When the MG brand brought the first MG4 Electric to our market about a year ago, the vehicle attracted attention not only with its favorable price, but also with its excellently tuned chassis and very good driving characteristics. For those who have not yet met the MG brand: the letters MG in the name refer to the British brand Morris Garages, which celebrated its centenary last year.
It is currently part of the SAIC Group, headquartered in Shanghai. On our market, MG already offers several models with combustion engines and one plug-in hybrid, and has been popular with customers since the beginning thanks to a good ratio between price and quality. MG4 ELECTRIC is the manufacturer’s first model built on a specialized electric platform MSP (Modular Scalable Platform) and is already sold in more than twenty European countries. The modularity of the platform is best evidenced by the fact that the manufacturer already offers the MG4 with three types of batteries, with rear-wheel drive, as well as the high-performance XPower version with all-wheel drive. The lowest version with Emotion equipment uses an LFP battery with a capacity of 51 kWh, AC charging with a power of 6.6 kW, a motor with a power of 125 kW and a torque of 250 Nm. The standard version can be equipped with Elegance or Exlusive. It is equipped with an NMC type battery with a capacity of 64 kWh, an engine power of 150 kWh, a torque of 250 Nm and AC charging with a power of 11 kW. The tested version of the Exclusive 77 Long Range uses an even larger NMC battery with a capacity of 77 kWh. The manufacturer always indicates the installed capacity of the battery. In this case, it uses 74.2 kWh. The supplied batteries have cells with a height of only 110 mm, which saves space and does not create an unnecessarily high floor. The batteries can be charged by DC charging with a power of 88 to 140 kW, for the Long Range version 144 kW, so you can charge the battery from 10 to 80% in 38 minutes. The positive thing is that if you arrive at a charger with a balance of, for example, 30 or 50% SOC, the charging time will be reduced adequately, which is not a given for all electric cars. The vehicle also has V2L (Vehicle to Load) technology for powering other devices. However, to use it, you have to buy a special cable that connects to the charging connector and on the other side has two 230 V sockets with a shared power of 2.2 kW.
Thanks to a larger battery, the Long Range version offers a higher engine output of 180 kW with a torque of 350 Nm and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds. The maximum speed of 180 km/h is also higher compared to 160 km/h for the other versions. According to the WLTP methodology, the range is 520 km in the combined cycle and up to 708 km in the city.
The vehicle with a sports hatchback body has a length of 4.29 m. The front part impresses with an aerodynamically shaped, smooth front mask. Below it, the electrically controlled cooling air intake grills and the radar antenna are located in the center. On the sides there are openings with functional air collectors for blowing the brakes and directing the air flow, on their edges there are integrated turn signals. The headlights use LED technology with automatic high beam switching. Their luminosity belongs to the better average. The rear part is dominated by a distinctive spoiler and a diffuser in the lower part. The rear LED lights have an interesting and unmistakable design with a protruding edge across the entire width of the rear door and a large MG logo in the middle. The roof flows into a large split spoiler at the rear.
The cabin is essentially the same as the standard version. You will be impressed by its spaciousness and decent workmanship. The center console is short and carries only the selector for driving modes, the electric parking brake and a pad for wireless charging of a mobile phone. However, unfortunately, it does not have any significant stop, so during a sharp acceleration, it may happen that your mobile phone will fly around the cabin. Below there are drink holders and a fairly large compartment with a retractable blind. This is also a suitable place for mobile phones if you want to use, for example, Android Auto. It’s only available via cable for now. The USB-A connector is hidden just under the center console. There is also USB-C, but it is only for charging. There is another storage space in the armrest. Unfortunately, the glossy surfaces with the piano lacquer remain, so you are constantly wiping dust and fingerprints. The pair of displays is also glossy, the smaller 7″ display of the instrument panel takes care of the display of driving data, but with the exception of small things, the display cannot be influenced in any way. The central 10.25″ display has a high resolution and fairly good graphics. Below it is a row of hardware buttons for direct heating control and air conditioning menu entry, home button and volume control. Several essential functions, such as changing the driving mode or changing the efficiency of recuperation, are controlled via the display. Fortunately, these functions can be mapped to a pair of star user buttons on the steering wheel. Unlike the lower versions, navigation is also included. However, many users still prefer to rely on Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, which work only via cable, but are reliable. The display allows you to switch to light or dark display, it’s a pity that the instrument panel only uses dark mode.
A wide range of assistance systems is available at no extra charge. Under the MG Pilot badge, you’ll find adaptive cruise control, active lane keeping, lane assist, automatic high beams, intelligent speed limiter and automatic braking systems. They all work very reliably.
Despite the fact that a larger battery also means a higher weight of the car, the vehicle compensates for this with higher power and, above all, torque, which manifests itself in a quicker response and higher acceleration. The excellent chassis with the wheels located in the corners makes the almost go-kart characteristics stand out. The car sits very well on the road and is pleasant to drive. The pull of the engine is significant and you will certainly not have a problem with any overtaking. The maximum speed increased to 180 km/h. Consumption at the level of 17.4 kWh/100 km is also a pleasant surprise. Within the regions and the city, you can easily drive below 14 kWh/100 km. To sum it up, the MG4 in the Long Range version is a grown-up family electric car that allows for more frequent trips over longer distances while maintaining comfort. Fast charging and a wide range of assistance systems also contribute to this. In addition, the manufacturer provides a factory warranty for the car for up to 7 years or 150,000 km.
TESTY:
- Consumption in the test (kWh/100 km)
- Test range (km)
- AC charging power on 22 kW 3f charger (kW)
- Max. DC charging power UFC charger 350 kW (kW)
- Charging time 10-80% (min)
Specifications:
Battery 77 kWh, usable 74.2 kWh, rear wheel drive, electric motor power: 180 kW, torque: 350 Nm, max. speed: 180 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h: 6.5 s, max. range (WLTP): 520 – 708 km, charging: DC 144 kW, AC 11 kW/3f
PROS, CONS:
+ Range, chassis, technological equipment, performance, processing
– Too small font in infotainment
Source: www.nextech.sk
