MG 4

AMKC

Maybe MarkN was driving it. I am sure he will let us know of it was him or not or maybe IrelandEV or one of the other You-tube reviewers or someone else had it or could have been privately owned either I suppose.

Old diesel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119745970#Comment_119745970

Theres just two in Uk as well.

Uk SE is equivalent to Irish excite.

UK Trophy is equivalent to Irish exclusive

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119746903#Comment_119746903

Ah I see. My bad.

MarkN

Once we all finished with press cars yesterday there were dealers literally at the location we rotate the cars waiting to pick them up and drive them to dealers to get customers into them for drives.

The blue one was one of the press ones, not sure on spec of it but Derek Reilly was in it yesterday morning so I’d imagine that’s the one he will post up soon.

I actually ended up taking a standard range as I think that’ll be the big seller here perhaps. Video is on my channel now.

I wouldn’t worry about the motorway commute with charging at the other end at all. In the LR I don’t think it would struggle with a return leg either. Averaged around 21kWh / 100kms at 120.

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747190#Comment_119747190

https://youtu.be/kyNAnZjrQGo

Edit: just a few points on the video Mark.

You mentioned that the car is €27,500 but quite a few people here are saying you can't actually buy the car for that so might be worth getting clarification from MG on final price landed for the bog standard spec.

Also in relation to 11KW charging you don't make it clear that the max charging speed the most people in Ireland can get is 7KW and the 11KW relates to public charge points.

Maybe you could add these to the video description?

Old diesel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747190#Comment_119747190

Ah I see.

That explains why I'm suddenly seeing dealer photos on done deal then like this one....

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mg-5-mg4/32416939

celtic_oz

Good review Nobby as always, there is a silly comment on there about your focus on the price.

Price is crucial in order to review the car in the correct context.

I really wish you would comment on the availability in the Irish market though, if only to embarrass the manufacturers into bringing more in.

also you probably need to start mentioning that the price may change in July 23 when grants are being reviewed, this may help to focus the minds of people on the fence

MarkN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747257#Comment_119747257

I disagree on the 7kW. It’s a missed opportunity and would be really brilliant for public charging. I charged a Polestar using on street last week 55-95% in a little over 3 hours and it was ideal.

I have to assume people are staring to get their heads around home versus public though.

Prices quoted are the most recent from MG.

Thanks for watching it lads!

coolbeans

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747190#Comment_119747190

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747190#Comment_119747190

Very helpful MarkN. Any idea if Johnson and Perrott were there? I'm hassling them for a straight answer...

coolbeans

Would heated seats go a long way in making up for lack of heat pump?

pandabat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747190#Comment_119747190

Thanks Mark - good review. Covered all relevant points fairly well, I think.

I don't know where it's come from but recently there seems to be loads of people on Boards suddenly confused/surprised about list price vs OTR price. New car prices have always been this way - maybe there's just loads of people considering a new car that have never bought one before but full-price obfuscation by virtually all car makers is nothing new. The list price is the headline price and you'll often find the OTR price/dealer&delivery charges in the small print.

Availability on any EV (and many ICE cars) is fairly thin at the moment - some dealers might have the odd cancelled or excess order where you've no choice on spec/colour but you'll need to hunt around and get lucky for those. Otherwise throw your money down for the EV of choice and get in the queue. Demand is such that manufacturers could sell multiples of what's available now but it's a supply issue and, in European terms, we're a tiny market here with a bespoke steering wheel build config so we make matters a little worse for ourselves there and largely have to rely on a trickle from UK-focused manufacturing runs. The economic situation in the UK right now could end up having a further effect on that in the near future so that's another thing to consider.

For everything else, it's up to people to do their own homework and make up their own minds. For sure, if you want to avail of full EV grants then you'd want to move fast with supply the way it is to get your car in by July '23. That said, the grant goes straight to car companies now (which was the wrong way to do it) so it's not impossible that it artificially inflates the base price right now. As a result, there may be *some* wriggle room for price adjustment by manufacturers in the scenario of significantly reduced grants but no one yet even knows how the grants will be tapered off so it's pure speculation to go down that road right now.

