2026 MGU9 review: Serious value, but does it stack up off-road?

The last time I drove a vehicle wearing the iconic MG badge was about 35 years ago. It was a sweet little British roadster, even if the steering did have a habit of disconnecting from the front wheels, leaving the driver with no control over the vehicle’s direction.

If anyone had told me then that the next time I’d drive an MG would be in 2026 – and that it would be a gargantuan 4×4 ute made in China – I would have laughed harder than I did when the steering failed on that MGB. Yet here we are. The MG brand no longer represents Morris Garages but now sells a range of small cars, SUVs and this monstrous U9 ute, all built in China. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

There’s nothing sweet or little about this MG, but if it’s bang you’re chasing from your ever-devaluing buck, then this truck could be for you. It can be hard for any new model to stand out in the overcrowded midsize 4×4 ute segment, but the MG U9 demands attention. And once the U9 Explore Pro catches your eye, it’ll be chasing your $60K. That’s right – this massive, fully loaded, triple-locked and turbocharged ute, with more standard features than just about anything else in its class, sells for $61,000.

JUMP AHEAD

• Chassis, suspension and powertrain
• Exterior and interior
• How does it perform on- and off-road?
• Ownership value
• Specs

Chassis, suspension and powertrain

The reborn MG brand has gone about things a little differently to others in the market when it came to designing its big utility.

While it is a double-cab ute built on a ladder-frame chassis and powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine backed by an automatic transmission and a dual-range transfer case, things start to stray from the norm when you look under the skin. This is where the clever coves will be piping up, proclaiming that the MG U9 is just an LDV Terron 9 with a different badge – and they’d be right. To a certain degree, anyway. While they are essentially the same ute, the key difference between the MG and the LDV – and every other midsize 4×4 ute on the market – is that the U9 uses an independent rear suspension configuration in place of a live axle.

While IRS set-ups are more commonly found under passenger cars and light-duty SUVs, where improved dynamics and comfort take precedence over load capacity, the U9 still manages a 3500kg towing capacity and a 770kg payload in the Explore Pro model, rising to 870kg in the entry-level Explore variant. The rear axle under the U9 is rated to 1200kg. 

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While we’re under the vehicle, we can tell you that the front suspension is a conventional wishbone and coil IFS set-up, and there’s an eight-speed automatic transmission behind the engine. All three differentials can be locked from inside the cabin, accessed via a menu on the screen after pressing a console-mounted button. Strangely, there’s no way to lock the centre diff in high range. The Explore Pro is the only U9 variant to get a locking front differential.

Up front is a 2.5-litre single-turbo diesel that MG and LDV claim is the most powerful in the segment, with a claimed 160kW and 520Nm from the four-cylinder engine. It’s an unremarkable engine that doesn’t feel any more powerful than the 2.8-litre in the HiLux, and certainly not as punchy as the now-discontinued Ford bi-turbo 2.0-litre. Maybe that big, blunt front end is pushing so much air that it stifles performance.

Exterior and interior

While the body of the U9 is big and blocky, and could be assumed to follow the status quo in the segment, it differs in that the side panels are one-piece, running from the door pillars back to the rear of the tub.

This means there is no bulkhead between the cabin and the load bed and, in fact, the U9 allows you to open a flap between the folded rear seats and the tub to carry long items. This design also allows for more rake in the rear seat backrest, improving comfort. Speaking of the back seat, it’s a wide, leather-clad pew with heating for the outer positions. The front seats are also leather-trimmed and feature heating, ventilation, power adjustment and a massage function for the driver. Front seat occupants are faced with a wide, bluff dashboard housing a pair of 12.3-inch screens – one for multimedia and one for driver information.

The cabin is wide, spacious and loaded with equipment, but I found it frustrating that some of the buttons on the console and HVAC controls still require input via the multimedia screen rather than operating directly. Why should you need two actions to perform a single function? 

A few other small gripes include the harsh material on the windowsills – it was wearing a hole in the skin on my elbow after a few days of driving – and the digital rear-view mirror, which gives a poor and distorted view of what’s behind the U9 while driving. Luckily, the reversing camera provides a clean and well-defined image on the screen when manoeuvring the 5.5m-long ute.

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How does it perform on- and off-road?

On the highway and sealed roads, the U9 tours well. The engine is strong and the transmission responds quickly to inputs. Ride quality is acceptable, however NVH levels are poor. The fact that the Pro runs all-terrain tyres doesn’t help, but their inclusion is appreciated on a 4×4 ute. 

I was initially put off when I read that the U9 Pro rides on 20-inch wheels, but the 275/65 Falken Wildpeak tyres still offer plenty of sidewall and give the ute a tougher look. In practice, the tyre size wasn’t an issue at all. Once we left the sealed roads and hit gravel, the suspension’s shortcomings became apparent, as the tyres thumped into potholes and the short-travel independent rear suspension reached its limits.

On steep gravel climbs that we would normally tackle in high range, the U9 scrabbled for grip, as the calibration of the electronic traction control couldn’t keep up. With no ability to lock the centre diff in high range, selecting low range becomes necessary. This was also the case when we got into low-range moguls, where the short-travel suspension lifts wheels easily, requiring the centre and rear diffs to be locked. With all three diffs engaged, the U9 felt unstoppable.

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Ownership value

MG vehicles come with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

This can be extended to up to 10 years/250,000km (whichever comes first) for passenger vehicles intended for personal use, and up to seven years/200,000km (whichever comes first) for light commercial vehicles, provided scheduled servicing is completed with an authorised MG dealer.

If these kilometre limits are exceeded during the standard warranty period, the extended coverage will not apply. Roadside assistance is included, and service pricing is fixed for the first 12 months.

Specs