The Chinese manufacturer Roewe has given the i5 a facelift. The upgraded Roewe i5 may be more interesting than you think, as the car is technically related to the MG 5 that has just been unveiled for the Dutch market.
MG is bringing both optically and technically refreshed versions of the MG 5 EV and MG 5 Electric to the Netherlands. The 5 Electric is in fact a facelifted version of the MG 5 EV that was previously presented for the English market. The electric versions of the MG 5 are based on the Ei5, the electric version of the Roewe i5. It has been sold in China since 2017 and is now undergoing a fairly thorough facelift. Especially the inside of that updated sedan is interesting, because it is obvious that ‘our’ MG 5 Electric will also get it.
Interior of the English MG 5 EV
MG has not yet released an image of the interior of the MG 5 Electric and so we had to do with the interior of the pre-facelift 5 EV for the time being. The interior of the renewed Roewe i5 looks much more contemporary and is completely new except for the door panels. For example, the screen of the infotainment system is now at the same height as the otherwise completely new digital instruments. The ventilation grilles lower one floor and are now located under the infotainment screen. That display is completely new in the facelifted Roewe i5, has a diameter of 12.3-inches and is accompanied by a set of shortcut keys at the bottom. That screen is therefore larger than the 8-inch copy in the MG 5 EV. A line runs along the entire width of the dashboard that merges with the ventilation grilles at the corners of the dashboard. These photos show a conventional automatic lever, just assume that the electric MG 5 Electric that is coming to the Netherlands is missing.
Interior of the renewed Roewe i5 and therefore also of the Ei5 (and therefore possibly also of the MG5 Electric that is coming to the Netherlands)
That selector lever of the automatic transmission indicates of course that the Roewe i5 just has combustion engines. The electric version of the i5, the Ei5, will undoubtedly also be upgraded. Under the hood of the revised Roewe i5 is a blown 1.5 that delivers 170 hp and 250 Nm. There is also a turbo-free 1.5 that kicks it up to 120 hp and 150 Nm. The Roewe i5 is only available as a sedan while the MG5 Electric only exists as a station wagon. The modified Roewe i5 now has headlights very similar to those of the upgraded MG5 Electric.
By the way, do not confuse the MG 5 Electric with the car that is called MG 5 in China. The Chinese MG 5 is a model available as a hatchback and sedan that shares its technology with the Roewe i5, just like ‘our MG 5’, but it does have its own bodywork.
The Roewe i5 will of course not come to the Netherlands, but it is interesting to see how parent company SAIC Motor distributes its models between the MG and Roewe brands.