet, and only occasional rain; the heating was hardly ever required. In fact I don't think my car even has heated steering wheel or seats.

Note the attached image is from my weather station monitor which I took into the MG3 to get a comparison reading with the car readings.

 

[FromParis]

Actually the system really sucks : the temperature management is terrible.
Sometimes you pass from some cold air to hot air ... just adding +1°C
So it's like it's not able to manage well the balance between hot air and fresh air with A/C.

 

[Big Ears]

for 4 weeks I've been travelling 25 miles at 05:30, it takes 20 minutes to even approach a temp that feels even slightly warm, the demisting system is really crap even in the car on my own I'm constantly having to reach over and pressed the demist button, which opens the vent it outside air so I choke on the exhaust fumes which in the cold air and slow traffic don't dissipate as well.

For the last two days I have figured out that if I press the extreme left button to bring up the heating, if I have the heat @23c the fan on 2, the air on recircle and the screen blower on it almost keeps up, but then all the heat is in my face, don't even consider warming your feet as the drivers side gets zero that I can feel, but the boss gets overwhelmed by it if she's in the car.

So it is yet another crappy feature of a cheap??? chinese car and I wish I'd never seen it.

 

[Tim19]

Will I've just been out and within 8 minutes I was getting good heat through the vents. I keep mine on screen and feet as the auto doesn't seem to handle heating well (my last car a Renault was the same) but leave the fan on auto and set at medium. Start of with temp at hi and then drop it as car warms up. Maybe it's time for you to part company with this 'cheap Chinese car' as you clearly are not enjoying ownership as many of us are.

 

[Big Ears]

Will I've just been out and within 8 minutes I was getting good heat through the vents. I keep mine on screen and feet as the auto doesn't seem to handle heating well (my last car a Renault was the same) but leave the fan on auto and set at medium. Start of with temp at hi and then drop it as car warms up. Maybe it's time for you to part company with this 'cheap Chinese car' as you clearly are not enjoying ownership as many of us are.

I would Tim, in a heartbeat, but we're pretty much stuck with it now, I can only hope that others who are also less than happy have contacted MG as I have and there will be an update forthcoming sooner rather than later to fix the many and varied software issues.

 

[Tim19]

I would Tim, in a heartbeat, but we're pretty much stuck with it now, I can only hope that others who are also less than happy have contacted MG as I have and there will be an update forthcoming sooner rather than later to fix the many and varied software issues.

Well as with almost everything now, manufacturers release models and bits of equipment to the public that would otherwise have gone into beta testing. It's we who have worked the little issues out, and fed back those changes. It is so good that you are telling them about it.

 

[Big Ears]

As you say "little issues" the basic car is fine to drive but the comfort side of it is lacking, having to mess with the nanny software to make it drivable, had we been made aware we would have bought a used something or other but we got sweet talked into having a new car.

 

[Mikel14]

I don't have a problem with my 'cheap Chinese car' A/C on auto and temp set at 24°C and after a little while have to put it down to 22°C.

 

[Billy321]

I don't have a problem with my 'cheap Chinese car' A/C on auto and temp set at 24c and after a little while have to put it down to 22c

What’s your fuel economy like with these settings?

 

[Big Ears]

I'm getting 50.4mpg. I started at 56.4 and it has been dropping slowly over the last four weeks. I'm in traffic 50% of the time. The dash says average speed is only 17mph so no exactly caning it am I?

I don't seem to be on EV very much.

 

[Mikel14]

What’s your fuel economy like with these settings?

Around the 50mpg from 60+ in the warmer months, but I have to contend with some very steep hills on my daily journey.
I'll live with that

 

[Deleted member 18108]

I don't have a problem with my 'cheap Chinese car' A/C on auto and temp set at 24c and after a little while have to put it down to 22c

I do the same. On icy mornings, I set it up to 26 on the app and then set it to auto at 24 for the first part of the run, which I have to lower to 21 or 22. I have the A/C set to the Right star button on the steering wheel. I have had no issues with the windows misting up, unlike my previous Clio and Dacia, where the A/C would turn off when the auto stop activated in traffic. The only issue is if I am using Android auto, the A/C menu cannot be seen.

 

[Mikel14]

I do the same. On icy mornings, I set it up to 26 on the app and then set it to auto at 24 for the first part of the run, which I have to lower to 21 or 22. I have the AC set to the Right star button on the steering wheel. I have had no issues with the windows misting up, unlike my previous Clio and Dacia, where the AC would turn off when the auto stop activated in traffic. The only issue is if I am using Android auto, the AC menu cannot be seen.

Exactly the way I use mine, no complaints

 

[ptw]

It is a real problem getting heating right. I agree with FromParis who said: Sometimes you pass from some cold air to hot air ... just adding +1°C, which is my experience. Having messed about with it extensively I have found that setting it at 24°C on Auto and closing the two centre vents (which is where the blasts of cold air come from) works best, initially I set it at 26°C but within a few miles I need to turn it down. Occasionally I need to use the windscreen setting but not after it has got up to temperature. I'm sure I will have the same problem when we get into summer with trying to cool it down, but according to member glend14 in Australia he has found no problems with cooling, so fingers crossed

 

[mgpooter]

With this cold damp weather I have settled on Auto set at 22°C which seems to work very well and keeps the windows free of condensation. Our 'hybrid' problem is there is no possibility of heat until the engine warms up, so to get it going, with the 'Auto' on, as soon as one switches on the engine will start. That means a freezing cold blast, so get under way and then switch it off until it starts to steam up. The 'heating' switch is easy to use to intermittently clear the windows. Once you can see the engine temperature gauge (joke) shows warmth the heat starts to come through and 'Auto' can be left on. Naturally consumption is now up, worse on short trips but appears to improve on longer runs. Whereas I was getting say 60mpg in the summer, am now getting around the 50mpg mark. About the same as the old MG3 then, funny that - what are we doing! Doesn't half accelerate when you need it to though, must be worth something.

 

[Chris P]

I'm getting 50.4mpg. I started at 56.4 and it has been dropping slowly over the last four weeks. I'm in traffic 50% of the time. The dash says average speed is only 17mph so no exactly caning it am I?

I don't seem to be on EV very much.

When the heating is on the car won't go into EV mode. I put the heating on for a few minutes to heat the car up and then turn it off leaving the heated seat and steering wheel on then it switches into EV mode.