For JPMG in Cork, I think that they were hoping to have around 20-25 MG4s per month available once they started coming in properly. I'd say that at least the first 2 shipments for there would have been gone by the end of the first official full day of pre-orders (just over 2 weeks ago) based on the phone conversation that I had with them at the time so demand is going to be high for this model and even more so now that reviews have been so generally positive.

MarkN

I’d always try haggle about the extra charges, tell them to scrap paint protection bull etc and I’d be the same on delivery charges but as has been pointed out, it’s not a buyers market for new cars right now due to supply and the dealers sadly know it.

I actually missed a few bits, forgot to cover V2L and if you life the rubber mat around the phone tray, you can thread cables through. I got that bit from Mat Watson so I’ll blame him. :)

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747368#Comment_119747368

There'll be a whole host of new people looking to get their first EV with this MG so I think clarification on max home charging speed would be helpful. I agree with you that 11KW is very handy for public charging though and is a nice bonus on any car.

The price is quoted by MG but dealers are looking for more so again just having you pointing out that it will be more than the €27,500 would give new buyers a heads up.

Excellent review as usual though.

MarkN

I’ll have an Irish reg one again soon for a week so will add more bits in then.

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747542#Comment_119747542

Just to clarify the 7 vs 11KW is purely the AC charger right?

This has no effect on DC fast chargers correct?

So you would want an 11KW if your destination hotel (for example) had a 3 phase charger?

MarkN

Nothing to do with DC/CCS charging no.

Very rare to get a hotel in Ireland with anything above 7kW to be honest. Most don’t even cater for it which is a bit of a joke.

Main benefit is your car can be used at an ESB on street or in Tesco etc charger and benefit.

Majority of EV owners charge at home, overnight when you don’t have to give it a second thought.

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747595#Comment_119747595

In my opinion 11KW is perfect for somewhere you're going to be 3-5 hours. Think Glendalough, Shopping Centres, IKEA etc.

7KW is perfect for somewhere you'll be 6 hours plus. So say overnight at a hotel.

There should be banks of 50KW chargers where people spend up to an hour. Town centres, grocery shops, cafes etc.

100KW+ should be on every route between main towns in the country with 150kw+ on all the motorway services. Add in a few 150KW+ in towns and the country wouldn't be long about seeing massive take-up of EVs and following in Norway's footsteps.

fafy

Website updated:

https://www.mg.ie/mg4-ev/

DaveyDave

The lack of reversing camera is a bit strange considering the cost difference between the two spec levels and that it jumps to a full 360 camera up from nothing. Very useful convenience feature to have in a car with big C pillars and smaller rear windows.

Grumpypants

@MarkN Great review as always, I've been following your channel for a while so good to put a boards name to the face. 🙂

It was your, and Derrick's, MG ZS EV videos that swung it for me. Was lucky to get one in July (ordered in Dec). I've 4000km done now and love it. If the build quality on this MG4 is the same/better than the ZS then it's a heck of a car for the money.

usual_suspect

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747583#Comment_119747583

Early deposit holder here.

My only complaint about your review is

a) at 13:00, you talk about someone with a deposit down and “you’re going to like it”. Were you reading my earlier posts? 😂

b) could you have said anything bad about it? 😂Expectations are high now for my….. 15 minute test drive on Monday. (Yes, dublin dealer doing 15 minute test drives due to demand 🙄).

joking aside, great review.

