New owner with a few questions

[Alibro]

Hi guys
My first post here so please be gentle with me as I ask some newbie questions.
I just picked up my 2021 MG5 LR Exclusive with only 11k miles three days ago so have only had a couple of proper days driving but so far I really like the car.
On the day I collected it I was a little concerned I had been given a SR model as it was 100% full when I picked it up but had only 211 miles range.
After resetting the trip meter and driving at an average of 3.6 miles per kWh it is now showing around 225 miles range when full so I'm now happy it is OK.
So day one I was happy (ish).
Day two I started to get my head around some of it's idiosyncrasies and liked it a bit more.
Today I decided it is a fantastic car that is comfortable, smooth, goes well and has so many toys for me to play with it'll keep me happy for years. ? It is really remarkably good for the money and in many ways better than my old Merc.
So to the questions,

I have a wall charger I bought off ebay and had an electrician install but it has no option for regulating the number of kWh that go into the car. I haven't seen any option in the car to stop charging at 80% or 90%. Am I missing something or how do you guys control the charging percentage?

I have found in the small amount of driving I've done which was a mix of Motorway, town and country roads I'm getting 3.6 miles per kWh. I had a 2012 Merc C Class before and to save fuel I usually drove at 65 on the motorways and kept to the limits on other roads so have been doing the same in the MG. Is 3.6 about average? I'm not complaining as it is around what I expected, just curious.

I've managed to connect Android Auto a couple of times but it fails more often than it succeeds. Is there a short USB C Lead that you can recommend as I think the lead may be part of the problem.

Is there a go to document or video to help familiarise the options? It took me two days to figure out pushing in the volume control knob brought me back to the home screen. ?

I'm sure I read somewhere that installing an Android head unit can be done so is there a how to anywhere?

Thanks guys and I look forward to many happy years in the car and on here.

 

[5teep]

Your mileage will settle down as you settle in with the car, your average range depends a lot on your driving style and the roads, an LR should be capable of 240 easily in summer time but not at motorway speeds.

Don't worry about charging, just plug it into your wallbox when you need to and let it charge to full, it's better for the battery.

Android auto is clunky and horrible, avoid it if you can.

Document? yep, the manual

Not heard of an android head unit but with the flakeyness of the media system onboard it's probably best to leave it alone, you don't want to mess your warranty.

Enjoy the experience, I'm over 100k miles now and still look forward to getting into the car every day.

 

[Jomarkh]

Hi, if the EVSE (wall charger) is dumb then you will have to charge 100%.
If you have a smart one then you should be able to set a timer on it or in app.
What make is it?

 

[salty]

??

 

[Alibro]

Your mileage will settle down as you settle in with the car, your average range depends a lot on your driving style and the roads, an LR should be capable of 240 easily in summer time but not at motorway speeds.

Don't worry about charging, just plug it into your wallbox when you need to and let it charge to full, it's better for the battery.

Android auto is clunky and horrible, avoid it if you can.

Document? yep, the manual

Not heard of an android head unit but with the flakeyness of the media system onboard it's probably best to leave it alone, you don't want to mess your warranty.

Enjoy the experience, I'm over 100k miles now and still look forward to getting into the car every day.

Thanks for this, I can see that with town driving 4 miles per kWh is very easy to attain but I do a lot of motorway and A road driving so I'm happy with 3.6. At least I know I can stretch it out if necessary by slowing down.

TBH I didn't even check the chemistry of the battery before buying but I assumed it was NMC, from what you're saying it must be LFP, is this correct? If so how many cells in the pack as 96S and 400V would indicate NMC. I've had a quick search and the answers are contradictory.

I agree 100% about being cautious of messing with the media system although I think a sub woofer would be a huge improvement. Not that I have a clue how to achieve that.

As for enjoying it like I said I am hugely impressed by the driving experience. Honestly I was expecting a bland boring cheap feeling car before I went for a test drive and was shocked at how good it is.

Hi, if the EVSE (wall charger) is dumb then you will have to charge 100%.
If you have a smart one then you should be able to set a timer on it or in app.
What make is it?

The EVSE can be programmed using an app to charge at certain times so it is not completely dumb and I plan to use that to use an EV tariff. It was just that I thought the battery was NMC so shouldn't be charged to 100% every time.

 

[decrep]

I'm fairly sure LR are NMC

 

[Pebblefeline]

Welcome

I am a fairly new owner too, I found that after a month or so I could pretty consistently get 4 or more miles per kWh.
I think it’s just as I go used to using the regen efficiently

I assume 2 miles per percent which gives a dencent safety margin.

Glad you are loving yours

 

[Gomev]

Thanks for this, I can see that with town driving 4 miles per kWh is very easy to attain but I do a lot of motorway and A road driving so I'm happy with 3.6. At least I know I can stretch it out if necessary by slowing down.

