fnegroni
Prominent Member
This is my experience driving to Paris and back this past week in my MG4 SE SR gen1 (gen1/phase1/MY22, call it whatever, it's the one without the rear wiper to be clear)
I drove most of the time in the stock Normal mode (including the climate control).
Total mileage 617.3 miles, 20h 43m driving, av. 29mph, 3.8 miles/kWh
Mostly motorway and A roads, about 200 of those miles done crusing between 75 and 80mph.
Switching from Miles to KM and back disables the traffic sign recognition.
At first I didn't understand why. Then I enabled traffic sign recognition and my understanding is that it is programmed to pick up signs in the UK, which means it will not recognise signs above 70. So motorwat signs like 90, 110 and 130 (kph in France) will be ignored.
It will though think of 30, 50 and 70 as KPH speed limits, so it will slow you down to 30kph when it sees a 30kph speed limit, rather than interpret such sign as 30mph (50kph).
It is a faff having to disable it on every new restart and it would be nice if it could be added to some personalised "often accessed" setting list in the drop down menu. Just a suggestion, MG.
I wonder if that will be affected when I change the tyres to a diffent nake and model.
The first 400 in the UK, the rest in France.
I kept the LKA active since getting the car at the beginning of August, and I did experience in the first couple of hundred miles of its life sudden jerky pulls to the left or the right. But those have become less and less frequent, and now seem nearly vanished.
I used TJA for the first time and only once before this trip, on the M25, and it was quite jerky at times just like the LKA but in a way worse, in the sense that keeping centred in the lane required lots of minor adjustments.
I used LKA for the entire trip on both British and French roads, and TJA on every single motorway.
First was on the way to Folkestone: similarly to my first experience of TJA in the MG4, it required quite a lot of interventions to keep it from slamming into a nearby truck.
In northern France, the LKA was a lot less jerky, and the TJA seemed to be getting better.
After a further 400 miles driving with TJA active, the experience has improved massively. When I finally used it between Folkestone and home in Berkshire, I could relax at the wheel with minimal input even on British roads.
I must say TJA has made the journey a lot more bearable and comfortable, and I trust it a lot more now.
For context, my other car, a Kia Stonic, has a similar LKA system, with additional LFA (Lane Follow Assist) which like TJA will keep the car centred in the lane, but won't work in combination with cruise control.
The Stonic is a lot smoother and predictable, yet it does not lock in to the lane for as long as the MG does: the Kia's system is a lot less eager to self drive basically, therefore although it does help on long motorway journeys and works well on A roads, it does need a lot more driver input as it will not recognise lanes as eagerly as the MG does.
The MG system on the MG4 is definitely a less smooth, but does recognise lanes in many more circumstances and after more than 10 hours spent with it on, I quite like it. Of course it could be improved, no doubt.
I enabled AutoCharge during my first charge, and used it ever since. You just plug in the charger and within 30 seconds it starts charging. I added my Shell Recharge card as payment method too which is a bonus.
Prices are way better in France's northern region than here in the UK.
Unfortunately Paris was very hit or miss while I was there: plenty of chargers on paper, but many were out of service, and some in a completely different place than advertised on the map.
Most did accept my BP Fuel & Charge, Electroverse and Shell Recarge card though, so maybe I was just unlucky to visit in August.
I used Tesla Superchargers both at Folkestone before getting onto Le Shuttle, and on my return at Calais for a quick Splash and Dash.
At FASTNED and Tesla Superchargers I got speeds of around 75 to 86 kW mostly. At Calais I got 91 kW at the Tesla Supercharger within a minute of charging.
I did have the intelligent battery heating enabled throughout my journey and I did not witness any reduction in range, as expected given the ambient temperature.
It is a great tool considering it knows a lot more about your vehicle and it can even be paired with an OBD-II reader.
Unfortunately the CarPlay integration was a big let down as it just isn't working for me. It couldn't do real time navigation as it stuttered and only updated the mnap and position every 15 to 30 seconds: maybe a compatibility issue, maybe a bug.
I ended up using its suggestions on the way back from Paris to Calais and just use TomTomGo for navigation.
