As others have said, there is simply no comparison. I can see why people might compare them on paper but ‘in the flesh’ and on the road the Tiguan feels about 3 classes above the MG. We had an MG for a number of days whilst our Tiguan was off the road having some work done, so I was able to make a direct comparison. In the first hour or so of driving it, I thought it was OK but, just as with a test drive, anything new and different can be quite exciting and you tend not to see the faults. However, as time went on I got to know the car better and could really see the cost cutting and ultra budget nature of the car. The technology seemed very dated, materials used look and feel very cheap and the engine lacked refinement. When the Tiguan was returned it really made me appreciate it more!
With regards to the facelifted Tiguan, the smart money goes on the Elegance model whereas pre facelift the desirable model was the R-Line Tech. The latest R-Line is a real step backwards IMO. With the old model, the R-Line Tech had all the equipment of the SEL plus added the full body colour skirts and nicer looking alloys. On the new one, the sole advantage is the body coloured side skirts. The new R-Line alloys don’t look as good as those on the old one IMO.
Most importantly the new R-Line loses over £2k worth of kit that comes as standard on the Elegance, namely iQ lights (£415) / Electric Tailgate (£320) / Panoramic Sunroof (£945) / Rear View Camera (£370) = £2,050. The R-Line also has touch sensitive steering wheel buttons which have had bad reviews as they’re easy to activate inadvertently. The Elegance has proper buttons. Also the R-Line has a black headlining so without the sunroof would feel very dark and oppressive. Finally, the seat fabric in the new R-Line looks like a 1980’s Golf GTi and therefore very dated. On the Elegance you can opt for Storm Grey two-tone black and light grey upholstery (at no cost) which really lifts the interior and looks very classy.
So, in summary, the Tiguan every day but go for the Elegance model. If the grey plastic side skirts bother you, go for Dolphin Grey paintwork as then they become invisible!