MG4 Range

[Cocijo]

I’m sorry but sitting behind a lorry at 54mph without heating on is just not normal use. If I had to do that I think I would catch a train!

 

[tsedge]

I’m sorry but sitting behind a lorry at 54mph without heating on is just not normal use. If I had to do that I think I would catch a train!

Shows that you can get over 5 miles / kWh in winter though, mighty impressive though not something I'd ever do.

 

[Cocijo]

I’m sure that you could do better if you stripped out the seating and removed all none essential weight including body panels and got the lorry to tow you along!

 

[Ayoull]

I’m sure that you could do better if you stripped out the seating and removed all none essential weight including body panels and got the lorry to tow you along!

They've shed the undertray from mine

 

[xcyber]

Sounds good Hope my car get produced soon.. its about -15c outside today

 

[Joe Boatman]

The key figures are your miles/kWh and usable battery capacity.
You can almost forget all of your other calculations. This miles/kWh figure will vary considerably depending on conditions and the type of driving. You should focus on this.
You can then multiply your mile/kWh by the usable HV pack capacity to get a better view on range. For example (and it is an example) in winter averaging 3miles/kWh is not unusual, at 60kwh useable pack that’s about 180miles range. In summer 5miles/kWh can be achieved on slower runs amounting to 300miles range. It really can vary that much. Much as in an ICE where you would look at MPG, in an EV focus on the miles/kWh.

I have to ask myself, what have I gained with my 64kWh MG4 compared to my 53kWh MG5? I was wrong to put economy high near the top of my wants. Both cars have very strong points in favour of them, especially in terms of build quality

 

[tsedge]

Well it is a family hatch vs. family estate.

The 5 is front wheel drive, more comfortable ride, bigger boot, on an older platform shared with ICE vehicles, though the updated version gives us the same entertainment tech.

The 4 is rear wheel drive, better handling, more passenger space, dedicated EV platform, sharper looks.

They complement rather than compete with each other.

 

[MoDolph]

I’m sorry but sitting behind a lorry at 54mph without heating on is just not normal use. If I had to do that I think I would catch a train!

I agree. I only did it because I wanted to narrow down where the energy was going. It proves it's likely not the drivetrain but the cabin heater or battery heater.

 

[Cocijo]

I don’t know what the usable capacity of your cars packs are but if you take the 11kwhr difference I would expect at least 40 miles more from the MG4. The MG4 I think also used different battery technology (someone will know I’m sure). It’s also a purpose built EV on a modern platform. That said the MG5 is a great car for some.
Bigger packs also tend not to get fully charged so often so less stressed.

 

[Ayoull]

I agree. I only did it because I wanted to narrow down where the energy was going. It proves it's likely not the drivetrain but the cabin heater or battery heater.

Love our MG ZS EV MK1 for it's volt and current draw display, as you can sit stationary and as you crank up the heat the Amps fly

 

[Ayoull]

I don’t know what the usable capacity of your cars packs are but if you take the 11kwhr difference I would expect at least 40 miles more from the MG4. The MG4 I think also used different battery technology (someone will know I’m sure). It’s also a purpose built EV on a modern platform. That said the MG5 is a great car for some.
Bigger packs also tend not to get fully charged so often so less stressed.

NMC for the Long Range and LFP for the Standard Range.

But the MG4 weighs in at over 2t, which is heavier than all the other MG EVs

 

[Cocijo]

I have to ask myself, what have I gained with my 64kWh MG4 compared to my 53kWh MG5? I was wrong to put economy high near the top of my wants. Both cars have very strong points in favour of them, especially in terms of build quality

I don’t know what the usable capacity of your cars packs are but if you take the 11kwhr difference I would expect at least 40 miles more from the MG4. The MG4 I think also used different battery technology (someone will know I’m sure). It’s also a purpose built EV on a modern platform. That said the MG5 is a great car for some.
Bigger packs also tend not to get fully charged so often so less stressed.

 

[Cocijo]

NMC for the Long Range and LFP for the Standard Range.

But the MG4 weighs in at over 2t, which is heavier than all the other MG EVs

Interesting. I hadn’t looked at the weights. That’s the bigger pack I guess?

 

[FiferMG4]

NMC for the Long Range and LFP for the Standard Range.

But the MG4 weighs in at over 2t, which is heavier than all the other MG EVs

I thinks that’s the gross weight for the MG4. The kerb weight is 1655kg for the SESR and 1685kg for the LR and Trophy. Still heavier than the kerb weight of the MG5 SE which is 1552kg and the MGZS SE which is 1570kg (long range is 1620kg).

 

[Joe Boatman]

Unfortunately, it's not massive. A 30% difference in winter can be expected, especially when you don't have a heat pump. Other factors can be the type of driving, e.g. I assume you got your 285 miles figure after driving in the city for a while?

