The Government, the car manufacturers and even your brother-in-law, with a bravas tapa and from the bar, have sold you that the transition to electric mobility would be quick, simple and suitable for all budgets. A quick look at the price list of “popular” electric cars is enough to see that we have been taken for a bit. But today, what we have with us is not only the cheapest electric compact on the market, it is cheaper than almost all compact diesel or gasoline. It costs a little more than €19,000, has at least 350 km of autonomy and is well equipped. Where is the trick? Is this real? Let’s find out, and let’s try it.
What is the MG4?
The MG4 Electric is an electric car made by MG. It is a car developed and produced in China – MG is part of SAIC Motor, China’s largest car manufacturer – and uses a modular platform for electric cars recently developed by MG, called MSP-EV (Modular Scalable Platform). Unlike the MG5, it is not a combustion car converted to an electric car. The MG4 is only available in a five-door body. and is sold in three different finishes: Standard, Comfort and Luxury.
Although we refer to it as the MG4, its full name is MG4 Electric.
The first has 350 km of WLTP autonomy, while the two top finishes already reach 450 km and have a 204 HP engine. The design of the MG4 is more striking than that of other MGs, but it is still a relatively inconspicuous car. Only sharp optics at the front and rear lights that run the full width of the car attract our attention. It is clear that MG does not want to excessively polarize public opinion.
The MG4 Electric It measures 4.29 meters long. It is almost identical, in dimensions, to the Volkswagen ID.3, and is somewhat shorter than rivals like the Opel Astra-e or the Kia e-Niro.
Analyzing the interior of the MG4 Electric
To find out if the MG4 is really as cheap a car as its price could indicate, while we analyze it, we will make some reference to the Volkswagen ID.3, which is still its most direct rival in the C segment. At first glance, when getting into the cabin, the MG4 gives us a good impression. Its dashboard has a modern design and the interior is diaphanous, thanks to a floating center console, two screens that do not take up too much space, discreet vents and the classic flat bottom of electric cars – due to the location of its battery.
MG claims that its battery is the thinnest in the segment, at just 110mm thick.
The first point to consider is the ergonomics, which I found generally satisfactory. There is good visibility out of the car and the location of their screens is not annoying. I easily find my driving position and am only sometimes annoyed by the floating center console, which I constantly touch with my knee. I expected to find a worse level of qualities, materials and adjustmentsand I have to tell you that at this point, no cost savings are perceived by MG: the interior is much better built than that of a Volkswagen ID.3.
In fact, it has well-fitting soft plastic on the upper part of the dash, the doors have nice trim – the rear ones too – and the hard plastic on the doors and lower part of the dash is solid with no creaks. I can only complain about the piano black center console, also present in the steering wheel, and the quality of the storage space between the two seats, somewhat poor. We have not perceived that it is a cheap car in terms of qualities. Perhaps it is the technology where MG has saved.
The MG ZS had some unconvincing quality details, such as the quality of the leather. The MG4 is far superior in this regard.
The instrumentation is digital and it is a seven-inch screen. It has good resolution and good visibility through the steering wheel rim. It shows trip information and the necessary vehicle data, such as the autonomy or battery charge. It hardly has configuration possibilities, but we do not miss greater customization in this display. the screen of MG iSmart infotainment system It is mounted on the center console and is 10.25″. It is widescreen and entry-level, it is easy and intuitive to use.
Its learning curve is minimal and it presents the information in a very logical way, as well as being quite fluid. It is an infotainment system at the height of the segment, but if we have to put a but on it, it is that we have to manage the air conditioner through the screen, except for a few buttons with shortcuts. It is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, logically. Regarding the rear seats, they are located at a height slightly higher than the front ones and the same thing happens in many electric ones.
I miss a central armrest, as well as a headrest for the rear center seat.
As the battery is located under the floor, they force us to keep our legs somewhat bent. However, they are good in all their dimensions, with the exception of the total width, which limits the rear space to two adults and one child. Amenities are sparse: in-seat phone pockets and a nearly flat bottom. We miss aerators and charging sockets. As for the trunk, we talk about a space of 350 liters in the top-of-the-range version, and 363 liters in the rest. A correct figure for a compact car – the ID.3 has 385 liters of volume.
It is not a huge trunk, but it has regular shapes and a double bottom that is quite usable. Of course, the loading mouth is not as regular as in other of its rivals. We don’t have a front trunk on the MG4despite the fact that its engine is in the rear position.
