Does it make sense to buy a new base model MG4

[staragara]

As i have read some topics here ..... there are a lot of problems and i also got a feeling that support by the dealerships is not great in UK.
I am from SEE so here the dealership situation might be different, currently the mg network has a couple of Renault dealers.


I need a high mileage long term capable EV (that will not be in 7 years a basket case). I make 90 miles a day 5 times a week. I need a car which is reliable and will not left me on the road. I mainly drive on Highways 90%.

1. My biggest concern is that the car is just not developed good enough to be that (rust, suspension problems, other electro-mechanical malfunctions)?
2. I don't want to be in service all the time .... & be without my car as i need it for my job. How many of you had none or just very minor problems?
3. High depreciation of the car .. if i choose to sell


BR

 

[Buster72]

As i have read some topics here ..... there are a lot of problems and i also got a feeling that support by the dealerships is not great in UK.
I am from SEE so here the dealership situation might be different, currently the mg network has a couple of Renault dealers.


I need a high mileage long term capable EV (that will not be in 7 years a basket case). I make 90 miles a day 5 times a week. I need a car which is reliable and will not left me on the road. I mainly drive on Highways 90%.

1. My biggest concern is that the car is just not developed good enough to be that (rust, suspension problems, other electro-mechanical malfunctions)?
2. I don't want to be in service all the time .... & be without my car as i need it for my job. How many of you had none or just very minor problems?
3. High depreciation of the car .. if i choose to sell


BR

The MG4 is properly developed. I have had my SE SR for 6 months and the reliability has been rock solid.
What you can see here are what pretty much any new type of car (EV) has. A few infant mortality problems. But the vast majority are perfectly fine. And this is the same for any new EV.
But it of course depends on what you are looking for.
If it is a good car at a very good price and one you would like to enjoy driving, then the MG4 can satisfy that need.

 

[staragara]

Maybe i would add one thing..

4. Do you think that the Mg left out older 2022 models out so software updates were limited or lees than on newer 23 model?

 

[DBedford]

Buy it, you will love it. We purchased a ZS in the end due to our age and bending down. But the MG4 is a dream to drive.

 

[Tight Git]

9 months and 12500 miles in my SE SR and only been back to the dealer for the safety locking in update. No issues to report apart from a slight creak from the dashboard which I will ask them to look at when it's in for service.

Not sure why you think there are rust/suspension/electro-mechanical problems?

You could have problems and possibly even worse on any brand.

 

[Rolfe]

I have had my SE SR for less than three months and driven only 2,000+ miles, so I can't speak for long-term ownership. However, nobody really can, as the car is less than a year old. Nobody knows about long-term reliability, rust, mechanical failures.

So perhaps it is a bit of a gamble. It is a gamble I chose to take, because the car is a dream to drive and the price was - well, not competitive, simply unbeatable. So far it is working very well indeed. I can give you my list of six software issues which annoy me, but it is possible to live with all of them, with a bit of a work-round. I have the undertray sag, but one hopes that new cars coming through will not have that.

Mechanically, the car is absolutely fine and I have no reason at all to be concerned. Five years on, ten years on, who knows? It's a new model. But no matter which car you choose, there's always a risk.

 

[NewMG4me]

I have had my SE SR for less than three months and driven only 2,000+ miles, so I can't speak for long-term ownership. However, nobody really can, as the car is less than a year old. Nobody knows about long-term reliability, rust, mechanical failures.

So perhaps it is a bit of a gamble. It is a gamble I chose to take, because the car is a dream to drive and the price was - well, not competitive, simply unbeatable. So far it is working very well indeed. I can give you my list of six software issues which annoy me, but it is possible to live with all of them, with a bit of a work-round. I have the undertray sag, but one hopes that new cars coming through will not have that.

Mechanically, the car is absolutely fine and I have no reason at all to be concerned. Five years on, ten years on, who knows? It's a new model. But no matter which car you choose, there's always a risk.

This is one of the reasons I decided to go down the lease-via-work option over 2 years rather than outright purchase. Its a newly released car, it isnt perfect but I view it as my introduction to the EV world. I actually love the car, it drives really well and its nice knowing that if there are any issues, I can just call the lease company and they will take it away, give me a temporary replacement and (hopefully) fix the MG4.
What the car is doing is letting me have a 2 year trial to decide if I want to invest a large chunk of my own money into EVs. From the experience of the last 6 weeks, the answer to this is a resounding 'Yes'.

 

[NickHeynes]

I've had my SR since October and covered around 11k miles.
I've had no issues whatsoever other than the usual well reported idiosyncrasies of the software. I have an undertray bulge but it's not massive.
I suppose the most important question to ask a current owner is " when it's time to change would you buy another one?"
In my case the answer ( at the moment)would be "absolutely, I love it"

 

[KH11]

I have had my trophy 4 weeks now and in the main no issues albeit I did have the sat nav freeze up last Sunday. I had a rough idea where I needed to be so it didn’t end up being a problem. I haven’t tried it since. I do turn off the keep lane assist and the emergency brake features to just alert only.

Loving the car otherwise. As it’s my first Automatic and EV I didn’t know if I would take to it but I have like a duck to water. As long as I don’t have any problems that can’t be fixed then it’s a keeper for me.

