These NCAP rule on keeping lane assist permanently on has been repeated mentioned in so many EV reviews, not just MG4. They really need to allow the option to permanently switch this feature off. One day someone is going to get hurt seriously and they can sue NCAP government body and the car manufacturer.
If you're not expecting it (which 9 times out of 10 you won't be) then it's more of a hazard than a necessity. I've been driving 20 years and can't recall ever thinking, "oh I wish I had lka back there."
My Peugeot e208 has a button next to the dash that allows it to be permanently off. We hated it when we first got the car and my wife found it downright dangerous on country roads.
Just a slight warning, I've had it confirmed by Admiral that having an accident with the Lane Warning system fully turned off 'could' lead to your policy being nulled!! In my Ioniq 5 we've set a short cut to it so we can quickly turn it back to 'Warning Only'....
@bryanduncan6178 oh that's a bit of an odd one. I'm guessing it depends on the nature of the accident, as surely if you're rear ended or T boned then there's nothing lka would have prevented
Most cars have a button to quickly disable LKA but I am yet to drive a car that has a worse implementation than the MG4. Sunny days, brows of hills, lane merges etc it will try to crash the car and then there's the silent tugging at the wheel with no notifications.
Loving the content so far. Am seriously thinking of getting the mg4 through a work based lease. Seems a great option to me. Really enjoying your regular updates.
@alexrelton9882 I've heard good things about the Kona. Oddly it wasn't available on the scheme my work had otherwise I'd have seriously considered one if the price was right.
As an Ev driver and a cyclist, I am hoping that lane assist is updated. I’m assuming you will be indicating next time. Great video review though. Lovely to see an actual owner review of the MG4.
Yes, I shall indicate next time. In all honesty I normally would, but it was a section of road with no cars behind me, nor oncoming. So just went to give a wide berth and then the car suddenly thought otherwise! Lesson learned!
Had an MG ZS since 2020, before LKA was mandatory, switched off permanently before going anywhere. My high beam assist works pretty well, the odd glitch but generally works fine. The rear does need lighting , and a paler head lining would help. All cars should have a LKA off button.
Had a 40kw Leaf now for over 6 months and our family love it but downside is the legs and 50kw charging so this maybe a fab replacement as i prefer a 4 door hatch for an everyday everthing car. 👍👊
Good video. I’ve watch loads of review videos and the lane keep assist seems to be useless on all cars. Keep the videos coming. Still waiting for my Enyaq.
Thank you! Yeah I don't think I'm alone in having issues on a new car with the lka. Hopefully your Enyaq will be a little less intrusive. I had a good look round an Enyaq whilst my Superb was in for a repair last year and it was suitably familiar to my Superb, but I was trying to downsize from the Superb for my commute, so opted for the MG4 for that reason, as well as cost.
I'm enjoying your reactions to owning an EV for the first time. The MG4 appealed to me as an 'affordable' quality car, though in the end I opted for an Ioniq 5 for range, charging speed and space. The Ioniq 5 also doesn't have wireless android auto, so I bought an AAWirless adaptor for 70 Euros. I can definitely recommend it. I needed to change one setting to stop it repeatedly messaging my phone when the car was switched off. Other than that, it works seamlessly. I couldn't find it on Amazon but did manage to buy it from the AAWireless online store.
My first EV was a Nissan Leaf, by the way. I couldn't recommend one. The major issue for me was on road trips. ChaDeMo chargers a much less plentiful than CCS and generally only go up to 50 kW. In addition to that, the Leaf has no thermal management, so will only charge at 22 kW after two charging sessions on one day. (Infamous as 'Rapidgate'.)
The Ionic 5 is a stunning car and if my budget had stretched to one, then it'd have been on my shortlist. Thank you for the recommendation on the wireless adaptor.
Yeah the LKA is frankly not fit for purpose, Ive managed to 30 years without having a car manage my ability to steer so I’m kind of used to keeping control 😂
My thoughts exactly! We've done without these driver aids for all this time, so please don't take the skill out of driving! Although... the 360° camera is great and is a welcome bit of tech. 😁
It's not about you two... it's about statistics, if the LKA can save a life it's better to do it rather than not, of course not with the current implementation of MG
Thanks for a great warts and all review - exactly what real drivers need and quite a few points you raised I wasn’t aware of on the MG! Lots of parallels with your experience as previous to having my company Peugeot e208, I had a Skoda Superb Estate SE Executive Diesel. What a fantastic family car that was - massive boot and Superbly (sorry) smooth and relaxed to drive the family and dogs in. Unfortunately it was stolen after a year and I had to have an EV as a replacement, so went small with the Peugeot and got another diesel estate as the family car. My experience with the EV has been brilliant and TBH we do 80% of our miles in it now - the estate is relegated to just family trips. I’ll be eligible to change the car in 18 months time so will be looking at options about this time next year and the MG4 is top of my list currently, mainly due to it being absolutely cracking value (Trophy is £100 a month cheaper than the e208). We turned the lane assist off on the Peugeot as it’s a button you can switch off - thank goodness as we hated it! In fact my wife almost refused to drive it after nearly having an accident due to it trying to pull the car back across the road on a country lane. We also have auto lights on permanently but doesn’t really bother us. Hope some/all of these niggles will be fixed before I have to decide on a car next year, as I’m very tempted to get an XPower! (don’t need the performance but why not if I’m not paying much more than a Trophy).
Thank you for the positive comment. I think it's important to talk about everything from an owner's perspective. There'd plenty of magazine reviews but they won't capture the real world pros and cons I don't think. The Superb is an incredible car. I've done 130k in it and aside from a fuel system issue early in its life, it's been faultless amd a true workhorse. Hopefully my review will have assisted your decision on what to get next, but I'd use the opportunity to test drive one and see what you think.
It's good to learn an experience of a driver of the premium trim. My Mg4 long range is still good but almost every single aspect is bad. inside materials are low quality, no cameras, audio is worse that playing of my phone, no side cameras, head unit is laggy. And more and more. Thank god economy is not too bad and charging speeds are good too. Auto high beam works perfectly though.
I have an MGZS EV LRTC and the lane keep assist doesn't automatically come on. I have it set on warning rather than full as its too aggressive. However when using MG pilot, as opposed to just active cruise control, the LKA (which is akways on with MG Pilot setting) is much better. Thats said I only use on the motorway as KERS / Regen breaking doesnt work when ACC or MG Pilot is on. In the MG4 and MG5 ev's, it does though.
I'm enjoying your journey. I've got an MG5 (had it about 4 months now) and always looking for lessons and tips about using electric cars. For Android Auto, I use the Motorola MA1 Wireless adapter. Costs about £90 but it works a treat.
Ron, you might like to look at the James & Kate EV channel here on TH-cam. James works for a company who run a small fleet of MG5's, as call-out vehicles. He has been doing regular video over-views of the Fleet, including one MG5 they have, which has covered 70k miles in it's first year with the company. James said the front tyres lasted 41k miles, and the brake pads and discs looked as if they'd pass 100k miles easily. There had ben just one failure during those 70k miles, which was the latch on the charge flap in the front grille. The latch itself has broken. A simple enough fix....
Had mine for a couple of months. This week it stopped charging on my wall charger and will not charge with the granny lead. Rapid charge is fine but expensive. Booked in withthe dealer in 3 weeks. Yes the climate needs calibrating correctly. I find the infotainment laggy and annoying. The touch screen seems not that easy to use and I never know how hard to press the buttons. I would personally like one of the steering wheel buttons set up so you can scroll through your favourite stations without taking your eyes off the road. A brilliant car to drive though. Another minor irritation for me is having to press several buttons to shut the car down or wait till you get out and lock it for the car to power down. I would have liked a button.
Thanks for posting an enjoyable review, looking at one of these for my wife…now all I can think off is my kids sat in the dark and hot chocolate spilled everywhere 😂 all in all through it does seem like a nice little car.
After 3 years of owning my Corsa, the fact that you only have one gear and it just keeps accelerating without any gear changes still feels weird - in a nice way, as it still feels fun when you join and leave a roundabout. My brain still expects a gear change at some point. The MG4 is probably the car I would pick today (not available three years ago).
I've heard a few people say the MG4 is a natural progression from a Corsa/208. I don't think you'd be disappointed. Have a look round one and I'm sure you'll agree.
@@OfficialMacMotors Very nice car, one of my work colleagues had one until it got shunted from behind and written off 😒. Car was easily repairable, but MG were not making replacement inverters available so the spare couldn’t be found. The inverter is at the rear on the MG4. Swap that out and repair the trim and it would have been fine. Looking on Copart there is an MG4 with the front smashed in. That could easily have been bought for parts and the inverter taken off it as it would have been undamaged. Unfortunately garages and insurance companies still have a lot to learn about sorting out EVs that have had minor bumps. That fear and lack of knowledge will get better with time.
@javelinXH992 what an absolute waste. Seems really daft to have done that. But hopefully the rest of the car can be used for spares on other cars. Surprised insurance companies don't have a policy where they are able to source a component that is still within manufacturer's warranty to use on accident damaged cars.
@@OfficialMacMotors They did try, but MG are putting all inverters into new vehicles only. This is an issue of lack of old vehicles and spares to source from, which should sort itself out over time. The rush is for new, new, new at the moment. A similar thing happens with airliners, where some are scrapped not because they don’t work or are too old, but because the demand for decent quality spares (especially engines and associated parts) means they are worth more broken done for parts than they are whole.
