We like
Alarmingly sharp dynamics, sweet-spot power and torque, hot-hatch aesthetics

Room for improvement
Chaotic safety systems, take-off a bit doughy, brakes could be better given performance focus

 

In part one of this ‘blind experiment’, with our long term MG 4 loaner, we see if we can plant the EV seed in an unlikely sceptic’s psyche.

 

 

THE MG 4 is a model that, for the first time in a while for the century-old brand, feels like it deserves to wear the Morris Garages badge.

 

That might sound a little rude, but the brand always put out a mix of great and woeful cars, in equal quantities, so this is nothing new.

 

But when one thinks of MG, punchy V8 roadsters come to mind, as do drop-top, rear-wheel drive weekenders with sharp styling. There is an element of class, prestige and sensible performance ingrained in the brand.

 

So perhaps, like it's always done, MG has gotten the average (boring) models out of its system to make way for a run of standouts. That's where the MG 4 feels like it slots in, as the first proper MG in a while. With the drop-top Cyberster also on the way, it looks like MG is back to form.

 

GoAuto has the mid-range MG 4 64 Essence model (price, as tested, is $47,990 drive-away) for six months and we’re about a month into our long-term test period. For the money it’s fun, practical, comfortable enough and a real Swiss-army knife by EV standards.

 

So far the MG 4 is better than expected, but it’s not without its flaws, so who better to judge it than a bonafide sceptic?

 

Enter the ‘Experiment’

 

My partner, Paris, isn’t an EV person. She doesn’t like how quietly they approach a zebra crossing, our lack of home charging facility, uncertain residual values and so on. She’ll rattle off infinite reasons, because they’re just not her cup of tea.

 

This is a woman who opts to daily drive a 1985 BMW 325 called Hans, despite having free reign of the modern options sharing garage space with her Bavarian relic. The weighted turn of the wheel, floaty suspension, and pre-emissions exhaust burble are all part of the E30’s charm in her eyes. She’s comfortable with Hans.

 

I, however, would like to slot a budget-friendly, but fun, EV into the garage for the day-to-day stuff. She’s lucky to do 150 kilometers a week, and it's all short inner-city trips, so she’d be better off doing it in an EV. She isn’t a fan of the idea, though, as if she’d be betraying Hans by shipping him off to live in a retirement home.

 

So, across six months I'm seeing if I can convert her to the silent side. Thankfully the MG 4 is a pretty good car to do it with, but it’s still an experiment that could go either way.

 

The attention this bright Volcano Orange MG garnered early on both helped and hurt its cause. The old Beemer gets a lot of attention too, but from a very different audience. Comments from friends, colleagues and random people early on were a pretty equal mix of yay and nay. Personally, neither of us love the orange, but plenty of people do (and it is one of just two no-cost colour options on the MG 4).

 

Technically, the MG 4 is a hatchback, but its BMI puts it dangerously close to the SUV mark. It’s tall, wide and a bit overweight. It does, however, look like a hot hatch and that’s what matters most. The aggressive front-end, rear spoiler and low ride height make up for its bulging dimensions. Its side profile really grew on us across the first week.

 

A trial by fire in week two risked to derail our informal experiment altogether. I decided to shuttle my grandparents on a 200 kilometre round trip, testing the range limits of the MG with perhaps the greatest EV cynics of all time on board.

 

Even mild trouble finding the seat belt receiver, a tale as old as time when jumping in the back seat of any car, sent my poppy into an EV-bashing tirade. However, whisper-quiet highway running and easy conversation, unhindered by the hum of a diesel (usual shuttling is done with my dual-cab ute), eased tensions.

 

I saw them eyeing it off in the car park after we finished lunch, as if considering whether they could own one. Unexpectedly, both of them were vocal about liking the orange paint.

 

Worried they’d enter a conversational rabbit hole about the state of electrification and its coal-burning implications, I kept talking points clear of the car. I didn’t want Paris being biased this early on.

 

I was concerned with range across the day, because it showed 225km when I left in the morning which would be cutting it extremely fine. I’d rather try, though, than chicken out and charge it. Sure enough, I made it home with 40km left and an incessant warning on the dash, telling me to find a charger - now.

 

The following day, I received an email (my Nana’s preferred method of communication), saying they ‘quite enjoyed the car’. I promptly forwarded the email to Paris, to bias her in the direction that will benefit me.

 

Given how impressive the MG 4 was proving to be dynamically, the next phase of the experiment would be centered around all-out fun. I was fairly sure it would bring the heat.

 

Sure enough, it’s the funnest EV I've ever slung through the twisties. It’s similarly quick to the hot hatches of yesteryear, something like a MK5 Golf GTI for example, which is a very good thing. It can be driven hard without risking jail time, and it isn’t powerful enough to get too out of shape.

 

Its superb handling comes down to the rear-wheel drive layout (hats off, MG), and a perfect 50:50 weight distribution. Its weight is also positioned down low, with the battery sitting below the floor. Steering is brilliant, well weighted and assuringly direct.

 

Push it to the point of eliciting tyre squeal and the 1672kg kerb weight becomes apparent though, evident in its inertia. That’s still a fairly dainty figure for an EV and it feels lighter than that in most scenarios.

 

After two or three spirited drives, the ‘fun factor’ component of the experiment is far from over but has clearly worked to my advantage. Paris has commented on how “zippy” the MG 4 is multiple times, and I've spied plenty of smiles out on the road.

 

Now to find a way to turn off the rear cross-traffic alert, which has consistently slammed the anchors on when reversing out of our driveway. Not once was a collision imminent, or the passing traffic anywhere near us. It’s the one thing my test subject hates so far.

 

For our next instalment another GoAuto team member will take custody of the MG 4 to explore what it is like living with this car as a family of four – and the experience of running it with the convenience of home charging infrastructure.