What makes the new MG 4 such a compelling vehicle for UK drivers today? We examine it from all angles to find out.
In this review…
When MG Rover collapsed in 2005, we thought that would be it for the brand. How wrong we were. Although Rover remains dead and buried, MG is very much alive and kicking. Chinese manufacturer SAIC Motor, which now owns MG, has brought the brand back to the top of the sales charts by delivering a string of affordable, stylish and technologically advanced EVs.
The MG4 is one of them. First unveiled in 2022, this angular, chiselled crossover looks unlike anything else on the road. It’s bold and oozes confidence. MG is back, and they’re not afraid to shout about it.
But is this confidence warranted? Does the MG4 do enough to stand out in the increasingly competitive electric crossover segment? That’s what we’re about to find out.
Pros & Cons
What we like:
- The price
- Dramatic yet cohesive styling
- Impressive performance for the money
What we don’t like:
- Rear visibility
- Not as refined as some competitors
- Infotainment system isn’t the easiest to use
Exterior
As you can see above, we’ve ranked the MG4’s exterior styling as one of its strongest attributes. Obviously, styling is subjective: not everyone is going to like the way the MG4 looks. It’s a far cry from the elegant, compact sports cars the brand used to build, too.
But modern cars are becoming increasingly tricky to tell apart, especially since many of them share the same chassis architecture (and have similar proportions as a result). The MG4 bucks this trend. Its styling is a little marmite, sure, but it’s distinctive. No other car on the road looks quite like it, and that counts for a lot in today’s increasingly homogenised automotive landscape.
Overall, we like the way the MG4 looks – and we love how it dares to be different. If you want yours to stand out even more, you’ll appreciate the wide range of colours MG offers – including a vibrant shade of orange.
Interior
On the inside, the MG4 is a little more restrained. Futuristic, yes. But relatively clean and uncluttered. As in most of its rivals, a large touchscreen dominates the dashboard, and acts as a ‘hub’ for everything from vehicle settings to infotainment options and sat-nav.
Below the touchscreen is a centre console that juts out from the dash, placing the gear selector and handbrake within easy reach. This panel has an attractive piano black finish, which is nice – but only time will tell how well this holds up to daily usage.
Beneath the main centre console panel you’ll find a pair of conveniently-placed cupholders, along with a handy storage cubby for your phone, wallet, purse or any other odds and ends.
Overall, the MG4 is more conventional inside than it is outside, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing: all of the controls are easily accessible and simple to use, although the infotainment system can be a little fiddly at times.
Performance and Driving
If the MG4’s styling hasn’t won you over yet, the way it drives just might. SAIC has managed to recapture the brand’s sporting roots surprisingly well in the MG4; it not only rides well over bumps, but it responds quickly to your inputs and feels light on its feet.
Striking a good balance between ride comfort and cornering prowess, the MG4 gives you confidence behind the wheel. The steering is perhaps a little too light on the open road, and does take some getting used to, but it’s ideal for driving around town and parking tight spots (although rear visibility is limited thanks to that unconventional design we talked about earlier).
From a performance standpoint, the MG4 stacks up well against the competition. The Extended Range version has an impressive 323-mile range, but even the entry-level version can travel 218 miles on a single charge. Then, there’s the power: the top of the line XPower variant has a whopping 429bhp and an all-wheel drive system that allows you to put every last one to good use. The 0-62 time? 3.8 seconds. That’s fast enough to make plenty of supercar owners jealous.
Alternatives
So, what does the MG4 have to compete against? A lot. There’s an overwhelming amount of choice if you’re shopping for a crossover, which makes the MG4’s job all the more difficult. It’s up against the likes of Nissan’s Qashqai, a strong-selling model that offers more in the way of interior space (although can’t hold a candle to the XPower’s ballistic straight-line performance). Then, there’s the Volkswagen ID.3, a similarly-sized EV that has the added cachet of that VW badge. It’s significantly more expensive, though.
Verdict
The MG4 might be up against some tough competition, but it does more than enough to deserve its spot as one of the UK’s best-selling electric vehicles. Even two years on from its launch, this is a car that excels across the board, with only a few minor shortcomings worthy of note. It’s easy to forgive these shortcomings when you look at the price, though: with an RRP of just £26,995 for the base model, the MG4 represents outstanding value.
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