On all the dealer delivery charges, I’m a first-time new car buyer and hearing of a €2k delivery charge was…eye-opening. I’ll drive to Rosslare and pick it up myself and take the wrapping off if that’s all I’m paying for! I can see why Tesla is avoiding the dealer market…. I doubt I’ll get to avoid paying it as you rightly point out it’s a sellers market right now, however, I have a long memory so know where I’ll look for my next vehicle.

great review!

unkel

Many Hyundai dealers tried something similar when the Ioniq 5 was launched last year listing an eye watering delivery charge including paint protection. When pressed they were fairly easily persuaded to take that off, dropping the price by €400 and that was also a car in high demand and oversubscribed

So for anyone in here buying one: speak up and demand for the price to be adjusted for that. A €2k delivery charge on a €27.5k car is ludicrous. That's 7%. For comparison, Tesla charge €980 on a €100k car, that's less than one percent

I hope the MG4 sells by the shiploads here though. Finally a very good, well specced, efficient, affordable family size EV again. It's been a long time.

pandabat

To be fair, from the info that I got, the €2k was inclusive of metallic paint if you were going for it so subtract ~€600-€800 (guesstimate) if going for a flat colour (white/blue afaik). The red and orange (Exclusive spec only) are tri-coat colours and have a price premium over standard metallic afaik.

unkel

If you got €400 off for paint protection and €700 off for metallic paint, we're still talking a hefty €900 charge. I guess they will get away with that. Making the car a €28.5k car though. Not a €27.5k car.

pandabat

I dunno 🤷🏻‍♂️Dealer & delivery charges of €700-€800 were normal enough last time I was looking at new cars 4-5 years ago and delivery charges have certainly gone up recently with fuel/inflation rises. Guess we'll know more when people actually get to buy the cars here

DaveyDave

Any car I've looked at from several brands has €1,000 delivery in the OTR price. The issue is people keep quoting the MG4 as €27,500 when that's not the OTR price. That's nothing new though, any car I see advertised in ads or manufacturers own websites list advertise the car exclusive of delivery fees, even configurators exclude it. As the price is so important with this car it's worth noting the OTR price. Although we don't officially have one yet just what dealers are saying which people are unsure of?

McGiver

I can't find any mention of front parking sensors. Anyone?

Not mentioned in any reviews and the brochure doesn't mention that for any trim. I'd consider this a standard, at least for medium and high trim of any car.

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119749022#Comment_119749022

No front sensors on my Executive Plus 73KW Ioniq 5.

McGiver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119749049#Comment_119749049

Weird. Coming from the BMW i3 😎

Zurbaran

Whatever about the unreasonable delivery cost.. even taking that into account this smokes anything doesn’t it? I don’t know that much about cars in the range but would assume it’s up against the Zoe? Maybe the leaf that is being discontinued I think.

pandabat

Yes, it's still extraordinary value in the current market and seems to stand on its own 2 feet ignoring price .. mostly, at least. Still it depends on your requirements - if you're looking at highest spec then it's still cheaper than other options .. but not by as much. It becomes a more difficult cost-benefit exercise up at those lofty heights 😉

celtic_oz

Interesting table on EVdb

Cost per mile ( or KM) of range : here

usual_suspect

Got my 15 minute spin in the MG4 today in Dublin (It seems I'm a deposit holder in the first 5! We chose the Excite long-range mainly as I want to hang a bike rack off the rear boot which the rear spoiler on the Exclusive would block - although we'd really like the 360 camera in the Excite...). First up, the car is a lovely size - very much ID.3 sized in physical form. But much 'nicer' (always subjective, of course) to me than the ID.3. I haven't seen the Cupra Born in the flesh but seems similar.

The demo car is an Exclusive (the top-spec). Leather seats are nice and supportive and 360 camera is useful (why oh why isn't this an option on the Excite!). The rear spoiler felt much less distinctive in the 'real' - I think because the car is 1.5m tall, and as the spoiler is essentially flat, you're looking down on it.. Honestly, I'm even more certain I'd like my car without it now (but with all the features of the Exclusive). I didn't even notice the 'rear-light-spoiler-aesthetic-thingy' of the Exclusive also (I'm sure that's more noticeable in the dark).

Another interesting one - the demo car is in blue. And it's much much nicer in the flesh than the website renders made out. Genuinely fab colour. (we've gone for the red).

Overall a very, very, nice drive, lovely steering and a nice bit of 'horse power' (as written on the MG screen when changing from eco/normal/sport 😂) to propel it along. Nothing too crazy, but makes for a nice drive - perfect for the car that it is. The drive was around Ballymount and hopefully the salesman didn't notice me purposefully drive it into a few of the rougher sections of the roads: it handles bumpy terrain nicely. Regen is very nice too - at its most powerful, you'll feel it pulling you to a stop, but it's not head-snappingly strong on the passengers.

