2019 MG RX5: Interior & Cargo Space Review

When MG released their new lineup of cars in the Philippines, we were pleasantly surprised to get our hands on a few of them on such short notice. MG has been working wonders with their interior quality, materials, and overall execution, injecting some needed premium touches to their respective segments at attractive price points. What’s more, the cabin experience is further elevated by providing generous legroom and space for passengers.

The 2019 MG RX5 fits the compact crossover SUV bill very well, providing for a great cabin experience and good cargo space for families that need versatility. We’ll be going more in detail on those points in this specific review, but if you want our overall verdict, refer to our full review and our tech and safety review on the RX5, as well.

Inside the 2019 MG RX5, you’ll find no shortage of carefully selected materials and great cabin design execution. The RX5 proves to be a little bit more adventurous than its rivals, opting for a nice beige leather theme, coupled with black plastics and wood trim pieces. The plastics are mostly of the soft touch variety, and feel squishy and nicely textured, save for a few bits of the cabin where the hands rarely touch. Places like the lower door panels and door cargo compartments are still the hard, glossy kind, but that’s totally forgivable as the chances of scuffing them up always presents itself. Piano black plastic is only found in the gear lever indicators and slightly wrapped around the center stack of infotainment and aircon controls, and, thankfully, the chances of fingerprints or dust are very minimal. The leather found all over the cabin feels nice to touch, but does lack some padding in some places, especially the doors. The seats, however, are very nice, indeed. The aluminum trim pieces are well executed with the plastic wood bits, and are found at only a few places such as the front storage area and door panels. Overall, it’s a cabin that looks and feels like a car above this price point. Good job, MG.

Everything translates to the rear, as well, and the passengers enjoy the same materials and execution. Space back here is good, and any adult can find themselves getting comfortable in no time. Fitting three large adults in the back might be slightly tight, but the center passenger will benefit from having no awkward hump taking up valuable foot space. For families that have two or less children, the rear seats are excellent, and you can even squeeze one adult to keep an eye on the kids while they’re in their car seats.

Out on a trip with just one other passenger? Feel free to use the back seats and trunk for all your stuff. If 595 liters of space isn’t enough for you, you can choose to fold down the 60:40 split seats to reveal 1,639 liters of cargo space; more than enough for golf clubs, balikbayan boxes, and suitcases. There are even small pockets on the side to store stuff. The load lip might be a little high, but your stuff won’t be rolling around too much. A beach trip isn’t out of the question, and you always have the flexibility to fold just one seat down to accommodate that one rear passenger and still have room for some toys and inflatables.