It isn't loud enough or annoying enough and generally the car is very silent.
Having said all that, I do wish it had a better sound stage: my other car is a Kia Stonic, which uses the rear speakers to create a more enveloping sound stage, and even with the basic stock speakers, it sounds noticeably better.
Buttons: when using CarPlay with a navigation app (TomTomGo in my case), changing volume with the right joystick adjusts the navigation volume even when navigation is muted: I need to use the volume buttons under the infotainment screen to change the music volume no matter the source.
There is also more light in the back seats as the LEDs point slightly towards the back.
Considering the glove box and boot bulbs are LEDs as stock, I wish they had thought of that at the factory.
I wish it had electronically folding mirrors, but ultimately I didn't need to worry.
I also noticed when the mirrors are folded, they are well within the sides of the vehicle which is a definite bonus.
Rear visibility when parking is great thanks to the mirrors. I am used to cars with rear view cameras including 360 cameras and I must admit I don't miss it that much.
Of course I wish the Standard Edition had a 360 camera for added safety and comfort, but compared to many other cars I have driven over the years, I find the MG4 one of the easiert to park.
It is also extermely economical, so after using the ECO setting a few times at the beginning of the journey, I now run it in normal mode at all times.
I have it mapped to the wheel's right star button for convenience.
I like the blue stitching that matches the stitching on the door panels. It is a nice touch.
I do not miss the part leather seats which I have in my other car. Although I do wish it had heated seats for winter, but it is by no means a deal breaker.
Very composed at high speeds (> 80 mph) over long periods.
The only let down is the tyres, so I won't spend another second complaining about them.
I find the touch screen quite responsive and better than many others I have tried in recent months.
It would be nice to have a "favourites" section in the drop down menu to access the settings most often used.
It would be great if it remembered some of the settings between starts, but overall it's a good system.
I noticed the screen is quite glossy and a bit difficult to see when the sun is shining right onto it. Luckily glare on the MG4's centre screen isn't as much of a problem as on several other cars I have driven recently with similar glossy screens. I have now ordered a Brotec anti-glare glass screen protector.
My other car (a Kia Stonic) has a matte anti-glare screen finish from factory and I am surprised at how some manufacturers just don't realise how important this is.
I found a small bug to do with setting the driving mode to Sport: when going back to the Driving screen, although it is in Sport mode, it highlights the Snow mode. Not a big deal but just a quirk.
Would be nice to have a right hand mode for CarPlay.
I have assigned CarPlay to the steering wheel's left star button for convenience, as there's already a "Home" button under the screen.
Although they recommend you be there 1 hour before departure time, on both occasions I was at check in a few minutes before the train was due to depart and had no issues.
Range
Left on Tuesday morning, came back on Friday evening.I drove most of the time in the stock Normal mode (including the climate control).
Total mileage 617.3 miles, 20h 43m driving, av. 29mph, 3.8 miles/kWh
Mostly motorway and A roads, about 200 of those miles done crusing between 75 and 80mph.
Traffic sign recognition
In the UK, I notice that the NSL sign is most times interpreted to mean 60mph even on motorways. Therefore I get the "blinking" NSL sign on the screen when going at a legal 65mph, which is rather annoying.Switching from Miles to KM and back disables the traffic sign recognition.
At first I didn't understand why. Then I enabled traffic sign recognition and my understanding is that it is programmed to pick up signs in the UK, which means it will not recognise signs above 70. So motorwat signs like 90, 110 and 130 (kph in France) will be ignored.
It will though think of 30, 50 and 70 as KPH speed limits, so it will slow you down to 30kph when it sees a 30kph speed limit, rather than interpret such sign as 30mph (50kph).
It is a faff having to disable it on every new restart and it would be nice if it could be added to some personalised "often accessed" setting list in the drop down menu. Just a suggestion, MG.
Speedometer
The speedometer on the MG4 seems to be accurate to GPS speeds: when set to KPH, it is accurate to within 1kph of GPS speed.I wonder if that will be affected when I change the tyres to a diffent nake and model.
LKA and TJA
The car has now done a grand total of just over 1,000 miles.The first 400 in the UK, the rest in France.