The autolights sensitivity is fixed in a car module update that you can get from your dealer. I believe this also improves the autodipping but I am not sure about this. Equally there are updates for LKA. Frustratingly MG don't release any information about these and you can't check what you have so it ends up being reporting the problem to your dealer and hoping they install the right updates. Some people have swapped the overhead bulbs for LEDs to brighten the interior.
Thank you very much for this useful update. I'll be hitting the 15k service interval pretty quickly so the dealer will have the opportunity to carry out any updates then.
I’ve got on with it and I have one. I’m pleased with the car apart from the poor programming decisions made with the way the software works. A panic breaking works as it has done this at least 4 times when it gets confused as refuses to believe that I’m in control and locks the breaks.
In case you ever need to, you can massively improve the car efficiency at mid 50s on the motorway (I.e. in with the lorries) compared to 70. I’m guessing you’ll get the efficiency up to 4 mpkwh. Not something to do as routine but should you ever get caught short for any reason, this should guarantee the fabled range anxiety does not become an issue. Speaking of range anxiety, I’ve only had it twice in 3 years. The first time was actually for the first few weeks of ownership because like all new electric drivers, I had no idea how to assess the car usage of energy. It’s so different from a petrol or diesel you can’t really bring that experience with you. After a few weeks I was settled in and that type of anxiety evaporated. The second time was for real and still early in my ownership. There was an accident on the motorway and we were all delayed on a cold motorway, then were being diverted round cross country. I had, foolishly on my part, left home with just enough energy for my journey. Therefore, I had no idea what would happen on the journey and if I would make it. But you know what, the situation would have been exactly the same if I had left myself in that position in an ICE car (which I have). This was actually a great lesson in several ways. Firstly, there is no reason if you can charge at home not to have enough energy for a sensible diversion for your trip. It would be daft to run so low in ICE and running an electric car is no different. Secondly, travelling on the diversion was slower than the motorway and so the range went up - it wasn’t long before I realised I would easily make it. Thirdly, install Zap Map on your phone - you can always see where the chargers are and get a quick splash and dash to get you home. I’ve never had range anxiety since, especially since I learned how far the car could go when almost empty. In fact, I would say the experience gave me range confidence. I suspect that most experienced EV drivers would say the same?
Great tips there, thank you. I tend to drive at around 65mph. I'm aware that 50mph would be more efficient, but I feel if I'm being overtaken by lorries on the motorway I'm now a hazard, so will avoid that and ensure I've got plenty of charge to undertake my journey with room to spare.
@@OfficialMacMotors it’s important not to be a roadblock - don’t be that guy! But you can drop in and keep pace behind a lorry without issue. Everyone has to round it anyway. But best to have enough juice in the tank to drive normally.
@javelinXH992 yeah that's a good point. I do enjoy hypermiling, something very satisfying about it! But it's important to not become a menace on the road whilst doing so. So picking your moments is key.
@@OfficialMacMotors I always used to do it in my Golf diesel as well it’s just a relaxing place to be if you are not in a rush, music, podcast or audiobook playing. Turn the commute into ‘me-time’ rather than a chore.
@javelinXH992 exactly that. I'm rarely in a hurry to get anywhere, so may as well relax, enjoy the journey and arrive at my destination feeling refreshed rather than stressed.
I disable LKA every time because I have found the cameras will spot repair patches in the road and think I'm drifting lanes and try to pull me to the left, even when I am perfectly in the centre of the lane. Front collision detection is another bad one because we have experienced the car suddenly brake for no apparent reason. On the infotainment system, we are a bit unhappy about the USB memory stick which is our preferred way to store all our music. It doesn't display the folders and albums so we can't choose what we want to play (the folders are not visible). It is happy to read the memory stick and plays all the tracks in alphabetical order. This becomes a nuisance when the same track might be on various compilation albums and you get the same track wanting to play multiple times in a row. Our car (23 plate) came 2nd hand with one ex motability scheme owner who had done just 715 miles in it. We are happy with the car but when it goes in for its yearly service, I am going to ask about a firmware upgrade. It currently has R40 and I know the latest version is R46 and OTA updates isn't enabled for this car yet.
I have had the trophy 7 months now and done 10k miles. The auto light function and high beam assist mainly works well on mine so must be a problem with your model. Perhaps software issue or light sensor if your dipped beam is on when it’s good daylight. I did have problems with LKA but after 10k miles it seems to be less of a problem other than on narrow roads especially in Devon but you have to indicate if crossing any white line. Long range has been great I regularly drive London to Devon with just a short rapid charge stop on the way. Some of the infotainment functions don’t work well or not at all which is frustrating. Not having a rear wiper has not been a problem so adding a wiper with centre headrest was not a good upgrade on MGs part.
Good to hear of your good experience so far. Gives me a lot of reassurance. The rear headrest and rear wiper is an odd addition, as the wiper is tiny it's pretty useless, plus due to the shape of the rear I've found it doesn't actually get very dirty compared to other hatchbacks I've owned.
Had a test drive in the MG4 SE long range and it was a good car but the fact that it was permanently on until it was locked. No rear wiper, camera or front sensors on the SE either. Decided against the MG and got a Mokka e which has been lovely and has adaptive high beam which is amazing. Lane keep is annoying and has to be turned off every time! I’m getting 3.3 miles per kWh so pretty good
That's interesting as those features are standard kit on the Trophy trim, but it all depends on price and your needs at the end of the day. Glad you're happy with the Mokka though. You see a fair few about so they must be popular for a reason.
@@OfficialMacMotors a lot are the 1.2 petrol rather than the ev. I was very unsure as there is so much anti ev rubbish going around but I have been shocked at the public charging prices (£1.20 pkwh in one to 31p at local Tesla charging) and how many apps and rfid cards needed!
One of the reasons that I didn't go with the MG4 was the rear seat experience. No lights and no centre headrest, but also there was no centre armrest. Now, I know that you don't need the third headrest if you are using a centre armrest but our needs necessitste sometimes three in the back but sometimes transporting an oldie who needs the armrest. Also, our final choice has more rear seat space overall which is better for adults and teenagers.
Your experience is just starting to reflect the real mg experience as you start to discover that things aren’t quite what they seem on the surface. On top of the glitches you have already experienced you will realise that the heated seats are a pain, only on or off, the mg pilot is useless , the car creaks , the air con is useless but worse of all the Mg pilot is so dangerous i wouldn’t take my child in mine in the end as it kept slamming the breaks on and lka wanted to drive us into the oncoming traffic.
I think this is a great review of the car, thats the kind off stuff i as a buyer want to see, im curious on the mg4 xpower i need awd where i live in sweden and here it’s black out from November to February. One more thing that makes me hesitate is that awd only works forward on that mg??
Thanks for your ownership experience. I was planning to get a Xpower sometime this year, but the issues you listed outweigh the advantages you listed. I am happy to wait for revision 2 of this car, iron out all the software and design faults. 😊
Don't let my little niggles put you off this car. I could list ones that are more significant in my Skoda Superb, which is renowned as one of the best cars for the money. I just wanted to bring everything to peoples' attention so they can go in with their eyes open. Test drive an XPower and see what you think. I reckon you'd be impressed.
@OfficialMacMotors it's hard not to be impressed by the xpower, personally I think the extended range version would be a better buy for the same money though
I appreciate your honesty with those bad points. I've never experienced lane assist but I suspect I wouldn't like it either... Regarding the small gripes, certainly not deal breakers and most cars will have a list of their own personal annoyances I suppose. Glad you're getting on well with it, very positive overall.
Yep, no point in glossing over any issues, no matter how small they are, which these are, let's be honest. Its a very good car, with just a few minor issues, as you say.
The MG4 doesn't read high but in default it sends the heat to the window, a more normal breeze can be set if you direct the heat to the air vents. For Android auto just buy a usb wifi adaptor. Remove the middle rear headrest and keep it in the boot if needed -likely v rarely.
The headlight etc on mine only come on when it goes dark or overcast out side. As for temperature, as some one has mentioned, it sets vent temperature and it needs to be 24/25 to warm the car to 21 degrees. Auto high beam on mine is quite good but not perfect, it can be switched from the stalk should on the odd occasion it doesn't work.
Thank you. For now, until I can ensure I've got the latest firmware update, I'll keep the high beam assist off. As it's more of a hazard than convenience for me at present. Let's hope it'll be rectified, as it would be a nice to have function.
1. I've had no trouble with sun visors might be a problem on your car. 2. Temperature is measured at the exit vent, not in the cabin, hence why you need to set it higher. 3. Do you actually use the cables you're carrying? Mine are in the garage. 4. Rumour has it (mg forum) there are fixes for lka and auto headlight operation
1. OK, thought that may be the case, as hadn't seen it reported anywhere else. 2. That's an odd way to measure it, as normally it's via an average temperature in the car, but I'll just set to 25°C and poke up with it. 3. No, but I don't think there's harm in having them, just incase I do end up somewhere obscure that doesn't have a tethered charge point. 4. That'll be very nice if that happens, as the lka is too over zealous for my liking and auto headlights are under sensitive.
Yep lane assist can be turn off on the Leaf via settings. Our car also suffers from condensation and knocks out the collision prevention and that, even though you are warned it annoying. Once the moister has gone its fine, but you do have to stop the car to reset it.
6 months with the MG4 & worst gripe for me as always stated is lane assist also twice had car come to a sudden stop when passing a parked cars, so other than possability of being pushed into hedges or rammed up the back it`s been fine.
