Thoughts after 24 hours

[Delascas]

Hello all. I took possession of my MG5S LR Trophy yesterday (in Piccadilly Blue) . . and just wanted to post a few random comments and questions after a grand total of 24 hours of ownership. First a big shout out to @LaS who came back to answer his own question about how to turn off the speed limit announcements - I suspect every new owner will be looking for that trick on day 1. (You have to disable it in two places - MG Pilot and in Navigation Settings). On to my list:

1. The one pedal driving switch is ignored in reverse. Its a bit jarring to change how you use the brake pedal each time when backing out. Hopefully this can be a future software update.
2. The DAB radio isn’t picking up the station logos. Small item clearly.
3. What is everyone’s thoughts/plans for the extra physical blade keys? For any MG4 owners on here, on the MGS5 they still give you the little blade keys, but they are no longer hidden inside the fob. Are we expected to carry them on our keyrings in addition to the fob? Or do we leave them at home, in the junk drawer in the kitchen . . .
4. On that same issue of keys, I’ve yet to figure out how to use the iSmart app to actually start the car. I have it registered and bound to the car and can use it to unlock the doors . . . but when I try to use the keyless start feature, it gives me an message about not being connected via bluetooth.

That’s my list one day later.

 

[salty]

Enjoy your new motor.

 

[Alb]

That's a real oddity with the key blades. Was it done just to make the fob smaller?

 

[5teep]

I'd be very interested to hear your real world range when you've been using the car for a bit. I looked up the EVDatabse the other day and they are saying the range is only 250 miles combined in summer temps compared to the quoted wltp of 290ish. They only give the car 2 stars out of 5 for long distance suitability.

 

[riocca]

That's a real oddity with the key blades. Was it done just to make the fob smaller?

Done more for style than size, dealer said it’s the same key as the Cyberster, that said in all the years of having an ingratiated physical key I can’t remember using one.

Couple of pictures of the key with a £1 coin for scale also a picture of the blade.

 

[LaS]

Anyone knows why there is two types of keys? I have type A. I can`t find a explanation in the manual.
This is no problem, i just wonder.

 

[Stuart Wright]

I'd be very interested to hear your real world range when you've been using the car for a bit. I looked up the EVDatabse the other day and they are saying the range is only 250 miles combined in summer temps compared to the quoted wltp of 290ish. They only give the car 2 stars out of 5 for long distance suitability.

Real world of 250/290 WLTP * 100 = 86% which is not bad. It varies widely but can be anything from 75% up in my experience.

 

[decrep]

Your point 2.
The MG4, and I expect all the MG range has no regen in reverse.
Possibly because the current is going the wrong way.
I doubt a software update can fix this. I think there would need to be additional hardware to swap charging polarity.

 

[Coulomb]

The MG4, and I expect all the MG range has no regen in reverse.
Possibly because the current is going the wrong way.

Actually, they all have three phase AC motors, so the current is reversing many times per second, forward or reverse. It's the phase rotation that changes from forward to reverse.

I can't see electrically why this could not be an option. There must presumably be a reason related to safety or ease of handling. However to me, especially if you have selected one pedal driving, it seems that it would be far easier to manoeuvre in reverse with one pedal driving.

 

[5teep]

Actually, they all have three phase AC motors, so the current is reversing many times per second, forward or reverse. It's the phase rotation that changes from forward to reverse.

I can't see electrically why this could not be an option. There must presumably be a reason related to safety or ease of handling. However to me, especially if you have selected one pedal driving, it seems that it would be far easier to manoeuvre in reverse with one pedal driving.

I think it's more likely to be that it was just not worth the effort or expense of doing it. Who reverses long enough to gain any measurable power?

 

[salty]

Your point 2.
The MG4, and I expect all the MG range has no regen in reverse.

Why the Hell would you want/need regen
in reverse.

I think it's more likely to be that it was just not worth the effort or expense of doing it. Who reverses long enough to gain any measurable power?

