MG4 Excite 51 EV: My first drive (in Australia) | Auto Expert John Cadogan
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I'm calling it now: the MG4 will be the EV that'll finally break the stigma around EV ownership in Australia. People won't buy it to virtue signal, they'll buy it because it's a decent car for the money.
Exactly, this is the type of car that will kill the corolla’s place as the default choice for frugal urban runabout
Not while it's around $50K, has no rear wiper, no rear seat pockets or rear armrest.
Wait till you get a load of the MG Cyberster.
@@GlowingTube
Australia isn't getting the uk 2022 mg4.
2023 mg4 has the rear wiper
Yes but battery type and distance capacity plus price per Kw/h is the problem. MG are bringing out a car which has entry level with LFP battery and the higher priced one only have NMC batteries. The difference to prolong battery life is that LFP can charge to 100% and discharge to 0% each time every time over and over for the life of the battery. While the "better more expensive" cars are stuck with NMC Batteries which can only charge from 10% to 80% to prolong the life of the battery. I personally would pay the $ for a LFP Long range anycar. Whether it be a MG4 OR MG ZS EV. 😊😊
When I had my 2013 LEAF delivered on the back of a tilt tray the truck driver rolled it of the tray and waved goodbye. It took me 30 minutes to figure out the starting process. I was feeling a bit awkward sitting in it by the curb trying to push buttons in the correct order. Fun. But hiding the button in the seat, that's a bit cheeky.
Great video John. I sit squarely in the EV-loving clan. I really really appreciate your fact-driven perspective and honest reviews
The comment of a paid stooge.. read what I said.
I've always maintained that when the Chinese get it right is when EVs will take off. A Tesla or Polestar etc are cars we might aspire to but like the ICE cars Hyundai and Kia etc that we buy we will buy the Chinese EV. Affordability is the issue more than range or charging network A small, affordable EV that is used for running around town while the big SUV will do the weekend get away is probably the model many families will adopt. It seems, at least according to your assessment, that the MG Excite 51 EV might be the car that gets people thinking this might be the second car for our family. Disclosure: I don't own an EV nor do I work for or receive any benefit from MG (or any other car manufacturer) nor have they asked me to make this comment.
I feel the same.
I'm buying a MG4 base model for that very reason.
The layout of the gear-shift in the MG4 reminds me a bit of the controls on the Citroën Dyane I drove in the UK in the early '80s. In that car, the gear-shifter knob poked out of the "dashboard" roughly level with the steering column. It wasn't difficult to get accustomed to despite the odd "old-Porche style" shift-pattern. As for the absence of a centre-console, my Dyane was the same; the floor of the car was flat from door to door. Driving around London, I thought this was a GOOD thing, because it was so easy to slide from the driver's seat to the front passenger seat and get out of the car directly onto the pavement, instead of into the road on the traffic side.
Renault 4?
Straight out into the path of bicycles, I think you mean 😉
I believe the boot up, shut down process is better 🙂 It's just something drivers need to become familiar with. Like when we migrated from cellphones with actual buttons to ones with touch screens.
An excellent video and commentary, John I was a crew member in the largely digital NAV department of twocouple of different FBM (Fleet Ballistic Missile) in the late 60s and early 70s, speaking of STEM. This gave me a log up when anal izing what my Macbook Pro is doing by being able to brink up the activity monitor to see what is going on with the machine whereas a lot of people will just boot the machine and cross their fingers. It does help to have a bachelor in Computer Science as well, though.😂
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Hey John, the USB points are located so you can feed the cable up to the phone holder pad (there are passthrough holes in the mat). All you do is pull the mat up, install the cable and replace the mat. Much better than it sounds
Or you use Bluetooth (does it have?) and just let it air connect! My phone is often locked in the boot, where a convenient USB sits if connected charging required.
Good balanced review, John. Infotaining as always.
The driver seat being the, for lack of a better word, "on/off" button, is quite nice although it does ruin you if you go back to other cars because it becomes a real chance for you to just walk away with the car still running.
If you need to travel into the "regions" and you're concerned about getting a flat tyre, I suggest buying a space saver spare, a jack and a wheel brace, and simply loading them into the boot whenever travelling into the "regions", just as you should make sure you've got extra water, and some blankets, etc, just in case.
The regions here start about 30km from the city business district. What a stupid comment.
@@Swaggerlot I hope you remember that stupid advice if you are ever stranded in the regions with a flat you can't repair with a tyre repair kit, no spare tyre, no phone reception, either in the middle of winter freezing to death because you have no blankets or in the middle of summer dying of dehydration because you have no water...literally. See how much you swagger then.