How do you find the overall experience? Thinking of switching from hybrid to electric in 1 years time, do you think the change to electric is the way forward? I would need atleast 250 mile range and also I have my own drive so charging isn't a issue I think that's the main problem if you don't own your own driveway what's your thoughts ? Thanks!
I love it and really didn't expect to enjoy it so much. I've gone from a diesel with a comfortable 800 mile range to a tank, but this is irrelevant because I charge it at home and very rarely need to travel further than the 140 mile return commute I do. And if I were to travel longer, I'd be stopping after 2 hours for a toilet/comfort break, at which point I'd charge it. For 250 miles, is that a daily requirement? As if it's once every few weeks then I'd have no issues recommending the MG4 Long Range and just charge en route if you require a stop for a short while. If it's a daily requirement I don't think the Long Range would suit, and I think the Extended Ramge would still be close. You may need something like a long range Tesla Model 3 or Kia EV6 etc to be able to comfortably manage that range if charging mid way wasn't an option.
Thank u for the reply, it's not essential to have 250 miles but I do travel to see family every 3 months 190 mile trip one way so they bigger battery would make me feel comfortable, it's great to hear real people's overall experience and recommendations on electric cars as everyone has a herd mentality and follows all the negatives about EVs.@@OfficialMacMotors
I read that due to licensing issues with the SatNav provider, if a car has an infotainment screen over a certain size, they’re not allowed to install wireless Android Auto or CarPlay. Which is why some of the premium cars like the Ioniq 5 and EV6 only have wired.
No, it is because the Wireless draws a massive amount of current. A Qi Charger cannot cope with providing enough power to counteract it. So they save money. You have to attach it via cable, so the phone DOES charge at the same time, isntead of deplete. Attaching a cable also means a higher throughput, so that you can still stream Amazon highest quality and sat nav at the same time. Wirelesss Andrid auto sometimes throtles the music bandwidth. I have flawless Android Auto in my car, but I attach the cable, so I know that my mobile still has juice when I arrive.
Understand that line assist needs to be turned on after each full stop, but by adding a shortcut button they could have solved the issue, so you don't need to go to all the menus to get to line assist turn off option.
On the 2 bad points, I agree entirely with the lane assist being dangerous and I always turn it off. High beam assist works OK for me because I drive on single carriageway country roads.
great review , two things i like and have in my skoda karoq sportline electric tail gate and wireless antroid auto , i do miss my superb 276 sportline plus ... thinking of going electric , driven id3 which was nice to drive , also driven skoda enyaq which not that bothered about , thinking maybe cupra born or maybe id4 .....
I had a good look round the iD3 in the VW showroom, and my issue with it was that I couldn't see where the extra thousands of pounds went. I can't say it felt any better built, and it was certainly less well equipped than the MG4 Trophy. So unless it drives stupendously, it's most certainly just the badge you're paying for.
its a good time at the moment to buy 2nd hand electric as they seem to be plummeting in value , keep looking at the electric jaguar , thats a lot of car for a fraction of its price ....i will change after 3 years old , owned 30 cars now and over 60years old , never done lease owned , always pay cash for cars after haggling as i like the old fationed way , my first car was mk1 capri which i didnt actually buy , my mate wanted a video player so i swapped him ...@@OfficialMacMotors
Temperature ... Bjorn Nyland did a test and noted that the setting in the car equated to the air temperature at the vents, whereas most manufacturers have the setting equate to the cabin temperature (e.g. near the front arm rest). It seems that this is a typical Chinese manufacturer approach. Ref. the lack of frunk ... a Type 2 cable will sit very nicely on top of the plastic "engine bay" cover (put the plugs towards the bonnet catch) and stay in place when you close the bonnet.
My e-C4 is third car with autodip. The problem I get is they never dip for cars waiting to pull out of side roads. Once I have passed them the cars pulling out behind then keep full beam on in revenge, sometimes a lorry with Wembley style floodlighting on the roof! Mine always off. Lights on in bright, low sunshine can be good if you are approaching junction with sun behind you, makes you more noticeable to waiting vehicles. Do like the MG 4 LR but would go for MG5 as I love having an estate car, dont need it, just like it.🤷
Hi all MG4 owners. I’ve had my Long Range Trophy for about 12 weeks, had a Nissan Leaf for 4 years before that only had a 40 kWh so this larger battery helps. My thoughts are much the same as yours but I was aware of most of them but better than my Leaf. Things I have purchased an extra tray to fit in the upper layer of the arm rest box. An adapter for V2L great when cleaning and other outside jobs. May order a front under the bonnet storage box from a company, not cheap but I had one in my Leaf. What about getting out of the car do you find you catch your legs I’m only 7 foot 10, your taller. But I’m very pleased with it, looking into ways to get better lighting in the back. However I was aware of all these things and still very happy. Bob Blood. Kent England.
@@Airbag888 sorry no way am I 7 foot 10 inches, should have put 5 foot 10. I just catch the back of my legs on the very wide edges, was aware so not a complaint, others who are even shorter May find it difficult to. Thanks for your reply made me smile 😊. Bob Blood.
@@robertblood3722Bob, I'm honored to have crossed your path on that wide wide landscape that is the internet :) You're one of the good ones. I trust you've done a lot for people around you and even now would not hesitate to do so again if within your power. Have a great one Sir. All 5'10 of you 😁
Great review, honest and fair. Had my Trophy for 10 months. Only issue really is LKA which is way worse than my MGZS EV and really scary. The viaors dont pop off like yours, so maybe its your car. The temperature settings are as you say stupid - just have to pick a higher setting. The app could be better and can be flaky but its generally ok. I use the auto lights as well and they work well - coming on this morning as I drove under a bridge and later in a tunnel then off again when out the other side
Thank you. I think the visor issue may just be my car. Odd, but I'll get it checked out. As for the lights, I think they're just under sensitive, again, maybe my car? Not sure...
Very sensitive on mine too. Cloud comes over, go under any trees in daylight etc and they come on. Although my auto high beams would burn out oncoming drivers retinas before dropping to dipped beam. I have one bug that it would be interesting if you have though. When you turn the car on in the dark does the screen go to day or night mode? Mine always goes to day and I have to flick the headlights off and back on again for it to go to night mode. Otherwise the screen is blinding.
I was thinking about buying an MG 4 SE as I don’t need all but one of the extras on the Trophy. Can’t believe the SE hasn’t got Sat Nav, bit of a deal breaker. So might have to go for the Trophy but what do people think about the NMC battery, aren’t the LFP batteries on the SE supposed to be better.
Is your software version ending R33 or higher? It has some improvements with the menu and driving functions but it’s a dealer update only (the temperature displayed is 5c more than the actual temperature required so if you want 20c you still need to set it to 25c etc).
I have a Mercedes GLE with lane keep assist, the first time I went over a white line with no indicator it did the same to me and frightened the life out of me. It is not good.
The first time I overtook a car on the M6 in my Skoda without indicating - there was nothing behind me - the Lane Keep Assist kicked in, and it felt like someone else had grabbed the wheel....... I'm used to it now though... although it doesn't function if you do indicate, which is as it should be of course.... I *do* like the blind spot warning though, and the auto braking before you actually hit anything, if you stupidly ignore the rear parking sensors. 😊😊
I am leasing a 2023 luxury that i got almost 6 months ago. I pay 500 Euros a month for 25k kilometers a year including full insurance and summer&winter tires without any up front cash. The car itself is nice. It is a lot of hard plastics inside but the seats are nice and my driving position is good. The car is nippy as heck and i like the rear wheel drive even here in Norway where there right now is about 1.5 meters of snow in the garden. Had no issues on the winter snowy roads but the range drops...and i kid you not 50% in the coldest days when it is -23 ish celcius but i have driven EV's since 2016 so i was aware. The issue with this car is the insanely CRAP software for everything. The car will try to kill you every single day if you keep the LKA on. I have also had so many other software issues it is not even funny. I actually delivered mine like 30 min ago to the shop to update absolutely every module and all the software in the car. The windshield sprayers are the most useless i have ever experienced....i have adjusted them with a special tool so they at least work. Despite ALL these issues i love this car. It looks cool, it drives nice and smooth, the sound isolation is ALOT better then the 2022 hyundai kona i had. I have good hopes all the updates will help and my only regret is not getting the orange color but i had to get the car in time so i took the ultraboring white. Even with all the issues i would recommend this car after updates (hopefully). The biggest and best surprise is that the few times i need supercharging i use tesla chargers and there even in temperatures below 0 it ramps up to almost 140kw and that is at 40% soc.
Great honest review from you there. I really love the car. It's fast, fun, quiet, rides well and the seats are comfy. The infotainment isn't the best, but I wasn't expecting too much in that department and aside from being a little slow to respond to touch, it's been ok. LKA is too intrusive, but I've kinda got used to it and just remember to indicate at every given moment (which I should be doing anyway). Range did take a hit in the cold we had in the UK (nothing compared to your insane temperatures haha) but was still enough for my commute, which is what I needed. Overall it's a great car with just a few minor gremlins, which aren't deal breakers anyway.
My 2020 Merc high beams blind police cars, again due to the reflective stickers. Been given a quick blast of the blues a few times. So I guess this is a problem for auto high beams generally
Driving one for work, hard to control heating etc on the move and other features can’t connect phone, lane assist dangerous no easy way to turn off, quick though and looks cool cheap
I love the one pedal mode. BUT … It's tedious to have to enable it every time I get into the car... Please MG, make a software update!!! I agree that the lane assist is too intrusive.... I tend to switch it off...
