MG4 Review

An MG4 review by Ally Howard-Williams

From a legendary British sports car brand to an electric vehicle powerhouse, the change of the MG brand has been monumental. Spanning ownership over two continents, Nanjing Automobile Group has now taken MG to new heights in the electric vehicle market.

Now taking on the likes of Volkswagen, Ford and KIA; the MG4 is a practical, stylish, and capable family car which has raised the game of small electric cars to new heights.

Some of the features of the MG4 will really give you a new perspective on what electric cars have to offer, one that particularly stands out, is the ability to charge from 10% - 80% in just over 30 minutes on a 150 Kw rapid charger.

The MG4 comes in three battery sizes, 51kWh, 64kWh, or 77kWh. With the larger battery, this car can get a range of 323 miles on a single charge.

That is almost unheard of for a car of this size!

There are five different models of MG4, with the SE spec, SE long range, Trophy, Trophy long range, and the Xpower model. The Xpower model is a high-performance car capable of launch control, propelling you from 0 - 62mph in just 3.8 seconds.

The outside looks absolutely fantastic, its unique style certainly makes it stand out from the competition.

Ever since driving one, I almost can’t not notice them each time I drive by one.

The interior of the car is quite tactile and practical, however, the only thing that brings it down is the charging tray. Not designed well, it is horizontal and also quite large for only one device, so any phone that you have there, once you go round a corner will be disconnected, and may even fly off onto the floor.

The SE spec comes packed with so much equipment, including:

• A 10.25" touchscreen
• Apple Carplay and Android Auto,
• The MG pilot system, which is MG’s own driver assistance system
• LED headlights and rear lights
• Automatic indoor lights
• Rear parking sensors
• Adaptive cruise control.

And that's just the standard model!

The Trophy long-range model comes with all the SE model gear and more! Including 360 cameras, wireless phone charging, sat nav, heated front seats and steering wheel, plus a tasteful leather interior, to name just a few.

The equipment is almost unmatched by any other basic model car for that price, making the MG4 one of the best cars on the market for your money.

That being said, you need to be aware that the lane assist can give quite a jolt every now and then. On my commute to work (which is around 20 miles), it went off twice trying to correct me when I was in the middle of the lane. You can turn it off, but it resets every time you turn on the car. Sometimes I forget and it’s not always the best surprise.

Having driven more than 100 electric cars over the past six months, I can say that there is not much out there that’s easier to drive.

The MG4 offers five modes so that you can drive however suits you best:

• Eco
• Sport
• Snow
• Standard
• Custom

It’s one of the smoothest driving cars I’ve ever driven in Standard and Eco mode. And if, like me, you like to feel the drive of the car, Sport mode (especially in the Xpower model) lets you feel just how responsive the car is around corners and accelerating off the line.

I struggled on this section for a while, it’s difficult to find a car to properly compare to. I decided to go for the Fiesta, an iconic car that I learned to drive in. However, as much respect I have for the fiesta, the world is ever-changing and evolving, and the EV market is now getting to the point where it’s overtaking the petrol world.