MG4 Trophy / real world range insight

[Danzelp]

Hello PH

I'm an EV novice but fairly well researched and very aware of the real world range alot of the current vehicles have in market, cold weather impact and so on.

My partner has a first refusal on an MG4 Trophy that looks like a cracking value little vehicle, that may tempt us into our first foray of electric.

My question is, do the experienced folk here think the quoted 271 range is consistently capable of a circa once per week 222 mile round trip of mainly motorway driving for a work commute?

My gut feel is not worth the risk for that journey use case, I suspect range anxiety would be real during winter months, and stopping for a public charge sort of defeats the point.

Thoughts welcome!

Cheers

[sjg]

About 80% of WLTP should be fine through most of the year, particularly as it's hard to go 100+ miles in any direction in the UK without hitting a bit of slow traffic or roadworks.

If it's very wet, windy, cold, you might need a quick squirt on a rapid - or once you're familiar with the car just going a little bit slower to make it home.

[hepy]

sjg said:

About 80% of WLTP should be fine through most of the year, particularly as it's hard to go 100+ miles in any direction in the UK without hitting a bit of slow traffic or roadworks.

If it's very wet, windy, cold, you might need a quick squirt on a rapid - or once you're familiar with the car just going a little bit slower to make it home.

Agreed, my Eniro is quoted at a similar mileage, and manages 220-230 during the winter. Keep it below 70, and it should do it.

If you can charge at your destination, even if only for 60-90 mins on a 7kw, it will be fine. On the plus side, it will easily do it outside the winter months.

[M1C]

I'd say keep the order in, if you come out, it may be a long wait getting another one as i reckon this car will be in big demand.

I'd estimate, going from a quoted range of 271.....a real world range might be more like 240 miles in good conditons / "correct\2 driving and maybe....180 in the depths of winter with heating etc on.

More may be possible but i think it's best to err on the side of caution. You may get over 271 all the time if the commute conditions are perfect and you keep to 60 or below...but this is not often the case in real life.

I base this on.....general EV chat. Reviews are coming out so more info on this will be coming soon.

[kambites]

Realistically if you get one of the first ones and find it not suitable, you're likely to be able to sell it at a profit or at least no loss so what have you got to lose?

[S600BSB]

Won't get anywhere near 222 in the winter. Be walking the last 40/50 miles.

[Danzelp]

Thanks all, good to sense some optimism!

The first refusal is on a car that would be ready the same time as the first demonstrators arrive in the next couple of weeks, so may move pretty quick if we like it and can get over the range risk..

Any other thoughts or considerations welcome...

[Danzelp]

S600BSB said:

Won't get anywhere near 222 in the winter. Be walking the last 40/50 miles.

Ha my fear indeed.

[Merry]

Depends. But probably not. I've got a ZS, quoted range is 273 miles, however on the motorway in the summer (like I've done today) it's 240ish. That's with a bigger battery than the 4 too (68.3 usable vs probably 60ish for the 4 - those figures haven't been released yet).

In the winter though that can drop to 185 miles, at a worst case.

So assuming the 4 is a little bit more efficient (as it isn't an SUV) I'd guess optimistically you could get 3.8 miles per kwh in the summer on a motorway run and maybe 3 miles per kwh in the winter, doing the sums that would be a 228 mile range in the summer and 180 in the winter. That's full to absolutely empty though. Chances are you'll be looking for a charger about 30 miles before you hit 0%, unless you particularly like living on the edge.

Just a guess but the efficiency numbers would have to increase quite a bit to reliably get that 222 miles you need all year...

[Danzelp]

Merry said:

Depends. But probably not. I've got a ZS, quoted range is 273 miles, however on the motorway in the summer (like I've done today) it's 240ish. That's with a bigger battery than the 4 too (68.3 usable vs probably 60ish for the 4 - those figures haven't been released yet).

In the winter though that can drop to 185 miles, at a worst case.

So assuming the 4 is a little bit more efficient (as it isn't an SUV) I'd guess optimistically you could get 3.8 miles per kwh in the summer on a motorway run and maybe 3 miles per kwh in the winter, doing the sums that would be a 228 mile range in the summer and 180 in the winter. That's full to absolutely empty though. Chances are you'll be looking for a charger about 30 miles before you hit 0%, unless you particularly like living on the edge.

Just a guess but the efficiency numbers would have to increase quite a bit to reliably get that 222 miles you need all year...

Thanks for the detailed response, what I'd kind of suspected.

