Probably won’t get an MG4 again

JonnyG said:

Yes I agree, buying a year 1 EV seems a bit of a risk. The Volvo EX30 has had its fair share of software problems I hear but may suit your needs when the time comes and won't be a year 1 car anymore.

I know someone who has just leased (last Sept) a new Vauxhall Corsa Ultimate EV for £226 month for two years . The list retail price is ridiculously high (more than an Xpower !!), but leasing was cheap. Not for everyone but I think it's OK, especially in Graphic Grey and it has a lot of nice features (heated massaging seats & heated steering wheel, keyless entry, reversing camera, front sensors, decent Michelin tyres, TomTom SatNav, 220 mile range AND !! ... LKA etc are not intrusive and can be turned off with one button !

I think you'll find when the time comes there'll be quite a lot of choice for you that fits the hatchback size

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EX30 is a crossover so that's out (the ones I have seen in the metal look even more so, they certainly seem high up when sat in the MG4). The Corsa as a car just doesn't float my boat, it never has, even the hot models.

JonnyG said:

Mini Cooper 160kW SE Exclusive 54kWh maybe worth a look. Currently £267/pm to lease

MINI Cooper 160kW SE Exclusive 54kWh 3dr Auto Lease: 24 Month 5000 Miles 3 Months Upfront

Lease a MINI Cooper 160kW SE Exclusive 54kWh 3dr Auto Over 24 Months with null Miles PA and 3 Months Upfront Today Via LeaseLoco

www.leaseloco.com

It's a similar size to the new Renault 5 EV which (as it's so new) has no good lease deals yet, Base model is £317 per moth

Renault 5 E-Tech 90kW Evolution Urban Range 40 kWh 5dr Auto Lease: 24 Month 5000 Miles 3 Months Upfront

Lease a Renault 5 E-Tech 90kW Evolution Urban Range 40 kWh 5dr Auto Over 24 Months with null Miles PA and 3 Months Upfront Today Via LeaseLoco

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The mini would be a good shout but I cannot abide that circular central screen. The R5 looks fantastic and gets rave reviews so it will likely be the only candidate. But right now I want to go back to having an interior made out of recycled wheely bins, with no driver aids other than ABS and cruise control.

MelanieMoxon said:

EX30 is a crossover so that's out (the ones I have seen in the metal look even more so, they certainly seem high up when sat in the MG4). The Corsa as a car just doesn't float my boat, it never has, even the hot models.



The mini would be a good shout but I cannot abide that circular central screen. The R5 looks fantastic and gets rave reviews so it will likely be the only candidate. But right now I want to go back to having an interior made out of recycled wheely bins, with no driver aids other than ABS and cruise control.

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Alpine A290, that should have some good deals by the time you are ready to change, basically a quicker R5

LenEV2016 said:

Alpine A290, that should have some good deals by the time you are ready to change, basically a quicker R5

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Maybe, one of the things that has stung me on the PCP is a change of circumstances meaning more miles on the car, my current 7k/year is going to be overshot by probably 500miles/year so I'd need an 8000 mile lease at the minimum, not something I have had to even think about in the past.

Kithmo said:

MG would have to improve a few things before I would buy another.
The Radio losing stations then not finding them again until the car is restarted.
The heater displaying 5 deg C above the real temperature.
The LKA needs dulling down (although the latest recall has apparently cured that).
ALL driver settings need to be remembered and not have to reset every time the car is turned on.
(alternative to settings remembered, have physical buttons to turn some on or off)
The main screen needs to boot up quicker, it's way out of date compared to modern tablets etc..

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Most of these problems will be rectified by software updates.

I wouldn't buy an MG4 again, not because I'm unhappy with mine but because there are so many more options now and buying the same car twice would be boring.

In Australia at least, we are spoilt for choice with no import tariffs on vehicles and so many different Chinese manufacturers testing their products in our market. It's a really interesting time to be following the car market, with new brands and new models being released every few months, and the long-standing dominance of the established brands under threat.

