I hate this car please reassure me

[Katemg4o]

Hi
I have just swapped my Nissan Leaf for an MG4. Very similar price point, similar specs. I think I was expecting similar but slightly better from the MG4.

I hate it! And I'm stuck with it now.

Firstly, it slammed the brakes on for me thinking I was going to have a collision with a car that was indicating and turning off. This then almost caused the car behind me to crash. It could have been a disaster. I now live in fear that it will do this again. I try to remember to turn the "front collision assist" off every time I go anywhere but I'm at a loss as to why you can't just turn it off forever?

Secondly, why on earth does it not tell you what the outside temperature is? I've had some real old bangers and I have never had a car that doesn't tell you the temperature.

Thirdly. Changing DAB radio stations is a pain.. it doesn't seem to allow you to choose your favourites and have them out in a list.. like every other car I have owned.

Fourthly, it's a PAIN that it knows best with lane assist. Sometimes if there are imperfections in the roads it thinks I've veered towards the central reservation. It's a pain.

Also I'm very used to 1 pedal drive. The leaf had "e-pedal" and it had a switch to turn it on, so I just left it on. Why won't this car let me keep it on??? It turns off every time you go in to P mode. And sometimes it doesn't let me turn it on at all as it says the battery is too low (not sure why battery level would affect it??) one time it said this and the battery was literally 100%. It seems to basically be the cars choice whether I use one pedal mode or not...


Is there any way I can rectify all this stuff? I'm paying a big chunk of my wages every month to drive this car and it's not fun..I'm missing my leaf. It wasn't the coolest car but it was so easy and intuitive to use.
I like the look of my MG4 but it's not really to look at, it's to drive... And I hate driving it at the minute ?

 

[salty]

To the forum, Kate. Sorry to hear you don't like your MG4 so far. Hopefully some of the stuff can be sorted and you can start enjoying it. ??

 

[Rolfe]

Welcome, and oh dear, sorry to hear you're having such trouble.

Some of what you complain about is definitely fixable, some ought to be fixable, and some might need a "well I have to live with this" attitude.

The over-sensitive front collision problem could well be an issue with camera calibration that needs readjusting. Some cars have been reported as doing this but the vast majority don't. I also have an SE SR and I never turn it off. It did deploy once, but it was because someone seemed to be about to cross the road right in front of the car. Once I realised what had happened I was actually quite impressed and said, OK you're on probation, but I won't turn you off. Hasn't happened again in 8,500 miles.

The outside temperature thing is a bug in infotainment versions R16 and R21. You must have one of these versions. It has been fixed in R33, the newest version. If you complain to your dealer about this he will install R33, which will also give you a number of other improvements.

I have a couple of DAB radio stations as favourites, and I thought it would do that. But I don't use DAB much as I live in a DAB dead spot so maybe someone else can help.

Lane Assist is an issue. I always turn it off, as far as I'm concerned I do not want a car to take control of my steering wheel, end of story. However there has been a recent software update that many people say makes it much better. I have had this update but I can't really comment as I have gone right on turning the damn thing off as part of my pre-flight routine. It may be that your car needs this update too.

I don't have one pedal drive but it has been discussed elsewhere. There is a misleading message about low power or something, when what it really means is that the battery state of charge is too HIGH for it to work. There has to be somewhere to put the power generated by the regeneration, and there isn't anywhere if the battery is full or close to full. There's a one-pedal-driving thread somewhere that should help, I'll try to find it for you. I think it's not as good as in the Leaf from what people say, but once you've figured out how it thinks you might get on OK with it.

Yes it's a pain that you have to keep on switching off things that keep coming back on, or vice versa. Some of it is due to NCAP certification requirements, but some of it is MG being lazy and cutting costs. You do get used to it, and there may be software updates in future that will address the lazy part.

And the upside is, the car is a dream to drive. Get R33, and whatever is needed to calm down Lane Assist, and work out a modus vivendi for the rest, at least until there are more software updates.

 

[Rolfe]

I did a search on "One Pedal Driving" and got the following.

Search results for query: One pedal driving

www.mgevs.com

I'm not sure which thread will be most help to you, but you can try a couple of the likely-looking ones. This one looks quite promising.

At what SOC is one pedal driving available?

I recently got the base model MG4 (called Excite 51 in Australia, SE SR in UK) and though initially not expecting it to have one pedal driving (OPD) found that the latest update before delivery indeed made it a feature of even this model. I got used to the subtly different driving style it needs...

www.mgevs.com

 

[siteguru]

Favourites ... you can easily add stations to a Favourites list. When you select the radio tile then you can see the faves on the left side. (You might need to scroll the screen to see them all). Tapping one will load that station. What won't happen is toggling left/right on the right joystick to scroll through the faves ... what actually happens is that stations in that DAB frequency are scrolled through (and then through the next/previous frequencies).