Obviously if you need any help with the car/public charging or anything or want an extra MG4 for a video or anything just let me know, Mrs Mac has my number
What version of the infotainment have you got? I recently got mine updated, and not just the infotainment but also the front camera, the steering, CCU, the lot… LKA, ACC, TJA, traffic sign recognition, auto high beams much improved. I believe the camera exposure was too high and that was throwing out the computer logic. The daylight sensor sensitivity has been calibrated. Some of us though realised you could just drill a hole in it and improved it while waiting for the updates
It sounds like you need the latest updates. The auto lights have been improved, they dont come on half as much as they used to and the LKA though anoying as been tamed down massively Dont assume because its a new car that it has the latest software.
Yeah I think I may well need an update. I think the car may have been sat for a while before being delivered, so likely it's not got the latest software.
Johnson and Perot never explained to us that the 64kw excite model only has a 1phase charger (unlike the same model in Uk has 3phase charging) takes 24hrs to charge
Had my MG4 trophy for a year now. Agree pretty much 100% with your summary 😊. The lane keep assist is the worst thing about the car, but this is due to stupid NCAP rules. There should at least be a dedicated switch to turn it off as it's a real pain accessing the feature on the screen. Otherwise, like you I'm very happy with my car. How do you rate the road noise and ride? My car has the Continental tyres - they are not as good as other cars I've had with Contis - a bit harsh on secondary ride and can be boomy sometimes. How are the Bridgestines?
I'm glad you agree with my summary. It's a great car with just some very minor niggles, with the LKA being the biggest issue for me, which can't really be helped. The Bridgestone tyres seem good. Although I've not tried them out grip wise, so can't comment on that.
HGV'S are limited to 56mph, so 60mph should be the minimum to stop them having to pull out.Remember even at 60mph your speedo could be inaccurate. Plus don't sit next to a HGV, pass the asap to avoid side swiping.
Ever since they blew up those batteries in the pagers in Palestine, I've been contemplating about what could possibly happen in 5 years if we happen to go to war with China... I'm probably crazy but down here in Australia the Chinese are literally giving away their electric cars. They dropped the price on the MG4 by 13 thousand dollars overnight. The Chinese are literally losing money on each car they sell. They're so keen to get an electric car in our driveways they'll lose money to do it, probably because they love us .
in my view lane keep assist is very good I've never need to turn it off , it seems people that don't like it just don't signal when they should, when you signal the car understand what you intend to do and disables the assist.
For the cyclist, yes I should have indicated to pass, but where there are potholes or where you wish to make an evasive manoeuvre, is where it falls down and becomes intrusive. Or another issue, as I've found is where old road markings have been blacked out for roadworks and the lines can still be detected by the car and it is constantly trying to correct you. Therefore, I just turn it off now.
There is a marketing opportunity for someone to make a couple of led battery lights for the back of the MG and a reverse cup holder kit. I wonder what firmware version you are running.
It just seems to be the norm to have to have the temperature set a bit higher. No real issue, just seems odd having it set that high when ordinarily I'd be a sweaty mess!
Based on that review I'll stick with my first thoughts for an EV and that's the Megan e-tech. Faaaarrrr better styling. The MG4 front to me just looks like the Nissan Leaf front.
Interesting. Styling is certainly subjective, and the front is probably the least striking angle of the car. But it's certainly not bland. It's quite smart. The rest of the car really stands out and is very different from anything else on the road.
Yep, 3D sound and virtual sub is on. I've turned loudness off, as that was just too much and made it all too harsh. I'll check the settings on TH-cam music (which I use) to make sure it's the highest quality.
If you indicate that you are pulling out , as a prudent driver would do, the lane assist is temporarily disconnected. Since driving with a cup in your hand constitutes a driving offence, I suggest that the only place for cup holders is in the boot. Or maybe a link between the cup holder and the drive mode so that removal of the cup stops the car being driven.
It's about the same as a normal hatchback, perhaps even a fraction higher. I judge this because the dropped kerb outside my house doesn't span the entire width of the driveway, so when leaving the house and have to drop off the kerb, the Skoda, or Mk2 Golf can bottom out on the kerb. The MG hasn't done this as of yet.
Thinking of buying the mg4 but not sure if i could have an home charger fitted because the electirc supply to the fuse board and just wondered how long it takes in the real world to charge up from 0 to 80% via a 3 pin plug also a rough cost?
When you have a home charger fitted (ours was installed by Octopus) they'll test your supply to the fuse board and the electric meter. If there are issues with that you can get in touch with UK Power Networks who may be able to sort any issues out. For a 3 pin plug charging at 1.8kWh, you're looking at 28 hours... and generally electricity tariffs are around 30p per kWh, so just multiply 80% of 64kWh (51.2 kWh) by 0.3 to get that cost.
wow 28 hrs to charge....jeez did not think iit would be that long....i have solar panels and thats 1 of the reasons i was looking at an ev and i also love the look of the mg4...maybe i get someone visit my home to makesure i can have a 7kw charger fitted...but thanks for the info anyway @@OfficialMacMotors
@neilp7024 yeah it's a very long time, hence the nickname 'granny charger'. I had mine charge overnight at my parent's and it gave me about 35% 🤣 The most efficient in terms of time and cost is certainly a 7kW charger. Get on an EV tariff (will need a smart meter) and your rate will drop to around developing 7.5p per kWh for about 5 hours during the night.
To get an ev rate I will loose my export tariff.. Not sure if I want to do that.. Ermm I will have a rethink but thanks for the heads up anyway. @@OfficialMacMotors
I think the auto high beam must have been imoroved with software updates as minr is as food as any other car, has the odd dodgy moment but on whole works fine.
These NCAP rule on keeping lane assist permanently on has been repeated mentioned in so many EV reviews, not just MG4. They really need to allow the option to permanently switch this feature off. One day someone is going to get hurt seriously and they can sue NCAP government body and the car manufacturer.
If you're not expecting it (which 9 times out of 10 you won't be) then it's more of a hazard than a necessity. I've been driving 20 years and can't recall ever thinking, "oh I wish I had lka back there."
My Peugeot e208 has a button next to the dash that allows it to be permanently off. We hated it when we first got the car and my wife found it downright dangerous on country roads.
Just a slight warning, I've had it confirmed by Admiral that having an accident with the Lane Warning system fully turned off 'could' lead to your policy being nulled!!
In my Ioniq 5 we've set a short cut to it so we can quickly turn it back to 'Warning Only'....
@bryanduncan6178 oh that's a bit of an odd one. I'm guessing it depends on the nature of the accident, as surely if you're rear ended or T boned then there's nothing lka would have prevented
Most cars have a button to quickly disable LKA but I am yet to drive a car that has a worse implementation than the MG4. Sunny days, brows of hills, lane merges etc it will try to crash the car and then there's the silent tugging at the wheel with no notifications.
I've had mine about 9 months now and I still have to keep a sticker on the dash, 'switch off Lane assist or it will kill you'
Got used to just switching off LKA when I get in. Other than that I have no issues. Glad you’re loving it 🧡
Yep, it's a habit I'm trying to get into, but I have forgotten a few times and they're the times it catches me off guard.
@@OfficialMacMotors I also do this occasionally hahaha
Aliexpress: Android Auto Wireless dongle, Auto tailgate rams, led lights for rear, storage box insert, dashcover, V2L adaptor, plug rain cover.
Thank you! I'll check those out. 😁
Links mate?
Give us some links
Loving the content so far. Am seriously thinking of getting the mg4 through a work based lease. Seems a great option to me. Really enjoying your regular updates.
Glad you're enjoying the content. If your work does do a scheme then I can very much recommend the MG4 based on what I've found so far.
I previously had a Hyundai Kona. Really love the EV car. Have been driving a diesel for the last 2 years, but so keen to get back to electric.
@alexrelton9882 I've heard good things about the Kona. Oddly it wasn't available on the scheme my work had otherwise I'd have seriously considered one if the price was right.
As an MG4 Trophy owner of approx 4 months my advice would be to certainly take the MG4 for a test drive to see how you like it.
I would defo recommend the MG as well. Just had it for three days and a real pleasure!
Thank You for a really good review. It's always good when the tester tells his length as You did. Bravo!
Glad you liked it!
As an Ev driver and a cyclist, I am hoping that lane assist is updated. I’m assuming you will be indicating next time. Great video review though. Lovely to see an actual owner review of the MG4.
Yes, I shall indicate next time. In all honesty I normally would, but it was a section of road with no cars behind me, nor oncoming. So just went to give a wide berth and then the car suddenly thought otherwise! Lesson learned!
Had an MG ZS since 2020, before LKA was mandatory, switched off permanently before going anywhere. My high beam assist works pretty well, the odd glitch but generally works fine. The rear does need lighting , and a paler head lining would help. All cars should have a LKA off button.
All cars should have good LKA rather than a button to turn it off...it defeats the purpose of the feature.
Had a 40kw Leaf now for over 6 months and our family love it but downside is the legs and 50kw charging so this maybe a fab replacement as i prefer a 4 door hatch for an everyday everthing car. 👍👊
Indeed, LKA always being enabled, but later software (R59) allows one touch switch off on the vehicle menu shortcuts dropdown menu.
Good video. I’ve watch loads of review videos and the lane keep assist seems to be useless on all cars. Keep the videos coming. Still waiting for my Enyaq.