I had a car accident on a highway between two towns not that far from each other that immobilized the car on a hot summer's day (close to 40degC). We had phone reception and we had some water. And there was plenty of passing traffic. After about six hours waiting for assistance we ran out of water. My wife nearly died from dehydration and needed an ambulance to rush her to hospital. Maybe you should revise your idea of stupid so you stay alive rather than dying due to arrogant stupidity. Up to you.
@@nigel.w It was your 'electric Jesus' style comment about buying items that should be included. DF.
@@Swaggerlot Should be included, but are not included in the vast majority of new cars, and I certainly played no part in creating this new/ish reality, nor do I think it's good.
I totally agree with you.
If having a flat tyre is bringing you so much anxiety - then buy a spare and Chuck it on the boot- problem solved.
I also can’t see the USB concerns being a dramatic issue.
Lots made about nothing.
We got a MG ZS EV in march to go beside our dual cab ute (to tow caravan) and it's been great for my wife. She drives it about 100kms per day for work and chargers overnight in our garage. We try and only charge during the week once at night and the rest on the weekends when our solar panels can charge it. For our last electric bill, it is only about $200 more than this time last year for the same quarter.
Wow, the car pays for itself.
You are great at cars, not at climate. Keep to the path grasshopper.
No way would I recharge an EV in my garage, a fire bomb waiting to go off.😮
After test driving one I was left with a good impression that it is a car. A driving car for my city life going from A to B. It will be going on order if it is better that the other EV out there. Thanks John.
I’m hoping MG start to “up spec” the 51 as I like the range/performance and price but would be happy to pay a little more for things like heated seats. I know the long longer models have those features but I don’t want to pay for the range to get the features!
The only thing you can really do is get the MG4 essence 64 and put a smaller battery in it. To be honest there is no compelling reason to have an up spec model with a small
LFP battery. Using a bigger LFP battery will make that model slower. The MG4 essence 64 uses an NCM battery which allows for slightly more power and torque, more performance and more range. Plus the bigger NCM battery weighs the same and doesn’t notice the extra heated seats or other accessories. The other point is that the MG4 excite 51 will have more depreciation when compared to a used (now available) MG4 LR. Look at what happened to the MG ZS EV when the MG4 came along
Enjoyed the blast, see you on the next one.
I don’t care what the topic John your commentary is awesome 👏🏼
Solid review John , keeping it reel .
Always love your humour in your reviews
After owning an MG ZS EV for 90 days and 13,665km I would not buy another of their products for a few years yet.
We bought it in March and I'm still waiting on MG head office to send out the correct service passport which will be useless now anyway as the car has been sold.
Mg might have a decent dealer network but that network is only good if the dealers are and in my experience they are not. The dealer we bought the car from just has MG stuck in the corner and all the negotiations and paperwork were carried out in their Honda showroom which gives you the impression the dealers don't take the product seriously. This particular salesman had absolutely no idea about the product. I have seen many photos of people picking up their new MG and the delivery area proudly displays the name of their main brands without any MG reference.
The service pricing over 4 years and 80,000km is actualy a few dollars more for the MG than it is for our new Rav4 hybrid and they actualy replace things in the Toyota.
The lane keep on the ZS was horrendous and bordering on dangerous with the way it violently tugged at the wheel. I have owned many cars with this tech and the MG is the first one that I felt the need to turn the system off in. This is a real let-down as I beleive it should work without you wanting to disengage it.
The reverse cammera on the zs looks like a drawiing that has been done by a drunk monkey and realy is sub-standard.
MG has a lot of work to do to make the product better.
**Update**
Still no service passport so 10 months now.
Great video, balaced and informative. Thanks 🍻
Really great review and will make me take another look at the MG, I agree that just buying an ev doesn’t immediately move the needle on saving the planet but we were the first of our friends to get an ev (the Kia soul) our friends all got to experience it and now virtually all have Kia’s, MGs, Hyundai Tesla’s, the fewer petrol cars on the road means fewer petrol tankers and eventually fewer oil tankers on the sea. I’ve just returned from the Middle East and Eastern Europe which is still being torn apart over oil and access to oil. Keep up the great work John, I don’t always agree with you but I do respect your views which makes you so unique and brilliant as a presenter.
Just wondering what powers the electric power stations where you live?
The car being ready to go when you sit in it is awesome! It's an improvement, the proof being how annoying it will be if you had that car for while and get into one where you have to find an on button.
Hi John, from what I have observed in other reviews it seems difficult to work out if the cabin looks or feels spartan in reality. The quality of plastic is one area of concern. Can you comment on how it looks and feels? Also, some reviewers say they switch off the ADAS systems (lane keeping assist) as they say its a bit over zealous. Paraphrasing there words, not mine. Did you find it like this, has it been recalibrated for Oz or did you switch it off too? 😀
41:00 As a mechanic, I reckon using the drivers seat sensor as a starting system is less intuitive but a smart use of existing technology.
