Charging rate (plus general version musings)

[iainfm]

Hi,

After testing a few EVs, I've decided that the MG5 is the one for me. Now I just need to figure out which model/battery I want.

Having been 100% absolutely sure in my heart I wanted the Exclusive Long Range, my head has now taken control and is challenging this idea. I don't think I need the MG Pilot features of the LR. The extra range would be nice, but only something I'd need once in a blue moon.

One thing that might hold more sway is the max charging rate. I saw something somewhere that said the LR has fast(er) charging, but MG's site gives 80% charge times for both the long and standard range at 100kW. So does this mean both battery spec cars can charge at 100kW?

Again, the number of times I'm likely to need a charge in 40 minutes is going to be very low, so I'm now leaning more towards the Exclusive standard range. The Excite still has a look-in though.

I'm really torn between them all!

Thanks for any input!
Iain

 

[Lovemyev]

Hi,

After testing a few EVs, I've decided that the MG5 is the one for me. Now I just need to figure out which model/battery I want.

Having been 100% absolutely sure in my heart I wanted the Exclusive Long Range, my head has now taken control and is challenging this idea. I don't think I need the MG Pilot features of the LR. The extra range would be nice, but only something I'd need once in a blue moon.

One thing that might hold more sway is the max charging rate. I saw something somewhere that said the LR has fast(er) charging, but MG's site gives 80% charge times for both the long and standard range at 100kW. So does this mean both battery spec cars can charge at 100kW?

Again, the number of times I'm likely to need a charge in 40 minutes is going to be very low, so I'm now leaning more towards the Exclusive standard range. The Excite still has a look-in though.

I'm really torn between them all!

Thanks for any input!
Iain

I guess its down to budget at the end of the day.
You appear to be concerned about charging speed, which is fair enough.
But, if you go for the LR model, you will be charging less often and therefore charging speed is a little less important - right ????.
Only speaking for myself, but if I could afford the LR model, then I would go for it.
You may not want the "Pro - Pilot" but the extra range would do it for me.
However, you may get an offer you can't refuse on the previous standard range model.
Either way, you are in good place really, because the standard range will do for most of your requirements.
I will pretty much guarantee, the first time you out on a trip and get caught up in a diversion and are running low on range, the first thing you will say, is this !.
"I should have gone for the bigger battery".
It could come down to shot out between, cost vs range !.
Good luck.

 

[Jomarkh]

I have the SR Excite.
Very pleased with it and no range issues.
I didn't want the extras and some say the seat in the Exclusive get hot and sticky?
If you have a bigger battery then you will need to charge longer so will need longer than 4 hours on the cheap overnight Octopus Go tariff
If there are SR versions about they should be at a great price.

 

[Joe McAndrew]

Standard Range Excite and it's brilliant. Has everything you need and nothing you don't need. Also has no stick cloth seats rather than plastic leatherette which has been seen to melt in excessive heat! That's of course if you are not stuck to them with sweat already

 

[iainfm]

All great points, thanks!

I did like the interior of the Exclusive I test drove, but did wonder about the faux leather. I had leather in my last car and didn't care for it that much. Either too hot, too cold or too sweaty!

I get the point about more-range-good. The majority of my mileage will be local - 10 miles a day school run (country roads and a bit of town). The odd ~140 mile day trip (with possible charging at the far end) and one overnight trip to Manchester (240 miles) planned for next year.

Overall, I don't think there's much on the Exclusive I'd be that bothered about not having. Auto aircon is nice (had that on last car), adaptive cruise maybe (never had it before). Don't think I've had a car where rain-sensing wipers are anything but annoying (either wiping too often or not enough). I'd probably prefer the manual driver's seat adjustment over the electric one too - my last car had electric front seats, but no memory function, and I could never get it back where I liked it if someone else drove it. The plan is share the MG5 with my wife, so quick and easy seat adjustment would be good.

The only thing that might make the Exclusive the model of choice would be the roof rails (and yes, I've heard all about them haha). One of the kids is talking about wanting a canoe, but I guess generic ones would be an option if that ever came to pass. Heated door mirrors are useful in this part of the world, but not worth the extra on their own.

So, still unsure but now maybe veering towards the cheapest model. At least I'm not having to choose a Skoda/VW. They have a seemingly limitless number of permutation!

 

[MG5]

Range increase is minimal, you're going to charge on a long journey at some point in both versions, whats 30 miles or so once a year.
The exclusive is the way to go I'd say, no cruise control, no auto a/c was a leap too far back for me personally, look in the brochure there are also other options missing in the excite version, it was 27⁰ here on Monday, drove for about 3 hrs in the exclusive trimmed seats and didn't get sticky back, probably because the auto AC was keeping the temp down, was glad to have the lumber support to adjust the seat though, pretty sure excite doesn't have that either.
LR can use 100kW rapid charger standard is 50kW up to 80kW dc?

 

[Joe McAndrew]

The Excite does have cruise control, and the Air Conditioning has exactly the same cooling power but just requires manual adjustment.