I got the 280 miles from mg.co.uk where it states (optimistically)
Range applies to All-New MG4 EV SE Long Range with the 64kWh battery from a single charge on the WLTP combined cycle: Combined Range 281 miles (450 km): City Range: 360 miles (579 km); Combined Driving Efficiency: 3.8 miles/kWh (16.0 kWh/I00km)
I note that my Trophy is heavier than the SE and so will do less miles per kWh but my main point was to compare MG4 with MG5. Where I was getting 4 miles/kWh in the MG5 I now get 3 with the MG4. MG4 is 64kWh battery, MG5 is 53kWh, both cars are about the same weight. I had hoped my 300 mile motorway journeys would only require one charge in the MG4, not the three charges I'm experiencing, so I would rather keep the MG5.
Also, and this is slightly off topic, I don't believe the 360 miles City Range In stop/start city driving, getting 1.6 tonnes from a standing start takes huge amounts of energy and I typically get 2 mls/kWh.

 

[liberostelios]

All EV’s use resistance heating at cold start up. It’s only later in the cycle that a heat pump becomes beneficial. There is much debate about the benefits based on climate, additional cost and usage.
My view is that in the UK unless you want or need to wring out every last mile of range then the cost v benefit doesn’t stack up.

That's a bit debatable. It all depends on the price. In Europe, the Luxury version is only 2.000€ more than Comfort, in which price you get the heat pump, sat nav/LTE, 360 camera, more MG pilot stuff, premium interior/exterior etc. I've read that in most cases a heat pump costs around 1500€, but if for 2000€ you get a heat pump+many others it's totally worth it, imo.

It's a bit odd that in the UK the price difference is bigger for less equipment.

 

[Ayoull]

That's a bit debatable. It all depends on the price. In Europe, the Luxury version is only 2.000€ more than Comfort, in which price you get the heat pump, sat nav/LTE, 360 camera, more MG pilot stuff, premium interior/exterior etc. I've read that in most cases a heat pump costs around 1500€, but if for 2000€ you get a heat pump+many others it's totally worth it, imo.

It's a bit odd that in the UK the price difference is bigger for less equipment.

The UK isn't nicknamed treasure island for car manufacturers for no reason

 

[Cocijo]

That's a bit debatable. It all depends on the price. In Europe, the Luxury version is only 2.000€ more than Comfort, in which price you get the heat pump, sat nav/LTE, 360 camera, more MG pilot stuff, premium interior/exterior etc. I've read that in most cases a heat pump costs around 1500€, but if for 2000€ you get a heat pump+many others it's totally worth it, imo.

It's a bit odd that in the UK the price difference is bigger for less equipment.

True. There are exceptions. The Kia Soul springs to mind - the FE was a bargain at the time and came with heat pump. However it’s generally around £1500 more for heat pump in uk. Either directly specified or with costs buried beneath some specifications.

 

[amdmad]

My orange MG4 Trophy appears to have a standard range battery (not the advertised 64kWh) and yet is only giving me 222 miles after 100% charge.

My 2021 metallic blue MG5 SW has a 53kWh battery yet it's giving me 215 miles.

Below are readings taken from photos of screens that show the estimated range, eg a 40% charge has an estimated range of 80 miles and this multiplies up to 200 miles for 100% charge.

Columns E to G are the readings taken from my MG5.







The above tends to prove that my long range MG4 Trophy has much the same range as my older MG5 which is reckoned to do about 180 miles. Specifications show that both cars are about the same weight.



How can I tell how many actual kWh my MG4 can hold? Not what the specs say it should be, but what my MG5 actually is.

I could charge it from zero and use a meter to read the charge taken to reach 100%
I could weigh the car and compare it with the weights of standard and long range MG4s to find out if my particular MG4 Trophy has been fitted with a smaller battery than specified
I could ask my dealer, Arnold Clark, to do some tests (they've promised to ring me back...)
I could complain to Trading Standards that I've bought a car that does not match the specifications, especially the 284 mile range (on a summer day, slightly downhill, smooth road surface, wind behind me, etc, etc)
What it seems that I can't do is to return this car for a refund. I've tried. If anyone who's waiting for their MG4 Trophy in Volcano Orange would like to cancel their order and have mine, like tomorrow, please get in touch. It's going on Gumtree as soon as this foul weather brightens enough to take some pics!

In the meantime, does anyone with a long range MG4 get over 250 miles? And how many miles does your standard range give? I only need the current % charge and expected range - I can then work out the range for 100%.

Thank you!

I put this in yesterday.

 

[Nigelleics]

I agree. I only did it because I wanted to narrow down where the energy was going. It proves it's likely not the drivetrain but the cabin heater or battery heater.

Didn't you need the cabin heater on every so often to deal with misting up?

It's an impressive readout and just shows what can be done. It's very beneficial to sit behind a truck while going uphill for instance, as the reduced wind resistance helps counter the losses due to the incline. Not recommended for normal driving, but worth having in your tool kit for when range gets marginal.