It has the added bonus of being safer because presumably it would stop the vehicle if someone leaves it in gear and gets out. Also it wouldn’t run away if someone tried to put it in gear without sitting in it.
It might sound like engineering for dumb people, but remember that star trek actor who killed himself by running himself over with his Jeep? Dumb stuff like that happens.
"drivers seat sensor . . . safer . . . presumably it would stop the vehicle". Yeah we can hope so - afterall that is how The Actor of the character Mister Checkov from Star Trek [original series] died : killed by his own car; what a stupid way to go, when technology [now] could easily just hold the car in place when you get out [even if it has a running combustion engine].
[ I wonder if my Ford Escape will remain stationary if I get out carelessly: it screams Blue-Murder when I leave it 'combusting' in Park to open the gate - and it is capable of putting itself in park, and does do auto-handbrake.]
@@muzzthegreat that was exactly what Jeeps response to checkovs death was. I was working for them at the time and from memory within a week of the death, every WK grand Cherokee had a recall which updated the software so that it would automatically go into park if the driver door was open.
I parked and due to blidspots I cannot see the curb so I open the door ajar to see the curb distance and BAAM transmission jumpes into park while car was moving. I know others who experienced the same. When reversing with a trailer, in a car wash etc. Stupid safety feature that will damage the transmission. At least outside the USA let the drivers be in control please.
@@patentlord6396 I had to do the same thing to get on a hoist straight. The way I got around that was the keep the brake slightly depressed. As long as the brake lights are on, you should be able to move the vehicle with the door open. It takes practice to get the right pedal position, but it can be done- at least on the BMWs I used to work on.
Lane assist: It seems to vary very much on the road. We have 2 sections of road I drive regulalry, where there are tar-strips, where the road has been repaired, and VW/Audi/Skoda, Kia/Hyundai and Nissan Leaf all try and drive you into the crash barrier at one and the other is on an off ramp and the car suddenly tries to steer back down the grass bank onto the main carriageway again.
I prefer the one I have in the Qashqai, it just beeps, if I leave the lane, so it beeps in those areas, but doesn't try and kill you.
I just discovered the Excite 51 as a possible solution. I'll watch all your other videos on it and some of it's competition.
It's great you noted the USB, flats on steering wheel, and effect of lane intervention. All of these would be an issue for me to get used to. Being Regional, the 'no spare tyre', worth considering re most EVs. I'll need to fix my rough driveway first, or I'd scrape about 10 kWh off the bottom of the battery. The early Falcon can just slide over it easily. Good video.
I live less than 10 minutes from my office, and tbh, I do enjoy the drive in and home most days. It's a nice little reset from being and home and being at work. More than 10 minutes and I'd start getting pretty cranky.
RE Lane Keep Assist: In the UK, lane keep assist is particularly problematic on 'B' roads, which are often very narrow country lanes. In that context, lane keep assist often tries to push you into a ditch or a hedgerow. And to turn it off is often deep in the menus.
Thankfully we don't have as many of those narrow roads in Australia, sounds like the issue is somewhat region specific
An over the air update can fix that in the future.
Love your work John!
I bet the bum on chair sensor in the driver's seat is part of some integrated assembly that more or less requires the whole seat to be replaced when it packs it in, 10 years down the track.
All cars have this feature for the seatbelt warning.
We are purchasing the base model MG4 in Australia. It will be our local run around vehicle plus I will use it for part time food delivery with Menulog etc. This car makes perfect sense for those type of activities and we will have our Diesel Santa Fe for long trips etc.
Thanks for another good one John
Your right, 8% greenhouse gas reduction and massive pollution reduction, clean air and a massive reduction in base noise level therefore a natural reduction on underlying stress.
John, the Volvo XC40 EV does the same start up sequence. Tesla also doesn’t have a start stop button, it turns on with the brake pedal. I really think this shouldn’t be an issue, it’s like walk away to lock for vehicles. Mazda has had that feature for 10years on their Mazda 3. We just have to get used to the new normal. My only concerns with these easy start up features is how easy it may be for a child to operate.
I'm in the UK and have had an entry-level MG4 SE SR since September. Brilliant car. I have no problem with the steering wheel, or the concealed USB sockets (leave cables permanently plugged in and poked up through holes in the charging shelf) or the central console, but I can't get used to not having an off button. Automatic turn on, when you sit in the seat is fine, it's just frustrating not having a button to power down. You can power down via an option in one of the sub menus in the Infotainment system, but who wants to do that?
