Last updated on October 19th, 2023 at 10:36 pm
Performance and Driving
We were very impressed when we tried the first MG4 at the launch in 2022. The rear-wheel drive powertrain provided an engaging driving experience, even if the straight-line acceleration wasn't that fast relative to other EVs. But the Extended Range is even better.
Although the MG4 Extended Range is 63kg heavier than the Long Range, the extra motor power means it hits 60mph in 6.1 seconds and 62mph in 6.5 seconds. That’s the kind of performance you’d expect from a petrol hot hatch, although if you want ultimate EV hatchback speed, the dual motor XPOWER is in a different league, getting to 60mph in an incredible 3.7 seconds. That’s probably too fast for most families, whereas the MG4 Extended Range is about right. It’s fast enough for A-road overtakes and beating petrol cars off the lights.
The MG4 Extended Range also handles just as well as the original MG4. The steering is light but precise. It feels planted and confident on the motorway, although the lane departure warnings are a bit intrusive. Overall, this is a fun car to drive, which you will grow to love very quickly. However, the ride quality could be smoother, which is the one black mark against it in this era of particularly bad British road quality.
Range and Charging
The big new feature with the MG4 Extended Range is the larger battery size. There is 74.4kWh net available from that 77kWh pack, delivering a combined WLTP range of 323 miles. During our testing, we managed about 3.8 miles per kWh around town and 3.2 miles per kWh when mostly motorway driving. That would equate to 282 miles of city driving or 238 on a motorway, which competes very well with what we've seen from a non-Highland Tesla Model 3 Long Range.
There's DC charging up to 144kW, giving a 10 to 80% bump in 39 minutes. Home AC charging at 7kW will take a little over 10 hours to hit 100%. The motorway range alongside the decent DC charging will mean the MG4 Extended Range is more than capable of long journeys. You would only need to stop every couple of hours at highway speeds, which you will probably want to anyway.
There is also Vehicle to Load capability, although we didn't have the adapter to test that. In theory it will let you send power to external devices using a standard 13A socket. So you can run a fridge when out for a picnic, or charge your ebike on location.
Running Costs
According to WLTP, the MG4 Extended Range can manage 4.3 miles per kWh, which is very reasonable. Our real-world results of 3.2 miles per kWh for motorway driving and 3.8 miles per kWh about town are also quite efficient. That was mostly in Normal mode, and in Eco mode you could get closer to WLTP.
This car is in insurance group 33, which is a bit high but not excessive. MG warranties are now on par with Korean car companies such as Kia and Hyundai, though. The basic guarantee is for 7 years or 80,000 miles, and unlimited miles in the first year. This includes the battery, for a 70% capacity.
Safety
MG has been steadily improving its safety tech. The original MG4 has a five-star Euro NCAP rating, which presumably carries over to the Extended Range. MG Pilot now includes Adaptive Cruise Control with traffic stop and go, alongside speed limit assistance with road sign recognition. You get active emergency braking, auto high beams, and blind spot detection. The latter appears as an orange symbol on the wing mirror.
There's Lane Keep Assist and Lane Change Assist. The latter is an extension of blind spot detection, to help prevent you changing lanes into traffic coming up from behind. Rear Cross Traffic Alert will help you avoid collisions if you’re backing out of a parking spot and haven't seen someone driving past behind you. Then there’s a 360-degree parking camera, although we found it less able to cope in the dark than some.
Discussion about this post