It’s one of the cheapest electric cars you can buy in Australia today, starting at $38,990, but is the new MG4 hatch worth it?
- How much does the MG4 Excite 51kWh cost?
- What equipment comes with the MG4 Excite 51kWh?
- How safe is the MG4 Excite 51kWh?
- What powers the MG4 Excite 51kWh?
- How far can the MG4 Excite 51kWh go on a charge?
- What is the MG4 Excite 51kWh like to drive?
- What is the MG4 Excite 51kWh like inside?
- Should I buy an MG4 Excite 51kWh?
It’s been a long time coming, but the term ‘affordable EV’ is no longer an abstract concept as a new wave of electric cars head to Australia from China. Among those leading the charge is the all-new MG4 hatchback, which arrives during August with a starting price of $38,990 plus on-road costs. Unlike the ZS EV, the MG4 is built from the ground up as an electric vehicle, rather than being based on a conventional combustion-engined car. At the entry level, it’s the MG4 Excite 51kWh that’s got everybody talking, and we’ve secured our first local drive in a pre-production model to make an early assessment. Is it really worth it? There’s plenty to like, but more to look forward to.
How much does the MG4 Excite 51kWh cost?
Even if you had $40,000 in your pocket and were ready to buy one today, the first local examples of the 2023 MG4 Excite 51kWh are not expected to arrive until mid-August.
Orders officially opened on July 1 and the pre-order book has been in full swing since May, so there’s already a line of customers waiting to take delivery.
An all-new model and the first MG that’s built from the ground up as an electric car, the MG4 hatch is launching with four model grades, opening with the MG Excite 51kWh driven here that starts at the headline price of $38,990 plus on-road costs.
From there, the bigger-battery Excite 64kWh is available from $44,990 plus on-road costs, while a higher-spec Essence 64kWh opens at $47,990 plus ORCs. At the top of the range is a more luxe Essence Long Range 77kWh starting at $55,990 plus ORCs.
See our separate story for a full breakdown of MG4 pricing and basic specs.
The new MG4 rides on SAIC’s Modular Scalable Platform (MSP), unlike MG’s first electric vehicle sold in Australia, the ZS SUV, which started life as a petrol-powered machine.
The MG4’s main rival is the incoming BYD Dolphin hatch, which in entry-level Dynamic guise undercuts the MG4 Excite 51kWh by a mere $100 – starting at $38,890 plus ORCs.
That’s set up a fascinating price war between the two Chinese brands, with BYD already finding plenty of homes with the larger Atto 3 (from $48,011).
The smaller GWM Ora hatch has also been repositioned to start from the entry point as the Dolphin – $38,890 plus ORCs.
What equipment comes with the MG4 Excite 51kWh?
Considering its circa-$40K price point, the 2023 MG4 Excite 51kWh comes reasonably equipped.
The car provided for this brief test drive was a pre-production model, missing key features like a reversing camera, but that will be rectified with the first customer vehicles arriving in Australia soon.
Standard equipment includes 17-inch steel wheels (covered with two-tone black and silver wheel caps), LED headlights and daytime running lights, LED tail-lights, a 10.25-inch touch-screen, keyless entry, vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality and black fabric upholstery.
There’s also a host of driver assist safety tech that we’ll detail in the section below.
Both the driver and front passenger get manually adjustable seats, while three USB ports (2 USB-A and one USB-C) feature throughout the cabin.
Dover White is the only (largely British-themed) exterior colour option you won’t pay extra for. Diamond Red, Sterling Silver, Brixton Blue, Camden Grey, Black Pearl and the hero Volcano Orange command a $700 premium.
MG covers every MG4 with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which extends to the battery.
How safe is the MG4 Excite 51kWh?
MG officials say the 2023 MG4 Excite 51kWh is expected to carry over the local ANCAP equivalent of its five-star Euro NCAP safety rating achieved overseas.
Standard equipment includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, traffic jam assist, auto high beam and ‘unsteady driving warning’.
The base-grade Excite tested here misses out on blind spot monitoring, emergency lane keep assist, door opening warning and rear cross traffic alert.
What technology does the MG4 Excite 51kWh feature?
Infotainment tech inclusions on the 2023 MG4 Excite 51kWh are acceptable but not exactly a strong point at this entry level to the range, especially for a new-age electric car.
There’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, but it only works when plugged into the USB-A port; the USB-C port appears to be reserved for charging.
Bluetooth and digital radio also come standard on this entry-level variant, but you’ll have to move up a grade if you want voice control or navigation.
Then there’s the four-speaker sound system, which certainly does the job but, again, isn’t show-stopping.
A 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster is on the small side but effective at conveying all the information you need and is clear and simple to use, but you can’t do much in terms of layout customisation.
The 10.25-inch central touch-screen is adequate but the graphics and responsiveness could be improved. The inclusion of large physical buttons below the screen – as vague as they feel – is welcome, but we can’t help but see them as a missed opportunity for more useful shortcut buttons.
For example, there’s an on/off button for the climate control, but no shortcut for air-con temperature or air recirculation, and no button that takes you quickly to those features.
Instead, you have to fiddle around with the screen to get a main climate control menu, and even then it feels clunky and unintuitive.
Our test car was also without a reversing camera (due to its pre-production build), so we can’t comment on its quality.