Where I live, we don't need to lock our cars and I've lost count of the times I've walked away forgetting to power down the car. In practice, the easiest thing to do is press the external door button twice, once to power down and once to unlock.
How can the driver sit in his seat and just wait for the missus to finish the shopping (could be for hours) without the car running? The only solution I can see is to get out of the car and go and sit in another seat!! Effing stupid idea.
@@csjrogerson2377 You misunderstand. Of course you can sit in the driver's seat with the car powered up. It's powering down that is unnecessarily difficult. You can power down by selecting the Car menu then the Safety submenu then Power Off. Or, you can get out of the car and press the lock button on either the door or the key.
You can sit in the car all week with it powered up, if you want to. It won't go into drive until you've switched it into drive or reverse.
I noticed that with the MG4. If you are parked and sitting in the car if its dark the headlights stay on and turning them off leaves the DRLs on. Annoying.
The other annoying feature is the little led that shines onto the centre console. At night it appears just at periphery of your vision. Distracting.
@csjrogerson2377 I also own this car. In this type of scenario, you would press "shut down" via the Infotainment screen. The car turns off similar to pressing an "on/off" button
yeah. I'd adore this car if it had an immediate-to-find screenbutton or regular button; I think it's a mistake for them to simplify it in this way w/ the sitting in the seat required to operate, bcuz that seat sensor will at some point later, break, far far far sooner than either a screen button or physical button. Also the self-driving features of EV's in future will mean u can't have a seat sensor being the sole trigger to start. But yeah, for me, i love the idea of no need to do anything to start up or even shut down. @@ashb8572
Thanks, there is more than just the carbon dioxide climate issues, air quality particularly in big conurbations is also very important, and this is where EVs are very valuable.
My worry with MG would be dealer support, you touched on ICE vehicles having a huge support network, this is not yet the case for EVs. I do drive a Kia EV and the driving experience is superb, and decent dealer network, no going back for me.
Sucking on electrons for 6 of those trips, quite positive really. Nice one John.
My Sheila loves it…we’re in💪
I hope your Shiela doesn't have thick black fur and long ears? lol
Lets hope a lot of people buy one. The less people buying petrol the more chance of a petrol surplus and lower prices for fuel since petrol is only a byproduct of all the oil cracked for a vast range of other produ products.
I'll have one of these in the bright orange thanks. FWIW those novated leasing figured John quoted are pretty much exactly what I leased my base model Kia Cerato hatch at for $23k - $140 a week for 5 years.
Well given my experience with push button starts after 5yrs, I find a turn key a pita, so I think the starting when you sit down and power down when you lock the car would be the same. As long as you could leave the air running.
Great video John, I looked at Subaru EV here in Canada, 2022, onwards, first thing out of the gate a Production stopping-- Sale of units off dealers lots ( wheels falling off ??) ... Add to that here in British Columbia, Canada, and our lack of charging infrastructure, which is ongoing!!
I'm only moderately interested in a Hybrid at best, but like you have already pointed out, and I am totally in agreement of "We as humans, Don't have enough raw materials to apply this band aid to slow our Self induced Climate Catastrophe "
I opted to purchase a new Forester, drive it less, outdoor activities , fly fishing, hiking, getting on with enjoying my later years (63 now), getting on with enjoying my time in the great outdoors
Just my two cents
8% is somewhere to start. Yes its dreamland but i can't do much about the other items you mentioned other than vote
I've got the MG4 at the moment.
Imagine being able to buy a RWD shopping trolley in 2023.
It is totally normal to drive. Actually its a hoot to drive.
An important thing mentioned is something that should happen with ev's. They should be an option, not mandatory. For every ev on the road there is one less internal combustion car. To me, if I lived in a city and had to commute, an ev is a very good option. I live in a rural town and an ev is not a very good option. The powers that be have to back down a lot, and let us, the population, decide what type of vehicle we should be driving.
Ive had the UK equivalent for 8 months. Its unique selling point is LFP battery and VTL. I keep the SOC as near 100% so when we get a power cut I can power my house for days if necessary (we get them on Dartmoor). Steering wheel - great, you can feel the wheel orientation when not looking. Don't use the parking lever, just press the gear selector knob. Back to battery chemistry - research LFP, these batteries are safer, last longer and are OK with 100% and 0% and no Ni or Co. They do have less power density hence less range but when the sun shines (solar panels) I just keep charging without SOC concerns making the entry level MG4 the one to go for (in my opinion) They are available with Tesla and now Chinese cars like MG
The bum-bootup is hilarious. Like you, that would bother me. I may like to just sit for a moment before starting a vehicle prior to moving off. Thanks for your work John.
