The MG4 XPower electric car makes phenomenal dynamics phenomenally accessible. I had a chance to drive the MG4 XPower electric car for a short time: although there is not enough information for a full review and test, it is enough for a first look and first impressions. I am in a hurry to share these impressions.
At first glance, it's just a C-class hatchback
When you look at the MG4 XPower electric car, it's hard to believe that its dynamics surpass those of all the Turbo supercars of my childhood. I take photos of the small hatchback, which is memorable only for its short, sharp nose with a smooth transition into the windshield and a strange double wing on the trunk lid. Oh, come on, this prop: how many models have we seen with all sorts of sports packages but ordinary equipment?
However, experienced motorists will notice the surprisingly large 18-inch wheels, which can barely accommodate the surprisingly large 345 mm brake discs. The distinctive caliper covers, which are painted in yellow and gold and emblazoned with XPower, are the main detail that distinguishes the MG4 XPower version from the other MG4 electric versions.
About a conventional electric car I've already talked about the MG4 - and the MG4XPower version looks very similar to it. In short, this is a typical representative of a typical European C-class with the appropriate dimensions: length - 4.29 meters; width - 1.84 meters; height - slightly more than 1.5 meters; wheelbase - slightly more than 2.7 meters. The main feature of the MG4XPower appearance is the original wheel rims and large brakes. The main feature, but not the only one: contrasting dashes-lines on the front bumper and doors have also been added. Although you can glue similar ones yourself, you can't just change the brakes.
But the main design features of the MG4 XPower are hidden inside - two electric motors and all-wheel drive! But let's start with the basics. So: the MG4 electric car is built on the MSP platform, which makes it possible to flexibly change the body type and key dimensions of the future model - body length, wheelbase size, etc. The MSP platform also makes it possible to create electric vehicles with rear or all-wheel drive: one or two electric motors are used, respectively.
And the MG4 electric car takes advantage of this opportunity. Thus, the basic versions of the MG4 electric car offer rear-wheel drive and one electric motor. But the MG4 XPower version already offers all-wheel drive, which is realized thanks to two electric motors - their combined power reaches 320 kW or 435 hp, and torque is 600 Nm: a lot! This power promises acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, but the top speed is relatively low for such performance - we have 200 km/h.
The MG4 electric carwas one of the first to be built on the MSPplatform , created exclusively for electric models. The platform is very versatile and allows building completely different models. Therefore, over time, we will probably see many other MSP electric cars from various brands associated with the Chinese company SAIC , which currently owns the British brand MG.
If we continue to talk about the MG4 XPower, then in addition to two electric motors and all-wheel drive, this electric car also features other improvements. I've already mentioned the brakes, but the chassis has also changed: new shock absorbers, springs, and a stabilizer bar have been used. As a result, the suspension of the MG4 XPower version should add +25% stiffness compared to conventional versions of the MG4 electric vehicle. In addition, a sharper steering wheel and electronic differential locking are promised to allow flexible distribution of torque between all wheels - a first for MG, by the way.
What else is special about the MG4 XPower electric car? For example, the interior. Although, wait - in this case, it would be more correct to say about the seat trim, which is made of Alcantara and complemented by contrasting orange stitching. After all, the seats themselves are quite a familiar shape: puffy backrests and widely spaced bolsters are more reminiscent of a comfortable home chair, but definitely not a racing bucket. And the rest of the MG4 XPower's interior elements are similar to the regular MG4 versions: the shape of the front panel with a central 10.25-inch display and a separate 7-inch driver's screen, a ledge with a round P-R-N-D selector, a deep niche with pockets instead of the usual center console.
Behind the passengers, there is a soft sofa and a large door that can open to a large angle - very convenient for boarding. The level of the floor for the legs is slightly higher than usual, but still the fit is quite normal, and there is enough space; the only thing missing is an armrest. The luggage compartment is also quite consistent with a typical C-class representative: a useful volume of 350 liters, a two-story floor, a pair of side niches.
The interior of the MG4XPower and MG4 are similar. This is good for the MG4: a laconic front panel with a nice soft finish, wide seats, two displays with decent image quality (but no localization or translation), a practical center niche in front and space in the back. But for the MG4XPower version, I'd like to see more changes: sports seats, a steering wheel with a zero mark, a lot of red décor, and custom dashboard graphics. Such a cabin should immediately demonstrate the essence of this "charged" electric car, give the driver a good mood and invigorate him, hinting him about the expectation of a crazy drive. But - no! - hidden emotions, calmness and practicality. Speaking of practicality, the rear trunk is quite sufficient and well-designed; but there is no additional front trunk.
