MG4 Electric Luxury test: here to stay

The MG4 Electric Luxury 64 kWh at a glance

• Electric compact car from China
• 150 kW/204 HP rear-wheel drive
• Consumption between 19 and 21 kWh per 100 km
• 64 kWh battery good for up to 290 km
• Good equipment, solid workmanship
• Starting price MG4 Luxury from 39,312.50 euros

The front of the MG4 is striking and angular. Completely different than the competitor VW ID.3.

MG4 Luxury with 204 hp and 64 kWh battery remains just under the 40,000 euro limit

We save ourselves a long introduction, because where other Far Eastern car manufacturers mainly have hot air in their range, MG simply builds cars. The traditional British brand, which went bankrupt at the beginning of the 2000s, has been part of the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) for 16 years and has been selling cars in Germany again for just over two years. And quite successfully. A bestseller is the MG4, which has been available since the end of 2022 and is based on the in-house Modular Scalable Platform (MSP). Basically, the compact model can be ordered with two different battery sizes and in four different performance levels (with and without all-wheel drive) (MG4 model series, combined power consumption: 18.7-16.0 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g /km; Combined electric range: 350-520 km)².

The MG4 standard starts at around 32,000 euros and has a gross 51 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, which should enable a range of up to 350 kilometers according to WLTP. The MG4 Comfort, on the other hand, is available from 37,000 euros and is based on a 64 kWh (usable 61.7 kWh) lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt battery with up to 450 WLTP kilometers. If, among other things, you want the recommended heat pump, you have to spend a little more than 39,000 euros to be able to call the MG4 Luxury we tested your own. But why should you choose a Chinese car when the VW ID.3 built in Germany (as a facelift in the test here) is also available from 40,000 euros? Because the Wolfsburg with similar equipment is around 8,400 euros more expensive.

The rear of the MG4 Electric Luxury is characterized by a large roof edge spoiler. Below there is an elaborate LED light unit, only separated by the MG logo.

MG has no need to copy other designs

SAIC, which works very closely with Volkswagen in China, has cleverly positioned the MG4 with a length of 4.29 meters against the ID.3 (4.26 meters). It roughly adopts the almost buttonless operating concept with two screens from the Wolfsburg, also relies on rear-wheel drive and has 150 kW/204 hp in the Luxury trim. When it comes to styling, however, you take a different approach. The round shapes of the ID.3 are in contrast to the angular design of the MG4, which as a whole also appears more playful than the Volkswagen. The sweeping roof edge spoiler, the striking light graphic of the rear light strip – unmistakable features of a self-confident brand that has no need to copy other designs.

The learning curve among Chinese car manufacturers also seems to be steep when it comes to the quality of workmanship in the interior. Apart from the occasional creaking dashboard and very scratch-sensitive plastic surfaces, we have nothing to complain about in terms of quality. We were even impressed by the seating position for a car from the Far East, which is usually too high in many other Asian vehicles. The chair itself is comfortable and also offers enough lateral support. There is more than enough space in the front row, but typical compact cars are a little more cramped in the back. The trunk holds 350 to 1,165 liters – there is no frunk. The only thing we found really annoying in the interior was the protruding compartment below the infotainment screen, which severely restricts the movement of the knees.

The interior of the MG4 Electric is decorated in a decidedly simple manner. In addition to the driver display, there is an infotainment touchscreen that controls the essential vehicle functions.

Small infotainment system with translation errors

Furthermore, MG could have saved on the optional smartphone charging cradle, because the phone slips after the first corner at the latest and, in the worst case, falls into the driver’s footwell. Fine criticism of the operating system too. As mentioned, they were obviously based on the ID.3, although the menu landscape was sometimes crudely translated and the fonts were displayed far too small. In addition, the system gets lost in all sorts of shallows and reacts at least as slowly as the Wolfsburg-based software.

However, we liked the pull-down climate menu in the 10.25-inch touchscreen and the 7-inch driver’s screen (both not anti-reflective) displays its information clearly and understandably. However, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto should be able to be integrated wirelessly in the near future. Especially because the USB slot required for connection is hard to find in the dark. It should be mentioned here that the interior lighting still consists of classic light bulbs. The MG offers a V2L (Vehicle to Load) function and a battery heater as standard.

As is typical of the compact class, the second row is much more cramped than the front. A plus point for freedom of movement is the barely existing center tunnel.

The MG4 drives confidently, but the assistants are annoying

From statics to driving dynamics. If you want to make a comparison to the ID.3 here too, the MG4 has a much more resilient suspension, but this does not make it uncomfortable. The 204 hp rear-wheel drive makes an alert impression and accelerates the compact, which weighs around 1.7 tons, to 100 km / h in just under eight seconds. The speed is limited to 160 km / h, other model variants of the MG4 can also drive up to 200 km / h . The unnecessary interventions of the emergency and lane departure warning systems are a bit annoying every now and then, and the sign recognition also works more randomly.

“Fizzy Orange” is the name of the paint job on our test car. The MG4 Electric is of course also available in more subtle colors. The black contrasts create a sporty overall image.

Strong performance at the charging station

When moving ambitiously, the MG initially suggests more sportiness than the Volkswagen, but in the bend you quickly notice that the body lacks rigidity. In addition, the structure wobbles noticeably and the steering, which is actually passable, lacks feeling. We were also bothered by the doughy brakes with their imprecise braking point. The recuperation can be adjusted from weak to strong or adaptive via the central display; real one-pedal driving to a standstill is not possible.

However, this should not detract from the everyday suitability of the MG4 Luxury, as it scores points elsewhere with cross-country consumption of between 19 and 21 kWh per 100 kilometers according to the on-board computer. Although we were usually able to charge at suitable DC charging stations with up to 120 kW (of the promised 135 kW), AC charging processes can only be done with a maximum of 11 kW. However, after several charging stops at charging stations with at least 150 kW, we were amazed at how long the MG can maintain a charging output of more than 100 kW. As a rule, just under 20 minutes are enough to recharge with a range of more than 200 kilometers. Very decent for the vehicle and price class. If the battery was at least 80 percent charged during our test drives, the range of the MG4 Luxury was around 230 kilometers. If the car could be charged to 100 percent overnight, it could travel up to 290 kilometers.

At 4.29 meters, the MG4 Electric is slightly longer in length than the VW ID.3 (4.26 meters). Between 350 and 1,165 liters fit into the trunk of the Chinese, and the trailer load is at least 500 kilograms.

Conclusion

The MG4 Electric competes directly with the Volkswagen ID.3, but also with the Renault Mégane E-Tech and meets them at least on an equal footing. Among other things, we liked the low consumption, the long-lasting strong charging performance and of course the price-performance ratio. There is a need for improvement especially in the error-prone assistance systems, but also in the small-scale infotainment system. Nevertheless, the MG4 Luxury with the 64 kWh battery is an asset in the electric compact class and receives a clear purchase or leasing recommendation from us. (Text and image: Thomas Vogelhuber)

Technical data MG4 Luxury 64 kWh