Thumbs up for the new docking system to engage and all-systems go! You buy an electric device and you have to produce some memory muscles and enjoy the enhanced experience. Does the novated deal include the cost of having an electric charger at your home?
I cover 600 klms to and from work and all in traffic so the weather from -5 at Kemps Dingo Piss Creek to mid 40s are the challenges I'm concerned with on EV and operating in harsh conditions as opposed to the proven petrol/diesel vehicles.
Loved this video as usual as you enlighten and amuse consistently.
600km to and from work? good god move house dude lol
Hey regarding the flat tyres and hyundais, in Korea they have special tow trucks that pick the evs up etc, and a lot of evs come with stickers on how to toe the vehicle, just that stuff hasnt made it here yet lol but bloody good point, I only know as i was over there for work /holiday 3 a few days back. i do know some evs had runflats for that reason. Also there are Design laws regarding integration of power and charge cables, HV cables cant be rolled scrunched up etc etc etc, its a fire etc risk, so they are sorta limited by what they can do. Plus the vehicle is sold in different locations meaning different cables are offered to different markets etc.
Hi John, loved the vid and would one day like to own an EV but in the meantime am looking at a Hybrid as I travel nearly 200km per day for work and am out for up to 15 hours per day so what would your thoughts on this be? Thanks mate.
We have 2 new EVs from different manufacturers. One has the pressure switch under the seat for turning the car on and off, the other has a start/stop button. Now everyone has different needs, but for me, I like the push button on the most. If I need to pop into a convenience store when it’s well over body temp outside, I leave my car on and press the lock button, without having to take the fob out of my pocket. The car remains on and cooling normally and is locked. If someone were to break into it, the car will not be able to be shifted into any gear, due to the key being in my pocket.
My wife’s car on the other hand, which is twice the price, will just shutdown when getting out. If I want to pop into a convenience store, I have to select climate controls, select parking climate and then exit the vehicle. This mode cools to a lesser capacity than when seating in the drivers seat. We also have a toddler, so if I have to run back into the house for something, the music and climate turn off, disturbing her if she happens to be sleeping. There is not functionality for keeping music playing when not in the drivers seat.
One other issue it, the car will put itself into park if the car is in neutral and your bum lifts of the seat for a split second. This happened while going through a car wash once. Fast thinking on my part got it back into neutral, but I almost needed to change by underwear after this, since there was a car behind me in the wash.
I vote for push button, for my use case anyways.
I think the phrase "get your arse in gear" comes to mind. 😊
I rented a car a few years back,ICE at the airport and drove it to the ferry terminal. Parked on a hill in the lineup. A half hour later when the lineup moved I found out that it had set the parking brake when it stopped, and that I had no idea how to unset it. Turned out there was a button , out of sight, on the rear of the center console. That was a bit of a moment, as was all the times that the alarms would go off and lights would start flashing as I drove along the twisty Island roads( found out later that it had a ‘lane departure’ warning system.
It’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine when I try to drive a vehicle that thinks for me when for the last 60 years I’ve been doing that for myself!
John - would you buy one yourself if you were in the market for a new car?
Great question.
Never ever an EV. Here in Holland , just 4 or more cars burned to a crisp at a Walibi Park at their charging station. 😅
Petrol cars have NEVER caught fire, not ever!
I would be worried about spontaneous combustion as well. Especially if I had a family. I have seen numerous news feeds on fires starting from charging Electric Scooters and the Fire Officer says it is a rare occurrence. Not good enough.
@@pangit9999 Cutting through the sarcasm - petrol cars have caught fire for stupid reasons, like smoking while refueling. These are hardly the fault of the manufacture. The cases of exploding for unknown reasons is much higher for EVs than for ICE. I'll bet the four people who put their EVs on the charger did nothing stupid.
17:23 without sucking on a dry tanks of Electrons which is quite positive really ....... That is literally true John 😆
So driving a tesla mod y since September, which is the walk away to turn it off thing. 90% of the time its great, you know the cars lock and only a few times the phone has played up as the key. The times it can be painful is leaving kids in the car or just getting in and out to hitch a trailer. It turns off if you close the door. So then the music turns off and heaters off.
But you can put it in a camp mode which stops this.
Its hard to get into a hilux for the first non ev/modern no key thingo in months.
John, just wanted to say 'rippa' and thanks... seriously looking at an MG4 (povo vs. Essence, battery chemistry is killing me) .. but so enjoyed your comments about STEM, lmao!
41:58. Better. But if you ‘need’ a ‘start/stop’ button try the MG ZS EV….actually it would be great if you could do a comparison between the 4 and the ZS EV.
