Before the era of SUVs and crossovers, the sedan was king. My formative years as a gearhead were spent in different makes and models of four-door saloon cars such as the Toyota Corolla, the Honda Civic, and the Mazda 3. I guess during those times, the regular sedan body style with the engine bay, passenger cabin, and trunk nestled in separate compartments made sense. Until I saw the genius behind the MG 6.

The MG 6 isn’t styled like any mainstream sedan on the market today, except for the current-generation Civic. I like the fact that the rear glass swoops down rather than abruptly terminates at the trunk area. There is even a Trophy badge on the left-side C-pillar which adds to this range-topping test unit’s sporty look. I just wish it had one on the right side as well. But otherwise, I’d say the MG 6 is quite a looker compared to its rivals.

Unlike the Civic, which still has a traditional trunk, the MG 6 has a legitimate liftback. The entire rear portion of the car lifts up on gas struts which makes it so easy to load stuff you’d normally deem impossible with a regular sedan. Just to give you an idea on how much junk the MG 6’s cargo area was able to swallow, I had a wheelchair, two medium-sized luggage trolleys, a baby buggy, and several shopping bags. And that’s without folding the rear seats down.

The cabin, though stylish, is a bit of a hit and miss. I like the instrument binnacle’s design, with a rev counter that rotates anti-clockwise. The quality of the leather appears to be acceptable for a Chinese car. And, typical of any automobile from the People’s Republic, space in the back is quite generous with rear passengers having their own air-con vents. I just wish that the interior had a lot less red in it. Also, I couldn’t quite understand why the infotainment system had Apple CarPlay but not Android Auto.

The powertrain is pretty potent. The 1.5-liter four-cylinder lump breathes through a turbocharger and produces 164hp and 250Nm of torque. I particularly like the torque delivery of this engine. The spec sheet says that maximum twist comes in at 4,300 rpm but it felt a lot sooner than that. While the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox does make efficient use of the available grunt, it can get a bit grumpy especially while crawling through traffic.

The MG 6 sort of ruins traditional sedans for me simply because of the newfound versatility of the fastback body. I was surprised at the amount of stuff I was able to cram into that car, without sacrificing passenger comfort. Coupled with the powerful engine and the P1,188,888 purchase price–which is nothing short of a bargain for this vehicle’s performance–the MG 6 is one that consumers should seriously consider.