2022 MG4 Trophy | PH Review
Meet what seems certain to be one of our stars of 2022 (yes, really)
While it’s normal journalistic practice to try and maintain suspense for as long as possible, sometimes even reversing the critical flow with a Clarkson-esque key change half way through, I’m going to break with that convention here. Because the MG4 looks set to be a breakthrough car, both for those looking for a relatively low-cost EV but also - more importantly - for anybody seeking accessible thrills. I’m going to need all the pixels to explain why I reckon this is going to be one of this year’s highlights.
There are plenty of MGs in the back catalogue I could liken the MG4 to, especially as a one-time MG Metro and two-times MG Maestro owner. But I emerged from a three-hour drive in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire thinking of the original Morris Minor. More specifically of Tiff Needell’s argument that the simple, underpowered, underbraked rear-driver taught his generation more about the basics of car control than anything else. You’ll be pleased to hear the MG4 is neither underpowered nor underbraked, but it offers a similarly compelling lesson in the fundamentals of vehicle dynamics and the joy of a dependable, adjustable chassis.
That’s a bold claim that is going to take some building up to, so let’s start with the basics. Although it will be sold by the modern incarnation of MG alongside the existing range of the MG3, ZS, MG5 and HS, the MG4 is all new and vastly more advanced than any of the current line-up. It sits on a spiffy new pure electric modular architecture which MG says will underpin a growing number of models. This features a compact underfloor battery and native rear-wheel drive, but with the prospect of double-motor AWD versions to follow. Dimensions are pretty much bang-on those of the Volkswagen ID.3, with the MG4’s 4290mm length being 29mm longer and its 2705mm wheelbase 65mm shorter.
The range is simplicity itself: three models, six colours and no options. The entry-level MG4 SE is offered with either a 51kWh or 64kWh battery pack, those translating into official ranges of 218 miles and 281 miles respectively. The smaller battery has a slightly less powerful 167hp output, the bigger one unleashes the full 201hp - but the lighter 51kWh car is slightly faster, posting a 7.5-sec 0-60mph time while the brawnier pack takes two-tenths longer. The full-spec Trophy has the bigger battery and identical performance to the long-range SE, but range falls slightly to 270 miles because of the less efficient aero of its tailgate spoiler. The long-range SE and Trophy also support DC fast charging at rates of up to 135kW, meaning it should take only around 35 minutes to take the pack from 10 per cent to 80 per cent.
All versions come with plenty of standard kit, including adaptive cruise, twin digital display screens and the Android Auto and Apple Carplay integration that anyone under the age of 30, and a fair number of us well past that, are likely to regard as essential. The Trophy is a proper toyshop, with wireless phone charging, a 360-degree camera system, and heated front seats - the driver’s also power-adjustable. All versions can be turned into XL battery packs, and used to recharge other things - a very unusual feature for any EV, regardless of price. A seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty is standard, and pricing undercuts every obvious rival by a chunky margin: the 51kWh SE kicks off at just £25,995, the long-range version is £28,495 and the Trophy is £31,495. In EV terms, you can’t go quicker for the cash.
Subjective call, but I reckon that exterior design is pretty bland. The MG4 looks better than the rest of the current MG range - no great challenge, let’s be honest - but the basic form looks disappointingly generic, and the rear-end styling seems to have been inspired by that paragon of electric meh which is the Toyota Prius. It also looks a bit under-wheeled by modern standards on its 17-inch alloys, although after driving it I wouldn’t have swapped these for anything bigger or chunkier.
Quality feels good. My last up-close experience of an SAIC-era MG was the MG6 Magnette, a car with interior trim sharp enough to sometimes draw blood. I was rude enough about it to have been taken off the invite list for more than a decade, but I’m happy to confirm the MG4 is in an entirely different league. Panel gaps are tight and consistent, the paint finish looks good up close and I open the door without having to breathe the pungent aroma of the cheap plastics given off by the low-rent MG6.
Okay, once inside the MG4 it is possible to find some hard, scratchy surfaces without sending fingers straying too far, and the lower bolster of the seat in my Trophy test car seemed to yield suddenly every time I climbed in or out of it. But there’s loads of room, enough for a full-sized adult to comfortably sit behind another, the digital displays are crisply rendered and what little switchgear there is operates with tactile precision. To be honest, there probably isn’t enough of this - most functions have to be managed through the central touchscreen with the help of some keypads on the steering wheel boss. Fortunately, the climate settings have been assigned to one of the two shortcut buttons on my test car; the only other way I could find to easily adjust the temperature was by turning the fan off and then on again to bring up the HVAC menu.
There is no start button, so getting going is as simple as getting in with the key in your pocket, pressing the brake and then selecting either drive or reverse. Urban trundling is handled with predictable calm, gentle progress is almost silent, throttle response is instant and the variable regeneration allows something close to one-pedal operation in its most aggressive setting. I noticed very slight low-frequency noise over bumps at slow speeds, this sounding like it was being reflected from the inside of the roof, but beyond that the MG4 is as refined as any obvious rival.
