Does the cheape MG4 excite?
We’re spending three months with the entry-level MG4, the Excite 51
From winning our COTY, to our DRIVEN garage for a few months. The MG4 hit hard in
2023, being awarded our AA DRIVEN Car Guide NZ COTY, and also getting the same COTY accolades in Australia, England and beyond. And then came the supercar-fast XPower version.
For us, it all started in Sydney in early August, highlighting what a big impact the MG4 made in such a short time, with a drive from Sydney to Bowral, via the Royal National Park, winding coastal roads with pockets of stunning scenery.
Fast forward a few months and we were able to spend a week with the MG4, and started to understand its nuances and virtues, weakness and strengths. And our conclusion was it deserved our Car of 2023.
So then, time to spend even more time to see if the novelty value wears off.
We’ve got our hands on what is the popular model in the MG4 range, the entry level $46,990 Excite
51, representing the kWh of its battery. While the models and choices are many, Essence, 64kWh and 77kWh Long Range versions, we’ve gone for the cheapest.
Often, the base model of a range is missing lots of tech, with a dashfull of blanking plates. Not so in the MG4 Excite. With its already minimal interior design, the key points of difference are the smartphone charger and the more overt bodykit styling of the Essence and Long Range.
No matter, as the Excite is a clean, angular shape that is just as stylish, especially in our Brixton Blue Metallic. It is the least powerful and slowest of the MG4 family, with
125kW (down 25kW on the Essence) and 7.7 seconds to 100km/h (0.5 sec slower), which also helps maximise battery range; but it doesn’t feel slow.
With 50:50 weight distribution and rear-wheel drive, a few rainy days started our time with the MG4, offering the chance to see what it does: impressively, it is possible to wag the tail of the MG4 from even the slowest, safest roundabouts . . . at least, get a feeling it’s doing it, before the stability control brings things back into order.
There is a traction control button to disable it, and on a private, open, very wet carpark, it does offer oversteery fun, with the chassis swapping ends very quickly and/or spinning the inside wheel, on its quality European tyres. Even getting a taste that it’s able to do it with all systems on is still a reminder that it’s a fun little package.
Spending a bit of time also allows us to configure and understand the two blank steering wheel switches that control a number of functions, on either edge.
Offering a few preset options, we configured the right side as volume and tuning, with the left side looking after the active radar cruise control. There are also two star buttons to configure, which we chose for drive modes, (between normal, eco and sport, or custom), with the other looking after air-conditioning controls: the latter being rather important, as the sometimes clunky touchscreen requires way too many buttons pressed to turn up the fan, or change a radio station, or the temperature.
Simplicity works better in other ways, like the gear selector in the floating centre console: simply open the door, select D and go: no start/stop button to press.
This does, however, leave the radio station or podcast playing when exiting the MG4, and even after shutting the door. It needs the car to be locked, before shutting the radio down, which isn’t always habitual in a home garage or where security isn’t an issue.
The big wireless, smartphone pad doesn’t charge in our entry Excite model, but it’s also too shallow to hold a phone during almost any cornering anyway.
Similarly, the cupholders could be a little deeper. Storage is good in the centre console with the sliding security cover, along with the features of USB-A and USB-C ports. There’s also a neat little net for trinkets or a wallet. Rear passengers don’t get any vents, and taller ones might be a little cramped, though it’s still decent space for what is a reasonably compact hatch.
A range of 350km range might sound on the low side for an EV, but the MG4’s compact size and weight does help there, with 1635kg to move around, it’s reasonably efficient. We’ve seen around the
15-16kWh results, not far off its
13kWh claim, offering over 300km of real-world range — it’ll even tow
500kg. And able to take in 88kW of DC charging, the smaller battery offers charging speed benefits, too, with 10-80 per cent taking 37 mins.
There are also three modes of regen, though we found the maximum is perfectly fine, and not as abrupt as some EVs.
Safety warnings can get a little overzealous sometimes, but there are settings enough to minimise these.
After a month with the MG4 Electric, we’ve been mostly reminded how good it really is. It’s not perfect, no car is, but it’s reinforced that this is a great looking, angular, retro, stylish, functional and practical hatch that is growing on us every day.