Thank you! Yeah I don't think I'm alone in having issues on a new car with the lka. Hopefully your Enyaq will be a little less intrusive.
I had a good look round an Enyaq whilst my Superb was in for a repair last year and it was suitably familiar to my Superb, but I was trying to downsize from the Superb for my commute, so opted for the MG4 for that reason, as well as cost.
@@OfficialMacMotorsThe lane assist will be fine on the Enyaq if it is the same on the Cupra Born. I also get 4.7kwh on a run.
I'm enjoying your reactions to owning an EV for the first time. The MG4 appealed to me as an 'affordable' quality car, though in the end I opted for an Ioniq 5 for range, charging speed and space.
The Ioniq 5 also doesn't have wireless android auto, so I bought an AAWirless adaptor for 70 Euros.
I can definitely recommend it. I needed to change one setting to stop it repeatedly messaging my phone when the car was switched off. Other than that, it works seamlessly.
I couldn't find it on Amazon but did manage to buy it from the AAWireless online store.
My first EV was a Nissan Leaf, by the way.
I couldn't recommend one. The major issue for me was on road trips. ChaDeMo chargers a much less plentiful than CCS and generally only go up to 50 kW.
In addition to that, the Leaf has no thermal management, so will only charge at 22 kW after two charging sessions on one day. (Infamous as 'Rapidgate'.)
The Ionic 5 is a stunning car and if my budget had stretched to one, then it'd have been on my shortlist. Thank you for the recommendation on the wireless adaptor.
Yeah the LKA is frankly not fit for purpose, Ive managed to 30 years without having a car manage my ability to steer so I’m kind of used to keeping control 😂
My thoughts exactly! We've done without these driver aids for all this time, so please don't take the skill out of driving! Although... the 360° camera is great and is a welcome bit of tech. 😁
It's not about you two... it's about statistics, if the LKA can save a life it's better to do it rather than not, of course not with the current implementation of MG
Great job, very honest. We have been waiting since 2022 for them to fix LKA and auto high beam, don't keep your hopes up. 😂
I won't hold my breath then. 🤣
You can remove the centre headrest like I did, I've never used the high beam assist
Thanks for a great warts and all review - exactly what real drivers need and quite a few points you raised I wasn’t aware of on the MG!
Lots of parallels with your experience as previous to having my company Peugeot e208, I had a Skoda Superb Estate SE Executive Diesel. What a fantastic family car that was - massive boot and Superbly (sorry) smooth and relaxed to drive the family and dogs in. Unfortunately it was stolen after a year and I had to have an EV as a replacement, so went small with the Peugeot and got another diesel estate as the family car.
My experience with the EV has been brilliant and TBH we do 80% of our miles in it now - the estate is relegated to just family trips. I’ll be eligible to change the car in 18 months time so will be looking at options about this time next year and the MG4 is top of my list currently, mainly due to it being absolutely cracking value (Trophy is £100 a month cheaper than the e208).
We turned the lane assist off on the Peugeot as it’s a button you can switch off - thank goodness as we hated it! In fact my wife almost refused to drive it after nearly having an accident due to it trying to pull the car back across the road on a country lane. We also have auto lights on permanently but doesn’t really bother us.
Hope some/all of these niggles will be fixed before I have to decide on a car next year, as I’m very tempted to get an XPower! (don’t need the performance but why not if I’m not paying much more than a Trophy).
Thank you for the positive comment. I think it's important to talk about everything from an owner's perspective. There'd plenty of magazine reviews but they won't capture the real world pros and cons I don't think.
The Superb is an incredible car. I've done 130k in it and aside from a fuel system issue early in its life, it's been faultless amd a true workhorse.
Hopefully my review will have assisted your decision on what to get next, but I'd use the opportunity to test drive one and see what you think.
Lens flares worthy of JJ Abrams. Great video, thanks for sharing!
Haha thanks! Yeah, the sun kept catching me off guard, as it was so low and bright in the sky. Hope it wasn't too off-putting!
@@OfficialMacMotors sunshine in the UK in winter? Unheard of! Thanks for clarifying the lane keep assist issue. I'm facing the same issue.
It's good to learn an experience of a driver of the premium trim. My Mg4 long range is still good but almost every single aspect is bad. inside materials are low quality, no cameras, audio is worse that playing of my phone, no side cameras, head unit is laggy. And more and more. Thank god economy is not too bad and charging speeds are good too. Auto high beam works perfectly though.
I have an MGZS EV LRTC and the lane keep assist doesn't automatically come on. I have it set on warning rather than full as its too aggressive. However when using MG pilot, as opposed to just active cruise control, the LKA (which is akways on with MG Pilot setting) is much better. Thats said I only use on the motorway as KERS / Regen breaking doesnt work when ACC or MG Pilot is on. In the MG4 and MG5 ev's, it does though.
I'm enjoying your journey. I've got an MG5 (had it about 4 months now) and always looking for lessons and tips about using electric cars. For Android Auto, I use the Motorola MA1 Wireless adapter. Costs about £90 but it works a treat.
OK great. I'll have a look at that if it comes well recommended. Thanks. 😁
Ron, you might like to look at the James & Kate EV channel here on TH-cam. James works for a company who run a small fleet of MG5's, as call-out vehicles. He has been doing regular video over-views of the Fleet, including one MG5 they have, which has covered 70k miles in it's first year with the company. James said the front tyres lasted 41k miles, and the brake pads and discs looked as if they'd pass 100k miles easily. There had ben just one failure during those 70k miles, which was the latch on the charge flap in the front grille. The latch itself has broken. A simple enough fix....
@Brian-om2hh Thanks Brian. I'm already following them, Mr EV, EVM and a few others. 👍
Had mine for a couple of months. This week it stopped charging on my wall charger and will not charge with the granny lead. Rapid charge is fine but expensive. Booked in withthe dealer in 3 weeks. Yes the climate needs calibrating correctly. I find the infotainment laggy and annoying. The touch screen seems not that easy to use and I never know how hard to press the buttons. I would personally like one of the steering wheel buttons set up so you can scroll through your favourite stations without taking your eyes off the road. A brilliant car to drive though. Another minor irritation for me is having to press several buttons to shut the car down or wait till you get out and lock it for the car to power down. I would have liked a button.
Thanks for posting an enjoyable review, looking at one of these for my wife…now all I can think off is my kids sat in the dark and hot chocolate spilled everywhere 😂 all in all through it does seem like a nice little car.
After 3 years of owning my Corsa, the fact that you only have one gear and it just keeps accelerating without any gear changes still feels weird - in a nice way, as it still feels fun when you join and leave a roundabout. My brain still expects a gear change at some point.
The MG4 is probably the car I would pick today (not available three years ago).
I've heard a few people say the MG4 is a natural progression from a Corsa/208. I don't think you'd be disappointed. Have a look round one and I'm sure you'll agree.
@@OfficialMacMotors Very nice car, one of my work colleagues had one until it got shunted from behind and written off 😒. Car was easily repairable, but MG were not making replacement inverters available so the spare couldn’t be found. The inverter is at the rear on the MG4. Swap that out and repair the trim and it would have been fine. Looking on Copart there is an MG4 with the front smashed in. That could easily have been bought for parts and the inverter taken off it as it would have been undamaged. Unfortunately garages and insurance companies still have a lot to learn about sorting out EVs that have had minor bumps. That fear and lack of knowledge will get better with time.
@javelinXH992 what an absolute waste. Seems really daft to have done that. But hopefully the rest of the car can be used for spares on other cars. Surprised insurance companies don't have a policy where they are able to source a component that is still within manufacturer's warranty to use on accident damaged cars.
@@OfficialMacMotors They did try, but MG are putting all inverters into new vehicles only. This is an issue of lack of old vehicles and spares to source from, which should sort itself out over time. The rush is for new, new, new at the moment. A similar thing happens with airliners, where some are scrapped not because they don’t work or are too old, but because the demand for decent quality spares (especially engines and associated parts) means they are worth more broken done for parts than they are whole.
I went from the Corsa to the MG4 due to range and size the LKA on the Corsa was so easy to turn off with one button that's the thing I miss most .
Great video. I've got the same car (but 22 plate) and am loving it!
The autolights sensitivity is fixed in a car module update that you can get from your dealer. I believe this also improves the autodipping but I am not sure about this.
Equally there are updates for LKA.
Frustratingly MG don't release any information about these and you can't check what you have so it ends up being reporting the problem to your dealer and hoping they install the right updates.
Some people have swapped the overhead bulbs for LEDs to brighten the interior.
Thank you very much for this useful update. I'll be hitting the 15k service interval pretty quickly so the dealer will have the opportunity to carry out any updates then.
BtW OHM pro have confirmed the API for MG is in development and will be rolled out in the future..
That'll be nice if that makes an appearance.
I’ve got on with it and I have one. I’m pleased with the car apart from the poor programming decisions made with the way the software works. A panic breaking works as it has done this at least 4 times when it gets confused as refuses to believe that I’m in control and locks the breaks.
In case you ever need to, you can massively improve the car efficiency at mid 50s on the motorway (I.e. in with the lorries) compared to 70. I’m guessing you’ll get the efficiency up to 4 mpkwh. Not something to do as routine but should you ever get caught short for any reason, this should guarantee the fabled range anxiety does not become an issue.
Speaking of range anxiety, I’ve only had it twice in 3 years. The first time was actually for the first few weeks of ownership because like all new electric drivers, I had no idea how to assess the car usage of energy. It’s so different from a petrol or diesel you can’t really bring that experience with you. After a few weeks I was settled in and that type of anxiety evaporated.
