MG4 EV XPower (2022 - )

The standard MG4 EV raised many eyebrows when it was first launched. Not only had MG finally built a good car at last, but it’d beaten many rivals to the punch by being both electric and affordable. A desperate search was on to discover where MG had penny-pinched – but nothing was found. Skimping on equipment? It’s generously equipped. Bargain basement interior? It is lovely to sit in. Poor engineering resulting in terrible performance and handling? It did both very well, indeed. As a result, it's no surprise that it won many awards. Now, MG has launched a performance version, called the XPower. While it's technically not a hot hatch, it can beat established supercars in a quarter-mile drag race. But it's a significant price jump from the standard MG 4. It offers a generous equipment list, including 17-inch alloys, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a seven-inch digital display, surround-view camera, track mode display, wireless device charger, heated seats with driver-powered adjustment, and heated steering wheel. You also get rear privacy glass, a twin-aero spoiler, a two-tone roof, metal sport pedals, a height-adjustable boot floor, and black Alcantara upholstery. As if that wasn’t enough, all-wheel drive and launch control are exclusive to the XPower model. Clout comes in at a not ungenerous 435PS. That is 190 German horses more than was available on the previous top-of-the-range MG4. And over two-and-a-half times more than on the standard car's entry-level model.

The first thing you'll notice is the racing green paint job, which is only available on the XPower version. Other than that, there's little to distinguish it from the standard car. That is not an issue, though, as the regular MG4 is something of a stunner, with the front end of the car – along with its headlights – sharpened and wedge-like, almost as if the designer had previously worked at Lamborghini. The design leaves two carved-out air intakes and a pleasingly razor-sharp front splitter, looking like it'll knife its way through any air resistance. It is more SUV-like around the sides, though, with a large skirt, a shapely rear end that's somewhat angular, and a large roof spoiler. Inside is stylish and aptly minimalistic, as is quickly becoming the norm, especially in all-electric cars. A flat-bottomed and flat-topped steering wheel with piano black buttons and similar styling elsewhere compliments a straight horizontal dashboard layout. There is no ‘hood’ for the mileometer dials either - in fact, there are no dials at all. Instead, they are replaced by a tablet-like screen in the form of the digital driver’s display, viewed by peering through the gap in the steering wheel. The larger infotainment touchscreen sits in the middle of the dash, usefully controlled by a rotary dial placed on a tray beneath it, within easy reach. The system itself isn't a class leader, lacking the responsiveness of some of its foes, but it’s still a decent system with a clear display. The view from the 360-degree camera is displayed on the screen, too. Sadly, the climate controls are buried within a touchscreen menu, which makes it a bit fiddly to adjust the air conditioning while on the move. You can also connect your phone to the car via MG's iSMART app, which is very handy for checking on charging progress and pre-heating the cabin on a cold day or vice versa on a hot day.

When you get behind the wheel, you'll be mesmerised by the XPower's performance, which more than doubles the standard version's 0-62mph time. Who cares that it doesn’t have an engine like a Lamborghini Gallardo when it can get to 62mph in just 3.8 seconds. That is 0.4 seconds quicker than the entry-level version of the Italian supercar. The launch control effectively prevents wheelspin, meaning you get all the power down as soon as you hit the throttle.

It is astonishingly quick, and by the end of the day, we were still struggling to believe that we were driving a (relatively) normal-looking family car that was quicker than just about anything else we encountered on our test drive. Overtaking on dual carriageways was so effortless that it didn’t even register on the MG4’s radar. It is over in a flash and a total non-event to a car that doesn’t break a sweat – simply gobbling up such meagre challenges for breakfast. However, the extensive potency generates plenty of torque steer, where the steering wheel will be forced to turn under the power of the car's acceleration. In terms of handling, this is where it gets a little tricky and requires some context. The standard MG4 handls superbly well – and the XPower is no different in that respect. But that’s the problem. The XPower’s enhanced performance, not to mention the higher price tag, means that it doesn’t quite live up to the naturally raised expectations around bends. This is a car designed to be driven quickly, but the handling doesn’t stand up to scrutiny when you take a corner as MG likely intended. Oddly, MG's curious decision to raise the ride height of the XPower is not helpful, whereas nearly anyone trying to improve handling would want to lower it for greater stability. Instead, the opposite is true here, with more body roll than we’d hoped for, meaning the XPower doesn't have the agility to complement its straight-line credentials. Likewise, the steering in the XPower isn't any more responsive than that of the standard MG4.  Stiffer springs - not to mention bigger alloys - are used to cope with the extra bulk of the electric motors in the XPower, which decreases ride comfort somewhat compared with the standard car. It is not that noticeable and by no means a deal-breaker. But when the handling isn’t up to scratch, a less comfy ride is another reason not to buy one. At least one area enhanced in line with the vastly increased acceleration is the deceleration. The brakes are very good, indeed, providing superb stopping power - which is reassuring in a fairly heavy SUV crossover that can outgun a supercar. The regenerative braking system is consistent and predictable, allowing one-pedal driving.

Electric adjustment in the driver’s seat makes finding a comfortable driving position convenient, although the lack of lumbar support is disappointing. The Alcantara upholstery also adds to the perceived comfort of the seats, and you're not restricted to legroom or headroom in the front. In the rear, only the tallest backseat passengers will struggle to accommodate their legs, although the roofline does slope downwards somewhat towards the back, slightly eating into the headroom. That also restricts the visibility somewhat, especially as the roof spoiler overhangs a considerable portion of the rear windscreen. However, the rear pillars are among the thinnest we’ve seen on any car. And the ones at the front aren’t bad either, so it’s not a bad vehicle to see out of – and, of course, you’ve got the 360-degree surround view camera to guide you, too. The boot space is 363 litres, expanding to 1,165 litres by folding the rear seats down in a 60:40 split. The adjustable boot floor helps to remove the load lip, and you’ll find a decent array of cubbies and storage spaces inside the cabin.

As an electric car, the MG4 XPower is cheap to run - it almost feels like you're stealing, being able to run a powerful vehicle so cheaply. And if you want to buy or lease a performance car without the guilt of polluting the planet, the lack of exhaust emissions is definitely a reason to do so. Its 64kWh battery is the same as in the Long-Range version of the entry-level model, the MG4 SE. However, it’s worth noting that the previous top-of-the-range version – the Trophy edition – can be specced with a larger 77kWh battery, which isn’t available on the XPower. This is surprising, as it means the expected range is only around 239 miles, and if you drive the XPower in the way MG intends, you won’t get anywhere near it. The maximum charging speed is 140kW, meaning a 10-80% charge takes just 35 minutes, and a 10-100% charge takes eight and a half hours from a 7kW home wall box. Reliability hasn't been MG's strong suit since its Chinese-backed revival from the ashes of Rover 20 years ago. But it remains to be seen whether this new generation of electric cars will improve things. However, for a brand with a questionable reliability track record, MG offers an unusually generous warranty of seven years - the same as Kia's - although MG's is limited to 80,000 miles, 20,000 less than Kia's.

The MG4 XPower is astonishingly quick. Yes, it really will outrun some supercars. And, yes, it decelerates with as much ferocity. But little else has changed, with the handling and steering seeing little to no development to meet the raised expectations of a car with such characteristics. And there’s hardly anything extra on the MG that you don’t get on the previous top-of-the-range MG4 Trophy edition. It is brilliant and real fun for day-to-day life. But then why spend so much extra when you could enjoy the standard car, which is arguably better suited to the limitations of the MG4 chassis?