Back in 2023 when I got mine, the MG4 was the first good (or good enough) affordable EV on the market (ignoring the Atto 3 which was a bit too SUV for my liking).

I've had no issues with my MG4 when it comes to my next car, if the automotive landscape was exactly the same as it was when I bought it, I'd buy it again. But it won't be. We now have a ton of options to choose from.

If I was buying today, I'd probably consider a BYD Seal, but I'm planning on holding on to the MG for at least 5 years and the market will be quite different again by then.

I'm hoping that by the time I get my next car, the EV market will have matured and consolidated around a few standard battery chemistries, which will be considered as a known quantity by the second hand market, and depreciation won't be quite as drastic as it is now.

And if that's not the case, I'll look forward to picking up a recent secondhand EV for a decent saving. Either way I'm looking forward to what comes next because at the rate Chinese EVs are improving and dropping in cost, there will be a ton of great options available when it comes to my next vehicle.

MelanieMoxon said:

Maybe, one of the things that has stung me on the PCP is a change of circumstances meaning more miles on the car, my current 7k/year is going to be overshot by probably 500miles/year so I'd need an 8000 mile lease at the minimum, not something I have had to even think about in the past.

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At the time of ordering the lease car you can ask what the "overmileage" charge will be (p per mile). With many lease finance companies I've used this charge is pretty low (around 8p per mile) and it may still be worth going for a 5000 or 6000 mile lease and just pay the fee at the end of lease for the extra mileage (e.g. 3000 miles over x 0,08p = £240). However some are not so low (p/m) ! ... so well worth checking.

JonnyG said:

At the time of ordering the lease car you can ask what the "overmileage" charge will be (p per mile). With many lease finance companies I've used this charge is pretty low (around 8p per mile) and it may still be worth going for a 5000 or 6000 mile lease and just pay the fee at the end of lease for the extra mileage (e.g. 3000 miles over x 0,08p = £240). However some are not so low (p/m) ! ... so well worth checking.

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Yeah, that's a fair point actually but I like to own my cars too, rather than lease. As I said I genuinely bought the '4 with the intention of keeping it, which is why I was happy to PCP a new car and the mileage was only a minor consideration.

Slipstream said:

Most of these problems will be rectified by software updates.

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New cars sure, but only if dealers do them on used cars.

Reasons not to buy another MG4
“The amount of mud that sticks to it I will also not miss, much more sticks than the 4 other cars I’ve owned where I live here!”

First world problems.

Bam Bam said:

Agree with the mud point.

Do let us know how your alternative EV (I assume) compares. A neighbour I don't know has got themselves a Kia EV3. There is now a more choice out there, though none seem to match the value of the MG4.

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That is why you pay more for Kia. The equivalent of my MG is the ev3 advanced plus with the large battery. Costs me €45000 and a bit.
Toyota does the same as Kia. Highly reliable, nothing special. So you rarely create costs for dealers and manufacturer. If there is any, they solve it because you already paid for it. With MG it is the opposite.

bileva said:

Reasons not to buy another MG4
“The amount of mud that sticks to it I will also not miss, much more sticks than the 4 other cars I’ve owned where I live here!”

First world problems.

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Arctic White probably wasn't the best choice for that either!

We are Pensioners who had our MG4 Trophy LR in September, 9 months old with 6k on the clock and we had our first three services thrown in for £18,000.
There's nothing we don't like about this car and easily the best car we've had together since 1975.
There are a couple of niggles - I wish the car would remember leaving ECO Mode on and turning LKA off but it takes 5 seconds.

In the past, I've only bought the same model of car twice if it was a new version of the same name like Mk1, Mk2, etc.
The problem with choosing a different manufacturer is that it might open up a whole new set of faults/niggles, putting you in an "out of the frying pan, into the fire" situation.
Sometimes it's less stressful to put up with the little niggles and be in a "better the devil you know" state.

On my list are Scenic, Enyaq, Ioniq 5. Eldest son has excitedly added Ariya, saying his mate's Dad has got one and they are good, plus Enyaq's smaller bro, Elroq.