I kept the LKA active since getting the car at the beginning of August, and I did experience in the first couple of hundred miles of its life sudden jerky pulls to the left or the right. But those have become less and less frequent, and now seem nearly vanished.
I used TJA for the first time and only once before this trip, on the M25, and it was quite jerky at times just like the LKA but in a way worse, in the sense that keeping centred in the lane required lots of minor adjustments.
I used LKA for the entire trip on both British and French roads, and TJA on every single motorway.
First was on the way to Folkestone: similarly to my first experience of TJA in the MG4, it required quite a lot of interventions to keep it from slamming into a nearby truck.
In northern France, the LKA was a lot less jerky, and the TJA seemed to be getting better.
After a further 400 miles driving with TJA active, the experience has improved massively. When I finally used it between Folkestone and home in Berkshire, I could relax at the wheel with minimal input even on British roads.
I must say TJA has made the journey a lot more bearable and comfortable, and I trust it a lot more now.
For context, my other car, a Kia Stonic, has a similar LKA system, with additional LFA (Lane Follow Assist) which like TJA will keep the car centred in the lane, but won't work in combination with cruise control.
The Stonic is a lot smoother and predictable, yet it does not lock in to the lane for as long as the MG does: the Kia's system is a lot less eager to self drive basically, therefore although it does help on long motorway journeys and works well on A roads, it does need a lot more driver input as it will not recognise lanes as eagerly as the MG does.
The MG system on the MG4 is definitely a less smooth, but does recognise lanes in many more circumstances and after more than 10 hours spent with it on, I quite like it. Of course it could be improved, no doubt.
Charging
FASTNED is at the top of my list in terms of quality and convenience. I made a separate video for Instagram I was so impressed with it. They have a fantastic cable managemeny system, so tidy yet it can reach farther charging ports so parking isn't so much of an issue.I enabled AutoCharge during my first charge, and used it ever since. You just plug in the charger and within 30 seconds it starts charging. I added my Shell Recharge card as payment method too which is a bonus.
Prices are way better in France's northern region than here in the UK.
Unfortunately Paris was very hit or miss while I was there: plenty of chargers on paper, but many were out of service, and some in a completely different place than advertised on the map.
Most did accept my BP Fuel & Charge, Electroverse and Shell Recarge card though, so maybe I was just unlucky to visit in August.
I used Tesla Superchargers both at Folkestone before getting onto Le Shuttle, and on my return at Calais for a quick Splash and Dash.
At FASTNED and Tesla Superchargers I got speeds of around 75 to 86 kW mostly. At Calais I got 91 kW at the Tesla Supercharger within a minute of charging.
I did have the intelligent battery heating enabled throughout my journey and I did not witness any reduction in range, as expected given the ambient temperature.
ABRP (A Better Route Planner)
I used ABRP a couple times to confirm my guesstimates about charging.It is a great tool considering it knows a lot more about your vehicle and it can even be paired with an OBD-II reader.
Unfortunately the CarPlay integration was a big let down as it just isn't working for me. It couldn't do real time navigation as it stuttered and only updated the mnap and position every 15 to 30 seconds: maybe a compatibility issue, maybe a bug.
I ended up using its suggestions on the way back from Paris to Calais and just use TomTomGo for navigation.
Tyres
The OE tyres are quite frankly a bit rubbish, luckily the MG4 handles so well that it becomes less of an issue with dry roads and sunny skies. But I am already looking into fitting a set of Michelin CrossClimate 2 next month.Wind Noise
There is some wind noise at speeds above 60mph, seeminly coming from the wing mirrors: if that is the case, I am sure it could be sorted with some clever 3D-printed appendix.It isn't loud enough or annoying enough and generally the car is very silent.
Stereo (Sound System) (and buttons)
The sound system is adequate, I usually listen to music at low to medium volumes and works well enough for my needs. My passengers normally listen to headphones, especially the ones in the back. On this trip I only had my daughter in the front, so I balanced most of the sound to come from the right speaker as she was wearing over-the-hear headphones.Having said all that, I do wish it had a better sound stage: my other car is a Kia Stonic, which uses the rear speakers to create a more enveloping sound stage, and even with the basic stock speakers, it sounds noticeably better.