On road noise, I'm not coming from another EV so hard to compare. All EV's feel crazy quiet after coming from an ICE.....

The back didn't feel too dark although I can see why people have mentioned a wish for the lighter interior. The back seat seemed like a very roomy 2-seater and a good cosy 3-seater.

One piece that was I went in with neutral expectations, was hoping to be pleasantly surprised by, but came out not too thrilled. The boot is officially 360 litres and that's a measured-to-the-millimetre 360 litres from observation. I.e. I was not over-whelmed and that was after dropping the floor to its lowest point: it felt tiny when it was the raised floor, to me personally. I'm driving an ancient/old Mazda 3 saloon into the ground now which has an official boot size of 345, and the MG4 appears to be 'jusssst' the same although slightly more 'square' in shape. Honestly, this makes me wish even more MG would sort out the roof rack load rating for the longer trips! 99% of my trips through the year can work with the smaller boot, but those long weekends and road trips, we notice it in our Mazda. Going back to the back seats, at least one positive is the back seat space is excellent - lots of space in the footwells when I had the drivers seat at my preferred setting (i.e. could store stuff there for a trip) if the back seat isn't full of people.

Other random notes, off-the-cuff thoughts:

• The dealer is also querying with MG about a roof rating (it seems I'm not the only one flagging it as an issue, having contacted MG Europe directly). Lets wait and see here as they retrospectively did it for the 5. One note: there is no attachment points for roof bars so it'll be the 'clamp' version of them whatever the outcome. The dealer says they had a (different) car in for service a while ago where the clamps had been over-tightened and it compressed the car shell: it's an unrepairable piece of damage. Be careful anyone out there (looking at you Nissan Leafs) if that type of mount! Yikes.
• I noticed the tiniest bit of lag in the main screen for menus but it's fine (and I suspect it's a software fix). Text is very small on the screen when deep in the settings (the main screen is fine) - you wouldn't want to be fiddling with settings too much while driving. At least the screen is very sharp/clear for text, etc. although ironically this makes the 360 camera look like you're staring through a mucky screen as it's grainy from the video.
• It's a bizarre reason for MG to software lock the Excite models so they can't put regen onto the shortcut keys on the steering wheel (see my reasons for upsell below).
• The menu is....MG's. i.e. it's no iPhone or Android quality but it's more than usable. I suspect most people just plug in CarPlay or Android Auto anyway.
• Note: I didn't get to play with the buttons/menu a huge amount (blame that short speed-dating/drive..) but initial impression was you'd get used to it.
• Nice amount of storage around the drivers seat. Great rear seat storage with the pouches for phone, etc. - sure an extra USB would have been nice, and also a rear air vent but these are the financial compromises....
• Starting and stopping without a button. Starting, it felt totally natural (unlock car, sit in, push brake, turn dial and go) and I'd instantly adapt - felt the same as a Tesla. Getting out (stop the car, push 'p' and get out) felt distinctly weird and would getting used to subconsciously - a lifetime of turning off engines and handbrakes!
• Range: obviously no idea from my point-and-go short drive.
• Tow bar install. Anyone able to recommend good companies for this? I was quoted €1500 for it today from the dealer - I wonder if it's a messy install.... Speaking of which, does anyone know if those tow-bar boxes (https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php/car-specific-accessories/cruz_rear_cargo_carrier_system_base_platform_no_940_535/Qx%40w%2C6M42VAwp3%40Rb%7B~cC4ure_i02d) is better for efficiency anyway? (to add to this, does anyone know what the load rating on the tow bar is? I know the car can tow 500kg, however, what's the max you can hang on the tow bar if I got one of those boxes?)
• The dealer acknowledged he felt MG was doing their best to differentiate between the three specs, and in particular between the Excite and Exclusive. The rear twin spoiler and light bar feel like gimmicks (with a small loss of range from the spoiler!) so €3,500 really gets you a 360 camera, electrically adjusted driver seat, heated seats and steering wheel, wireless charging, built-in satnav, and....the ability to set regen as a shortcut on the steering wheel? My main takeaway here is they should have kept it simple and made a bottom and top-spec version in either long or short range......
• V2L: the dealer is getting asked about it a lot, but no one has ordered the cable yet.
• Pricing: the price I quoted in a previous post. That includes the optional extra red it turns out so delivery is more like €1000. Thumbs up here. The insurance to cover depreciation in the first few years can be bought separate to paint protection (€500 for three years) also which is also good to know.