On the move: does it live up to the promised dynamics?
Oh, yes! And it justifies it: from the first measurements, from the first accelerations, the MG4 XPower electric car, with a slight slippage and squealing tires, presses you into the back of the seats and shows the promised 3.8 seconds. At these moments, it's hard to breathe, but such dynamics even overtake thoughts in the brain: you begin to realize the difficulty of breathing only when the speed exceeds all permitted limits in the city - finally, it lets go and you can breathe. What was that? Can you do it again? Easy! The small electric hatchback furiously rushes to absorb new meters of asphalt. It doesn't need much - just 55-60 meters - to reach the speedometer's "hundred" and fly off further into the horizon. And all this happens so easily and naturally that you gradually get used to it and begin to take it for granted.
But why did I hear the tires squealing while accelerating? No, I'm not talking about soundproofing here - okay, we missed something, but in general, the electric car is quite quiet on the move. No, I'm not talking about slippage, which, by the way, eats up some of the dynamics and could potentially make the MG4 XPower show even better acceleration results. I'm talking about why there is no emotional acceleration sound. Isn't the essence of an electric car to be quiet? No question; but we're talking about the sports version! There was an example of the BMW i5 M60 electric sedan, where activation of the sport mode turned it into a bubbling fountain of emotions: red interior lighting, modified instrumentation design, the sharpest possible response to the accelerator pedal, and an incredible sound during acceleration, even if it was synthesized. You might say: oh, how high you've jumped, right up to BMW! Well, yes, not without reason; but I'm not asking the MG4 XPower to change the seat profile or adaptive suspension settings, as the BMW did - I'm asking it to do what was already possible with the available technology.
Instead, the MG4 XPower electric car seems to be hiding itself and its essence, this story with minimal changes to the exterior and interior seems to continue on the move. The steering wheel has become sharper, but only slightly: it used to take almost three turns from stop to stop, and now it's 2.5 turns. Moreover, in most cases, the steering wheel still remains quite light, and only in sport mode does it become slightly heavier. It was promised that the suspension was supposed to add 25% stiffness; but according to my impressions, it added a conditional +10% or even became stiffer as if from the transition from high-profile to low-profile tires simply because of the need to install 18-inch tires. However, I have nothing against the balance of handling and comfort: the MG4 electric car is generally very successful in this regard, and the MG4 XPower sport version does not violate the found optimum. You still get quick steering responses and easy maneuvers - and at the same time, no unnecessary suspension shaking. You can live with the MG4 XPower electric car on a daily basis and still have this almost supercar-like dynamics.
I'd also like to note several different driving modes. It is clear that in sport mode, the maximum power is delivered and the reactions to pressing the accelerator pedal are as sharp as possible. In addition, all-wheel drive is almost always engaged in sport mode. Instead, in normal driving mode, the MG4 XPower tries to drive more often on the rear electric motor (170 kW), but when the accelerator pedal is fully depressed, it immediately additionally engages the front electric motor (150 kW) and shows maximum dynamics, approximately on par with sport mode. Let's analyze it further: ECO mode usually means that only one rear electric motor is used almost all the time, which means that less power is available and the dynamics drop. Finally, winter driving mode is a combination of the reduced power of ECO mode, very smooth accelerator responses, but the use of two electric motors and all-wheel drive. Plus, there's also an individual mode with customizable settings.
The MG4XPower electric car is very dynamic: the promised 0-100 in 3.8 seconds is given without any questions at all; although in the most economical ECO mode, the dynamics drops by almost half. And all because the electric car MG4XPower is very flexible in its settings: several driving modes (which really change the behavior of electric motors and the predicted range) and several energy recovery modes; all this can be freely changed individually and easily controlled using the "quick" buttons on the steering wheel. Convenient, simple, great. In short - just great! But at the same time: the electric car MG4XPower in its communication with the driver is almost completely sterile and emotionless, like Isaac from Orwell. This character is great for the regular MG4, it allows you to relax and unwind while driving; but in the case of the MG4XPower, you want more emotion.
Once again, this is not a full-fledged test, so I can't say for sure what the energy consumption per 100 km is; but I did get some observations. If you drive "with all the money" and all the horses... oh, sorry... all the kilowatts of electric motor power, you get 25-28 kWh per 100 km of travel in the city; if you drive as carefully and economically as possible, you can get 16 kWh per 100 km of travel; if we talk about the average, you get 18-20 kWh per 100 km of travel in the city. Now let's recall that the nominal battery capacity is declared at 64 kWh (about 62 kWh is actually used) and divide the corresponding figures. It turns out that the city range will be from a minimum of 220-250 km to a maximum of almost 390 km, which corresponds to the promised range of 385 km (specifically for the MG4 XPower version); finally, if we talk about the average, we will get 300-340 km.
