Upgrading from a 22 plate Trophy to a new 2026 Premium

[wandle MG4]

I bought one of the very first MG4 Trophies at the end of 2022. Being a first generation car it had the oil leak, loose under tray, dodgy software, locking in problem, Bluetooth issues , over sensitive window switches and a truly awful touchscreen. Software updates improved some things and overall I was very happy with it except for the distracting and therefore dangerous laggy touchscreen.

I have just picked up a new MG4 Long Range Premium. From walking into the showroom for the first time to driving out with a brand new car took about a week instead of 4 months waiting for the Trophy. The new one cost about £10k less than the Trophy because of the very generous MG Affinity Scheme.

First impressions based on a few short drives are very positive and have removed a lot of niggles.

Improvements

• The bigger touch screen is much more responsive
• Physical buttons for climate and radio volume - significantly better
• Can now save custom ADAS settings - they need a single button push when you start the car
• TJA has been renamed Intelligent Cruise Assist. I confidently used it at at speed
• One pedal driving
• Wireless CarPlay
• Nice range of colours
• Rear wiper and internal grab handles
• LFP rather than NMC battery which makes it slightly less ‘needy’
• The fob locks the car and any open windows (should solve the window dropping problem if it was caused by inadvertently catching the over sensitive window rocker switches)
• Roof lining is lighter
• Interior is a bit plusher
• Remote heating now includes the steering wheel (not yet tested)
• The on-line manual is actually more user friendly than the old 300+ page pdf version. I set up a second ismart account on my tablet so I could read it on a bigger screen
• Top speed is now 180 kmh / 112 mph
• It’s now possible to check the state of health of the HV battery without using a dongle and software
• Bluetooth key / keyless entry actually works!
• Some basic voice commands actually work!
• Cupholders are now more in reach
• Now has a middle headrest though unless removed it restricts rear vision
• The satnav now calculates charging stops and shows the estimated charge at the end of a journey

Meh!

• The satnav screen is cluttered with EV charging station icons. I managed to remove some but not all of them. If you want Tesla charging stations to show I’m not sure yet if it shows all Tesla or just Tesla chargers that are open to other EVs. I could not see a way to filter EV charging stations by speed.
• I could not find a way to mute the satnav voice directions without going into a menu
• Still no roof light in back of cabin
• The Navigation manual is for the older version of the car
• No lumbar support in seats
• In common with many cars these days you cannot slide across the front seats if for any reason you cannot use the driver’s door (eg very tight parking or even following an accident)
• No pockets at the back of the front seats
• The over speed warning is very inaccurate - eg actual speed limit is 50 and this is reflected on the speed limit recognition icon on the driver’s binnacle yet the car announces I am over the speed limit when doing 45
• Screen wash nozzles still not heated to avoid freezing and there’s still no low water warning
• The manual says do not leave the car keys near the wireless charging pad despite there being a tempting slot to do so
• Rear view mirror does not have an auto dimming switch or a lever to tilt the mirror to reduce glare from headlights behind you. Perhaps it’s all automatic?
• Travel Plans (ie sending an address to the satnav) didn’t work when I was away from the car. But it worked when I was sitting in the car
• The mysterious red envelope suggesting you have a message is still there. And you still cannot read the message!

Radio

• Physical volume button is a real joy!
• Sound quality maybe better than the Trophy
• Cannot see a way of sorting station favourites
• Steering wheel button jumps through all stations - no way to set it to only jump through favourites
• DAB icons do not show
• Still cannot turn the radio off - need to pause it or turn volume down

Tips

• The over speed warning is tricky to turn off. You need to disable it in Pilot AND navigation
• Speed camera warnings are too loud and beep for far too long. I cannot find a way to tame these other than to mute them in the navigation settings. This leaves icons on the screen but there are very small and a single beep would have been useful
• The driver’s binnacle showed consumption in kw/1000kms rather than miles/kw. Hidden away (sorry forgot where), there is a way to change this.

Miscellaneous

• The floor mats and boot mats are the same size as the Trophy
• The after market liner for the central cubby box in the Trophy does not fit. Likewise at first glance it looks like the frunk is a different shape
• To reset the infotainment screen, hold the Home button for about 30 seconds (not ten as I n the Trophy)

Things still to check

• If Screen messages stay on the screen longer
• If Bluetooth does not drop out as much
• If iSmart connectivity is better
• If target charging overshoots (ismart has option to set charge level in 10% increments despite it being an LFP)

 

[siteguru]

FYI, your '22 Trophy had physical volume buttons, below the Info screen .. they were next to the physical Home button.

 

[salty]

I bought one of the very first MG4 Trophies at the end of 2022. Being a first generation car it had the oil leak, loose under tray, dodgy software, locking in problem, Bluetooth issues , over sensitive window switches and a truly awful touchscreen. Software updates improved some things and overall I was very happy with it except for the distracting and therefore dangerous laggy touchscreen.

I have just picked up a new MG4 Long Range Premium. From walking into the showroom for the first time to driving out with a brand new car took about a week instead of 4 months waiting for the Trophy. The new one cost about £10k less than the Trophy because of the very generous MG Affinity Scheme.

