I hate my MG4

[siteguru]

Just as a counter-balance ... I also have a '22 (72 plate) SE SR. Yes it has had some issues in the past (oil leak from the diff being the major one), but since that was fixed and various software updates applied I've had no issues whatsoever; it sailed through its first MOT (and 3rd service) yesterday.

 

[Joningy]

DONT BUY ONE, just burn your money and save yourself the headache!!

Change 100% of the car. its shit from top to bottom, nothing works well and everything seems like it was designed by morons who've never driven a car

I had 2 years of trouble free driving with my MG4 Trophy, fabulous value and a great car, sorry to hear about your woes, my new S5 is even better than the 4, apart from a very few teething issues.

 

[LenEV2016]

You do know that if you are on a PCP deal you can go for a voluntary termination, I'm not sure of your exact figures but you will be able to hand it back before your 4 years are up without any penalty.
You can look it up online and check the amount you need to have paid against your own figures.

 

[blueman671]

I’m fairly confident this isn’t a troll because I too drove a new Corsa the other week (courtesy car whilst the MG4 was in for repairs) and it is indeed horrendous beyond belief. “How could anyone buy this” is exactly what I thought, so OP is posting the truth in respect of that at least.

I do sympathise with you. The MG4 is naff. If you’re used to good cars, particularly driver focused cars, it’s sad coming to an MG4 and very frustrating. But… you did choose the base SE so if you’re a keen driver, what did you expect???

That said, it’s not supposed to be a ‘good’ car. It’s supposed to be a cheap car. And it is. It’s is a very very good ‘cheap’ car, so it hits its main (and only) purpose exceptionally well.

I’ve found that software updates make a night and day difference with a lot of issues. If yours is still not right, check the latest software update has actually been applied.

Sounds like you’ve got a faulty example which is a crap position to be in. You should have been able to reject the car or at least get warranty work done by now, unless the issues only arose way after cooling off period ended.

Like others had said, try an early termination and walk away from MG (and all Chinese EVs to benefit your own mental health) and get a more proven brand. As a ‘petrol head’ I have to confess that EVs are better in every way, unless you’re wanting performance and ‘fun’ - if you’ve got an SE I’m guessing not, so don’t run from EVs.

You can get a used FSH polestar2, Tesla M3, Kona, Niro, Born, EV6, Ioniq5 (to name a few) for about £10k less than a new MG4 or MGS5 - you’d be insane to choose a brand new MG over any of these.

MG is crap, but you get what you pay for and you should’ve stomped your feet to get shut of the car sooner. Terminate the agreement.

 

[Rolfe]

I've got a phase 1 SE SR too, and I'm not having any of these problems. There have been niggles, nearly all sorted out, but given the price of the car (at the time) I don't think I'm in any position to complain.

I agree that if you tank it down the motorway in freezing cold conditions with the heater on full you'll only get about 110 miles. I knew that before I bought the car. But all these stories of 70 miles of range and power loss and so on sound like a faulty car. Bowfer made a stink and got rid of his. I can't imagine why someone would keep a lemon for three years without going to court about it.

 

[gary333]

I do sympathise with you. The MG4 is naff. If you’re used to good cars, particularly driver focused cars, it’s sad coming to an MG4 and very frustrating.

Hopefully this doesn't sound too condescending to people, but one thing I have noticed is that lots of people on here came from older cars, and especially older ICE cars. If we are comparing with 10+ year old ICE cars (especially rattly old diesels), then I can see why people would like the MG4 (or any electric car for that matter) as they are so much better from a refinement point of view. Not to mention it has tech that likely wasn't present on said older cars.

However, if you are coming from other newer cars (even relatively basic ones), or just other older EV's then I feel the MG4 kinda let's the side down in many ways, it certainly has for me. Compared to my old Ioniq 38 it feels inferior in just about every way (apart from charge speed and battery capacity) and that car was an old design underneath that was just tarted up a little. Additionally if you just tootle around town for 95% of the cars life I can also see why the MG4 won't cause to much headache as you don't need to use many of the badly implemented "aids".

 

[Kenp1]

Hopefully this doesn't sound too condescending to people, but one thing I have noticed is that lots of people on here came from older cars, and especially older ICE cars. If we are comparing with 10+ year old ICE cars (especially rattly old diesels), then I can see why people would like the MG4 (or any electric car for that matter) as they are so much better from a refinement point of view. Not to mention it has tech that likely wasn't present on said older cars.

However, if you are coming from other newer cars (even relatively basic ones), or just other older EV's then I feel the MG4 kinda let's the side down in many ways, it certainly has for me. Compared to my old Ioniq 38 it feels inferior in just about every way (apart from charge speed and battery capacity) and that car was an old design underneath that was just tarted up a little.

