MG4 XPower pet peeves…

[simonplayspiano]

Pet peeves - MG4 XPower

I’ve owned the car for a couple of weeks now and I’ve noticed a few things that really irritate me.

1. When I park, there is no easy way to switch off. In a traditional car I could turn the key or press 'stop' and everything shuts down. In the MG, the only way to power down the car is to go into the touchscreen menu, select vehicle settings, safety and power off. Which is a stupidly over-engineered and non UX-friendly way of hiding the 'off' switch.

2. I pull up onto the driveway and get out of the car, but I don't want to lock it yet - as I have shopping in the boot to unload. I can either go through the rigmorole of switching off through the steps outlined above... or what I'm actually doing is leaving the car running whilst I unload which is a stupid waste of energy. It also means my audio is playing (usually very loudly) whilst I unload my car - which is annoying AND embarrassing as my neighbours all realise how much I love ABBA.

3. The auto headlamps are rubbish compared to other cars I have driven. At dawn and dusk, they cannot make up their minds and you will notice them switching on and off repeatedly as you drive along which is very confusing to the car in front who thinks you must have some kind of problem. I have had to disable auto lights and control manually.

4. Same goes for the auto main/dipped beam which is not sensitive enough and will often blind oncoming traffic.

5. No rear centre armrest or cupholder - sounds stupidly obvious, but having nowhere for rear passengers to put a drink is crap.

6. Tyre pressure monitoring is random. I got a warning of a low rear tyre - but when I checked all pressures were identical. Then I watched them as I drove along and they increase and decrease very randomly on all four corners. This gives me little faith in their accuracy.

7. Screen menus are not editable. For example, I never intend to use Google play or Apple carplay, but I can't remove these widgets from the homescreen. So I constantly have redundant options appearing and taking up valuable real estate.

Generally, I love the car and for my first foray into EV ownership, I'm delighted with the performance, speed and range. The ticks above are minor, but I can see them becoming a decision-making factor when it comes to renewal time.

Thoughts? Have you encountered any pet peeves yourself?

 

[JonnyG]

Yeah, I agree with you on those especially 1,2 and 5. I am an Apple Carplay user so quite happy with that icon !

Just be careful with turning auto headlights off as if you have your headlights on in manual mode, exit the car and lock it the lights will stay on and there is'nt much warning - I've done it myself and luckily spotted it after about 15 minutes. All my previous cars would bong loudly as soon as I opened the drivers door ?

 

[MuzGB1970]

For option 2, lock the car as you get out then you can open the boot without unlocking the whole car again, when you close the boot after unloading the shopping it will auto lock.

 

[olliewebb]

I think these are super minor compared to what other people have experienced.

The switching off thing... not bothered me yet, I've had BMWs and MINIs that are the same, music keeps playing until you lock the car.

Blasting music loud when I'm parking up isn't something I've ever done any way, it's totally antisocial.

 

[siteguru]

1. Get out, shut the door and press the button on the door handle / press the lock button on the key fob.

2. As @MuzGB1970 mentions above.

3. Remove the cover from the light sensor (middle of the dash, under the windscreen). Replace with a unit with an open top / clear cover top. Apparently there's a software update which fixes the sensitivity issue but that's just anecdotal evidence.

4. I find my auto main beam generally works fine - no worse than any previous car I've had.

5. Doesn't bother me - you can get stuff from the likes of AliExpress to install a seat-mounted armrest with cup holders.

6. It's winter - tyres need inflating to ~37 psi when cold. As temperature changes then the base cold pressure changes - that's why tyre pressure checks should be a weekly task as a minimum; don't rely on the in-car measurement.

7. Name another car at this price point where the Infotainment screen is editable?

 

[Rolfe]

All these things are features of the MG4 as a whole, not just the X-Power. All five models work like that. None of the issues (apart from the lights coming on in daylight, for which there is a fix extensively discussed on the forum) are actual bugs, they're just the way the car is designed.

Didn't you have a test drive to see if the car suited the way you like to operate?