No ignition key / button. Love it
Well, it's different that's for sure, but I think it's intuitive and rather clever really.
What is the value going to be of that MG4 after 5 years? Here in the UK they loose over 50% in 2 years..
I have made a longitudinal study of used car prices over the last two years. In Australia, the price of a used Tesla model 3 has been $38-41k with nothing outside that range. MG ZS EV got flogged because it was the cheapest EV for a long time. The used examples were sold in comparison to the much cheaper new makes and models. Nissan Leaf prices are constant. Even the dead ones. Australia is still suffering from supply issues which is holding used prices up. Come February 2024, it’s possible that new car sales will fall off a cliff as work and access to credit dries up. A 50% fall compared to new prices two years ago? If there was a two year old shitbox Leaf for sale at 50 or even 80 percent of its new price I would have bought it already. Same comment for the 2021 XC40 PHEV. Not even the MG ZS EV depreciated as much. UK isn’t AU and that is the point
That MG4 gives new meaning to "the bums rush"...
MG has no start button - nor does Tesla. One less part to break. One less part to pay for. It's different, but inherently superior design.
in rwd ev how do you get enough regen when a car brakes 80% on front wheels so is the computer adding front brakes. If you are on max regen and take your foot off the accelerator does the back end overtake the front or do we start using front brakes so needing to replace brake pads more often than a front wheel drive ev
At 58yo living unfortunately on a disability pension for the last 22yrs with no super or savings, Someone in my position will never have the opportunity to purchase a EV, It’s people like myself who live from pension to pension that cannot afford the rising price of fuel. , yet could never afford a new or second hand EV, than need one, my current car is a $3500 Pajero i0 4cyl. Life is hard, I also live in a 10ft 3/4 poptop caravan, no tv, aircon, oven ect just a microwave a few car batteries for power, a tap let and phone . Talking about power , I didn’t hear who won the giveaway last week, congratulations to the winner, love your video’s.
Don't be too downhearted, in ten years time, I expect you'll be able to afford a secondhand MG4. I have a nine year old EV that cost me under $7000. It only has 100km range, but that's fine for me. With MG4s being produced in large volumes, they will be cheap in ten years. If you buy the entry level Excite model, with 51kWh LFP battery, you can still expect it to have a range of 300km, even with some degradation, as the battery can potentially last 1.5m km. The MG4s V2L will mean that you can get rid of your lead acid batteries and power your home from your car and recharge the car from solar.
@@sailingoctopus1 thanks thats nice of you to say. It at least made me smile. Takecare thank you.
Hi John, thanks for an informative and entertaining live stream.
I think your comment about having an EV as a second car, or one of two cars, is spot on. We have had an early Nissan Leaf since 2016, but kept our Hiace diesel van for towing and longer trips.
Despite reduced range, the Leaf is still doing about 80% of our overall mileage and is still nice to drive. Maintenance requirements for the first 4 years consisted of two sets of windscreen wipers, and charging on night rate electricity at home cost $18 per month for 350km per week average.
I think the MG4 would be ideal for that same usage, but so much better due to the longer range.
For people who can't charge at home... maybe buy a hybrid.
Your explanation about how to power the car off had me thinking... What if someone wants to remain in the car, other than in the driver seat? Does it power the whole car down then as well or are the remaining people able to play music and use the USB ports and what not? Because you supposedly don't want to leave the car card with the remaining people...
any idea how to get insurance companies to lower the cost of insuring EVs?
So I leave my keys in my car all the time, what would happen with this, would it stayed powered up or would it reach a time frame then power down? Second question it there something to stop a gear being selected if a young child is in it parked somewhere (at home ect..) and they're playing in it? example depressing the foot brake to enable great selection
Hi, like most cars, it won't let you lock the car with door handle switch if keys are still inside and why would kids be playing in it with keys in it an motor running without an adult , not sure if car keeps running if walk away with key, when I get an MG4 77kwh extended range I will check this out.
@@glennmorrell8964 thanks mate. Car isn't running with kids inside but doors are open, I also don't like it but they get in it themselves. I live semi rural and other than kids I have no need to lock my vehicle's
Hi John, first of all - I love your work! I want to advise you of some poor customer service I have been receiving from MG! I will give you a brief version regarding the charger, as there are other íssues I won't detail here.
Part of the new car deal was a free 7Kw home charger. I always charge my HS Plus so the charger has value for me. Anyway, here I am over 4 months later and I still cannot get my hands on one! The straw that broke the camel's back was when I called up spare parts [anonymously] and they were willing to order one from Sydney! I then advised them I should be getting it for free and it was part of a new car deal. That pretty much ended the conversation.'
