TO be absolutely honest, and perhaps unfairly, I was expecting an unimpressive successor to what was a prestige old marque, the MG Magnette, which first graced the roads 90-odd years ago.
Some of those reservations were proved right, with some lack of attention to detail and some harsh plastics and, crucially, the lack of a diesel engine.
But this car proved a real surprise package, and with the Chinese owners promising a raft of new models, Longbridge could, sorry for the pun, arise Phoenix-like from the ashes of 2005 and become a major assembly plant again.
The Magnette and its stablemate the MG6 are cars loaded with standard kit, is a good drive and aggressively priced. Even the range topper with all the bells and whistles comes in at under £20,000 while the entry-level S starts at £15,995. A similar size, similarly kitted out saloon could cost a whole lot more.
Luckily, from MG's point of view, there is still a lot of goodwill out there towards the brand and diehard fans are not at all disappointed with arrival of the newcomer.
Equally, there is still a fair amount of anti MG snobbery meaning that for some, they will never build a decent car.
Well, in short, they have. It is British-designed, at the reborn Longbridge factory in Birmingham where final assembly also takes place, so it is an important car for both the Midland and national economy.
The new diesel engine is being developed at Longbridge and should be available towards the end of next year.
Those plastics will probably be improved and the lack of attention to detail is apparent with annoying little things like bolt ends protruding into the boot which could snag on valuables. Simple plastic or rubber covers costing pennies would alleviate this.
Still it's pretty minor stuff really and the car just grew on me.
The exterior look divided opinion, but the majority liked the feline, low-slung look with attractive 17-inch alloy wheels
The interior has a minimalist feel with clear and concise dial, sturdy stalks and robust switches.
I particularly liked the dash display featuring the analogue-style clock that dominates the easy-to-view and use digital info panel. Novel is a car of this class.
The turbocharged 1.8-litre engine delivers plenty of grunt allied to a surprisingly slick five-speed box.
But it has to be worked hard to get anywhere near the claimed 0-60mph sprint time 8.4 seconds.
However, it was more economical than I thought it would be. I reckon it was pretty near the claimed official 35.6mpg - not bad considering there was a fair amount of motorway driving and with a low insurance grouping the car is less expensive to run than you might have thought.
The key, which also acts as a starter button feels a bit low rent, but is also a neat touch
The car seems to fall between two segments - the small family car and the bigger models like the Mondeo and Passat and that is no bad thing.
The MG is more than big enough to comfortably seat four adults, with a fifth being a bit of a squeeze.
The driver enjoys a six-way adjustable sports seat and the passenger seat is a four-way adjustable while both are firm and supportive and make with high quality cloth. The range-topper features leather.
Boot space is also good with a more than adequate 485 litres,
Because it is not a big barge, handling is crisp, agile and sporty and the steering precise and direct.
It handles corners with excellent grip and the ride is firm but comfortable as you would want from a sporty saloon.
The entry-level S model features air conditioning, electric windows all round, radio, RDS, CD player, MP3, USB and aux-in capability.
Body coloured mirrors and a rear spoiler are also standard. The SE adds satellite navigation, front and rear parking sensors and cruise control and one-touch front window operation.
The range topper has leather sports seats, full colour sat nav and reversing camera and Bluetooth capability. There is also plenty of safety kit including airbags, traction and stability control.
A polished performer that looks good value for money and as the annoying popular song goes: things can only get better.
FAST FACTS
MG Magnette 1.8 Turbo SE
Price: £17,495
Mechanical: 158bhp, 1,750cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 120mph
0-62mph: 8.4 seconds
Combined mpg: 35.6
Insurance group: 11
CO2 emissions: 184g/km
BiK rating: 26%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles