MG4 X Power First 1000 Miles.

My take on my Xpower after nearly 1000km..

By no means am i disappointed or unhappy with it and this is purely my opinion !!
( wanted to get that clear from the start )

1. The car lacks refinement ,, it needs better shocks and springs and i feel the tyres are a poor choice for the car ( im still thinking pilot sport 5s are going to perform WAY better )

2. which ties into refinement its way to powerful VS its capabilities ( i find myself smashing the pedal to the floor and the car seems to lane drift as its like strapping a rocket to a 67 vw beetle and expecting it to perform )

If i was to elaborate it feels like it squats to much at the back making the front wheels less forced onto the road and in turn the steering lighter so it seems to drift because nothing is really pushing the front down to keep decent traction at the front ..

kind of like braking in a corner at speed by default you should never really brake in a corner as it pushes the front of the car down and lifts the back up resulting in less traction in the rear making the car unbalanced and sometimes in extreme cases losing the back end mid corner

OR

A better example is a drag car that lifts the front wheels off the ground at take off there is nothing there to steer the car except for the rear wheels driving it ..

so in the X powers case there is not enough force on the front to keep the front firmly planted at take off !!

even on the twisty stuff it seems to have issues with handling nothing bad just doesnt feel balanced .

My take is shocks springs tyres and software are really not optimal together .. plus pushing supercar performance in a non supercar isnt helping either !!

My 2012 volvo t6 r design Awd with 250kw seemed to feel much more stable in spirited drives cornering and acceleration ..

Now i understand we are talking about a 70k car new back in 2012 way less grunt and a sedan !!


NOW ME BEING REALLY PICKY

center console is stupid for mobile phones no question.

software has its ups and downs generally good though.
( BUT *** MG PLEASE LET US SET AND FORGET OUR PREFERED DRIVER SETTINGS )
im sick of removing lane keep and setting one pedal driving every time in get in the car !!

wired apple carplay works well i guess sometimes it needs to be removed and replugged to get it to work .. ( also i find myself leaving my phone in the car far to often because it wired )

I will be looking at a wireless adaptor soon ( hopefully then i can leave my phone in my pocket or close to me so i dont keep forgeting to take my phone with me )

seats are generally great would like to see better seats along the lines of some Recaro seats
( or something a bit more sporty )

the vibration / drone at 100kmh ( thats a topic we all know and have our own takes on )

the economy is not great really its chewing though the battery quickly ( now has it been cheaper to run than the volvo T6 1000% YES ) but its still costly in normal or sport and in which case why even slap 320kw in a car to run on eco !!

Im thinking of waiting a for year and seeing what shock and spring options become available as it really needs better springs and shocks ..
( i know H&R do lowered springs but i dont think thats the full answer to fix the issues it does have )

Tyres no doubt will help with some of the handling issues !!

The car drives and feels ( in normal day to day driving ) much nicer than the volvo so is it a better car than what i was driving 90% yes !!

It just lacks refinement for the car its trying to be

Once again i love my X power and for all the things i think is wrong with it there are far more things i think is right..

when MG do the next MG4 X power they need to address the issues this one has..

For the little extra in $$$ cost for some better refinements will make it a real HOT HATCH
 
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My take on my Xpower after nearly 1000km..

By no means am i disappointed or unhappy with it and this is purely my opinion !!
( wanted to get that clear from the start )

1. The car lacks refinement ,, it needs better shocks and springs and i feel the tyres are a poor choice for the car ( im still thinking pilot sport 5s are going to perform WAY better )

2. which ties into refinement its way to powerful VS its capabilities ( i find myself smashing the pedal to the floor and the car seems to lane drift as its like strapping a rocket to a 67 vw beetle and expecting it to perform )

If i was to elaborate it feels like it squats to much at the back making the front wheels less forced onto the road and in turn the steering lighter so it seems to drift because nothing is really pushing the front down to keep decent traction at the front ..

kind of like braking in a corner at speed by default you should never really brake in a corner as it pushes the front of the car down and lifts the back up resulting in less traction in the rear making the car unbalanced and sometimes in extreme cases losing the back end mid corner

OR

A better example is a drag car that lifts the front wheels off the ground at take off there is nothing there to steer the car except for the rear wheels driving it ..

so in the X powers case there is not enough force on the front to keep the front firmly planted at take off !!

even on the twisty stuff it seems to have issues with handling nothing bad just doesnt feel balanced .

My take is shocks springs tyres and software are really not optimal together .. plus pushing supercar performance in a non supercar isnt helping either !!

My 2012 volvo t6 r design Awd with 250kw seemed to feel much more stable in spirited drives cornering and acceleration ..

Now i understand we are talking about a 70k car new back in 2012 way less grunt and a sedan !!


