New MG5 owner - my list of pros & cons

[Stuwit46]

So, coming up for a month of ownership of my 5. I’d like to share a few things...in no particular order

• Apple Car Play
• the “slot” Next to my left leg, where I can store my phone when driving
• Quick warming up & demisting on cold mornings
• the “hold” brake function at 0mph (had this kind of thing on previous Mercs)
• the colour
• the £££‘s I’m saving already on running costs
• the “oooh is that electric”? comments
• smooth, quick pull aways from lights etc.
• to have rear windows that actually fully lower
• the ride is good
• peace of mind with a 7 year warranty
• running a car that isn’t directly polluting the planet
• this is the only EV at this moment in time I wanted considering range, price and body style
• not having to worry about oil, brake wear (as don’t use them nearly as much as an ICE car), gearbox, clutch etc
• comfortable seats
• rear camera, including how many cm before contact
• drive controls

• cold range
• not enough storage
• Headlights not as bright as other cars, but good enough
• I don’t really need to be told that my wheels aren’t straight before I drive
• front wheel spin (operator error)
• lack of speed limiter

overall I have got my head around charging & range, I am really liking the whole EV/MG experience. The roof rail issue doesn’t really bother me, we decided if we need to use a roof box for a trip for a week end etc. we will hire an ICE car.

 

[Chrispydoc]

What is your max cold weather range?

 

[Marcad]

if we need to use a roof box for a trip for a week end etc. we will hire an ICE car.

I was thinking about this, Wifeys car doesn't have rails but she has bars that fit on the roof edge, I was wondering if these could be utalised on the 5 as if the rails weren't there, subject to clearance obviously, but worth looking into I think.

 

[Johncc]

Interesting point Marcad, I wonder if you can fit an aftermarket roof rack on the excite model - or is any roof loading banned at present?

 

[Marcad]

They sell roof bars for the Roewe EI5 so I don't see why there would be an issue but we are talking about UK rules and regs, not China's

 

[Stuwit46]

What is your max cold weather range?

I had a situation on day 2 that GOM said 100 miles, by the time we did 20 the GOM was down to 50 miles

 

[Jocko]

Is it not a case that until it learns your driving style, it can spit out gobbly gook?

 

[Richie]

Is it not a case that until it learns your driving style, it can spit out gobbly gook?

I think that's true for a lot of cars. My JLR Evoque's, Discovery, Vauxhall insignia and the Mercedes all estimated by how you have been driving and the estimate would change if you changed you driving style i.e. a hurried rush across France/Germany on Autobahns would reduce it.

 

[Stuwit46]

Is it not a case that until it learns your driving style, it can spit out gobbly gook?

Don’t know, I guess time will tell

 

[Petriix]

I had a situation on day 2 that GOM said 100 miles, by the time we did 20 the GOM was down to 50 miles

The GOM 'range' is not a useful metric. You need to think in terms of miles per battery %. At 3 miles per kWh you get roughly 1.5 miles per 1% SOC and 150 miles to a full charge. At 4 miles per kWh that increases to 2 miles per 1% or 200 miles total range.

Then you can look at your remaining SOC and estimate how far you can go based on the type of driving on your remaining journey. I always know that the last 3 miles of my journey home will be at < 40 mph, so consumption will be minimal.

If I'm getting nervous on a long journey then I just reduce my speed a little until the ratio of SOC to remaining miles looks more favourable. It's always better to ease off earlier then put your foot down later once you're sure you've got the range.