In frustration I emailed MG Australia "(second plea for help) and made demands with timelines and progressive action I will take. No response. So, I sign wrote on both sides and the back "Buying an MG? BEWARE"'. It's getting attention in Hobart. Second deadline not met, I contact you as I know you are big on customer support. Next step is my own CZcams review on MG. Following step I park my car in front of the local stealership until this issue is resolved. Tonight, I sent an email to my local stealer letting them know of these actions. It's not against individuals but ''the system''. Power on buddy, you're awesome!
Dear engineer JC. Have you forgotten? KE = 1/2xmvsq. The energy use in an EV is directly proportional to velocity squared.
That's only to get it to speed, genius. Keeping it there, overcoming aerodynamic drag, is the big drain at speed.
@@AutoExpertJC Good point JC
Any info regarding regen, how much power does it put back into the battery? I know a lot of variables but any info at all?
Regen is always just a small amount of recovered energy, and it depends on user setting and driving conditions. More stop-start, more regen.
What if you need the accessories on after driving but need to get out of the driver's seat?
I remember test driving a RAV4 hybrid and when the salesperson handed it over I couldn't figure out how to turn it on, until I realised that it already was on, I just couldn't hear the engine running cause it was in EV mode at that point. I did exactly the same thing at the Brisbane airport when I hired a Yaris Hybrid. I don't think it is better or worse to have the driver's seat as the on/off switch, just another thing that my 64 yo brain needs to learn. I suppose the MG agent should have told you about it, the dealer probably would when you picked up your new car. Still, I'm sure your parents had a good chuckle about your driveway antics.
In regards to kids starting it up without it making a noise that’s why Pin to drive is so important like they have in my tesla, does it not have that ??
Does it have a heat pump heater or is it the resistive type? Would would there be a practical difference between the two in a climate like Canberra?
Unsure - but heat pumps are obviously benefitting from COP...
So, heat pump for the win, in general.
@@AutoExpertJC cheers
Thanks John
Do you think the MG4 will become to Australia what the Datsun 120Y was in the 70s and the Hyundai Excel was in the 90s?
YES
No spare tyre is a deal breaker for me. When the time comes that I can purchase a brand new car, it's got to have a full size spare. Even my 1988 Toyota MR2 has a full size spare. It was the main reason I have passed on a Mazda MX5, I simply don't want a car without a jack and spare. Before anyone says anything. Factor in a neighbourhood full of tradies who's loose fasteners gave me the joy of 8 flats in a single year and you have a nightmare on your hands without a spare. It got to the point at one stage where I was just getting the punctured tyre patched ready for the inevitable next flat. Car without a full size spare is firmly off my buy list. Fingers crossed the new MR2 has one or the option to add one at the dealer.
Does the car need to be locked for it to power down? I park in an attached garage so I don't normally lock my car at home.
I don't know about other cars but with a software update a few months ago, all Teslas gained a setting to enable you to set them to automatically stay unlocked when parked at home. Precisely because of people in the situation you mentioned with home garages requesting that feature.
The car powers down automatically when you walk away and the Media Control Unit powers up again when you open the door. If you have your phone on you, you can then just press the brake to put the car into drive. (For homes with kids, set a PIN To Drive).
Excellent tee shirt, dude..
Firstly its estimated that the switch from ICE to BEV so far has saved about 1.5mbpd which is a decend CO2 saving. Metallurgical coal, for steel, yes we have alternative methods.
There is another metallurgical process in making steel which is via electric arc furnaces. If this is combined with solar it will impact reduction of carbon emmision to certain significant extent. WA has ample empty desert land with ample sunlight for solar electric generation and is a viable alternative.
The obvious question is, why not have an extension cord for changing the charge position?
I'm 5hrs late for the live stream but I'm happy to have listened to your thoughts. I think I'm the ideal candidate for this car. I work from home with rooftop solar and off street parking. I live in suburbia with 2.5 kids and most of my trips are well under 20min each way. I like a car that's zippy (I used to own a Polo GTI) but I recognise a car just needs to serve an intended purpose (presently own a sensible i30). I've had an MG4 on pre-order since the Fully Charged launch earlier in the year and can't wait to replace our decade old VW jetta. I don't think the downsides are too much of a concern. I was just as confused with how to turn off a new hybrid corolla I hired last year. I'm sure I'll work it out.
Half a kid, or the missus is 20 weeks?
@@aussieideasman8498 shorthand for "average sized family"
I think that EV manufacturers (most of them, not all) are missing a bet by not setting up the car as a battery-bank for the home, to provide power during blackouts, or overnight power if you can recharge from solar during the day. The cars have a MASSIVE battery pack (compared to home solar storage units), this seems like an obvious Sales Pitch advantage.