The second time was for real and still early in my ownership. There was an accident on the motorway and we were all delayed on a cold motorway, then were being diverted round cross country. I had, foolishly on my part, left home with just enough energy for my journey. Therefore, I had no idea what would happen on the journey and if I would make it. But you know what, the situation would have been exactly the same if I had left myself in that position in an ICE car (which I have). This was actually a great lesson in several ways. Firstly, there is no reason if you can charge at home not to have enough energy for a sensible diversion for your trip. It would be daft to run so low in ICE and running an electric car is no different. Secondly, travelling on the diversion was slower than the motorway and so the range went up - it wasn’t long before I realised I would easily make it. Thirdly, install Zap Map on your phone - you can always see where the chargers are and get a quick splash and dash to get you home.
I’ve never had range anxiety since, especially since I learned how far the car could go when almost empty. In fact, I would
say the experience gave me range confidence. I suspect that most experienced EV drivers would say the same?
Great tips there, thank you. I tend to drive at around 65mph. I'm aware that 50mph would be more efficient, but I feel if I'm being overtaken by lorries on the motorway I'm now a hazard, so will avoid that and ensure I've got plenty of charge to undertake my journey with room to spare.
@@OfficialMacMotors it’s important not to be a roadblock - don’t be that guy! But you can drop in and keep pace behind a lorry without issue. Everyone has to round it anyway. But best to have enough juice in the tank to drive normally.
@javelinXH992 yeah that's a good point. I do enjoy hypermiling, something very satisfying about it! But it's important to not become a menace on the road whilst doing so. So picking your moments is key.
@@OfficialMacMotors I always used to do it in my Golf diesel as well it’s just a relaxing place to be if you are not in a rush, music, podcast or audiobook playing. Turn the commute into ‘me-time’ rather than a chore.
@javelinXH992 exactly that. I'm rarely in a hurry to get anywhere, so may as well relax, enjoy the journey and arrive at my destination feeling refreshed rather than stressed.
I disable LKA every time because I have found the cameras will spot repair patches in the road and think I'm drifting lanes and try to pull me to the left, even when I am perfectly in the centre of the lane. Front collision detection is another bad one because we have experienced the car suddenly brake for no apparent reason. On the infotainment system, we are a bit unhappy about the USB memory stick which is our preferred way to store all our music. It doesn't display the folders and albums so we can't choose what we want to play (the folders are not visible). It is happy to read the memory stick and plays all the tracks in alphabetical order. This becomes a nuisance when the same track might be on various compilation albums and you get the same track wanting to play multiple times in a row. Our car (23 plate) came 2nd hand with one ex motability scheme owner who had done just 715 miles in it. We are happy with the car but when it goes in for its yearly service, I am going to ask about a firmware upgrade. It currently has R40 and I know the latest version is R46 and OTA updates isn't enabled for this car yet.
I have had the trophy 7 months now and done 10k miles. The auto light function and high beam assist mainly works well on mine so must be a problem with your model. Perhaps software issue or light sensor if your dipped beam is on when it’s good daylight. I did have problems with LKA but after 10k miles it seems to be less of a problem other than on narrow roads especially in Devon but you have to indicate if crossing any white line. Long range has been great I regularly drive London to Devon with just a short rapid charge stop on the way. Some of the infotainment functions don’t work well or not at all which is frustrating. Not having a rear wiper has not been a problem so adding a wiper with centre headrest was not a good upgrade on MGs part.
Good to hear of your good experience so far. Gives me a lot of reassurance. The rear headrest and rear wiper is an odd addition, as the wiper is tiny it's pretty useless, plus due to the shape of the rear I've found it doesn't actually get very dirty compared to other hatchbacks I've owned.
Had a test drive in the MG4 SE long range and it was a good car but the fact that it was permanently on until it was locked. No rear wiper, camera or front sensors on the SE either. Decided against the MG and got a Mokka e which has been lovely and has adaptive high beam which is amazing. Lane keep is annoying and has to be turned off every time! I’m getting 3.3 miles per kWh so pretty good
That's interesting as those features are standard kit on the Trophy trim, but it all depends on price and your needs at the end of the day. Glad you're happy with the Mokka though. You see a fair few about so they must be popular for a reason.
@@OfficialMacMotors a lot are the 1.2 petrol rather than the ev. I was very unsure as there is so much anti ev rubbish going around but I have been shocked at the public charging prices (£1.20 pkwh in one to 31p at local Tesla charging) and how many apps and rfid cards needed!
One of the reasons that I didn't go with the MG4 was the rear seat experience. No lights and no centre headrest, but also there was no centre armrest.
Now, I know that you don't need the third headrest if you are using a centre armrest but our needs necessitste sometimes three in the back but sometimes transporting an oldie who needs the armrest.
Also, our final choice has more rear seat space overall which is better for adults and teenagers.
The MG4 doesn't read high but in default it sends the heat to the window, a more normal breeze can be set if you direct the heat to the air vents.
@Mac Motors @4:10 to avoid any inconvenience, you can install a sunstrip at the top of your windshield 👍
In the latest software update Lane Kill Assist can be even more easily turned off with the swipe down menu on the Home Screen
Oh that'll be nice to have it as easy as that! I shall mention it when it goesnin for its first service.
Your experience is just starting to reflect the real mg experience as you start to discover that things aren’t quite what they seem on the surface. On top of the glitches you have already experienced you will realise that the heated seats are a pain, only on or off, the mg pilot is useless , the car creaks , the air con is useless but worse of all the Mg pilot is so dangerous i wouldn’t take my child in mine in the end as it kept slamming the breaks on and lka wanted to drive us into the oncoming traffic.
I think this is a great review of the car, thats the kind off stuff i as a buyer want to see, im curious on the mg4 xpower i need awd where i live in sweden and here it’s black out from November to February. One more thing that makes me hesitate is that awd only works forward on that mg??
Thanks for the kind words on the review. I'm not sure on the technical details of the XPower, just that it's outrageously fast. 😆
Thanks for your ownership experience. I was planning to get a Xpower sometime this year, but the issues you listed outweigh the advantages you listed. I am happy to wait for revision 2 of this car, iron out all the software and design faults. 😊
Don't let my little niggles put you off this car. I could list ones that are more significant in my Skoda Superb, which is renowned as one of the best cars for the money. I just wanted to bring everything to peoples' attention so they can go in with their eyes open. Test drive an XPower and see what you think. I reckon you'd be impressed.
@OfficialMacMotors it's hard not to be impressed by the xpower, personally I think the extended range version would be a better buy for the same money though
I appreciate your honesty with those bad points.
I've never experienced lane assist but I suspect I wouldn't like it either...
Regarding the small gripes, certainly not deal breakers and most cars will have a list of their own personal annoyances I suppose.
Glad you're getting on well with it, very positive overall.
Yep, no point in glossing over any issues, no matter how small they are, which these are, let's be honest. Its a very good car, with just a few minor issues, as you say.
The MG4 doesn't read high but in default it sends the heat to the window, a more normal breeze can be set if you direct the heat to the air vents. For Android auto just buy a usb wifi adaptor. Remove the middle rear headrest and keep it in the boot if needed -likely v rarely.
The headlight etc on mine only come on when it goes dark or overcast out side. As for temperature, as some one has mentioned, it sets vent temperature and it needs to be 24/25 to warm the car to 21 degrees. Auto high beam on mine is quite good but not perfect, it can be switched from the stalk should on the odd occasion it doesn't work.
Thank you. For now, until I can ensure I've got the latest firmware update, I'll keep the high beam assist off. As it's more of a hazard than convenience for me at present. Let's hope it'll be rectified, as it would be a nice to have function.
1. I've had no trouble with sun visors might be a problem on your car.
2. Temperature is measured at the exit vent, not in the cabin, hence why you need to set it higher.
3. Do you actually use the cables you're carrying? Mine are in the garage.
4. Rumour has it (mg forum) there are fixes for lka and auto headlight operation
1. OK, thought that may be the case, as hadn't seen it reported anywhere else.
2. That's an odd way to measure it, as normally it's via an average temperature in the car, but I'll just set to 25°C and poke up with it.
3. No, but I don't think there's harm in having them, just incase I do end up somewhere obscure that doesn't have a tethered charge point.
4. That'll be very nice if that happens, as the lka is too over zealous for my liking and auto headlights are under sensitive.
Yep lane assist can be turn off on the Leaf via settings. Our car also suffers from condensation and knocks out the collision prevention and that, even though you are warned it annoying. Once the moister has gone its fine, but you do have to stop the car to reset it.
6 months with the MG4 & worst gripe for me as always stated is lane assist also twice had car come to a sudden stop when passing a parked cars, so other than possability of being pushed into hedges or rammed up the back it`s been fine.
Fascinating to hear of real time experiences. Please keep them coming.😊
Thank you. 😁
How do you find the overall experience? Thinking of switching from hybrid to electric in 1 years time, do you think the change to electric is the way forward? I would need atleast 250 mile range and also I have my own drive so charging isn't a issue I think that's the main problem if you don't own your own driveway what's your thoughts ? Thanks!
I love it and really didn't expect to enjoy it so much. I've gone from a diesel with a comfortable 800 mile range to a tank, but this is irrelevant because I charge it at home and very rarely need to travel further than the 140 mile return commute I do. And if I were to travel longer, I'd be stopping after 2 hours for a toilet/comfort break, at which point I'd charge it.