What powers the MG4 Excite 51kWh?
Every version of the MG4 to arrive Down Under in the coming months will be powered by a rear-mounted single electric motor, no matter which battery pack you opt for.
As you might expect, the 2023 MG4 tested here not only brings the lowest range, but also produces the least amount of power in the MG4 line-up.
MG claims maximum outputs of 125kW of power and 250Nm of torque, sent directly to the rear wheels via a single-speed reduction gear transmission.
This compares to 150kW (and the same 250Nm) for the 64kWh versions, and 180kW/350Nm for the 77kWh Long Range.
Although the Excite 51kWh has a limited range, one benefit of a smaller battery is lighter weight, with the (1655kg) Excite 51kWh two-tenths quicker from 0-100km/h than the more powerful 64kWh, doing so in 7.7 seconds.
A high-performance dual-motor MG4 XPOWER is tipped to arrive by year’s end, using the 64kWh battery but boasting a whopping 320kW/600Nm.
How far can the MG4 Excite 51kWh go on a charge?
MG says the 2023 MG4 Excite 51kWh is capable of 350km on a full charge, according to WLTP testing.
Judging by our very short time with it, we think that’s more like 300km in the real world, where most people will use current-drawing comfort features such as climate control.
Stop-start city driving with no air-con might see you hit 350km, and for many city-dwellers that might be enough.
For those needing more, the 77kWh Long Range is claimed to offer 530km of driving range, and the 64kWh options range between 435-450km, depending on spec level.
The 55kWh battery can handle up to 88kW DC charge, with MG quoting 37 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 per cent. At a 50kW charger, the time increases slightly to 40 minutes, while MG quotes 7.5 hours from fully depleted to 100 per cent using a single-phase 6.6kW AC wallbox, such as the MG Charge Hub that owners can purchase separately for around $2000 (plus installation by an electrician).
MG doesn’t quote a time for simply plugging into a regular three-pin domestic power supply, but we topped up the battery from 30 per cent to just over 80 per cent in 15 hours.
What is the MG4 Excite 51kWh like to drive?
If you’re after a zippy EV, the 2023 MG4 Excite 51kWh probably isn’t the car for you.
Acceleration is decent, but applying full throttle won’t have you pinned back in your seat or produce wheel spin. It’s a steady, comfortable build-up of speed, a huge contrast to the flagship XPOWER we recently tested in China.
The driving experience as a whole is more leisurely than it is athletic.
Steering feels doughy and a little bit vague, while there are mixed feelings when it comes to the brakes.
Four levels of regenerative braking are included, but while MG claims one-pedal driving as a feature, the regen response is not as strong as found in other EVs. In its most aggressive setting, the car noticeably slows down when you get off the throttle, but it’s nowhere near as responsive as, say, the Nissan LEAF.
You still need to apply the brakes to come to a proper stop, but there’s a good, responsive feel behind them, which is a win.
Elsewhere in the driving experience, ride and handling could do with some improvement. The MG4 feels floaty and overly soft on road, where the suspension feels ponderous after taking a speed bump or travelling on uneven roads and you can feel it buck from front to rear.
You feel its 1600kg mass under brakes, where it pitches forward.
Some of the driver assistance aids also do little to impress, where the speed sign recognition identified a 60km/h speed sign as 120km/h and the lane keep assist felt overly aggressive at high speeds, unsettling in the way it bounces you between the lines on the freeway.
What is the MG4 Excite 51kWh like inside?
Hop inside the 2023 MG4 Excite 51kWh and it feels like it’s built to a budget.
The seats are comfortable, both in terms of the fabric they’re wrapped in and the level of cushioning, but the hard plastic door cards on our pre-production car were already showing scratches and signs of wear.
Again, that could come down to its pre-prod nature, so we’ll reserve full judgment until we drive a full production model.
Elsewhere, visibility is great out front, where generous glasswork offers a commanding view of the road ahead, but chunky C-pillars create blind spots at the rear.
Amenity in the second row extends to a USB-A port and outboard ISOFIX child seat anchorage points, but not much more. There’s no centre arm rest or air vents, but you do get a small storage bin at the rear of the centre console.
Thankfully, it’s roomy, and the rear bench seat will comfortably accommodate two adults, offering plenty of headroom and legroom.
Rear cargo space is generous, particularly for an electric hatchback, with MG quoting a 363-litre capacity. But that comes at the cost of a spare tyre and all you get to (hopefully) cure a flat is a tyre inflator kit.
Should I buy an MG4 Excite 51kWh?
It’s impossible to make a definitive judgement on a pre-production version of the 2023 MG4 Excite 51kWh.
On one hand, the MG4 presents great value for money for those who don’t need to travel too far from home, or are looking for a city-dwelling second vehicle.
Range isn’t everything for everyone, and for those wanting an affordable EV to get from A to B, the entry-level MG4 certainly fits the bill.
But a few tweaks to the suspension and some finetuning of its driver assistance aids would make a world of difference.
2023 MG4 Excite 51kWh at a glance:
Price: $38,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: August 2023
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 125kW/250Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 51kWh ternary lithium (50.8kWh useable)
Range: 350km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 18.3kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2022)
Keyword: MG4 Excite 51kWh 2023 Review