Exactly!

 

[decrep]

I think it's more, that if in OPD, you've suddenly got to use the brake when going backwards.
Doesn't worry me I'm used to it. But if it's your first experience of OPD, it could be a tad disconcerting. I just say, "wait till you charge to 100% and pull up at the lights",

 

[tsedge]

I'd be very interested to hear your real world range when you've been using the car for a bit. I looked up the EVDatabse the other day and they are saying the range is only 250 miles combined in summer temps compared to the quoted wltp of 290ish. They only give the car 2 stars out of 5 for long distance suitability.

They may rate it like that but I think that is silly. My MG4 has less range than that and is perfect for long distance travel.

Are there people who drive 300 miles without stopping? Yes, but it is a tiny minority (in the UK).

 

[johnb80]

I think it's more likely to be that it was just not worth the effort or expense of doing it. Who reverses long enough to gain any measurable power?

Neither is involved, next to no effort and definitely no expense. Probably not so much the energy recovery but more convenience and ease of use.

 

[johnb80]

Why the Hell would you want/need regen
in reverse.

Not regen but one pedal driving, it's easier.

Exactly!

Little effort (read no effort) or expense involved, all the kit is there, just a couple of lines of code.

 

[salty]

Not regen but one pedal driving, it's easier.


Little effort (read no effort) or expense involved, all the kit is there, just a couple of lines of code.

Yep, but still, why? You probably reverse a a few yards at the most at a time. Not exactly hard.

 

[johnb80]

Yep, but still, why? You probably reverse a a few yards at the most at a time. Not exactly hard.

Why not? It’s zero expense, why not enable it at least then operation would be consistent. Every other EV I’ve driven with one pedal driving has it on both forward and reverse.

 

[salty]

Why not? It’s zero expense, why not enable it at least then operation would be consistent. Every other EV I’ve driven with one pedal driving has it on both forward and reverse.

Fair enough. It's zero expense. But it hasn't got it. What I'm saying is, it's not that big of a deal.

 

[johnb80]

Fair enough. It's zero expense. But it hasn't got it. What I'm saying is, it's not that big of a deal.

Not a deal breaker at all but it DOES reinforce MG's bodge approach to such things; it's just another one of many things that they don't seem to learn, or take onboard customer feedback.

 

[Sparqx]

Hello all. I took possession of my MG5S LR Trophy yesterday (in Piccadilly Blue) . . and just wanted to post a few random comments and questions after a grand total of 24 hours of ownership. First a big shout out to @LaS who came back to answer his own question about how to turn off the speed limit announcements - I suspect every new owner will be looking for that trick on day 1. (You have to disable it in two places - MG Pilot and in Navigation Settings). On to my list:

1. The one pedal driving switch is ignored in reverse. Its a bit jarring to change how you use the brake pedal each time when backing out. Hopefully this can be a future software update.
2. The DAB radio isn’t picking up the station logos. Small item clearly.
3. What is everyone’s thoughts/plans for the extra physical blade keys? For any MG4 owners on here, on the MGS5 they still give you the little blade keys, but they are no longer hidden inside the fob. Are we expected to carry them on our keyrings in addition to the fob? Or do we leave them at home, in the junk drawer in the kitchen . . .
4. On that same issue of keys, I’ve yet to figure out how to use the iSmart app to actually start the car. I have it registered and bound to the car and can use it to unlock the doors . . . but when I try to use the keyless start feature, it gives me an message about not being connected via bluetooth.

That’s my list one day later.

Hiya, I picked my MGS5 up a week ago now and I must say that this is a significant step forward in terms of design, build quality, stability, less road noise, space...this list goes on. However, the DAB radio is hit and miss...more miss than hit...I initially thought that the aerial had not been connected and was going to contact the dealer to ask them to check it for me...you mentioned some DAB radio issues...have you experienced stations dropping in and out? Never had this problem with my previous MG ZS cars...