 

[NLMGSAN]

Favourites ... you can easily add stations to a Favourites list. When you select the radio tile then you can see the faves on the left side. (You might need to scroll the screen to see them all). Tapping one will load that station. What won't happen is toggling left/right on the right joystick to scroll through the faves ... what actually happens is that stations in that DAB frequency are scrolled through (and then through the next/previous frequencies).

The latter pretty much confirms MG has never really done any serious user experience testing.

 

[Runcible]

I wish I could keep one-pedal driving on too. It's the only thing I change when I get in the car. It is a shame the star/favourite buttons only let you choose from a very small normal of options - one-pedal not being one of them.

LKA has not been a problem for me. Perhaps because I have fairly up to date software, but that is a guess. It comes on rarely and when it does it is pretty subtle. Once it was a bit more forceful when I drove past a big puddle. I suppose it must have thought the puddle was something else.

The UI definitely leaves a lot to be desired. I'd call it 'quirky' if I was feeling generous but it really does feel poorly thrown together. The good news is this is all software which can be resolved if MG chooses to.

I really enjoy driving mine and look for any excuse to jump into it. If you can get your software updated I hope you will find you enjoy yours too.

 

[mileves]

Hi
I have just swapped my Nissan Leaf for an MG4. Very similar price point, similar specs. I think I was expecting similar but slightly better from the MG4.

I hate it! And I'm stuck with it now.

Firstly, it slammed the brakes on for me thinking I was going to have a collision with a car that was indicating and turning off. This then almost caused the car behind me to crash. It could have been a disaster. I now live in fear that it will do this again. I try to remember to turn the "front collision assist" off every time I go anywhere but I'm at a loss as to why you can't just turn it off forever?

Secondly, why on earth does it not tell you what the outside temperature is? I've had some real old bangers and I have never had a car that doesn't tell you the temperature.

Thirdly. Changing DAB radio stations is a pain.. it doesn't seem to allow you to choose your favourites and have them out in a list.. like every other car I have owned.

Fourthly, it's a PAIN that it knows best with lane assist. Sometimes if there are imperfections in the roads it thinks I've veered towards the central reservation. It's a pain.

Also I'm very used to 1 pedal drive. The leaf had "e-pedal" and it had a switch to turn it on, so I just left it on. Why won't this car let me keep it on??? It turns off every time you go in to P mode. And sometimes it doesn't let me turn it on at all as it says the battery is too low (not sure why battery level would affect it??) one time it said this and the battery was literally 100%. It seems to basically be the cars choice whether I use one pedal mode or not...


Is there any way I can rectify all this stuff? I'm paying a big chunk of my wages every month to drive this car and it's not fun..I'm missing my leaf. It wasn't the coolest car but it was so easy and intuitive to use.
I like the look of my MG4 but it's not really to look at, it's to drive... And I hate driving it at the minute ?

Agreed on all points! It steers you back into the pothole! You can't change radio channels unless you've got your reading glasses on & are not in a hurry! Everything's written small for younger eyes. Your passenger can't set the satnav while you're driving because the car thinks it's unsafe.
This is a car built by nerds for nerds. The you get in, you have to take 5' to re[programme your preferences because it's gone back to default settings.

 

[mileves]

The latter pretty much confirms MG has never really done any serious user experience testing.

And what is this "600ft" business? The satnav tells you, "In 600 feet, turn right". Other cars say, in half a mile, in a quarter of a mile...

 

[Edd Beesley]

Hi
I have just swapped my Nissan Leaf for an MG4. Very similar price point, similar specs. I think I was expecting similar but slightly better from the MG4.

I hate it! And I'm stuck with it now.

Firstly, it slammed the brakes on for me thinking I was going to have a collision with a car that was indicating and turning off. This then almost caused the car behind me to crash. It could have been a disaster. I now live in fear that it will do this again. I try to remember to turn the "front collision assist" off every time I go anywhere but I'm at a loss as to why you can't just turn it off forever?

Secondly, why on earth does it not tell you what the outside temperature is? I've had some real old bangers and I have never had a car that doesn't tell you the temperature.

Thirdly. Changing DAB radio stations is a pain.. it doesn't seem to allow you to choose your favourites and have them out in a list.. like every other car I have owned.

Fourthly, it's a PAIN that it knows best with lane assist. Sometimes if there are imperfections in the roads it thinks I've veered towards the central reservation. It's a pain.

Also I'm very used to 1 pedal drive. The leaf had "e-pedal" and it had a switch to turn it on, so I just left it on. Why won't this car let me keep it on??? It turns off every time you go in to P mode. And sometimes it doesn't let me turn it on at all as it says the battery is too low (not sure why battery level would affect it??) one time it said this and the battery was literally 100%. It seems to basically be the cars choice whether I use one pedal mode or not...


Is there any way I can rectify all this stuff? I'm paying a big chunk of my wages every month to drive this car and it's not fun..I'm missing my leaf. It wasn't the coolest car but it was so easy and intuitive to use.
I like the look of my MG4 but it's not really to look at, it's to drive... And I hate driving it at the minute ?

