The MG4 is a compact-class hatchback offered only in an electric version. The model is developed by SAIC Motor specifically for the MG brand it owns, and is not a collaboration with another manufacturer or the renaming of an existing product in another range.
The commercial debut of the MG4 in Europe took place in June 2022. Initially, only in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, with the MG brand spreading to other markets on the Old Continent, the electric hatchback became part of the offer. In Romania, MG officially returned towards the end of 2023, and the MG4 was part of the portfolio from the reopening.
An MG4 is also part of the EUROCHARGE by Schaeffler caravan. We will discover it in a 16-day test drive in which we will drive from Bucharest to Lisbon and back.
What Does the MG4 Want to be and What’s behind it?
We already know that the MG brand initially started in Great Britain (100 years ago) and that it has been owned by a company from China for 19 years. It is no secret that all its models are produced there.
Recently, you’ve probably noticed that Chinese brands have launched a veritable assault on the European market, with electric vehicles being the main weapons. If we’re going to make these military parallels.
However, MG has a slight advantage over the rest of its Chinese competitors, and that’s mainly because it existed on this continent before being owned by SAIC. And this is especially evident in the United Kingdom, where their models are quite popular. The price also helps, of course, not just the nostalgia for the brand that the grandparents or parents of current customers may have driven.
The MG4 was developed as a global model, being designed specifically for the European market. Its appearance was created in Shanghai and London, being a collaboration between the SAIC Motor design centers in the two cities above, but a team from the Royal College of Art, an exceptional educational institution in this field, was also involved in the final result.
What Does the Exterior of the MG4 Look like and why is it like that?
As I said at the beginning of this text, the MG4 is a compact class model. In Europe, and not only, the benchmark of this class is the Volkswagen Golf (who doesn’t know it?), and if we refer to dimensions, the MG4 is a few millimeters above it in terms of length. So it really is a compact through and through.
If you look at the MG4 as intently as I did, you will notice a sharp silhouette and certain features that try to disguise the real height of this vehicle.
It seems like it would be an SUV that was slipped into a hatchback coat. I am referring here to the way the black elements are drawn in the area of the rear doors and even the shape of the last row of rear windows. The lower part of the doors also features a glossy black ornament with a pattern that accentuates the relief on the doors, also in an attempt to steal our eyes.
And it works, I say, because you don’t realize at first that it’s a relatively tall hatchback, with very short overhangs and with windows that start at a relatively high height and end sooner than you think. The plunging windshield also contributes to this sensation.
The front stands out with its sharp headlights, and the rear presents the complementary version in the form of a set of taillights, also sharp. These combine the glossy black interior with the transparent housing and are connected with a kind of mini-spoiler on the rear window. It doesn’t look bad.
Because form has dictated function, we will have a small and relatively narrow rear window in relation to the height of the vehicle, which contributes to the visual impression of an SUV flattened into a hatchback shape.
What Do You Notice about the Interior of the MG4?
The interior format we see on this model has already become classic. We don’t say this in the sense that the interior is outdated or a copy of another model in particular, just that the solutions used are not new or out of the ordinary. Which is ok, at the end of the day we are talking about a budget hatch.
So, we have two large and wide screens – one for the dashboard clocks, the other for multimedia – including navigation, air conditioning and anything else you can set in a car.
There are a few buttons with haptic control under the central screen, i.e. buttons applied to a piano black finish surface, backlit and which will leave you with a slight “click” sensation on your fingertips when you press them.
The steering wheel has a flattened upper and lower part, in a sporty style – if we are to think back to the forerunners of the 60s – to facilitate the view of the dashboard clocks. On the steering wheel there are conventional buttons, as we can still find a few at the driver’s left knee. The selection of gears is done with a large rotary button, and next to it is the parking brake control.
The front seats are interestingly contoured and have a fairly large armrest between them in which you can also store things. Maybe it doesn’t necessarily steal your eyes with the way this interior looks, but we have to remember how much such a car costs and that it is more important to be comfortable and durable for as long as possible, than to be spectacular.
What is Hidden under the Body of the MG4?
It started from a platform called MSP, i.e. Modular Scalable Platform, developed specifically for electric vehicles. You can imagine it as a kind of skateboard without the bent ends and with a battery integrated into the floor. The engine engages the rear wheels and this allows both engineers and designers to make any body shape they want to mount on this platform.
It’s a good idea and I’ve seen it with other manufacturers. You make a platform that’s good for everything and then you develop a range of models depending on the body shapes and their dimensions.
The advantage is economy of scale for the manufacturer, a very low center of gravity and a 50:50 distribution of masses between the axles. The latter comes to the MG4, but could also be applied to other models built on this platform.
As for the battery, MG used a configuration called One Pack, developed specifically to be thinner and flatter than other conventional batteries used on electric vehicles. The batteries are supplied by CATL.
It should be noted that there is no frunk, i.e. trunk under the front hood, although the engine is in the back, and the trunk has a volume of 350 liters. A lot or a little – it depends on everyone’s preferences and needs.
In terms of batteries, MG offers three variants for the MG4, with different power levels available, from 170 HP to 435 HP.
is a project backed by SCHAEFFLER
Charged by
OMV eMotion and Renovatio e-charge
Green Partner
Autonom
Charging stations
MOON România
On the road with
Michelin
Powered by
Server Config