For 250 miles, is that a daily requirement? As if it's once every few weeks then I'd have no issues recommending the MG4 Long Range and just charge en route if you require a stop for a short while. If it's a daily requirement I don't think the Long Range would suit, and I think the Extended Ramge would still be close. You may need something like a long range Tesla Model 3 or Kia EV6 etc to be able to comfortably manage that range if charging mid way wasn't an option.
Thank u for the reply, it's not essential to have 250 miles but I do travel to see family every 3 months 190 mile trip one way so they bigger battery would make me feel comfortable, it's great to hear real people's overall experience and recommendations on electric cars as everyone has a herd mentality and follows all the negatives about EVs.@@OfficialMacMotors
I read that due to licensing issues with the SatNav provider, if a car has an infotainment screen over a certain size, they’re not allowed to install wireless Android Auto or CarPlay. Which is why some of the premium cars like the Ioniq 5 and EV6 only have wired.
I'd not heard of that, but it's a plausible reason as to why when the tech is already there and I assume simple to implement
No, it is because the Wireless draws a massive amount of current. A Qi Charger cannot cope with providing enough power to counteract it.
So they save money. You have to attach it via cable, so the phone DOES charge at the same time, isntead of deplete.
Attaching a cable also means a higher throughput, so that you can still stream Amazon highest quality and sat nav at the same time. Wirelesss Andrid auto sometimes throtles the music bandwidth.
I have flawless Android Auto in my car, but I attach the cable, so I know that my mobile still has juice when I arrive.
I have wireless in my car and it’s flawless - also a Qi charger
Im pretty sure you need to drop the lower boot floor a little to make enough room for the cables.
Ah, I didn't realise that. I'll have a look.
Understand that line assist needs to be turned on after each full stop, but by adding a shortcut button they could have solved the issue, so you don't need to go to all the menus to get to line assist turn off option.
That would have been the much preferred option, as even now I still occasionally forget!
On the 2 bad points, I agree entirely with the lane assist being dangerous and I always turn it off. High beam assist works OK for me because I drive on single carriageway country roads.
great review , two things i like and have in my skoda karoq sportline
electric tail gate and wireless antroid auto , i do miss my superb 276 sportline plus ...
thinking of going electric , driven id3 which was nice to drive , also driven skoda enyaq
which not that bothered about , thinking maybe cupra born or maybe id4 .....
I had a good look round the iD3 in the VW showroom, and my issue with it was that I couldn't see where the extra thousands of pounds went. I can't say it felt any better built, and it was certainly less well equipped than the MG4 Trophy. So unless it drives stupendously, it's most certainly just the badge you're paying for.
its a good time at the moment to buy 2nd hand electric as they seem to be plummeting in value , keep looking at the electric jaguar , thats a lot of car for a fraction of its price ....i will change after 3 years old , owned 30 cars now and over 60years old , never done lease owned , always pay cash for cars after haggling as i like the old fationed way , my first car was mk1 capri which i didnt actually buy , my mate wanted a video player so i swapped him ...@@OfficialMacMotors
Temperature ... Bjorn Nyland did a test and noted that the setting in the car equated to the air temperature at the vents, whereas most manufacturers have the setting equate to the cabin temperature (e.g. near the front arm rest). It seems that this is a typical Chinese manufacturer approach.
Ref. the lack of frunk ... a Type 2 cable will sit very nicely on top of the plastic "engine bay" cover (put the plugs towards the bonnet catch) and stay in place when you close the bonnet.
Interesting about the frunk solution! That's one for me to try, for sure!
Excellent explanation, very down to earth video.
Hello came across your channel and subscribed, Although i dont own an MG4, I do own the new MG3 Hybrid + Trophy model
For the back a lot of people have got stick on leds and as for the frunk i just stick my granny charger under the bonnet and its absolutely fine
Does it fit OK under there then? I can't visualise where it would sit comfortably.
@OfficialMacMotors yeah it fits fine I'll send a pic to Jo on whatsapp
My e-C4 is third car with autodip. The problem I get is they never dip for cars waiting to pull out of side roads. Once I have passed them the cars pulling out behind then keep full beam on in revenge, sometimes a lorry with Wembley style floodlighting on the roof!
Mine always off.
Lights on in bright, low sunshine can be good if you are approaching junction with sun behind you, makes you more noticeable to waiting vehicles.
Do like the MG 4 LR but would go for MG5 as I love having an estate car, dont need it, just like it.🤷
Hi all MG4 owners. I’ve had my Long Range Trophy for about 12 weeks, had a Nissan Leaf for 4 years before that only had a 40 kWh so this larger battery helps. My thoughts are much the same as yours but I was aware of most of them but better than my Leaf. Things I have purchased an extra tray to fit in the upper layer of the arm rest box. An adapter for V2L great when cleaning and other outside jobs. May order a front under the bonnet storage box from a company, not cheap but I had one in my Leaf. What about getting out of the car do you find you catch your legs I’m only 7 foot 10, your taller. But I’m very pleased with it, looking into ways to get better lighting in the back. However I was aware of all these things and still very happy.
Bob Blood. Kent England.
7 foot 10... nice
@@Airbag888 sorry no way am I 7 foot 10 inches, should have put 5 foot 10. I just catch the back of my legs on the very wide edges, was aware so not a complaint, others who are even shorter May find it difficult to. Thanks for your reply made me smile 😊. Bob Blood.
@@robertblood3722Bob, I'm honored to have crossed your path on that wide wide landscape that is the internet :) You're one of the good ones. I trust you've done a lot for people around you and even now would not hesitate to do so again if within your power.
Have a great one Sir. All 5'10 of you 😁
Great review, honest and fair. Had my Trophy for 10 months. Only issue really is LKA which is way worse than my MGZS EV and really scary. The viaors dont pop off like yours, so maybe its your car. The temperature settings are as you say stupid - just have to pick a higher setting. The app could be better and can be flaky but its generally ok. I use the auto lights as well and they work well - coming on this morning as I drove under a bridge and later in a tunnel then off again when out the other side
Thank you. I think the visor issue may just be my car. Odd, but I'll get it checked out. As for the lights, I think they're just under sensitive, again, maybe my car? Not sure...
Very sensitive on mine too. Cloud comes over, go under any trees in daylight etc and they come on. Although my auto high beams would burn out oncoming drivers retinas before dropping to dipped beam. I have one bug that it would be interesting if you have though. When you turn the car on in the dark does the screen go to day or night mode? Mine always goes to day and I have to flick the headlights off and back on again for it to go to night mode. Otherwise the screen is blinding.
@davesoton20 ah I have that too with the screen! It does go off eventually but certainly slow to react.
I get the sun visor thing too, it's very distracting when it happens!@@OfficialMacMotors
@stnicolastaplow4096 in a strange way I'm glad it's not just me. I thought I was an anomaly!
I was thinking about buying an MG 4 SE as I don’t need all but one of the extras on the Trophy. Can’t believe the SE hasn’t got Sat Nav, bit of a deal breaker. So might have to go for the Trophy but what do people think about the NMC battery, aren’t the LFP batteries on the SE supposed to be better.
Is your software version ending R33 or higher? It has some improvements with the menu and driving functions but it’s a dealer update only (the temperature displayed is 5c more than the actual temperature required so if you want 20c you still need to set it to 25c etc).
I'll check out the software version and see if it's due a dealer update, as this may be the answer! Thanks.
I have a Mercedes GLE with lane keep assist, the first time I went over a white line with no indicator it did the same to me and frightened the life out of me. It is not good.
Really takes you by surprise doesn't it?
The first time I overtook a car on the M6 in my Skoda without indicating - there was nothing behind me - the Lane Keep Assist kicked in, and it felt like someone else had grabbed the wheel....... I'm used to it now though... although it doesn't function if you do indicate, which is as it should be of course.... I *do* like the blind spot warning though, and the auto braking before you actually hit anything, if you stupidly ignore the rear parking sensors. 😊😊
I am leasing a 2023 luxury that i got almost 6 months ago. I pay 500 Euros a month for 25k kilometers a year including full insurance and summer&winter tires without any up front cash. The car itself is nice. It is a lot of hard plastics inside but the seats are nice and my driving position is good. The car is nippy as heck and i like the rear wheel drive even here in Norway where there right now is about 1.5 meters of snow in the garden. Had no issues on the winter snowy roads but the range drops...and i kid you not 50% in the coldest days when it is -23 ish celcius but i have driven EV's since 2016 so i was aware. The issue with this car is the insanely CRAP software for everything. The car will try to kill you every single day if you keep the LKA on. I have also had so many other software issues it is not even funny. I actually delivered mine like 30 min ago to the shop to update absolutely every module and all the software in the car. The windshield sprayers are the most useless i have ever experienced....i have adjusted them with a special tool so they at least work. Despite ALL these issues i love this car. It looks cool, it drives nice and smooth, the sound isolation is ALOT better then the 2022 hyundai kona i had. I have good hopes all the updates will help and my only regret is not getting the orange color but i had to get the car in time so i took the ultraboring white. Even with all the issues i would recommend this car after updates (hopefully). The biggest and best surprise is that the few times i need supercharging i use tesla chargers and there even in temperatures below 0 it ramps up to almost 140kw and that is at 40% soc.