May well need to look at an alternative or the 77kw model which is mooted for a launch next year. Shame, as value for money wise it's brilliant. Being able to do this round trip also makes the move to EV really worth while, so cutting it out may be hard to still justify it.

[plfrench]

OP, you mention this longer journey being for a work commute. Is there no way you could plug in once you get to work? Even on a three pin, if you were there for a typical 8 hour day you'd be in with a fighting chance in winter.

[RobbyJ]

You also really don't want to be thinking of doing 100% to 0% trips on a regular basis unless you want to give yourself an anxiety attack and potentially hurt the longevity of your battery. Generally you want a car with the range to do 90% to 10% journeys comfortably in winter, or accept you'll have to do a bit of charging.

[S600BSB]

RobbyJ said:

You also really don't want to be thinking of doing 100% to 0% trips on a regular basis unless you want to give yourself an anxiety attack and potentially hurt the longevity of your battery. Generally you want a car with the range to do 90% to 10% journeys comfortably in winter, or accept you'll have to do a bit of charging.

My wife specialises in running her ipace down to 0 miles. No anxiety at all!

[Gooose]

I’ve got a ZS EV with a range of 280 miles, I’ve averaged smack on that for the life of the vehicle. I get more in the summer, and I found I’ll get a brilliant mileage if I use a relatively fast lorry’s slip stream and cruise at say 55 on the motorway.

Like watching paint dry but can be done

[RobbyJ]

S600BSB said:

RobbyJ said:

You also really don't want to be thinking of doing 100% to 0% trips on a regular basis unless you want to give yourself an anxiety attack and potentially hurt the longevity of your battery. Generally you want a car with the range to do 90% to 10% journeys comfortably in winter, or accept you'll have to do a bit of charging.

My wife specialises in running her ipace down to 0 miles. No anxiety at all!

Been there too but if you’re not about to reach a charger it’s quite stressful.

[Danzelp]

Gooose said:

I’ve got a ZS EV with a range of 280 miles, I’ve averaged smack on that for the life of the vehicle. I get more in the summer, and I found I’ll get a brilliant mileage if I use a relatively fast lorry’s slip stream and cruise at say 55 on the motorway.

Like watching paint dry but can be done

Not quite Charles Leclerc setting a fastest lap, but if it works...

[Merry]

Danzelp said:

Gooose said:

I’ve got a ZS EV with a range of 280 miles, I’ve averaged smack on that for the life of the vehicle. I get more in the summer, and I found I’ll get a brilliant mileage if I use a relatively fast lorry’s slip stream and cruise at say 55 on the motorway.

Like watching paint dry but can be done

Not quite Charles Leclerc setting a fastest lap, but if it works...

I'm not entirely convinced the safest place to be on a motorway is mixing with the hgvs, regardless of how efficient it may be.

[S600BSB]

Merry said:

Danzelp said:

Gooose said:

I’ve got a ZS EV with a range of 280 miles, I’ve averaged smack on that for the life of the vehicle. I get more in the summer, and I found I’ll get a brilliant mileage if I use a relatively fast lorry’s slip stream and cruise at say 55 on the motorway.

Like watching paint dry but can be done

Not quite Charles Leclerc setting a fastest lap, but if it works...

I'm not entirely convinced the safest place to be on a motorway is mixing with the hgvs, regardless of how efficient it may be.

Just thinking the same thing! Using a lorry's slipstream on a motorway to get from A to B - not exactly a great advert for EVs.

[Gooose]

S600BSB said:

Merry said:

Danzelp said:

Gooose said:

I’ve got a ZS EV with a range of 280 miles, I’ve averaged smack on that for the life of the vehicle. I get more in the summer, and I found I’ll get a brilliant mileage if I use a relatively fast lorry’s slip stream and cruise at say 55 on the motorway.

Like watching paint dry but can be done

Not quite Charles Leclerc setting a fastest lap, but if it works...

I'm not entirely convinced the safest place to be on a motorway is mixing with the hgvs, regardless of how efficient it may be.

Just thinking the same thing! Using a lorry's slipstream on a motorway to get from A to B - not exactly a great advert for EVs.

To be honest if I drove my diesel like I do my EV I think the mpg I would get would rival the EV!

And you don’t have to drive an EV like this at all, even my car in sport mode is quite nippy!

[raspy]

Merry said:

I'm not entirely convinced the safest place to be on a motorway is mixing with the hgvs, regardless of how efficient it may be.

I agree. I think driving with such an intense focus on effficiency can make you drop a lot of the common sense that you would employ when driving if you weren't trying to maximise range. Personally, I stay as far away from HGVs as possible on the motorway, regardless of the impact on my range.