MG MG4 EV Review: This Is Class-Leading In More Ways Than One

What we like:

Original design is a breath of fresh air

Handling and agility is impressive

Efficiency is high

What we dislike:

It looks like a hatch, or maybe an MPV?

The MG4 is something of a breath of fresh air for MG, being the first car to be built on an all-new platform. It feels like a distinct step up from the current MG line-up, a car that’s truly innovative and hasn’t been limited by bean counters and baggage of the past. To be honest, it seems to have come out of the blue, but what an entrance it makes.

The statistics are definitely very promising - there is a claimed WLTP range of 450 km with a 64 kWh battery, ample output of 204 PS / 250 Nm, and a very BMW-like 50:50 weight distribution with rear-wheel drive. It all points to a very serious contender to our reigning Electric Car of the Year as well as overall Car of the Year, the BYD Atto 3, although BYD has turned the heat up by releasing the Cat A version of the Atto 3 just last month.

The MG4 sports a unique hatchback/MPV look with an extra long wheelbase (2705 mm), a design that keeps on surprising with fantastic attention to detail such as an active front aero system (you’d normally see this only in super sports cars), a patterned rear light bar and twin aero rear spoilers. The MG4 has propelled the brand to the pageant show instead of just being a plain Jane.

There are other innovations. Its battery, laid on the floor of the car, measures only 110 mm in height - which is ultra thin compared to the competition. This reduces the ‘high floor’ effect that plagues BEVs and allows more room in the interior. There’s no start-stop button either, like what we see in Volvo/Polestar, so you can literally arrive and drive. Its infotainment is also proprietary to MG, which earns brownie points in our book considering they have not resorted to using a third party system. Apart from some lag, it works decently enough.

The drive certainly lived up to great first impressions. It is terrifically quiet on the move, even when compared to BEVs of the same ilk, with no rattles or untoward noises to speak of. Its suspension manages to give a better ride than most BEVs, a perennial problem when they have to manage the weight of their batteries. In the MG4, perhaps the conservative size of the rims aided in a pretty sorted ride.

Steering feel is a little vague in the normal setting, but in Sport it improves considerably and given its perfect weight distribution, the car is pretty polished dynamically. Give a dab of throttle and the car can even display its rear-driven personality in the wet. It’s certainly better to drive than an SUV, and close to what a hatchback can offer.

Quality is high and this is also evident in how much equipment MG has packed into the car, with all active/passive safety systems you can think of coming as standard under the umbrella of MG Pilot. It also has the coveted Euro NCAP 5 star crash rating.

Best of all, the car gives very ample power yet doesn’t have a punishingly high battery consumption figure. The official combined figure is 16-17 kWh/100km, and I managed 18.1 kWh/100km which comes pretty close despite a lot of idling and admittedly hard driving. Not many Continental makes can match this sort of efficiency in the same driving conditions. Its battery can also be fast-charged (DC) from 10 to 80 percent in 35 minutes with a speed up to 135 kW. This is simple proof that MG is really at the cutting edge when it comes to building BEVs.

There is very little to dislike about the MG4 - this is certainly a contender to seriously consider if you’re in the market for a BEV below $200k.

Photos by Darren Leong
---

Selling your car? Whatever the reason, caryousell@carousell, sell your car at the highest price today.