It’s only been two years since the MG GT came to the Philippine market. Serving as a more stylish and more feature-packed alternative to the Roewe-based MG5, the sedan has also ushered in the now familiar MG design language reflected by models such as the MG One.

But over in its home market, the MG GT (called the MG5), has now been given a mid-cycle update. The carmaker features a few exterior changes, as well as an overhauled interior.

On the outside, the MG GT now looks more like a smaller version of the upcoming MG7 sports sedan. The signature wide-grilled front fascia has been revised with vertical slats and features more body-colored trims. The MG emblem has also been moved from the central section to the top of the grille, while the headlights look slightly more aggressive with the new LED light signature.

At the back, the taillights have also been reshaped and now look similar to the MG One crossover. The rear bumper gets more pronounced faux vents along with a revised diffuser.

Inside, the MG GT’s driver-centric dashboard design has been replaced with a more conventional horizontal layout. There’s a new digital cockpit with 12.3-inch displays for both the instrument cluster and the infotainment screen, as well as new A/C vents with chrome accents. Interestingly, the MG GT carried over the D-shaped steering wheel design unlike the flat-top, flat-bottomed units found on newer MG models.

When it comes to engine choices, the MG GT carries over the 1.5-liter naturally-aspirated inline-four and the 1.5-liter turbocharged version. The former puts out 120 PS and 150 Nm of torque paired to a CVT with 8 simulated gear ratios. The latter, meanwhile, generates 175 PS with 275 Nm of pull connected to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

While MG has yet to give detailed information about the GT's new safety features, we expect the car to have plenty as they have likely addressed the issues that caused it to have a zero-star ANCAP crash test rating last year. 

Other information should be available once the facelifted MG GT makes its debut on August 30 at the Chengdu Auto Show.