Don't agree, I came from a 2018 Kia Sportage petrol auto, and while that car was better in some areas, I prefer the MG, as does my partner who has a 2020 VW Tiguan.

 

[gary333]

Don't agree, I came from a 2018 Kia Sportage petrol auto, and while that car was better in some areas, I prefer the MG, as does my partner who has a 2020 VW Tiguan.

But a Kia Sportage is a 10 year old design, with weak petrol engines, crappy DCT box (in your case) and sloppy handling so you almost hit the criteria of proving my point, by trying to disprove my point.

 

[decrep]

When we bought ours, it was the only BEV we could afford. We knew it was "cheap" car, and we didn't expect high quality.
It's logical that more expensive cars would be better.
We've had it 18months now, and apart from the annoying "safety features" that get turned off before every drive, we love it. Hopefully it's first service in 6 months will sort those things out.

We drove some modern high cars in NZ, they were OK but I wouldn't say their quality was noticeably better than the MG4.

 

[Kenp1]

But a Kia Sportage is a 10 year old design, with weak petrol engines, crappy DCT box (in your case) and sloppy handling so you almost hit the criteria of proving my point, by trying to disprove my point.

Not really, I wouldn't say the Kia engine was weak, 174bhp is pretty decent in an SUV of that size, and the DCT box was fine. I test drove quite a few cars of the same era as the MG before buying it and wouldn't say they were miles better than the MG.

 

[siteguru]

Hopefully this doesn't sound too condescending to people, but one thing I have noticed is that lots of people on here came from older cars, and especially older ICE cars. If we are comparing with 10+ year old ICE cars (especially rattly old diesels), then I can see why people would like the MG4 (or any electric car for that matter) as they are so much better from a refinement point of view. Not to mention it has tech that likely wasn't present on said older cars.

I came from a 2017 (67 plate) Insignia Grand Sport (diesel) ... that refresh model had just been launched that year. I much prefer my MG4 SE SR.

 

[tsedge]

I came from a 2020 Skoda Karoq, my 2023 MG4 is far better built, drives miles better, far more refined (except wind noise) and has been much more reliable, despite the problems I have had. VW group cars went seriously downhill in quality after about 2015.

The more recent MGs like the MGS5 are also a big leap forward over the MG4 in terms of interior quality, which it will get early next year with the mid-life refresh. The MGS6 appears to further improve things.

 

[salty]

Had a Mercedes E class coupe 350 CDI,
before the X Power, twas a lovely motor.
But I'd had it 6 years, and it was starting to cost me quite a lot of money.
Never even thought of an EV, before.
But just fancied one. Always liked the look of the MG4, and when they introduced the X Power, it was a no brainer for me. Had 2 good test drive's and payed 25 grand brand new. I'd read about the possible faults/quirks/foibles,
beforehand, but still got one. And it's been bloody great. Sure there are some bad uns. But that's not exclusive to MG.
I like to make me own, mind up about cars. And comment on them, from my own experiences.

 

[Bam Bam]

I've also got what is perhaps an early phase 1 MG4 (since it is an SE with tinted windows) and for Pebbles and I it is definitely the best car we've ever had.

To be fair we've had second hand Peugeots and Seats before this, so not luxury or anything, but the MG4 has been absolutely fine for us.

It was the cheapest EV available to buy at the time and it still seems to be about the best value out there since the now-cheapest models are just city runabouts really without much space, range or rapid charging capability.

 

[OriginalBigAl]

Apart from a 30 minute test drive in a Kia Niro EV which was nice but cramped the previous 16 years are in a Peugeot 307 sw , so for me Gary333 comments are spot on. I should trawl around different dealers begging for test drives to get a fair comparison of modern stock , but I am happy enough with my chosen steed so I'll stay in blissful ignorance for the foreseeable future.

 

[Panther]

Moving from a '71 plate Niro PHEV, I'm not expecting great things from the MG apart from the power difference, the Niro has been fine, I've done almost 77k miles in it and yes it has it's own quirks and the 12v battery died after 3.5 years but it's been adequate.

As for the MG (being delivered on Monday 1st Dec), it's a bit of an unknown, I'm not thinking it's going to be perfect, especially the software (I might be surprised) but I am looking forward to it and if I do have any problems I know everyone here is always willing to help.

 

[blueman671]

Moving from a '71 plate Niro PHEV, I'm not expecting great things from the MG apart from the power difference, the Niro has been fine, I've done almost 77k miles in it and yes it has it's own quirks and the 12v battery died after 3.5 years but it's been adequate.

As for the MG (being delivered on Monday 1st Dec), it's a bit of an unknown, I'm not thinking it's going to be perfect, especially the software (I might be surprised) but I am looking forward to it and if I do have any problems I know everyone here is always willing to help.