Elroq from memory is about 4 inches shorter than Ariya but has a slightly bigger boot, and a slightly smaller wheelbase than Ariya.

Other suggestions to me have been the Kona. Boot space is something I want the next car to improve upon, so when comparing the Kona and Ioniq 5, I was surprised the boot space in the latter was quite small and then when I looked it up found the batteries are under the boot floor, hence why it is very shallow. Not sure about a rear impact.....

As an aside, Which? magazine rate the Enyaq highly.

Lots to think about!

My wife has a Mokka E Ultimate. Top spec but a bit dull compared to my XPower. The Vauxhall phone app is shocking. Makes MG app look good.

NLMGSAN said:

Toyota does the same as Kia. Highly reliable, nothing special.

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Trouble is that usually means bloody boring. Something you certainly can't say about the X Power. Sure it's not perfect by any means. But, boring it certainly ain't.

Kithmo said:

In the past, I've only bought the same model of car twice if it was a new version of the same name like Mk1, Mk2, etc.
The problem with choosing a different manufacturer is that it might open up a whole new set of faults/niggles, putting you in an "out of the frying pan, into the fire" situation.
Sometimes it's less stressful to put up with the little niggles and be in a "better the devil you know" state.

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I totally agree with you.

Despite our niggles, we like the car overall. But, especially now I have busted my ankle, I need something easier to get in and out of. And we must have a bigger boot. And possibly something a little bit more comfortable for three in the back. Taking elderly folk away on holibobs.

salty said:

Trouble is that usually means bloody boring. Something you certainly can't say about the X Power. Sure it's not perfect by any means. But, boring it certainly ain't.

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True. Even more so for Toyota. They were front runners with their hybrid engines. But they forgot to improve it, forgot to go electric properly, became slow on renewing the infotainment systems. Models are the same for a long time although they do litle bits to them. So called new models are kicked up in the air existing models or smaller versions of existing ones. And called them Cross... But they worked when I needed on the 4000km holiday trips year after year.
The only car that looked attractive to me was the new Prius. But it did not manage more than 80 kms on electric only (winter 60 km s max). And it only charges a bruto 13.6 kWh battery with a granny charger..

So I went for an affordable MG with a lot of potential. I should not have done that. I should have waited, or go with the grey import Niro EV (38k and 1500 kms). But I did not.

Some of the niggles aren't just niggles to me. Some are though. But all in all I have a lawyer chasing my dealer to fix things. Never needed that during my 30 years with Toyota.

NLMGSAN said:

But all in all I have a lawyer chasing my dealer to fix things.

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To avoid hijack, could you post a link here to the thread where you discuss these issues please?

securespark said:

To avoid hijack, could you post a link here to the thread where you discuss these issues please?

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Now your asking ..... I need to deep dive first.

NLMGSAN said:

True. Even more so for Toyota. They were front runners with their hybrid engines. But they forgot to improve it, forgot to go electric properly, became slow on renewing the infotainment systems. Models are the same for a long time although do litle bits to them. So called new models are kicked up in the air existing models or smaller versions of existing ones. And called them Cross... But they worked when I needed on the 4000km holiday trips year after year.
The only car that looked attractive to me as the new Prius. But it did not manage more than 80 kms on electric only (winter 60 km s max). And it only charges a bruto 13.6 kWh battery with a granny charger..

So I went for an affordable MG with a lot of potential. I should not have done that. I should have waited, or go with the grey import Niro EV (38k and 1500 kms). But I did not.

Some of the niggles aren't just niggles to me. Some are though. But all in all I have a lawyer chasing my dealer to fix things. Never needed that during my 30 years with Toyota.

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I never had any faults at all with my Toyotas during my 10 year ownership from 2010 to 2020, just one recall for a wiring harness position check under the bonnet, which was done on a service.
I've got my eye on the new, Toyota full electric Urban Cruiser coming out later this year for my next EV, it's smaller and cheaper than their current offering, the BZ4X. I'll be looking out for reviews and specs and going for a test drive.
I would have gone back to Toyotas and bought the BZ4X if it had been smaller and under £35k.

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