 

[Themist0]

If you have to get a car and you need/want an EV then this is a really good choice, like other I’ve had a few niggles but nothing serious and it’s a dream to drive. Regarding depreciation… if this EV depreciates then all other will do so too, for the same reasons. Personally I think ICE cars will depreciate heavily as people transition over to electric.. we are in a new era of transport so all bets are off… I would say ‘go for it’

 

[Harry 17]

Had my Jaffa Trophy since launch (September 2022). Currently just clocked over 8000 mile.

Had pretty much all of the same issues as documented regularly on here. That being said, car has never let me down, had the oil breather pipe fitted few months back, did the recall for the self locking prison, have a small protrudent gap on underneath undertray.

Had a Hybrid Toyota C-HR Prior to this, and this is my full head dive into EV.


Would not change a thing! Love the car, love the way it drives, willing to put up with its idiosyncrasies. I have heard far greater issues with cars £20 - 30K more, however, i do worry a little re: MG customer service and after sales. This for me, needs to be sorted and bloody quickly, or for everything they do well, they will fall away, should this not be addressed.

Basically, when it is working (95 % of the time) it is fantastic. If you are unlucky, could be a major issue.

Pretty much fence sitting, but not sure what else I can say.

 

[Rolfe]

If you have to get a car and you need/want an EV then this is a really good choice, like other I’ve had a few niggles but nothing serious and it’s a dream to drive. Regarding depreciation… if this EV depreciates then all other will do so too, for the same reasons. Personally I think ICE cars will depreciate heavily as people transition over to electric.. we are in a new era of transport so all bets are off… I would say ‘go for it’

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. There are going to be some diehard petrolheads who will want to keep an ICE car going no matter what, but how many? Will there be competition for the diminishing supply of ICE cars so that they acquire a premium, or will they become unsaleable because most people changing their cars decide to go electric? I don't know.

The three major issues are the cost of the cars, difficulties in charging if you don't have off-road parking you can lead electricity to, and the time penalty you pay on a long journey by having to stop more often and for longer periods to take on fuel. These are all soluble, so it's hard to know just how many die-hards there will be in the medium term.

 

[bowfer]

Thinks are moving apace in EV world, if you’re not sure then don’t commit.
I note there’s lease deals out there for under £250 on the Ora Cat without a big deposit.
Even if you don’t like that particular car, it’s a huge drop compared with 3 months ago and it’s a positive bargain.
Well received car, decent battery and performance for £250 a month…..
Also saw lease prices for the Kia Niro for £340 a month without a big deposit (in stock)
The 4 just isn’t the bargain it used to be.

 

[staragara]

I am going to buy car not finance it. Some options are new mg4 33k eur minus 6.5k subvention after 6 months or Used Opel corsa or Peugeot 208 year 2020+ up to 50.000km for 20k eur.

I have already applied for a test drive last week and no response from MG jet´and i am dead sirious of buying a car in a near future. If you ask me .... A bad sign from Importer and dealers.

 

[PristDean]

I am going to buy car not finance it. Some options are new mg4 33k eur minus 6.5k subvention after 6 months or Used Opel corsa or Peugeot 208 year 2020+ up to 50.000km for 20k eur.

I have already applied for a test drive last week and no response from MG jet´and i am dead sirious of buying a car in a near future. If you ask me .... A bad sign from Importer and dealers.

Well I have to say I am not surprised at the lack of response you have received. In the UK my nearest dealer has a phone number on their site for parts & servicing, yet they have no such service there and the number hits their sales team. I actually have to call the Volvo garage next door to them for servicing & repairs... Right now Volvo and I have been waiting three days for a response from MG for faults I have with the car....poor customer service indeed....which taints a good car experience.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do

 

[staragara]

Had my Jaffa Trophy since launch (September 2022). Currently just clocked over 8000 mile.

Had pretty much all of the same issues as documented regularly on here. That being said, car has never let me down, had the oil breather pipe fitted few months back, did the recall for the self locking prison, have a small protrudent gap on underneath undertray.

Can you quickly sum up what were the problems?

 

[Tight Git]

Can you quickly sum up what were the problems?

Think he did sum them up very concisely!

 

[bowfer]

It’s funny how people say things like ‘it’s never let me down’.
To me any time I have to go to a dealer for anything other than routine stuff, I have been let down.
Some people seem to think if a car starts and has never actually ‘broken down’ mid-drive, it’s fine. ?
It’s not the 70s, we should expect more than this from cars now.

 

[staragara]

It’s funny how people say things like ‘it’s never let me down’.
To me any time I have to go to a dealer for anything other than routine stuff, I have been let down.
Some people seem to think if a car starts and has never actually ‘broken down’ mid-drive, it’s fine. ?
It’s not the 70s, we should expect more than this from cars now.

Exactly this is my fear of a new model regarding warranty if the dealers support is Banana Republic.

I already had such experience in my past with a new motorbike, new brand on the market and it was not Chinese.

 

[PristDean]

The main issues to look for are:
1. Warping in the under tray at the rear of the car, just on front of the rear wheels. The tray forms a part of the car's overall aerodynamic efficiency and hence consumption efficiency. With down force created by the rear spoilers (more so on the UK trophy model) to help with traction, the rear warping will cause an opposite force pushing upwards by collecting air as the car travels, hence reducing the cars overall efficiency. Plus it allows water & road dirt etc to enter the area where the motor and BMS are.
2. Test the air conditioning. Turn it cool and listen. You will likely hear just how noisy it is and if you open the bonnet it becomes even louder.
3. Software niggles are covered well in this forum, they will be covered with updates in due course I hope.