 

[5teep]

Driving an exclusive standard the only things I would change are the seat covers which do get sticky and can get very hot in the sun. Also the rain sensor unit in the windscreen which is huge and blocks my view.
I always put aftermarket covers on my seats to protect them anyway so not a major issue but the rain sensor is annoying especially when turning left in town. I have try to peer round or under it to make sure my way is clear.
Other than those two things I find the car a joy to drive, I've done 7000 miles in seven weeks and never felt tired out by driving it.

 

[biffo]

Range increase is minimal, you're going to charge on a long journey at some point in both versions, whats 30 miles or so once a year.
The exclusive is the way to go I'd say, no cruise control, no auto a/c was a leap too far back for me personally, look in the brochure there are also other options missing in the excite version, it was 27⁰ here on Monday, drove for about 3 hrs in the exclusive trimmed seats and didn't get sticky back, probably because the auto AC was keeping the temp down, was glad to have the lumber support to adjust the seat though, pretty sure excite doesn't have that either.
LR can use 100kW rapid charger standard is 50kW up to 80kW dc?

From what I've seen on EV Database (which could be wrong!), both versions of the MG5 support 80kW DC - I'm not sure if it's just marketing that now mentions 100kW rather than 50kW to make Long Range look 'better' - or whether the 100kW units are just more common now than when the MG5 was initially launched.

 

[AnonymouseDriva]

From what I've seen on EV Database (which could be wrong!), both versions of the MG5 support 80kW DC - I'm not sure if it's just marketing that now mentions 100kW rather than 50kW to make Long Range look 'better' - or whether the 100kW units are just more common now than when the MG5 was initially launched.

Are there any 80KW chargers about or do they generally sit at 50 or 100? Maybe they're making the point that you can use a 100KW charger, and it will charge faster than a 50, but not twice as fast.

as for the SR/LR debate. I would have been happy without the pilot stuff as I've never had that before (although I am used to having a speed limiter function so would have had to watch my speed more carefully again). Have to say though, now I have it (ACC / Pilot), I'm a fan!

As for the range, other than the 4-5 camping trips through the year, we won't be close to hitting trips anywhere near the range of even the standard range model, although the long range does now give us the option of visiting family in winter and getting back all on one charge. The standard could probably do it, but that extra buffer alleviates the anxiety. I'd probably still top up there though...

It really just came down to the roof bar capacity. we camp (bordering on glamp) and used to pack our Grand Scenic (7 seater car for 3 of us!) to the roof, even taking 2 of the back seats out for the extra space,) so we're gonna need a roof box now (even though we've slimmed down on what we take). I already had the bars for the rails (the scenic had rails too) so that puts me in Exclusive territory anyway otherwise I'm buying an extra set of roof bars straight away, but the 35/37Kg limits was the main thing that pushed me to the LR.

So for me, there were enough little reasons that top up and make it worthwhile going LR, but without all of those it might have been a harder decision to justify.

Oh - 5 insurance groups lower was considered too, but given that it seems insurance companies are currently just covering it as an MG5 Excusive with no view of the extra features, then that's not really come to fruition. Maybe at renewal...

 

[Petriix]

I'd say the LR is less about range - let's face it, we rarely actually go from 100% to 1% in a journey - and more about flexibility. Let's take a worst case:

You're driving 300 miles and it happens to be 4 degrees with a strong headwind and torrential rain. The standard range MG5 will only get you 140 miles at 65mph in those conditions, but you want to keep a 30 mile buffer for your plan B/C charging stops so your first leg is 110 miles. Then you charge to 80% and your next leg is just 85 miles so you'll have to charge twice more or risk arriving on practically empty.

In the LR you can extend each of those legs by 20 miles so you can avoid one of those stops. You might even be able to one-stop the journey by driving slower, or you could drive a bit faster and get there quicker.

Having the extra range means you don't need to charge as often. It means less stress about where and when you charge. Less reliance on expensive rapid charging. Less stress on the battery. Less need to limit your speed or use of the heating.

I'd say those factors add up to a fairly compelling reason to go for the bigger battery.

 

[biffo]

Are there any 80KW chargers about or do they generally sit at 50 or 100? Maybe they're making the point that you can use a 100KW charger, and it will charge faster than a 50, but not twice as fast.

as for the SR/LR debate. I would have been happy without the pilot stuff as I've never had that before (although I am used to having a speed limiter function so would have had to watch my speed more carefully again). Have to say though, now I have it (ACC / Pilot), I'm a fan!

As for the range, other than the 4-5 camping trips through the year, we won't be close to hitting trips anywhere near the range of even the standard range model, although the long range does now give us the option of visiting family in winter and getting back all on one charge. The standard could probably do it, but that extra buffer alleviates the anxiety. I'd probably still top up there though...

It really just came down to the roof bar capacity. we camp (bordering on glamp) and used to pack our Grand Scenic (7 seater car for 3 of us!) to the roof, even taking 2 of the back seats out for the extra space,) so we're gonna need a roof box now (even though we've slimmed down on what we take). I already had the bars for the rails (the scenic had rails too) so that puts me in Exclusive territory anyway otherwise I'm buying an extra set of roof bars straight away, but the 35/37Kg limits was the main thing that pushed me to the LR.

