Louth Motors: The MG4 - the electric game changer

The MG brand collapsed with the entry into its various markets by cheaper, better and more reliable cars from Japan and then Korea.

They could not respond fast enough, got swallowed by the Rover Group that eventually collapsed entirely in 2005 finally being bought by Chinese car companies, with the current owner SAIC.

The MG brand evokes a lot of motoring memories and is a prized badge on a car, and Rover used it to full advantage with the MG range of what were essentially Rover cars.

They traded on the badge and in fairness there were some tasty cars that warranted the badge - not all of them mind.

When the Chinese took over they sold cars like the MG TF and the MG3, which was a rebadged Rover 25, and MG7 which was essentially the Rover 75 - a particularly good car that deserved more success than it got.

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The first all new model under Chinese ownership was the MG6 in 2011 and they have produced their own car designs since then.

Here in Ireland we were not able to buy them properly until 2020 when they made a big splash return to the Irish market.

They are now a familiar sight on Irish roads, embraced by the taxi drivers (always considered a good measure of a car) and have a decent range of body styles and means of propulsion.

And then there is the MG4. This is a seismic step for MG and from the moment I saw it I said get that here quickly.

It’s a car that looks simply stunning, has some striking angles and edges and screams futuristic.

The designers had a ball designing this car and it shows. The rear showcases the design best with the inlaid LED lights across the back. Not only that but it is fully electric on a dedicated EV platform so it’s at the top of buyers lists.

But electric cars are expensive and only the well off can afford them as they are not mass market cars?

Think again, this car has a price starting at €29,495. For that you get 150 kw of power and a 51lWh battery that has a claimed range of 350kms.

My top of the range model called the Exclusive Long Range has a bigger 64kWh battery that’s good for 435kms. It’ll do 0-100km/h in 7.9s pushing hard from the rear wheels as it is driven from there.

All those stats should tell you that you are getting an awful lot of car for the money. It’ll charge fully overnight in just 7.5 hours or 35 mins from a fast charger to get from 10% to 80% which I did over a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich in Mullingar.

That trip to and from Mullingar gave me an opportunity to test the car's ability and energy performance.

I took the motorway down and the twisties back. EV driving on the motorway is very Zen. Set the cruise to 100 or 110 kM/h to save as much electricity as possible and let the car do the driving with its adaptive cruise control.

All isn’t perfect in the MG4 and I found the adaptive programme used to be a bit severe with unexpectedly hard braking at times.

On the way back having recharged I was a bit more exuberant and revelled in driving it around the bends. It is a very well planted car and the stability it maintains is uncanny.

It is comfortable too and the minimalist cabin feels airy and is spacious. It’s not hard to see where the MG engineers took their inspiration for the interior from.

They must have dissected all the Tesla models because it is very Teslasque. The central display controls everything and in front of the driver is a square digital display for all the things you expect.

There are steering wheel controls with two buttons that are capable of being set for any function you choose instead of scrolling through menus.

Of course there is voice control which I always recommend as the default choice.Materials used are excellent and I could not find a standout compromise so top marks for MG.

It’s ironic that the brand that was mercilessly attacked by the oriental brands is now leading the charge for one of them and is making serious inroads here.

Established brands must be very nervous because MG are not coming in and offering cheap basic cars to establish sales and then build the brand up the prestige ladder.

No, they are coming in with honed and super modern cars that can go head to head with the best the competition can offer. There’s assurance too with a 7 year warranty up to 150,000kms.

Notwithstanding all the above the MG4 is the best electric car in its class and probably one of the best electric cars, period.

I wonder who will suffer a similar fate that MG suffered all those years ago because for sure, there will be casualties with MG and other Chinese brands bringing top quality cars to the market like the MG4.