Yet it doesn’t take much to discover its fun side. MG had chosen Bicester Heritage as a starting venue, and rain started to fall just as I was heading out for a route made up of some favourite local roads. But I hadn’t even got to the first of these - the moderately demanding B4011 towards Thame - before the other side of the MG4’s character had manifested itself on some of Bicester’s many roundabouts. With steering lock applied acceleration created first the sensation of mild understeer, with power then neutralising this nicely. In most other EVs this would be the point at which the dynamic brain would clamp everything down, but the MG4 allowed itself to be pushed beyond this and into a neat little mini-drift.
I was so surprised the first time this happened I presumed it was some kind of glitch; it’s really not the sort of behaviour commonly associated with entry-level EVs aimed at family buyers and, like most of its peers, the MG4 doesn’t have any way to deactivate its stability control system. But the repeated experimentation allowed by a succession of sodden roundabouts and other tight corners proved that the MG’s traction management does indeed have a loose leash, one that allows several degrees of slip before winding power back.
No, it’s not a tyre-smoking drift machine or a wayward widowmaker. I doubt any other road users even noticed that the rear tyres were regularly describing wider arcs than those at the front. The system intervenes before anything gets out of hand, and although the MG4 could also be felt battling for traction on rough roads it never felt unruly or scary. Yet the simple pleasure of playing both ends against each other, and feeling a car’s rear axle battle for traction on a slippery surface is a timeless one. I emerged from my time in it grinning and thinking of the similar ability an MX-5 has to push hard without drawing attention.
While the MG4 is quick enough to be interesting it is never fast enough to turn scary. The performance is front-loaded to the lower end of the speed range; few combustion cars would match it on a half-throttle 0-30 dash without an aggressive launch, but the MG’s acceleration starts to tail off quickly after 65mph. You’d need a very long straight to confirm the presence of what the company says is a 100mph speed limiter, but it schleps along easily at a motorway pace at the outer edge of ACPO enforcement guidelines. Interestingly, even when being pushed hard cross country the range held up impressively well against the dashboard’s predictions of 220 miles when I got into the car. The only time this started to fall at more than a mile per mile travelled was higher speed cruising.
It’s not dynamically perfect. The steering is accurate but feedback is minimal, and the variable force brake pedal felt natural under gentle use - where all the slowing will be done by regen - but a bit wooden when pushed hard enough to start using the discs and pads properly. The suspension is on the firm side of comfortable, and although generally compliant it seemed to struggle with some surfaces, certain frequencies of rough B-road creating secondary harmonics as the dampers struggled to defuse them first time. But these are, honestly, niggles: the basics are all solid.
MG reckons it is confident it will have sold the first 1,000 MG4s in the UK by the end of September. I’d be amazed if they don’t manage to reach that milestone considerably earlier given the car’s combination of on-paper and on-road qualities. For context, the basic SE’s price is £10,200 less than the cheapest VW ID.3 and £4,000 below the entry-level Renault Zoe. Adjust for spec and the difference is barely less stark: the MG4 SE Long Range can go 16 miles further than the ID.3 Life Pro Performance on the official range, has the same power output and is £7,700 cheaper. But the most important thing from a PH perspective is that the MG is a genuine hoot to drive, to the extent I will be impressed if the forthcoming 400hp all-wheel drive version adds more than just speed.
The future is going to be electric, but it can also still be fun.
Specification | MG MG4 Trophy
Engine: Electric motor
Transmission: Single-speed, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 201
Torque (lb ft): 184
0-60mph: 7.7-sec
Top speed: 100mph (limited)
Weight: 1685kg
CO2: 0g/km
Price: £31,495
So because you buy a £1000 Chinese product you can't comment on buying a £30,000 product? Its very simple, I'd like to avoid buying any Chinese products. I can't so I buy as few as is reasonably possible. Its not easy but not buying a car entirely made in China is very easy. My phone was made in Thailand, it probably has Chinese parts in it, not a lot I can do about that but it's better than nothing. Manufacturing dependence on China is leading us down the exact same path as energy dependence on Russia, stupidly, at the expense of our own employment and economy.I absolutely love the jingoists on here moaning about 'whataboutism' when it comes to the point regarding the purchase of Chinese made products as that's the icing (and cherry!) on the cake for me; as so many (including my own) people were historically subjugated by the British who profited immensely at those poorer countries expense, I think it's high time they got a good strong taste of their own medicine.
Furthermore, the UK is following in China's footsteps, particularly when it comes to civilian surveillance; the West in general is watching China's social credit system closely and at some point will try and implement a version of it in their own countries respectively.
This car won't be responsible for that, whether it sells or not.
I absolutely love the jingoists on here moaning about 'whataboutism' when it comes to the point regarding the purchase of Chinese made products as that's the icing (and cherry!) on the cake for me; as so many (including my own) people were historically subjugated by the British who profited immensely at those poorer countries expense, I think it's high time they got a good strong taste of their own medicine.
Furthermore, the UK is following in China's footsteps, particularly when it comes to civilian surveillance; the West in general is watching China's social credit system closely and at some point will try and implement a version of it in their own countries respectively.
This car won't be responsible for that, whether it sells or not.
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