Great honest review from you there. I really love the car. It's fast, fun, quiet, rides well and the seats are comfy. The infotainment isn't the best, but I wasn't expecting too much in that department and aside from being a little slow to respond to touch, it's been ok. LKA is too intrusive, but I've kinda got used to it and just remember to indicate at every given moment (which I should be doing anyway). Range did take a hit in the cold we had in the UK (nothing compared to your insane temperatures haha) but was still enough for my commute, which is what I needed. Overall it's a great car with just a few minor gremlins, which aren't deal breakers anyway.
How many hp has the car got,i wish they would have one in-between the entry level and x power,is alloys or wheel trims?👍
The auto high beam i dont have an issue with and the LKA i have set to low and its generally fine for me. Im 25k miles in now after a year
Temp seems cold while you're in eco mode. reset to normal and the temp comes up to what the dash says. ECO reduces all power .
Phantom braking is also a rare but dangerous issue. Lane Kill Assist
Apparently in the next software update they are offsetting the heater by 5°C.
Oh good. That'll be nice! Doesn't really affect me much, but it's just odd driving round with it set to 25°C and still feeling a bit on the cold side!
@@OfficialMacMotors it’s a criticism of many Chinese made EVs not just MGs
My 2020 Merc high beams blind police cars, again due to the reflective stickers. Been given a quick blast of the blues a few times. So I guess this is a problem for auto high beams generally
Driving one for work, hard to control heating etc on the move and other features can’t connect phone, lane assist dangerous no easy way to turn off, quick though and looks cool cheap
I love the one pedal mode. BUT … It's tedious to have to enable it every time I get into the car... Please MG, make a software update!!! I agree that the lane assist is too intrusive.... I tend to switch it off...
Wtf this just popped up on my youtube, hey buddy!!
👋 hello!
Obviously if you need any help with the car/public charging or anything or want an extra MG4 for a video or anything just let me know, Mrs Mac has my number
@@davelenderson thank you very much! I may need to pick your brains on public charging at some point, but I'll see what happens when I try it.
Sounds like you have a faulty light sensor there, considering headlights are always on and high beam assist doesn't work.
Built to a subsidised price and you get what you pay for. Cheap and cheerful in other words.
Very good video and review.
What version of the infotainment have you got? I recently got mine updated, and not just the infotainment but also the front camera, the steering, CCU, the lot… LKA, ACC, TJA, traffic sign recognition, auto high beams much improved. I believe the camera exposure was too high and that was throwing out the computer logic.
The daylight sensor sensitivity has been calibrated. Some of us though realised you could just drill a hole in it and improved it while waiting for the updates
I'll have a look at my infotainment version and let you know. I think this may well be the problem with mine.
It sounds like you need the latest updates.
The auto lights have been improved, they dont come on half as much as they used to and the LKA though anoying as been tamed down massively
Dont assume because its a new car that it has the latest software.
Yeah I think I may well need an update. I think the car may have been sat for a while before being delivered, so likely it's not got the latest software.
Johnson and Perot never explained to us that the 64kw excite model only has a 1phase charger (unlike the same model in Uk has 3phase charging) takes 24hrs to charge
Having to set the temp higher could be down to it not having an engine/ coolant / red hot exhaust under the centre tunnel
apparently the ac is 5 degree c below what it should be so adjust as necessary
as for autolights on you need to drill 8mm hole above dash sensor.
Had my MG4 trophy for a year now. Agree pretty much 100% with your summary 😊. The lane keep assist is the worst thing about the car, but this is due to stupid NCAP rules. There should at least be a dedicated switch to turn it off as it's a real pain accessing the feature on the screen. Otherwise, like you I'm very happy with my car. How do you rate the road noise and ride? My car has the Continental tyres - they are not as good as other cars I've had with Contis - a bit harsh on secondary ride and can be boomy sometimes. How are the Bridgestines?
I'm glad you agree with my summary. It's a great car with just some very minor niggles, with the LKA being the biggest issue for me, which can't really be helped. The Bridgestone tyres seem good. Although I've not tried them out grip wise, so can't comment on that.
How much does it cost to fully charge.. thanks for sharing 😁 👌 👍 🇬🇧
That is something I am going to be doing a video on Next. Stay tuned!
HGV'S are limited to 56mph, so 60mph should be the minimum to stop them having to pull out.Remember even at 60mph your speedo could be inaccurate. Plus don't sit next to a HGV, pass the asap to avoid side swiping.
Re the boot lid, there is an aftermarket powered tailgate kit, might be worth a thought to help your wife(?)
If I can find something suitable then it's probably worth investigating. I've been spoilt by having a powered tailgate on the Skoda I think.
Great views per sub ratio!
Ever since they blew up those batteries in the pagers in Palestine, I've been contemplating about what could possibly happen in 5 years if we happen to go to war with China... I'm probably crazy but down here in Australia the Chinese are literally giving away their electric cars. They dropped the price on the MG4 by 13 thousand dollars overnight. The Chinese are literally losing money on each car they sell. They're so keen to get an electric car in our driveways they'll lose money to do it, probably because they love us .
in my view lane keep assist is very good I've never need to turn it off , it seems people that don't like it just don't signal when they should, when you signal the car understand what you intend to do and disables the assist.
For the cyclist, yes I should have indicated to pass, but where there are potholes or where you wish to make an evasive manoeuvre, is where it falls down and becomes intrusive. Or another issue, as I've found is where old road markings have been blacked out for roadworks and the lines can still be detected by the car and it is constantly trying to correct you.
Therefore, I just turn it off now.
Fair point, road are bad these days 😞@@OfficialMacMotors
There is a marketing opportunity for someone to make a couple of led battery lights for the back of the MG and a reverse cup holder kit. I wonder what firmware version you are running.
I don't known about the individual modules, but his infotainment is running R46
Excuse my ignorance, but what is R46?
I'm sure there's probably something out there to have additional cop-holders, but likely at the expense of the storage area between the front seats.
Yeah, I set my temp to 26 degrees and fan speed 2 and that seems to be warm enough in my SE long range.
It just seems to be the norm to have to have the temperature set a bit higher. No real issue, just seems odd having it set that high when ordinarily I'd be a sweaty mess!
I got a boss carlink from Ali express for my civic for wireless CarPlay might work for you
Based on that review I'll stick with my first thoughts for an EV and that's the Megan e-tech. Faaaarrrr better styling. The MG4 front to me just looks like the Nissan Leaf front.
Interesting. Styling is certainly subjective, and the front is probably the least striking angle of the car. But it's certainly not bland. It's quite smart. The rest of the car really stands out and is very different from anything else on the road.
I drove an Ioniq 5 and it was doing lane keeping steering correction that I did not like.
Why is there no on off switch irritating as radio still blasting when you open door to have to turn it off with key remote 🤦♂️
I've not noticed that issue with my sun visors
Have you setup 3d sound and virtual subwoofer? Also, when streaming make sure Spotify etc outputs Highest Quality it makes a massive difference in SQ.
Yep, 3D sound and virtual sub is on. I've turned loudness off, as that was just too much and made it all too harsh. I'll check the settings on TH-cam music (which I use) to make sure it's the highest quality.
If you indicate that you are pulling out , as a prudent driver would do, the lane assist is temporarily disconnected.
Since driving with a cup in your hand constitutes a driving offence, I suggest that the only place for cup holders is in the boot. Or maybe a link between the cup holder and the drive mode so that removal of the cup stops the car being driven.
Mac why dont you mention that when is raining there is a big area left unwiped by wipers in the bottom left hand side of the windshied?
Perhaps he hasn't found it to be an issue?
@@Brian-om2hh For some might not
How high is the ground clearance? Is it a bit lower compared to other hatchback, or is it the same?
It's about the same as a normal hatchback, perhaps even a fraction higher. I judge this because the dropped kerb outside my house doesn't span the entire width of the driveway, so when leaving the house and have to drop off the kerb, the Skoda, or Mk2 Golf can bottom out on the kerb. The MG hasn't done this as of yet.
@@OfficialMacMotors oh, not bad for an electric hatchback. Thank you for the reply.
Where was your MG4 manufactured in?
Thinking of buying the mg4 but not sure if i could have an home charger fitted because the electirc supply to the fuse board and just wondered how long it takes in the real world to charge up from 0 to 80% via a 3 pin plug also a rough cost?
When you have a home charger fitted (ours was installed by Octopus) they'll test your supply to the fuse board and the electric meter. If there are issues with that you can get in touch with UK Power Networks who may be able to sort any issues out.
For a 3 pin plug charging at 1.8kWh, you're looking at 28 hours... and generally electricity tariffs are around 30p per kWh, so just multiply 80% of 64kWh (51.2 kWh) by 0.3 to get that cost.
wow 28 hrs to charge....jeez did not think iit would be that long....i have solar panels and thats 1 of the reasons i was looking at an ev and i also love the look of the mg4...maybe i get someone visit my home to makesure i can have a 7kw charger fitted...but thanks for the info anyway @@OfficialMacMotors
@neilp7024 yeah it's a very long time, hence the nickname 'granny charger'.
I had mine charge overnight at my parent's and it gave me about 35% 🤣
The most efficient in terms of time and cost is certainly a 7kW charger. Get on an EV tariff (will need a smart meter) and your rate will drop to around developing 7.5p per kWh for about 5 hours during the night.
To get an ev rate I will loose my export tariff.. Not sure if I want to do that.. Ermm I will have a rethink but thanks for the heads up anyway. @@OfficialMacMotors
I think the auto high beam must have been imoroved with software updates as minr is as food as any other car, has the odd dodgy moment but on whole works fine.