All in all, it's still a thumbs up! Lovely car to drive, and I'm keeping my money down.

theinferior

Great review @usual_suspect! Do you remember when exactly you put in your deposit? I'm just wondering where I am on the list -- a lot further down, I suspect!

Thanks 🙂

DaveyDave

To be honest it doesn't really sound like there's much to dislike about the car, I know reviews might give the car a pass on some things because of the price but I don't really think there is anything to go wrong with it. If the fit and finish isn't as good or there's smaller details missing like a dampened glovebox or something it's fine because you're not paying a premium price and because it's an EV you're not stuck with a crap engine or terrible automatic gearbox like some cheaper cars (looking at you Peugeot putting a bloody automated manual in a modern car)

pandabat

Good level of detail there - thanks! Going for a test drive tomorrow myself.

I used to have a Mazda 3 saloon myself (2010 vintage) but I thought that the boot on that was fairly epic given the car's size. Could squeeze a surprisingly large amount into it ... and you get a roof box on too.

The MG4 will be a second car for us though (we'll troop on with the wife's Grand C-Max as the holiday-mobile for now) so boot not a huge concern once it takes the groceries and a few bags/etc for more local day trips.

Funny, the front of the MG4 reminds me hugely of my old Mazda. If it's as good a car as that one was then it'll be well worth it.

usual_suspect

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119757099#Comment_119757099

It was sometime in mid/late August from memory. I had a feeling this car was coming to shock the market and was going to be better than what the price deserved it to be (comparing it to others on the market)

usual_suspect

The boot on the 2010 Mazda (ours is a different year but the same model shape) is great alright. This boot looks smaller initially, but I think it’s the depth as it’s not as deep to look into, however, it’s taller in the MG4 (not including above the parcel shelf either). I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts - I didn’t have long with it, and I evidently couldn’t pack it with my usual junk (😂) so always hard to tell how big an empty space is….

we’ve dropped to a one-car family hence the (regular) comments about roof boxes, etc. day to day I can live with an MG4 boot, but there’s weekend and summer holidays to pack for….

pandabat

Yeah we considered dropping to one car but in the end decided to spread the bets, keep one bigger ICE and dip our toes in the EV waters with the value proposition of the MG4. I drive a high-spec Mazda 6 Skyactiv-G Tourer now so the MG4 is going to be a big change in many areas if I do go for one. It'll be interesting to see it in the flesh tomorrow and to drive an EV for the first time

usual_suspect

I’m looking forward to hearing your views 👍

tom1ie

Just had a spin in the frank keane ocean blue one that I seen on the m50 last week. It’s a top spec exclusive long range.

Ive never driven an EV before so I was amazed at the acceleration and ease of driving. The seats are very comfortable with plenty of adjustment.

Boot looks small (focus size?)but I’m coming from an insignia which is humongous!

Lots of gadgets which are on every video review so won’t go into it. I actually didn’t find the 360 camera too grainy which I’ve seen a few complaints about.

The finance agreements between MG and BOI are still being finalised so should be sorted by the end of November, which is when I’ll check things out again.

The exclusive LR = €36345

The excite LR= €32845

The excite SR= €29345

Arctic white and Ocean blue are included in price colours.

Black pearl and Urban grey (metallic) are €700 extra

Dynamic red (tri coat) €900 extra

volcano orange (exclusive only and tri coat) €900 extra

AMKC

It is a pity that there is not an Exclusive SR without the rear Spoilers but with everything else that is on the Exclusive LR.