The Leaf is overall a better car, the MG4 is a bit cheaper. I've had my Leaf for 10 years so know it very well and feel the pain/comparison to the MG4. You'll get used to it though

 

[mileves]

Our biggest problem occurred after a 10-day stay in Gatwick car park. We returned to the car, Husband pressed the key fob, the wing mirrors didn't come out, oddly, but the doors did unlock. He got in and shut the door, ready to start up. The car locked around him & he couldn't get out, despite having the key with him & clicking it furiously. He was trapped in a hot car & would soon run out of oxygen! I called the fire brigade. Then we hailed a man in a van who had jump leads, & who got Husband to pull the bonnet lever so that he could attach the leads & spark the car back into life, releasing the doors. Now we understand from Facebook that some MG drivers keep jump leads in the car in case the 12V battery dies. But would that help if you were trapped inside? Why would you buy a £30,000+ car and feel the need to drive with jump leads on board or with the window half down in case you get trapped? The AA came out this morning & found the battery to be functioning normally. But we can't get anyone from an MG dealership to inspect the car until five weeks' time.

 

[PeteC]

Your passenger can't set the satnav while you're driving because the car thinks it's unsafe.

My wife often sets the satnav when I'm driving. It pops up a safety message when you open it but allows you to override it and use the satnav.

 

[siteguru]

And what is this "600ft" business? The satnav tells you, "In 600 feet, turn right". Other cars say, in half a mile, in a quarter of a mile...

Google Maps does this now too. (Well, probably for the past year). It used be like "in 100 yards" but now it's "in 300 feet". ?‍

 

[NLMGSAN]

Could you play around with the language settings?

 

[dsimpkins]

If the battery is 100%, the car cannot deploy full regen as the charge could damage the battery. I suspect this is why one pedal driving cannot be used initially. Once the battery has used a few percentage, full regen kicks in again.

I've also had the front collision assist kick in once, but it was because a car was turning right in front of me, and they were slightly over the white line.

 

[siteguru]

I have it in UK English ... feet being used in US English I can understand as that seems normal, in in UK English we use yards (and that's what GMaps used to use). ?‍

PS - just checked in GMaps settings ... language is set to System default: English (United Kingdom).

 

[Simon853]

Had mine about 3 weeks and though I find it great to drive, every single "safety" feature is a bloody annoyance and makes a complete mockery of the whole NCAP system.
I've stopped ever worrying about Chinese software engineers taking my job!
I hope they drastically improve the software before too long. With all the niggles I have with it I fear the novelty of owning this car might fade earlier than I'd like.

 

[NLMGSAN]

Maybe try another English version? You never know...

 

[CarlMG4]

Had a few of the issues you mention OP, had my Trophy LR for 14 months, 10k miles. Mostly local journeys - 80% under 40 mph, 20% 40-70mph.

Front Collision Assist is the main reason my leasing company have authorised me to return the car. Which I will be doing ASAP. The cars 'brain' is around a second behind it's 'eyes' - and the vehicle that is now no longer a potential hazard - my MG still thinks it is, and will slam the brakes on abruptly. Have the same issue with LKA. It gets better after each 'update' but problems begin to arise shortly after.

Been on the latest R46 software for a while, which was a battle to get MG service agents and techs to even acknowledge would be possible to put on this car.

It has been into MG for them to 'fix' 4 times, and each time they have 'applied updates and calibrations', which I suspect isn't wholly accurate. I've had a long-standing dispute to get the leasing company to accept the car isn't fit for purpose and I've recently been successful. So I ordered an ID4, and it's due within 6 weeks.

Can't wait to get out of this car.

Don't get me wrong, I love the drive and the comfort and handling, but not keen on the cars software at all.

 

[jeegnesh]

I'm scared now, I've had Leaf's for the last 10 years too and just switched to an MG4 this week. Not much experience but on the points above:-

1 - My leaf engaged emergency brake a few times when there was really no need for it, the MG4 so far has not done this, bit I've only done a few trips, so early days.

2 - Not checked, but home page has current weather, I'm sure I've seen external temp too

3 - I just favourited a few DAB stations which show up so seems ok

4 - Lane assist on my version does not seems so bad, I have set sensitivity to low and I think that setting sticks. Could always turn off on pre-flight check, pain but only seconds.

I too loved one pedal driving, used it on the leaf all the time -- if your leaf let you set it once and it stuck thats actually a bug -- my leaf's you had to enable each iginition on, however have a physical button made it simple to turn on quickly. I learned the reason for one pedal not to stick is because say my wife or someone else driving your car who hates one pedal or has never used one pedal got in your car and it was active, they would find it extremely odd, hence it always resets. (that is what I heard).

I am slowly getting used too a few clicks on every start, becoming less useful - but I wish like the leaf there was some more buttons for specific functions, I hate having to dig through the touchscreen menu.

However I got to say I much prefer the drive and look of the MG4 over the leaf, I use custom mode where bhp is eco or normal, but the steering and pedal is sport as I quite like that more heavy feeling, rather then floppy steering and pedal (maybe just personal).