By the way, more about the battery and the range. To charge the battery, you can use an 11 kW AC power station - in this case, it will take 6-7 hours to fully charge the battery. Alternatively, you can use a DC station with a capacity of up to 135 kW - in this case, it will take about half an hour to charge the battery from 10-80%.
How much does the MG4 XPower cost and how much does the MG4 electric car cost in general?
Back in the first article about the MG4, two versions of the electric car were mentioned - and now there are two versions left. However, the situation has changed somewhat. Previously, the basic variant was the MG4 STD electric car with a single 125 kW (170 hp) electric motor and a 51 kWh battery, which was supposed to be enough for 350 km of driving range. The next variant was the MG4 LUX electric car: also with one electric motor and rear-wheel drive, but with increased power and battery, as well as with improved equipment. Today, however, the situation has changed - the simplest basic STD version is no longer available, and the current price list includes only the MG4 LUX and MG4 XPower versions.
So, the MG4 LUX electric car starts: one electric motor (150 kW or 204 hp) and rear-wheel drive, a 64 kWh battery and a range of up to 435 km on the WLTP cycle, acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and 160 km/h top speed. The equipment includes many interesting features: adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, 360-degree cameras and parking sensors, keyless entry, combined interior trim (eco-leather and fabric), heated steering wheel and front seats, 7-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch central touchscreen display, Android Auto Apple CarPlay support, wireless charging, etc. The price of MG4LUX starts from about UAH 1.04 million or $25 thousand.
The MG4 XPower electric car is located one level higher. In general, the equipment is similar, with a few items added, such as Alcantara seat trim or its own 18-inch wheels. However, there are a lot of technical changes, as described above: two electric motors and all-wheel drive, increased power, and a modified suspension. But the battery has not changed: it still has a nominal capacity of 64 kWh, which, given the increase in power, logically leads to a certain decrease in the autonomy of the mileage - 385 km on the WLTP cycle is promised. The price of MG4XPower starts from 1.45 million UAH or $35 thousand.
Here is the MG4LUX electric car: almost unchanged appearance and equipment, but much simpler technology. However, it also has a much lower price: currently, the electric hatchback MG4LUX costs $25 thousand, which makes it a very interesting offer on the market of new electric vehicles imported by "officials" and offered with service support and a warranty.
So what is the MG4 XPower - a phenomenon or just an electric car?
Since this is not a full-fledged review and test, I will refrain from giving a final score. But I will share my impressions and opinions, from which I identify two main ones.
First, about the differences between the MG4 XPower and a regular MG4 electric car - they are there, but not enough. Think of the stories of Volkswagen Golf R, Ford Focus RS, MINI Cooper JCW, Renault Clio RS and many other iconic hot hatch cars. In all of these cases, the basic car was taken only as a basis, but numerous changes - bright provocative appearance, sports seats, powerful engine, incredibly sophisticated transmission, adaptive suspension - are not just checkboxes in the list of equipment, but also important ingredients in the cocktail called "emotions and mood." It is this emotional part that the MG4 XPower electric car is somewhat lacking. It is very powerful and phenomenally dynamic, and it demonstrates impressive acceleration. But it does it like an honors student writing a thesis while the next dorm room screams "Scooter" and glasses full of lust clink.
At the same time, yes, I have to admit that the MG4 XPower electric car is indeed phenomenally dynamic. This year has already given me two cars that have broken the iconic 4-second mark in the 0-100 acceleration test; only in the first case it was an incredibly expensive business sports sedan, and now such dynamics are sold as if on sale in a supermarket. No, I'm not out of touch with reality and I understand the considerable amount of $35,000 - but name me another new official car/electric car for that kind of money and with that kind of dynamics! And in general: with the beginning of the new era of electric cars (i.e., somewhere in the 2010s), the classic ratio of dynamics to the cost of this dynamics has changed dramatically, the new electric car reality simply turns the mind of a classic motorist upside down. The previous standards of power and dynamics of dream supercars for $200-300 thousand first fell under the wheels of business-class electric cars for $100 thousand, and now all this has become available even to an "almost ordinary" C-class hatchback for C-class money. Yes, I'm talking about the MG4 XPower for $35 thousand.
Electric car provided by MG Importer in Ukraine