Patser

I've a test drive booked tomorrow with Frank Keane, interested to see the blue in the flesh and how dark it is inside

pandabat

So drove the white Excite SR that JPMG Mahonpoint Cork have as their demo car.

Looks good in white as it accentuates the black design bits but don't know that I'd go for white myself ... dunno what colour I'd go for tbh. They mentioned that they'd be trying to get in painted metal samples of the colours but I don't know when that will happen if at all.

Sitting into the car, I found the seats ok. Coming from leather electric memory seats in my Mazda 6 so not quite as armchair-like as those but was able to find comfortable seating position quickly enough. I didn't find the cabin too dark despite having an off-white/cream/beige cabin in my Mazda. Switchgear etc seemed ok. Sound from the speakers seemed a bit tinny but didn't get to fiddle with equaliser or anything so that can probably be tuned to better suit.

Touchscreen seemed reasonably responsive and fairly legible when stopped but you'd probably need to learn what's where before trying to navigate it in anger while driving.

15 minute test drive so not long with the vehicle. Some slow-traffic suburban road driving and then fast dual-carriageway back to base at the end. Car felt fine to drive. The point-and-squirt is just WOW - first time driving an EV and it was good. Steering feel was quite light, can probably change that in the settings. Regen was on high for most of the drive - expected more of a "pull" on the car with that. It is stronger than most ICE engine-braking would be but nowhere near where I'd imagine one-pedal driving would be or should be. Not a deal-breaker though. Didn't get to have any twisties-type fun so can't comment there but speed and acceleration are much more than adequate for what it really just a family hatch. Would put a smile on your face - at least if you're an EV virgin like me.

I'm nearly but not quite 6ft (~180cms) and had no bother sitting behind myself in the rear, which seemed comfy enough with my feet fitting mostly under driver's seat. No armrest there but isofixes behind velcro flap.

Boot smaller than I'm used to but fairly in line with what I'd seen online and expected. Plenty big enough for the day-to-day (groceries, day trips, weekends away, etc.). You would probably want to be very disciplined on packing your luggage if heading off on longer hols in it though.

Overall a good-looking car (imo) that's fun to drive and doesn't break the bank (in EV terms).

Pricing given as €29345 OTR which means a huge €1850 in dealer charges, which I didn't realise until I got home and looked properly at the figure. €700 for metallic paint (grey/black) and €900 for tri-coat (red/orange with latter only available on Exclusive).

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119760851#Comment_119760851

I’d prefer a bit of flexibility myself. The long range battery is a must with the higher charging rate plus the camera but no need for spoiler two tone roof or wireless charging - I’d just plug the phone in and use Apple CarPlay.

TitianGerm

Lads are they telling you it's €29,345 + €700 or €900 for paint?

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119761712#Comment_119761712

So it’s €29345 and that includes white or blue.

Its €700 extra for black or grey.

Its €900 extra for red or orange.

That’s frank keane’s.

unkel

@tom1ie - Did you ask would they remove the paint protection nonsense from the price?

€29345 is a lot less of a budget car than €27495 in my book

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119761826#Comment_119761826

No I didn’t ask that, but the €29345 includes:

3 years return to invoice/gap protection (what the hell is this?)

lifeshine interior treatment

lifeshine paint treatment

genuine MG carpet floor mats

genuine MG wind deflectors.

Unkel are you saying if the above 5 things are removed the price should be €27495?

zg3409

In terms of tow bar you should check the requirements from the manufacturer. Some cars it must be fitted at factory not dealer. Others can be fitted at dealer.

I recently investigated a towbar for a 2016 ICE. 2 non dealers towbar specialists quoted 600 euro. I priced the towbar itself at around 200 euro but electronics were an additional 180 euro and needed wiring from rear of car all the way to front if car. It also requires coding which is changing cars software so it knows when it's towing so safety features such as abs can adapt and things like reversing beepy sensors are disabled when you put car in reverse.

It's likely aftermarket kits may not be available for some time, so full dealer price may be only short term option.