Monday 21st July 2003

MG targets BMW

Independent survey shows punters prefer MG to same price Bee Em

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MG are going head on with BMW with an aggressive advertising campaign extolling the virtues of their cars over comparable BMWs.

MG commissioned NOP to carry out an independent survey at Croft Racing Circuit. NOP assembled a panel of more than 100 consumers to assess the similarly priced - if not similarly powered - MGZT 190+ and the BMW 318i SE.

The panel judged both models across five categories. Using a combination of driving exercises, questionnaires and interviews the panel evaluated the cars on quality of exterior and interior, driving experience and performance, handling, driving enjoyment and overall desirability.

Not surprisingly more than 90% of the panel judged the MG to outperform the BMW, whilst it also scored well in the looks department with 75% of the respondents believing it to be more impressive than the German car. Inside only 20% of those surveyed preferred the BMW's interior.

The full survey can be viewed at www.mgbeatsbmw.com

[cerbman]

I would certainly pic the ZT, they're a great car.

[jumjum]

Oh dear,

Hardy appears that independant but no matter.

They didn't asked bmw drivers. Makes it a fairly pointless exercise if you are trying to draw punters away from BMW and I'll bet that of the 108 potentail punters will put thier money where thier mouth is.

Sure the ZT's not bad at all, but so is a Mondeo St220,both are faster than a 318 and arguably almost as nice to drive , in fact the st 220 is supposed to be quite a bit better than the ZT, but bmw buyers aren't going to buy either of those, they might risk a merc or audi but it's unlikely they would buy a rover , ford or other non premium brand.

Prestige matters as does the fact that a £22k zt will be worth around 40% ? after 3 years, whereas the 318 is likely to be up nearer 60% ?

How bad are these guys at running the Rover company ? They are virtually giving the cars away at the dealers and squandering loads developing the SV cars that very few people will buy.

[sublimatica]

I don't think Rover were hoping to draw any committed (read: "unimaginative") BMW buyers away from their brand. I think Rover were hoping to highlight to open-minded buyers the alternatives to the BMW brand, and prove how good the alternatives actually are in comparison.

Rover may be quite canny here, commissioning an independent report to prove what they believe, which is that pound-for-pound the MG ZT offers better value for money than the BMW equivalent. Those of us who approach car-buying with an open mind rather than badge-based preconceptions may be tempted to try a Rover AS WELL as a BMW, and find ourselves pleasantly surprised.

Personally I don't see what the fuss is about BMWs. All my German friends say that in their hinterland BMWs are regarded as 'normal' runabouts and nothing at all special. It's mainly in the UK and US markets where BMW can slap a few spoilers on their cars, stiffen the suspension and sell them as premium-brand drivers' cars, charging us accordingly. I've found every Beemer I've been in to be cramped in comparison with equivalents (3-Series vs. Mondeo, 5-Series vs E-Class).

Also, the Mundano ST220 may also be a fine drivers' car and good value for money, but you wouldn't expect Rover to commission a report to prove that, would you?

As for the independance (or otherwise) of the report, I'd be surprised if NOP - a widely respected independent opinion-monitoring company - could be swayed to favour a chosen outcome. (I'm not saying it couldn't happen, just that I'd be very surprised.) If you read Rover's website they explain in more detail the criteria for choosing the drivers to participate in this survey. They weren't all Rover buyers, or BMW buyers.