TBH I didn't even check the chemistry of the battery before buying but I assumed it was NMC, from what you're saying it must be LFP, is this correct? If so how many cells in the pack as 96S and 400V would indicate NMC. I've had a quick search and the answers are contradictory.

I agree 100% about being cautious of messing with the media system although I think a sub woofer would be a huge improvement. Not that I have a clue how to achieve that.

As for enjoying it like I said I am hugely impressed by the driving experience. Honestly I was expecting a bland boring cheap feeling car before I went for a test drive and was shocked at how good it is.



The EVSE can be programmed using an app to charge at certain times so it is not completely dumb and I plan to use that to use an EV tariff. It was just that I thought the battery was NMC so shouldn't be charged to 100% every time.

The battery for the 2021 LR Exclusive is NMC.

Get an Android Auto wireless adapter. AAWireless is very good. There are other options but basically you plug that into the USB and when you get in the car with your phone AA is activated on the infotainment. Much more reliable than plugging your phone in.

 

[Wibble]

I bought one of these to, so far, solve the Android Auto issues:

USB Wireless android Auto Adapter For android Wireless android Dongle,Plug Play | eBay

[Wide Compatibility] Wireless. dongle is compatible with over 600 car models. Your car must be equipped with factory wired. Only suitable for cars with wired Android auto. This should do the trick! to wireless with the wireless.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Alibro]

The battery for the 2021 LR Exclusive is NMC.

Get an Android Auto wireless adapter. AAWireless is very good. There are other options but basically you plug that into the USB and when you get in the car with your phone AA is activated on the infotainment. Much more reliable than plugging your phone in.

Thanks for this,
From what I've heard NMC is better in the winter than LFP but not so tolerant of being fully charged repeatedly so I'll try to set the timer for my EVSE to avoid it happening too often. Having said that I don't believe going to 100% even a few times a month would do much harm. Degradation of the batteries will happen regardless which is why I went for a LR model.
I'm self employed and will be using my MG to drive all over Northern Ireland but mostly I will know how many miles I'll be doing the next day so can charge accordingly. I bought the car to use as a tool for my work so it will be earning it's keep.

I bought one of these to, so far, solve the Android Auto issues:

USB Wireless android Auto Adapter For android Wireless android Dongle,Plug Play | eBay

[Wide Compatibility] Wireless. dongle is compatible with over 600 car models. Your car must be equipped with factory wired. Only suitable for cars with wired Android auto. This should do the trick! to wireless with the wireless.

www.ebay.co.uk

Thanks, that's cheap enough that even if it doesn't work well with my phone it's no big deal.

 

[Aupa]

In my MG4, I find Android Auto wired works well - IF the phone is unlocked and Google maps is open BEFORE connecting the USB-C cable. A bonus with the wired setup is the phone stays charged.

 

[Alibro]

In my MG4, I find Android Auto wired works well - IF the phone is unlocked and Google maps is open BEFORE connecting the USB-C cable. A bonus with the wired setup is the phone stays charged.

I've been struggling to get my phone to connect but as I said earlier this may be the cable or even the phone which is an old Motorola.
I also find I am very hard on the battery on my phone while at work as I use Webex for hours each day so I have one of these in the car

66W 4 Ports USB PD Quick Car Charger QC3.0 Type C Fast Charging Car Adapter Cigarette Lighter Socket Splitter For iPhone - AliExpress 34

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

s.click.aliexpress.com

It charges much faster than the USB connection in the car.

 

[Alibro]

I bought one of these to, so far, solve the Android Auto issues:

USB Wireless android Auto Adapter For android Wireless android Dongle,Plug Play | eBay

[Wide Compatibility] Wireless. dongle is compatible with over 600 car models. Your car must be equipped with factory wired. Only suitable for cars with wired Android auto. This should do the trick! to wireless with the wireless.

www.ebay.co.uk

I was about to order this when I realised it's coming crom China anyway so had a quick look on Aliexpress and found this.

Mini Wireless Android Auto Adapter Smart Systems of The Wired Android Auto Car Accessories For Google Samsung Android 11.0 Phone - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

s.click.aliexpress.com

As far as I can see it's the same thing for a few quid less.
I also found these which are a lot cheaper than buying them locally.

4pcs Car Mud Flaps for Mg 5 MG5 Ev Car Mudguard Splash Guards Fender Mudflaps Accessories - AliExpress 34

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

s.click.aliexpress.com

A few years ago I bought a set of mudflaps for a C Class Merc and they were fantastic quality yet a fraction of the price from ebay. I'll report back when they arrive.

 

[Wibble]

I was about to order this when I realised it's coming crom China anyway so had a quick look on Aliexpress and found this.

Mini Wireless Android Auto Adapter Smart Systems of The Wired Android Auto Car Accessories For Google Samsung Android 11.0 Phone - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

s.click.aliexpress.com

As far as I can see it's the same thing for a few quid less.

I made an offer so only paid £18, delivery didnt take too long.