As to getting out of the car but not wanting to lock it yet, if the car isn't moving there's very very little energy being used. If the sound of the radio is a problem, just press the right joystick button to mute it before you get out. I find the main issue is that the DRLs stay on, leading to a string of people coming up to me to say, "you've left your lights on." Happened to me last night when I didn't have enough hands to get everything into my host's house in one go. I just said, "thanks, I'm going back out." And it was helpful that the lights were on so I could see. (I also remarked to thin air, well there's no chance of the battery going flat anyway!)

Normally, just get out, press the door button, radio goes off (a good reminder to press that button) and the screens go dark. Car snoozing. Yes, I still find myself feeling round for a handbrake and the ignition, but in the end that will pass.

I've only just started letting the automatic full beam do its thing. I've never had a car with that feature before. I'm quite impressed by how well it works.

 

[fnegroni]

In the SE’s 1100R33 infotainment there’s a ‘switch off’ icon on the pull down quick menu. Hopefully this will make its way into a future 1300Rxx update for trophy and x-power models too.

 

[olliewebb]

In the SE’s 1100R33 infotainment there’s a ‘switch off’ icon on the pull down quick menu. Hopefully this will make its way into a future 1300Rxx update for trophy and x-power models too.

Pretty sure mine has it. Need to check.

 

[lsb777]

5. Rear armrest. Not an issue for me as I'm only gonna be in the fun seat, but the wife & daughter weren't happy. An option I'm toying with is this from Ali Express...https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004955499909.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

 

[Bricktop X PWR]

I've honestly given this a lot of thought since I first saw your post earlier on today.
Turn your music down before you get out,
then unload your shopping.
Even if you leave it "running" with the AC on, you won't lose any range.
Only takes a minute to unload my shopping.
I've never trusted the auto headlights (in this or any of my previous germans)
So it is permanently OFF.
You soon get used to switching lights on and off, (old styleee ?) and even if you leave them on, I reckon they would be fine for days and days.
Doesn't the whole car go to sleep after about 10 minutes anyway?
Not sure what's up with your TPMS?
Mine is fine.
I bought the car with no view to carrying passengers so their comfort was of no consequence.
I do agree though, it's a bit bloody cheap of MG not to have included some drinks holders and a rear light.

I've had mine 2700 miles now, and am well versed in getting in, LKA OFF, away we go.

I don't give it a second thought anymore.

 

[olliewebb]

I bought the car with no view to carrying passengers so their comfort was of no consequence.

If wanted to carry passengers I wouldn't have bought a 400bhp+ hatch. Not the right car for the job is it? I would've gotten an estate or people carrier.

Rear seats in mine are only really good for sound deadening.

 

[Bricktop X PWR]

If wanted to carry passengers I wouldn't have bought a 400bhp+ hatch. Not the right car for the job is it? I would've gotten an estate or people carrier.

Rear seats in mine are only really good for sound deadening.

Correctamundo ?

 

[siteguru]

5. Rear armrest. Not an issue for me as I'm only gonna be in the fun seat, but the wife & daughter weren't happy. An option I'm toying with is this from Ali Express...https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004955499909.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

Working link below - and this is the type of thing I referred to earlier.

Universal Car Rear Seat Armrest 2 Row Console Box With Cup Holder Arm Rest Backseat Armrest Console Box For Ford All Cars - AliExpress 34

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

 

[PeteC]

3. Remove the cover from the light sensor (middle of the dash, under the windscreen). Replace with a unit with an open top / clear cover top. Apparently there's a software update which fixes the sensitivity issue but that's just anecdotal evidence.

Mine was recently updated at the first service and the lights are behaving much better. I followed traffic through a tunnel recently and they turned on and off at very similar times to the other cars. If anything, they're now maybe a bit slow to come on in murky, wet conditions.

 

[Mennox]

If wanted to carry passengers I wouldn't have bought a 400bhp+ hatch. Not the right car for the job is it? I would've gotten an estate or people carrier.

Rear seats in mine are only really good for sound deadening.