So for me, there were enough little reasons that top up and make it worthwhile going LR, but without all of those it might have been a harder decision to justify.

Oh - 5 insurance groups lower was considered too, but given that it seems insurance companies are currently just covering it as an MG5 Excusive with no view of the extra features, then that's not really come to fruition. Maybe at renewal...

I've moved from a 7 seat Ford Grand CMax, similar needs for my 510 litre roof box - by the time you include weight of bars it's about 23kg before anything popped inside - that's why I changed my order from a Standard to Long Range.

I've always used cruise control on motorways to maintain 70mph (well, 72mph so that satnav showed 70mph) - the MG Pilot is a nice to have and I like it (so far). I'm aiming to keep this car for 5 years or so, the little extra upfront for additional roof loan & range along with the safety features wasn't an issue.

Pretty much convinced that Standard and Long Range have identical charging systems though - the manual shows a change in motor torque from 260Nm to 280Nm (and battery coolant capacity) but this is possibly related to the battery differences.

 

[iainfm]

Thanks very much for these comments. Yeah, the rain sensor behind the rear view mirror was definitely one thing I noticed when I test drove an Exclusive (SR). It did seem quite big and bulky, but I didn't think it would be a massive problem. My good wife it quite small, so it probably wouldn't affect her.

Maybe the Excite LR is the optimum choice for me. I think I'd miss auto aircon a bit, but at the same time anything that makes it easier for my mrs to use the better. It's one of the MG5's biggest points in my opinion. It's just more...car-like than other EVs, which are super advanced and like trying to operate the starship enterprise!

 

[Joe McAndrew]

Thanks very much for these comments. Yeah, the rain sensor behind the rear view mirror was definitely one thing I noticed when I test drove an Exclusive (SR). It did seem quite big and bulky, but I didn't think it would be a massive problem. My good wife it quite small, so it probably wouldn't affect her.

Maybe the Excite LR is the optimum choice for me. I think I'd miss auto aircon a bit, but at the same time anything that makes it easier for my mrs to use the better. It's one of the MG5's biggest points in my opinion. It's just more...car-like than other EVs, which are super advanced and like trying to operate the starship enterprise!

I think you are spot on. Most of us on here I suspect are of an age where we don't want gimmicks. We want a car that is easy to operate, comfortable to drive and cheap to run. A modern version of a no thrills, but more importantly no hassle Start, Stop and Steermobile.

 

[iainfm]

Apparently the short range models are being retired from sale, and the dealer I'm speaking to can't get Excite SR models any more. So that's (probably) that decision made!

 

[biffo]

Apparently the short range models are being retired from sale, and the dealer I'm speaking to can't get Excite SR models any more. So that's (probably) that decision made!

I think it was mentioned on the podcast here that standard range would only be on sale until all stock currently in the country is exhausted - then it'll be long range only. Until the next revision!!

 

[Knuttt]

There’s also the fact the Pilot versions have a lower insurance group specifically because of that feature. It’s the Reason the SR model has such a relatively high insurance group rating.

The LR can definitely take a faster charge too, if you can find a fast charger.

Andy

 

[biffo]

There’s also the fact the Pilot versions have a lower insurance group specifically because of that feature. It’s the Reason the SR model has such a relatively high insurance group rating.

The LR can definitely take a faster charge too, if you can find a fast charger.

Andy

Are you sure about the faster charge?

On EV Database, the Standard Range and Long Range both quote the same figures for AC - the difference in time being due to the different battery sizes.

Just watched a video from New Zealand of the standard range - from 08:12 in to the video, they're showing max rate of 80kW

 

[CuriousIslander]

I have the standard Excite, and although it is early days my first 500 miles have been local, mainly country roads and some town driving, with a typical journey one way of about 10 miles. Driving in Eco mode and Kers 2, I am averaging 4.6 miles per kwh so far. Extrapolating from my charging data (3 charges to date on my PodPoint, each taking the battery from about 30% to 80%) I am getting a range of somewhere between 220 and 240 miles on the equivalent of a full charge. I don't know how much extra the LR version would give - possibly up to 280ish? Also like some others I am not a fan of the faux leather seats, and the Excite has all the necessary equipment that I do need. I have yet to make some longer trips (110 miles to my daughter, 140 to my son), and haven't tried the cruise control yet, but I have every confidence in the car, and really don't think I will miss the extra range of the LR. I don't think I will miss Pilot, I would use it only rarely, so it would be an extravagance for me. As for Pilot lowering the insurance, How does £214 fully comp sound? That is what I am paying for my Excite.
I agree with everything that Joe McAndrew is saying!!
Whatever you buy, you will find it great fun to drive. Enjoy

 

[Knuttt]

Nothing concrete about faster charging (from MG) but I read this here (AutoExpress MG5).

They basically say it can charge up to 100kwh and does the 80% charge in 40 mins instead to 50 for the old car.

Obviously they might be wrong but I'me pretty sure I heard it elsewhere too so maybe it was in MGs press-pack when they launched the car?