NOW ME BEING REALLY PICKY

center console is stupid for mobile phones no question.

software has its ups and downs generally good though.
( BUT *** MG PLEASE LET US SET AND FORGET OUR PREFERED DRIVER SETTINGS )
im sick of removing lane keep and setting one pedal driving every time in get in the car !!

wired apple carplay works well i guess sometimes it needs to be removed and replugged to get it to work .. ( also i find myself leaving my phone in the car far to often because it wired )

I will be looking at a wireless adaptor soon ( hopefully then i can leave my phone in my pocket or close to me so i dont keep forgeting to take my phone with me )

seats are generally great would like to see better seats along the lines of some Recaro seats
( or something a bit more sporty )

the vibration / drone at 100kmh ( thats a topic we all know and have our own takes on )

the economy is not great really its chewing though the battery quickly ( now has it been cheaper to run than the volvo T6 1000% YES ) but its still costly in normal or sport and in which case why even slap 320kw in a car to run on eco !!

Im thinking of waiting a for year and seeing what shock and spring options become available as it really needs better springs and shocks ..
( i know H&R do lowered springs but i dont think thats the full answer to fix the issues it does have )

Tyres no doubt will help with some of the handling issues !!

The car drives and feels ( in normal day to day driving ) much nicer than the volvo so is it a better car than what i was driving 90% yes !!

It just lacks refinement for the car its trying to be

Once again i love my X power and for all the things i think is wrong with it there are far more things i think is right..

when MG do the next MG4 X power they need to address the issues this one has..

For the little extra in $$$ cost for some better refinements will make it a real HOT HATCH
I would describe everything you are talking about as ‘character’ 😅
I love the fact they’ve dumped a stonking amount of horses in a family hatchback, and put it on the market at a good price
Reminds me of the 90’s jdm cars we had back in the day. Lacking refinement, possibly not as good as more esteemed sportcars, but Excellent value for money. Stupid but brilliant 🤩
 
After 144 days of ownership and just over 3,000 miles on the clock
As my first EV there is lots that is different to owning an ICE car:
With an ICE car you have to make specific stop just for refuelling and have to be there for the whole process
With an EV idle time can be used for refuelling, you just let the car get on with it
Ambient temperature has a much bigger impact on range but can be mitigated more by turning things on and off
You can add fuel while driving (regen)
No need to get the car into a power band for maximum shove, you just get that any time you press the loud pedal

For XPower specific stuff:
Wireless charging mat is in a stupid location (and not really needed as wired Carplay/Android Auto takes care of charging).
Setup is comfortable enough for long trips.
Rear headrest blocks the rear view (but having had a Mini Clubman I am used to an obstruction, barn doors).
Rear wiper is a must, any water slides down the rear screen as you move off, especially off the spoiler.
Not the most engaging car in the corners but that doesn't matter as you car accelerate so fast after exiting you can make the time up.
Instant oomph always puts a smile on your face.
Gaps for pulling out and overtaking (as well as time in danger zone) are all reduced.
Have to be careful not to go over speed limits as 0-fine speeds are reached very quickly.
Touch screen a bit of a pain for some functions but most can be done from the steering wheel
Software a bit temperamental, but could be seen as a character of the car (anyone who has used a Microsoft product should not have an issue with "bugs" or "design features").
Some build quality could be seen as less than perfect, gaps in plastic trim (internal door sills)
For the money there is nothing to compare.
The vibration issue seemed to calm down after 1,000 miles and by changing tyre pressures (now negligible enough to not be an issue).
Heated steering wheel is great, just to take the chill off.

After 3054 miles (between December and April):
1159.62 kWh used at a total cost of £281.33 giving an efficiency of 2.63 miles per kWh at a cost of £0.09 per mile. Mixture of motorway and town driving with some free charging (246.4 kWh). Fastest charging speed 140kW (at a Tesla charger), best trip efficiency 3.3 miles/kWh (have seen over 4 miles/kWh in the warmer temperatures).

I am sure there are lots of other things I could mention.
As a first EV experience I would say I am a happy owner so far and every day is a school day.
 