I will be carrying passengers, front and back but didnt deter me from buying a 400bhp+ motor haha....they have been prewarned about the power though

 

[tsedge]

Why do people want to switch off the car before getting out and locking it?

I think this is only because we have been habituated to start/stop buttons and ignition keys, but actually I love the fact that I can just pull up, hit P (which automatically applies the handbrake), jump out and lock with the remote.

 

[fnegroni]

I just normally switch the A/c off using the physical button as that’s the only annoying thing for me when I am loading/unloading over an extended period of time:
If instead of the on off switch this was just a shortcut to say ‘stop any annoying noise’ then I’d have that.
It’s essentially the convenience of an off switch as opposed to the start/stop button.

 

[JonnyG]

Why do people want to switch off the car before getting out and locking it?

I think this is only because we have been habituated to start/stop buttons and ignition keys, but actually I love the fact that I can just pull up, hit P (which automatically applies the handbrake), jump out and lock with the remote.

I think its more to do when you are unloading a packed car after a shopping / holiday / short break. I use the boot and rear footwells and rear seats as areas to pack bags / suitcases / Jackets etc. On returning home (usually at night after trips to family) it can take several to and fros from the car to the house to unload the car. Rather than have everything left on (lights, stereo, HVAC etc) I would rather be able to turn them off easily. Unless someone knows a better way the only way I've found is to shutdown the car from the Safety menu on the infotainment screen. Not really a big problem, just a bit of faff like turning off LKA every trip !.

 

[Rolfe]

I think its more to do when you are unloading a packed car after a shopping / holiday / short break. I use the boot and rear footwells and rear seats as areas to pack bags / suitcases / Jackets etc. On returning home (usually at night after trips to family) it can take several to and fros from the car to the house to unload the car. Rather than have everything left on (lights, stereo, HVAC etc) I would rather be able to turn them off easily. Unless someone knows a better way the only way I've found is to shutdown the car from the Safety menu on the infotainment screen. Not really a big problem, just a bit of faff like turning off LKA every trip !.

Personally in that situation I'd just hit the right joystick button to mute the stereo, lean over and hit the left-hand button under the infotainment screen to shut off the HVAC, and ignore the damn lights. If it's night-time they can be a help, really.

The HVAC won't take much power at the end of a drive though, and I find the continuing sound of the radio a handy reminder to press that door button when I'm finally ready to leave the car.

If you were only using the boot to carry stuff then you could just get out, press the door button to lock, and deal with the boot separately - it will open if you have the key on you. I agree, it's getting stuff from the rear seat that's the issue.

Why do people want to switch off the car before getting out and locking it?

I think this is only because we have been habituated to start/stop buttons and ignition keys, but actually I love the fact that I can just pull up, hit P (which automatically applies the handbrake), jump out and lock with the remote.

It's habit. Compounded by the fact that when that stuff was happening in our ICE cars we'd have left the engine running, and we're conditioned not to leave the engine running. There's a subliminal "must turn these things off" which I think relates to "mustn't leave engine idling".

One day I hope to love the fact that I can just pull up, hit P, jump out and lock with the door button. But, seven months on, I'm still staring at the steering wheel wondering what else I should do. I still have a reflex expectation that the car will roll away when I get out, because I haven't actually pulled up on a handbrake, and it feels all wrong! 50 years of "pull up handbrake, turn off ignition" die hard.

I think that's what bugs me about the radio too. I was always used to leaving the radio on in my previous cars, but it would go off when I switched off the ignition, and it wouldn't come on until I switched the ignition on again. So getting out of the car with it still playing, and having it come on at some random interval after I've sat down in the seat, feel strange. Though the sound of the radio is a good reminder to press that door button!

 

[JonnyG]

Interesting thought ... I once had a car stolen off my private drive after leaving the engine running to defrost. Foolishly I left it unlocked (I live on a very quiet cul de sac) but luckily the insurance company paid out.

Now suppose I left the Xpower "running" while I was unpacking all the luggage and in the house momentarily... would someone be able to nip in quickly and drive off ?