Haven’t driven the PHEV Niro but the EV version of the same car is better in every way except from the fact it doesn’t have OPD.

if your Niro is a ‘4’ or ‘4+’ then you’re better off keeping it. I have an MG4 and an eniro and would set my mg on fire now if it meant I could have a second Niro. Do yourself a favour and cancel the order or you will likely regret it.

All other cars mentioned above (old Sportage, Karoq etc) are equally crap so moving to a quiet, smoother EV will feel like a massive upgrade. Until you drive a decent EV or a good ICE car…

 

[Kenp1]

I don't understand were all these amazing cars are, sure a Kia EV is a bit better in some areas but it's not night and day difference.

And can someone tell me some of these amazing ICE cars, any time someone mentions a car we just keep getting told that it's rubbish. I've had about 18 different cars over the years, different brands, some new, some second hand and I think in the last 10 years or so ICE cars haven't really moved forward much, you could even argue that legislation has meant they have gone backwards.

Cars defy logic, I've had completely ordinary cars that I've loved, and highly rated cars that I didn't want to keep.

 

[blueman671]

I don't understand were all these amazing cars are, sure a Kia EV is a bit better in some areas but it's not night and day difference.

And can someone tell me some of these amazing ICE cars, any time someone mentions a car we just keep getting told that it's rubbish. I've had about 18 different cars over the years, different brands, some new, some second hand and I think in the last 10 years or so ICE cars haven't really moved forward much, you could even argue that legislation has meant they have gone backwards.

Cars defy logic, I've had completely ordinary cars that I've loved, and highly rated cars that I didn't want to keep.

Well the Niro I mentioned has, better range, more space, better driving position, smoother drivetrain, better suspension, better infotainment, better phone app, better dealer customer service, physical climate and media buttons, better warranty, better air con and fans, comfier seats, better visibility, rear interior lights, paddles for regen braking. Literally everything is better aside from the lack of OPD and 360 cameras (which are so blurry at night you may aswell not have them).

I too have had a silly number of cars. ICE cars hit a wall around 2018 and then opted for cost cutting measures and have gone backwards every year since. The best all round ‘car’ that was attainable for all was the mk7/7.5 golf. It did everything perfectly and was extremely reliable.

I sold a £50k+ Audi RS4 for a £10k Lexus IS before I eventually got the MG. The Lexus is the best car I’ve ever owned. The MG arguably the worst ignoring the cheap first cars I had as a teenager/early 20s.

Do people genuinely believe the mg4 does anything better than any other EV on the market?

I feel robbed paying £18k for an XPower. £30k+ on one of these is mental.

You could get any number of cars for less than that which are far superior, and the change would offset the cost of your fuel.

A Skoda Octavia and a good chunk of a house deposit for the price of a new MG4 - is it even a question?

 

[Kenp1]

Well the Niro I mentioned has, better range, more space, better driving position, smoother drivetrain, better suspension, better infotainment, better phone app, better dealer customer service, physical climate and media buttons, better warranty, better air con and fans, comfier seats, better visibility, rear interior lights, paddles for regen braking. Literally everything is better aside from the lack of OPD and 360 cameras (which are so blurry at night you may aswell not have them).

I too have had a silly number of cars. ICE cars hit a wall around 2018 and then opted for cost cutting measures and have gone backwards every year since. The best all round ‘car’ that was attainable for all was the mk7/7.5 golf. It did everything perfectly and was extremely reliable.

I sold a £50k+ Audi RS4 for a £10k Lexus IS before I eventually got the MG. The Lexus is the best car I’ve ever owned. The MG arguably the worst ignoring the cheap first cars I had as a teenager/early 20s.

Do people genuinely believe the mg4 does anything better than any other EV on the market?

I feel robbed paying £18k for an XPower. £30k+ on one of these is mental.

You could get any number of cars for less than that which are far superior, and the change would offset the cost of your fuel.

A Skoda Octavia and a good chunk of a house deposit for the price of a new MG4 - is it even a question?

I haven't driven an XPower so can't comment on that, but I don't recognise some of the things mentioned. Driving position is fine, no issues, seats are comfortable and much better than the concrete ones in my partners VW, ride is average. I don't know how the XPower differs but my MG4 has a very smooth drive train, and I prefer the RWD, some of the FWD Kias have a tendency to spin up their wheels. With all the issues you noticed, most of which would be obvious on the test drive why go ahead and buy the car?

We had a mark 7 golf estate, it was a good all rounder but nothing amazing. As for the Skoda Octavia, that wouldn't be on the list because it's an ICE car.

I know the MG is not the best EV out there, it is a starting point on my EV journey. When I test drove it I really enjoyed it and there wasn't any obvious issues. My main objective was to get my running costs down before I retired. I actually put a deposit down on a Corolla which was lovely to drive, but had second thoughts on it because of how cramped it was.