Buttons: when using CarPlay with a navigation app (TomTomGo in my case), changing volume with the right joystick adjusts the navigation volume even when navigation is muted: I need to use the volume buttons under the infotainment screen to change the music volume no matter the source.
Sun visors
I noticed the sun visors have a weak clip to retain them facing forward and can come undone when folding back up in a hurry. There is a hollow booming noise coming from the roof area above the visor when it is folded up quickly, which is probably a sign of more sound insulation needed in that area.LED map reading lights
I replaced the original W5W bulbs with some LED ones and the interior at night looks a lot nicer.There is also more light in the back seats as the LEDs point slightly towards the back.
Considering the glove box and boot bulbs are LEDs as stock, I wish they had thought of that at the factory.
Rear view mirrors
I was pleased to notice that the rear view mirrors are quite big and cover a wide area at the sides and rear of the car: driving in France I had no trouble changing lanes. I had driven in the continent before with both LHD and RHD cars with smaller mirrors and this was a blessing.I wish it had electronically folding mirrors, but ultimately I didn't need to worry.
I also noticed when the mirrors are folded, they are well within the sides of the vehicle which is a definite bonus.
Rear visibility and blind spots
I must admit I don't really have a problem with the C pillar: I am used to shoulder checks and I have not being hindered by it both in the UK nor in continental Europe.Rear visibility when parking is great thanks to the mirrors. I am used to cars with rear view cameras including 360 cameras and I must admit I don't miss it that much.
Of course I wish the Standard Edition had a 360 camera for added safety and comfort, but compared to many other cars I have driven over the years, I find the MG4 one of the easiert to park.
Climate Control
The climate control is very effective, at least in this particular specimen. It was 32 celsius in Paris, with high humidity, and setting the CC to between 26 and 27 gave a very comfortable environment within one to two minutes of starting, which is exceptional.It is also extermely economical, so after using the ECO setting a few times at the beginning of the journey, I now run it in normal mode at all times.
I have it mapped to the wheel's right star button for convenience.
Seat Comfort
Having sat in the car for 20 hours in 2 days, I can categorically say these are very comfortable seats for my body type. They have the right amount of side support for me and are positioned well in line with the steering wheel and equipment. I have driven several cars in the recent and distant past of various level of "luxury" and these are some of the best I've sat in.I like the blue stitching that matches the stitching on the door panels. It is a nice touch.
I do not miss the part leather seats which I have in my other car. Although I do wish it had heated seats for winter, but it is by no means a deal breaker.
Handling
Handling is superb: very communicative, just the right amount of feedback, and with enough adjustability in the steering assist to be easy in town and engaging on B roads.Very composed at high speeds (> 80 mph) over long periods.
The only let down is the tyres, so I won't spend another second complaining about them.
Infotainment screen
I run the software version R13.I find the touch screen quite responsive and better than many others I have tried in recent months.
It would be nice to have a "favourites" section in the drop down menu to access the settings most often used.
It would be great if it remembered some of the settings between starts, but overall it's a good system.
I noticed the screen is quite glossy and a bit difficult to see when the sun is shining right onto it. Luckily glare on the MG4's centre screen isn't as much of a problem as on several other cars I have driven recently with similar glossy screens. I have now ordered a Brotec anti-glare glass screen protector.
My other car (a Kia Stonic) has a matte anti-glare screen finish from factory and I am surprised at how some manufacturers just don't realise how important this is.
I found a small bug to do with setting the driving mode to Sport: when going back to the Driving screen, although it is in Sport mode, it highlights the Snow mode. Not a big deal but just a quirk.
Would be nice to have a right hand mode for CarPlay.
I have assigned CarPlay to the steering wheel's left star button for convenience, as there's already a "Home" button under the screen.
Le Shuttle
I boarded the Eurotunnel's train service Le Shuttle at Folkestone on Tuesday lunchtime and at Calais on Friday lunchtime.Although they recommend you be there 1 hour before departure time, on both occasions I was at check in a few minutes before the train was due to depart and had no issues.
