Advice Needed Please

[Data]

The dealer I bought my car from ditched their Peugeot franchise to expand the space for MGs.

I think that was a sensible move.

 

[NikLiverpool]

Where my wife got her BYD was initially a Ford only dealership.
When they started offering the BYDs it was a small group of people. Now they doubled the size of the team on the BYD side and their other site stopped Fords all together and went full BYD.

 

[tsedge]

Well well well well well well well!.... Affinity price in an entry-level brand new MG4 Urban is currently £17,378!

Got to make one think.

 

[Ian Key]

Well well well well well well well!.... Affinity price in an entry-level brand new MG4 Urban is currently £17,378!

Got to make one think.

That's going to make a lot of people think.

 

[Data]

Well well well well well well well!.... Affinity price in an entry-level brand new MG4 Urban is currently £17,378!

Got to make one think.

Tom, that might be too many 'well well well's'!

 

[salty]

Well well well well well well well!.... Affinity price in an entry-level brand new MG4 Urban is currently £17,378!

Got to make one think.

Bit more than you wanted to spend.
But, tempted?

 

[tsedge]

Yes and actually it is making the argument to me to wait and see what these cost at 6 months old.

 

[Gomev]

But will it be unbiased, like all the positive posts about MG4s

T1 Terry

I'll do my bestest to try.

Older or maybe higher mileage depending on how many miles you are going to add. The battery warranty is for 100,000 miles or 8 years, btw.


We looked into those too. FWIW, we decided against them for 3 reasons. 1) The Niro and, IIRC, Kona too are based on ICE vehicles and available as hybrids, so you miss out on the pure EV design aspects - i.e. floorpan / interior space / bonnet length are all compromised because they have to fit those funny mechanical engines in there too. 2) Kia & Hyundai had compromised security systems that could (relatively) easily be overcome by brute force attack (see my posting below on that) which resulted in higher insurance premiums than expected for the vehicle's performance and 3) the Niro (not sure about) Kona has a weakness with the final drive transmission suffering from premature wear unless proactive (i.e. beyond normal servicing requirement) oil changes were performed.

Post in thread 'Theft Without Key'

Apr 11, 2025

I have realised that with our keys in a metal bowl by the door it is possible to open the car using the door button

That's worrying! It is a pity that some manufacturers just don't take security seriously unless it affects their sales (like happened with JLR).

I looked into security quite a bit when trying to choose an EV. This is what I can remember...

Kia/Hyundai have a flaw in their key fob encryption which resulted in the potential 80-bit encryption key having a number of 'fixed' bits, so that only 24 bits were available. So with only 16 million possible 'codes' the car...

• Everest

• 

May I reply to those points.
1. Yes they are based on a hybrid platform, however the floorpan is flat in the EV. Interior space is compromised in the Kona as it is shorter, but the e-Niro has decent interior space.
2. Security. There were 2 types of issues the 'gameboy' / brute force was aimed at the higher end Ionic 5 and EV6 at the time. These issues have now been resolved for cars made since 2024 and older ones can have a fix applied at the dealers (cost £49!!!). The other was USA cars only that were sold without immobilisers, so not affecting any EU/UK cars.
3. The 'wheel of fortune' problems primarily related to the very early models 2019-2020 and are fixed under warranty. They can happen on newer vehicles but is rare and as mentioned are fixed under warranty if they do occur (later than 2020 vehicles are still under full warranty).

Okey dokey: what are the pros and cons with these?

Pros -
The Gen 1 Kona is a good all rounder, small for around town and parking etc, but also a good comfortable cruiser for motorways with the larger battery having long range of 302 miles WLTP, from a 64kWh battery which is easily achievable in not cold weather.
There are plenty of buttons and switches giving it a 'normal' feel inside, i.e. a bit traditional.
The 5 year general warranty which is on everything apart from consumables.

Cons.
Space inside and boot is not ideal for families with teenage kids or older, space in the back seats is small. Okay for us as a couple though.
Road noise, it is not the greatest for noise levels, probably about the same as the gen 1 MG5.
DC charging speed is slow, slower even than the original MGs, max at 77kW but have never seen that.

 

[GaryMG4]

We replaced an old Suzuki with a 71 plate Niro last year for about £14k. It is quite large, has good efficiency and surprisingly quick for its weight. It's noisier than my MG, doesn't ride or drive as well, the interior seems pretty solid, plenty of physical buttons, seemingly added at random across the dash. It did suffer the BMS loom fault but once garage saw it for themselves the parts arrived the next day and it was fixed under warranty a couple of days later. Best of all we can get the kayaks on the roof and all stuff inside, which is why we got it.

 

[Gomev]

One thing I forgot to add about the Kona, and all Hyundai/Kia I believe is the GOM. It is so incredibly accurate that I still find it almost unbelievable. On my recent trip to Llandudno and back it predicted the range precisely. I don't know what wizardry it uses but Harry Potter would be impressed. The car hadn't been on a run, so just pootling around town for 6 weeks and multiple home charges. The upcoming return trip was virtually motorway/dual carriageway all the way. For the return journey the GOM had 34 miles more than Google maps said the journey was (123 miles). On arrival at home with the heater set on auto at 21 degrees all the way we arrived home with you guessed it 34 miles on the GOM. It wasn't consistent ranging from 28-38 difference during the journey depending on hills!
It does this so incredibly well that you can actually rely on it. How is your e-Niro @GaryMG4 ?

* I forgot to note the outward journey details as I didn't worry about that starting with a full a tank.

 

[tsedge]

Thanks for all the info on the Niro and Kona guys, very helpful and appreciated.

 

[salty]

Thanks for all the info on the Niro and Kona guys, very helpful and appreciated.

So MG4 Urban, it is then....

 

[Gomev]

So MG4 Urban, it is then....

Sounds like a bargain if you want new and it suits your needs.

 

[tsedge]

No decision yet... I need to get out there and see some of the options close up. I am in no hurry as dad's old diesel has just had MOT and service and passed with flying colours. Will want to change it this year for sure, but I don't have to rush into it.

 

[salty]

No decision yet... I need to get out there and see some of the options close up. I am in no hurry as dad's old diesel has just had MOT and service and passed with flying colours. Will want to change it this year for sure, but I don't have to rush into it.

That's a good position to be in, no rush, take your time. Suss um all out. Then buy the........

 

[Everest]

Then buy the........

...... 2025 Cyberster in 2029 for £14,500. Simples!

 

[GaryMG4]

. How is your e-Niro @GaryMG4 ?

View attachment 43613

It's doing everything we need of it, they gave us a 3 month old Niro 4+ to use while they sorted the BMS loom problem, I liked it but SWMBO thought it had too many gadgets, just as well as she has the poverty spec e-Niro.