Behind the wheel of the 2023 MG4
The MG4 we are testing is the top-of-the-range version, equipped with a 64 kWh battery, with a 204 hp rear electric motor. It has 435 km of autonomy in the Luxury trim and 450 km in the Comfort trim. There is an access MG4, with a 51 kWh capacity battery, 170 CV and 350 km of autonomy according to the WLTP cycle. All of them are limited to a top speed of 160 km/h and interestingly, the less powerful ones are faster, with a 0 to 100 km/h time of 7.7 seconds – compared to 7.9 seconds for the versions with a higher capacity battery. .
Only the top-of-the-range trim can be equipped with heat pump heating, the most efficient for winter.
The MG4 batteries are produced by CATL, a giant Chinese company that supplies batteries to BMW, Stellantis or Hyundai/KIA. Dynamically, the MG4 is a car that has convinced me more than a Volkswagen ID.3, and it is very balanced. Tuning your suspension is a excellent compromise between comfort and cornering, the steering is relatively communicative, and the car has great sound insulation. At its level of power, it’s an agile car with good acceleration – it’s retaliatory in all circumstances, at least at legal speeds.
I want to mention some details that have caught my attention. One of them is that lacks single pedal drive mode, something that I value a lot in an electric car, despite having three driving modes and variable regeneration – it uses the front radar to vary the retention depending on the traffic. I also don’t want to forget to mention that rearward visibility is poor: the rear window is very narrow and it doesn’t have a rear window wiper, something that I find difficult to understand. Finally, mention excellent maneuverability.
All MG4s have two drive wheels and the electric motor located in the rear.
It is a car that turns a lot, and when parking or maneuvering in narrow places, it is a great point in favor. In a few words, it is a car with pleasant dynamics, a good set-up and, moreover, correct electricity consumption. It has nothing to envy to a western electric, in short.
Recharge and consumption
the MG4 Approves 16.6 kWh of average consumption with the 64 kWh battery capacity. On paper, this allows us up to 450 km of autonomy according to the WLTP cycle. At the moment of truth, the real autonomy will depend a lot on the use, but in a mixed cycle with many fast roads in between, we will talk about about 300 km of real autonomy, in line with its rivals. In our consumption cycle, with ring roads, some city, and without paying too much attention to efficiency, the average cost has been 19.5 kWh/100 km.
In alternating current, the MG4 can be charged at a maximum of 11 kW of power with its on-board charger.
However, it is easy for consumption to fluctuate around 16.5 kWh/100 km if we try to drive more efficiently. The accumulated consumption in the unit showed, after nearly 1,000 km, an average consumption of 18.8 kWh/100 km. At the time of recharging, the maximum charging power will depend on the MG4 we have purchased. If it is the small battery version, it can be charged at a maximum of 117 kW of power in direct current – the outlet is the conventional Combo Type 2 CCS – but with the large battery the charging power increases to 135 kW.
They are figures comparable to or higher than those of rivals such as the Renault Mégane E-Tech or the Volkswagen ID.3.
€19,280. Where’s the catch?
And we come to one of the key points of this test. The MG4 price. MG says you can take home an MG4 for €19,280. But I think it is necessary to explain very well how that price is achieved, because it has something of a trick. To begin with, we must choose the access version, in Standard finish, with its small battery, 170 CV and 350 km of autonomy. Second, we must finance the purchase of the vehicle with Santander Promofinance. Thirdly, after the generic commercial campaign of MG, we must apply the 7,000 euros discount from the MOVES III Plan.
MG offers a seven-year or 150,000 km warranty on the MG4 Electric. It has achieved five stars in EuroNCAP crash tests.
In this case, MG advances said 7,000 euros, which are technically a zero-interest loan. Lastly, the promotion It is only valid until the end of the year 2022, and it is only for white units in stock. Nor are registration or delivery costs included, which could amount to a few hundred euros. Yes, there are many conditions, but the reality is that in the electric car market, absolutely no one gives more for less.
Y We do not take a bare or basic car: This 19,280-euro MG4 has the infotainment system that you have seen in the video, fabric upholstery, 16-inch wheels, LED headlights and a complete range of driving assistance, such as adaptive cruise control or steering assistant. lane maintenance.
conclusions
The MG4 has just shown us that it is an electric compact that nothing has to envy its western rivals. It is not below them in dynamics, consumption, autonomy, technology or equipment, and in some points, it is even objectively better. But where the MG4 gives the chest is in its spectacular price. A price that is not only about 10,000 euros – in price list – lower than its rivals, but with the help of the Moves III Plan, it is lower than almost all internal combustion compacts on the market.
MG has everything in front of it to burst the electric car market, and everything indicates that Europe will not be able to avoid it, with a turn of its brands towards premium segments that we could summarize in “bread for today, hunger for tomorrow”. The MG4 Electric is that “hunger for tomorrow”.
Photos of the MG4 Electric