V2L is available for many EV's.
The cost of V2G in the home in Australia is about $10k. For a lot of people that is 20 quarters of electricity bills
RE: No start button
If your sitting in the car waiting for the Mrs who is shopping and its raining , do you need to climb over and sit in the passenger seat to avoid chewing up the battery while you are waiting. Or the battery usage is negligible?
The reason why I asked, my Kia Carnival complains when I am sitting there listening to wsfm for a few minutes. It warns me to stop listening to Jimmy Barnes , as the battery is draining. Eventually it will cut itself off so battery doesn’t go flat (normally it happens in the middle of the best part of the song). 😂
The car can be powered down via a submenu in the Infotainment system
@@sailingoctopus1 will the engine still be “on” whilst you are sitting there and therefore using battery power? Just curious, I have never sat in an electric car before.
@@laoma4131 If the car is powered down then it won't use any power at all. If it's not powered down then it will use a little, but hardly any relative to its battery capacity. You could probably sit in the car for about four days using AC before the battery of a fully charged car would be exhausted.
Johns driveway is on a duel clutch transmission video.
The 51kWh battery in the Excite MG4 uses LiFePO4 chemistry which is safe and effective and does not use Cobalt or Nickel :) ICE cars spew unhealthy gases into the air at street level from their overused catalytic converters, replacing them with electric cars means cleaner air in our cities :)
I like flat spots on steering wheels , looking at this as a hack, run-about car. We have a Skoda wagon for holidays to carry all our crap, however this would be great as a little run about.
it is certainly different I quite like the idea of it
Unfortunately, NSW doesn't offer the $3000 discount if you go for a Novated Lease. But I worked out that the NL is still better value than the $3000. I suppose it keeps the discount available for people who can't get a Novated Lease, otherwise it would run out much more quickly. Assuming the NSW Govt doesn't do a Dan and renege on the already budgeted discount.
Despite the Excite 51 having 25kW less power, it has the same torque as the Excite 64, which is why it is able to accelerate faster combined with the lighter battery. It's probably at the higher speeds that the extra 25kW will make a difference, but it's probably much more subtle so pretty much a non-factor. The only real disadvantage it has besides the slightly shorter range is the slower charging speed, at a corrected 88kW (in the UK it was reported to charge at 117kW initially but real life tests have shown that it tops out around 80+kW, so 88kW is probably accurate).
MG4 Excite 51 has an LFP battery, so there's no worries about your Lithium Hexafluoro Cobalt leaching into anything, most of all since there's no Cobalt in it.
Oh, I didn’t relise such limit. In VIC you got 3k subsidy even with NL, but you still need to pay stamp duty regardless. And of course in current FY, no EV subsidy at all, and stamp duty still applies.
Thanks for a rational discussion about ev's. EV cultists are a pest - though less threatening to all life on Earth than climate change deniers. I really appreciate your balance. After trial driving an ev for just over a year I'm in the market to upgrade to a purpose designed affordable ev and the MG4 meets my criteria. I live in Europe and drive a lot of km's - over 30,000 km per year. I have home charging and many supermarkets and shopping centres have free charging, all of which is great BUT, en-route charging is the absolute pits. I regularly drive a 1300 km round trip and it is a nighmare of non-functioning chargers (all of which are hidden from view), frighteningly long distances between chargers, non-functioning apps, charging stations blocked by non-ev's, outrageous card pre-payment charges, you name it. The public charging "infrastructure" is a very sick, disfunctional, joke that just seems to be getting worse and worse. This drives me to the biggest battery I can get - range provides alternatives. Don't get me wrong, within range of my home charger, ev driving is great - but the public system is disjointed, really expensive and frustrating beyond all belief.
JC mentioned that.
Hi John . In regards to the MG,What happens when you have an accident and cannot get out of the car to shut it down?
EVs will isolate the HV battery automatically in response to any accident.
Tesla for example use a type of fast acting pyro-fuse .
@@shaun2072 Cheers
You can shut it down from the infotainment system, but really it needs an off button
John, is 28% residual value after 4 plus for any vehicle realistic?
My issue with the seat activation is how well it will work when a larger than intended driver damages the seat.
I think Hey Zeus's Tesla's make great boat anchors.........minus the spontaneous combustion.
Dunno if better or not but excellent way to make it go and stop.
When it will be available for us to test drive?
John, great review as always. But, what is the cost of a replacement battery if it where to go poopy in its trousers (I forget the genius who coined the phrase on CZcams?) after 8 - 10 years? I have been told $50k for a Kona. So, are EV’s potentially throw away items in the event of a failed battery?
There are already battery reconditioners working on Leafs and Outlanders. Google your area.