MG4 EV XPower review: what the car critics say
The XPower just 'isn't as much fun' as a regular MG4
It's a bit of a stretch to call the MG4 XPower a hot hatch, said Top Gear Magazine, it's more of a four-wheel drive electric hatchback that just happens to have 429bhp, thanks to twin motors front and rear. It can do 0-62mph in just 3.8 secs, with a top speed of 124mph, but it's dull to drive and, with a "slightly cheap, bare cabin and zero steering feel", it lacks the style, handling and brand image of a true hot hatch.
The XPower has been set apart from other MG4 models via the addition of 18in wheels, larger brakes with orange calipers, Alcantara upholstery with red stitching – and that's about it, said Car Magazine. Suspension has been stiffened, but not lowered, to help protect the battery. It is certainly fast and has "brutal acceleration", and it may be a performance bargain, but "it just isn't as much fun as a regular MG4".
Despite extra regenerative braking from two electric motors, said The Daily Telegraph, the XPower's WLTP range is down to 239 miles, but there is a similarly priced Extended Range version with a 323- mile range. A 10%-80% charge on a 50kW DC charger takes 52 mins; a 7.4kW wall box will charge to 100% in ten hours. Inside, the simple cabin is comfortable, but the touchscreen is too slow and not very intuitive. Price: from £36,495.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In pictures: MG4 EV XPower
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
‘Security is no longer a function only of missiles and fighter jets’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
2 MLB pitchers charged with rigging throws for betsSpeed Read Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted
-
USDA orders states to ‘undo’ full SNAP paymentsSpeed Read The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits
-
6 homes with fall foliagefeature An autumnal orange Craftsman, a renovated Greek Revival church and an estate with an orchard
-
Bugonia: ‘deranged, extreme and explosively enjoyable’Talking Point Yorgos Lanthimos’ film stars Emma Stone as a CEO who is kidnapped and accused of being an alien
-
The Revolutionists: a ‘superb and monumental’ bookThe Week Recommends Jason Burke ‘epic’ account of the plane hijackings and kidnappings carried out by extremists in the 1970s
-
Film reviews: ‘Bugonia,’ ‘The Mastermind’ and ‘Nouvelle Vague’feature A kidnapped CEO might only appear to be human, an amateurish art heist goes sideways, and Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Breathless’ gets a lively homage
-
Book reviews: ‘Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity’ and ‘Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice’feature An examination of humanity in the face of “the Machine” and a posthumous memoir from one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, who recently died by suicide
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago
-
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
-
6 trailside homes for hikersFeature Featuring a roof deck with skyline views in California and a home with access to private trails in Montana