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After 144 days of ownership and just over 3,000 miles on the clock
As my first EV there is lots that is different to owning an ICE car:
With an ICE car you have to make specific stop just for refuelling and have to be there for the whole process
With an EV idle time can be used for refuelling, you just let the car get on with it
Ambient temperature has a much bigger impact on range but can be mitigated more by turning things on and off
You can add fuel while driving (regen)
No need to get the car into a power band for maximum shove, you just get that any time you press the loud pedal

For XPower specific stuff:
Wireless charging mat is in a stupid location (and not really needed as wired carplay/android auto takes care of charging)
Setup is comfortable enough for long trips
Rear headrest blocks the rear view (but having had a Mini Clubman I am used to an obstruction, barn doors)
Rear wiper is a must, any water slides down the rear screen as you move off, especially off the spoiler
Not the most engaging car in the corners but that doesn't matter as you car accelerate so fast after exiting you can make the time up.
Instant oomph always puts a smile on your face.
Gaps for pulling out and overtaking (as well as time in danger zone) are all reduced.
Have to be careful not to go over speed limits as 0-fine speeds are reached very quickly.
Touch screen a bit of a pain for some functions but most can be done from the steering wheel
Software a bit temperamental, but could be seen as a character of the car (anyone who has used a Microsoft product should not have an issue with "bugs" or "design features").
Some build quality could be seen as less than perfect, gaps in plastic trim (internal door sills)
For the money there is nothing to compare.
The vibration issue seemed to calm down after 1,000 miles and by changing tyre pressures (now negligible enough to not be an issue).
Heated steering wheel is great, just to take the chill off.

After 3054 miles (between December and April):
1159.62 kW used at a total cost of £281.33 giving an efficiency of 2.63 miles per kWh at a cost of £0.09 per mile. Mixture of motorway and town driving with some free charging (2503 kW). Fastest charging speed 140kW per hour (at a Tesla charger), best trip efficiency 3.3 miles/kWh (have seen over 4 miles/kWh in the warmer temperatures).

I am sure there are lots of other things I could mention
As a first EV experience I would say I am a happy owner so far and every day is a school day
Great write up. 🙂👍
 
After 3054 miles (between December and April):
1159.62 kW used at a total cost of £281.33 giving an efficiency of 2.63 miles per kWh at a cost of £0.09 per mile. Mixture of motorway and town driving with some free charging (2503 kW). Fastest charging speed 140kW per hour (at a Tesla charger), best trip efficiency 3.3 miles/kWh (have seen over 4 miles/kWh in the warmer temperatures).
Something doesn't quite scan right ... how can you have used 1159.62 kWh yet got 2503 kWh free? ;)
 
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Just had a week in Dorset and put over 800 miles on the clock. Travelling down I averaged 3.55mi/kWh and 3.9 coming back mostly A and B roads and approx 30 miles of motorway.
I didn't keep a check while down there, as the cottage had an EV charger, so recharged when required.

IMG_1299.jpeg
 
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I would love to go to an X-Power meet up where we could compare cars / vibes / refinement etc. ?

Fortunately my vibes have reduced a fair bit now after 4000 miles and I only get them now and again. I'd be intererested to go out in a car which has them bad for comparison.

Likewise for refinement and tyre noise I find my X-Power pretty good and quiet at 70mph cruising. I guess it may depend what you drove before but my previous cars were mainly Golf R's and the Xpower feels quieter and more refined to me, although the AWD system lacks a bit of finesse when flooring it compared to the Golf.
 
I would love to go to an X-Power meet up where we could compare cars / vibes / refinement etc. ?

Fortunately my vibes have reduced a fair bit now after 4000 miles and I only get them now and again. I'd be intererested to go out in a car which has them bad for comparison.

Likewise for refinement and tyre noise I find my X-Power pretty good and quiet at 70mph cruising. I guess it may depend what you drove before but my previous cars were mainly Golf R's and the Xpower feels quieter and more refined to me, although the AWD system lacks a bit of finesse when flooring it compared to the Golf.

That's why I enjoyed meeting up with my m8 @Doug C when he got his car.

After a hearty breakfast, I drove his car, and he mine, for a spectacular drive up and around Brecon.

I was instantly struck by the fact he had zero vibes! In fact I couldn't quite believe it.
(Full write up is on here somewhere)

We both drove about one and a half hours to the rendezvous.

Do you know anybody near you m8?

20240330_214521-1.jpg


Oh and I think you'll find the stock tyres don't help when you're properly giving it the beans!
 
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I would describe everything you are talking about as ‘character’ 😅
I love the fact they’ve dumped a stonking amount of horses in a family hatchback, and put it on the market at a good price
Reminds me of the 90’s jdm cars we had back in the day. Lacking refinement, possibly not as good as more esteemed sportcars, but Excellent value for money. Stupid but brilliant 🤩
Dont agree with character .. squarely refinement !! IMO

Dont get me wrong its insane to have that sort of power at this cost but its not without its downsides with not being able to control it well enough!!

On a lighter note im going to a car wrap place tomorrow to see cost of a full car wrap well atleast the camden grey bits to a matte yellow ..

Not sold on a full wrap just yet but a matte yellow would set the car off insane !!

Also the guy at tyre place told me pilot sport 5s were bad for EVs and the pilot sport 4s were better as they are standard equipment on telsa .. LMFAO i said sure but 4s are terrible tread wear !!

1400kms done since i got it and still enjoying it
 
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