First impressions based on a few short drives are very positive and have removed a lot of niggles.

Improvements

• The bigger touch screen is much more responsive
• Physical buttons for climate and radio volume - significantly better
• Can now save custom ADAS settings - they need a single button push when you start the car
• TJA has been renamed Intelligent Cruise Assist. I confidently used it at at speed
• One pedal driving
• Wireless CarPlay
• Nice range of colours
• Rear wiper and internal grab handles
• LFP rather than NMC battery which makes it slightly less ‘needy’
• The fob locks the car and any open windows (should solve the window dropping problem if it was caused by inadvertently catching the over sensitive window rocker switches)
• Roof lining is lighter
• Interior is a bit plusher
• Remote heating now includes the steering wheel (not yet tested)
• The on-line manual is actually more user friendly than the old 300+ page pdf version. I set up a second ismart account on my tablet so I could read it on a bigger screen
• Top speed is now 180 kmh / 112 mph
• It’s now possible to check the state of health of the HV battery without using a dongle and software
• Bluetooth key / keyless entry actually works!
• Some basic voice commands actually work!
• Cupholders are now more in reach
• Now has a middle headrest though unless removed it restricts rear vision
• The satnav now calculates charging stops and shows the estimated charge at the end of a journey

Meh!

• The satnav screen is cluttered with EV charging station icons. I managed to remove some but not all of them. If you want Tesla charging stations to show I’m not sure yet if it shows all Tesla or just Tesla chargers that are open to other EVs. I could not see a way to filter EV charging stations by speed.
• I could not find a way to mute the satnav voice directions without going into a menu
• Still no roof light in back of cabin
• The Navigation manual is for the older version of the car
• No lumbar support in seats
• In common with many cars these days you cannot slide across the front seats if for any reason you cannot use the driver’s door (eg very tight parking or even following an accident)
• No pockets at the back of the front seats
• The over speed warning is very inaccurate - eg actual speed limit is 50 and this is reflected on the speed limit recognition icon on the driver’s binnacle yet the car announces I am over the speed limit when doing 45
• Screen wash nozzles still not heated to avoid freezing and there’s still no low water warning
• The manual says do not leave the car keys near the wireless charging pad despite there being a tempting slot to do so
• Rear view mirror does not have an auto dimming switch or a lever to tilt the mirror to reduce glare from headlights behind you. Perhaps it’s all automatic?
• Travel Plans (ie sending an address to the satnav) didn’t work when I was away from the car. But it worked when I was sitting in the car
• The mysterious red envelope suggesting you have a message is still there. And you still cannot read the message!

Radio

• Physical volume button is a real joy!
• Sound quality maybe better than the Trophy
• Cannot see a way of sorting station favourites
• Steering wheel button jumps through all stations - no way to set it to only jump through favourites
• DAB icons do not show
• Still cannot turn the radio off - need to pause it or turn volume down

Tips

• The over speed warning is tricky to turn off. You need to disable it in Pilot AND navigation
• Speed camera warnings are too loud and beep for far too long. I cannot find a way to tame these other than to mute them in the navigation settings. This leaves icons on the screen but there are very small and a single beep would have been useful
• The driver’s binnacle showed consumption in kw/1000kms rather than miles/kw. Hidden away (sorry forgot where), there is a way to change this.

Miscellaneous

• The floor mats and boot mats are the same size as the Trophy
• The after market liner for the central cubby box in the Trophy does not fit. Likewise at first glance it looks like the frunk is a different shape
• To reset the infotainment screen, hold the Home button for about 30 seconds (not ten as I n the Trophy)

Things still to check

• If Screen messages stay on the screen longer
• If Bluetooth does not drop out as much
• If iSmart connectivity is better
• If target charging overshoots (ismart has option to set charge level in 10% increments despite it being an LFP)

Good write up. Good to hear the problems with your 1st MG4, didn't put you off the "new" MG4. Happy Motoring with this one. Enjoy!

 

[ClaretFozzy]

Nice write up.

Enjoy the new motor!

 

[Kenp1]

Never used the volume knob in a car since they had them on the steering wheel.

 

[Jamesrr]

First impressions based on a few short drives are very positive and have removed a lot of niggles.
...
Improvements

How have you found the DC Fast Charging speed?

My NMC based Essence LR 77 (aka Trophy ER) hits 144kW but my wife's LFP Excite 51 (SE SR) only gets to 80kW, not that hers gets DC fast charged as it's the "town car".

Is AC charging single phase or three phase 11kW or even 22kW?

TIA

 

[wandle MG4]

How have you found the DC Fast Charging speed?

My NMC based Essence LR 77 (aka Trophy ER) hits 144kW but my wife's LFP Excite 51 (SE SR) only gets to 80kW, not that hers gets DC fast charged as it's the "town car".

Is AC charging single phase or three phase 11kW or even 22kW?

TIA

I haven’t tried fast charging yet. In fact tonight will be its first charge and that will be at home on a single phase 7 kW charger. My old Trophy was capable of 3 phase charging at 11 kw but 3 phase is not common in the UK. Here, the new Premium is single phase /7 kw.