OMG.. this car is top of the range
MG5 all-electric estate will charge ahead and get you home safely
Standing outside one of my local shops, I noticed some blackand- yel l ow tape snaking across the pavement.
I followed it and, to my amazement, realised that the tape was covering a wire, which in turn was plugged into an extension cable, which was plugged into a car.
It was an all- electric MG SUV charging away at the kerbside.
I looked over at my car, which, coincidentally, was also an MG – this time the SW or station wagon model.
Normally I would charge it at home or at a charging point so I was quite intrigued at this set- up. I had never come across it before, although I had heard tales of f lat- dwellers in London using simi lar methods to make sure their electric cars were juiced up for the morning run.
I went in and spoke to the man behind the counter who told me he had just bought the MG and was delighted with it but, as it had only about 40 miles of range left, he had decided to charge it at work rather than trying to get home and use his wallbox.
Now, here’s the thing. Having driven this car, I know he would have been perfectly all right with 40 miles left in the battery as the MG is not a car which loses charge easily.
In fact, I was delighted to see that unlike some cars I have driven, it has a very realistic mileage range.
When you drive for five miles, it loses five miles. Some less well- equipped electric cars lose two for every mile driven, especially if you have the heating and windscreen wipers on. My friend behind the counter would have made it home easily.
The MG5 SW in Exclusive Long Range iteration – the top of the range – is a neat-sized estate car, perfect for all the family with plenty of luggage space and leg room in the rear.
The Long Range features a 61.1kWh battery driving a 115kWh electric motor with a range of 250 miles. (There’s a smaller powered battery, which will give you a range of 214 miles).
Amazingly, for an electric car, it is also quite reasonably priced at £ 31,495, with lower trim models costing even less.
The command dial for the gears is simple and easy to use and there is an Eco, Normal and Sport mode, depending on your mood or the terrain.
There is an 8in colour touchscreen for the radio, nav, smartphone and rear parking camera.
The instrument display is cleverly configured and clear behind the steering wheel.
The drive is excellent with plenty of fizz if you need it and, of course, all the advantages of electric – fast acceleration, si lent running and no emissions.
You can charge up at a fast (50kWh) charger, which will get you to 80 per cent in an hour, or overnight if you have a 70kWh wallbox, which is really the norm for charging these days.
Either way, my friendly shopkeeper need not have wor r ied . Thi s h i g h ly dependable little car would have got him home.