Road tripping in the MG4

[mg4]

Hi all,

It's that time again, planning the summer vacation for our family of 4. We plan to do a road trip for the summer holidays, where within 6 weeks we will be on the road for two weeks visiting various places, then visit family for about 2 weeks while i work remotely and then the last 2 weeks road tripping again back home.

We did few long journeys so far, but both were 'spur of the moment'. This one we want to plan for somewhat better, so i would love to hear your ideas, experiences, things to watchout for, things to enjoy, any tips however small they seem, that kind of things.

Can't wait to see how you guys road trip in your MG4, or would you rather use another car.

So far i searched the internet, but i mainly get to USA road trips and either vans, minivans or huge pickups, everything the MG4 is simply not capable of in terms of storage space.

 

[Bam Bam]

Hi all,

It's that time again, planning the summer vacation for our family of 4. We plan to do a road trip for the summer holidays, where within 6 weeks we will be on the road for two weeks visiting various places, then visit family for about 2 weeks while i work remotely and then the last 2 weeks road tripping again back home.

We did few long journeys so far, but both were 'spur of the moment'. This one we want to plan for somewhat better, so i would love to hear your ideas, experiences, things to watchout for, things to enjoy, any tips however small they seem, that kind of things.

Can't wait to see how you guys road trip in your MG4, or would you rather use another car.

So far i searched the internet, but i mainly get to USA road trips and either vans, minivans or huge pickups, everything the MG4 is simply not capable of in terms of storage space.

Through which countries?

I think with a Trophy this should be perfectly do-able. Even easier if you can find places to stay with chargers in the overnight parking places.

 

[mg4]

Through which countries?

I think with a Trophy this should be perfectly do-able. Even easier if you can find places to stay with chargers in the overnight parking places.

Overnight charging has been my idea as well, but i was discouraged a lot by many experienced drivers.

As for countries, the general idea is the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece then back up thruogh Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Germany and back to the Netherlands.

A lot of countries, more like a lot of cities but most of this is doable in 4 weeks i hope.

Any tips?

 

[siteguru]

Overnight charging has been my idea as well, but i was discouraged a lot by many experienced drivers.

Why? Waking up each morning to a (near-enough) full battery sounds like utopia if on a road trip.

 

[mg4]

Why? Waking up each morning to a (near-enough) full battery sounds like utopia if on a road trip.

I was told a lot that that the chargers will either be inaccessible (broken/not enough/ICEd) or slow or too expensive electricity or the stay will be more expensive overall.

I will still try though.

What are your experiences or tips?

 

[siteguru]

I've never road-tripped, so I have none. I was just curious as to the reasons behind that advice.

 

[SueH]

I've only done France and Italy and there you shouldn't have any problems., nor in Lux/Netherlands/Germany. I'd certainly do more planning in places like North Macedonia and Hungary though, so perhaps that's where you should concentrate any planning.

 

[Bam Bam]

I wondered if you were going to the UK. I haven't got experience outside the UK.

Perhaps some of our Eastern European members can be along to share their advice.

Though I expect some charging brands are international (Tesla?) so you could sign up for them.

 

[Rolfe]

I've had a great time road-tripping my SR in Britain. Been as far north as Durness and as far south as Hove sea front. You'll get on even better in a Trophy.

ETA: Oh wait, it's the ER? Even better. We want detailed itineraries, distances covered, and charging times.

 

[webhiker]

I'm doing Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Begium, France, Czech and Poland for the moment in my ER.
Works perfect.
I have signed up for Tesla and Ionity. To my surprise many public AC chargers are priced higher than the subscription prices of Tesla and Ionity. I only use AC charging if my accommodation offers it (I do not even use it as a criterion when selecting accommodation)

 

[MG Clive]

That's a good road trip @webhiker

 

[mg4]

To my surprise many public AC chargers are priced higher than the subscription prices of Tesla and Ionity. I only use AC charging if my accommodation offers it (I do not even use it as a criterion when selecting accommodation)

That is the case in the Netherlands. I often choose to fast charge at a Tesla charger because even without a subscription it costs 39 cents per kw and no parking. On my street i have to pay parking plus 34 cents per kw at one cheap AC charger or at the same street i have an expensive charger at 54 cents per kw plus 35 cents per session plus parking. Imagine if fuel (gasoline or diesel) prices were so radically different.

 

[mg4]

I'm doing Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Begium, France, Czech and Poland for the moment in my ER.

That is quite a nice trip. Did you take the ferry between Denmark and Germany or drive a bit longer? I only took the ferry once thinking it saves some hours driving but it cost close to 300 Eur in both directions.

 

[mg4]

I'm doing Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Begium, France, Czech and Poland for the moment in my ER.
Works perfect.
I have signed up for Tesla and Ionity.

I also got an email from Ionity about their prices being lowered by a subscription. I used it only as a last resort last year because the prices were i think 79 or 89 cents per kw. I preferred Tesla, but the Tesla chargers were usually further away from the highway.

Looking at ABRP with now preferring Ionity, it seems like i almost never need to leave the highway since they are mostly at rest areas. Is this also your real life experience with Ionity?

 

[mg4]

ETA: Oh wait, it's the ER? Even better. We want detailed itineraries, distances covered, and charging times.

Is there some road trip app that can gather that data with minimal input from me? Would be nice to not rely on Google maps tracking me. But i did Google maps plus gather all the charge invoices for a previous similar trip. If i can input it into a generic tool i don't mind sharing most of that data.

For the range, i found that while using ABRP, i had to adjust it every 15 - 30 minutes since it was too pessimistic. It is easy to do via the + and - buttons, but then choosing a new charger about 50 - 80 km further than planned for that leg of the trip while everyone is sleeping and i am going 130km/h was not an easy feat.

I did get an OBD2 dongle so i hope that goes smoother this time.

Quick workaround, July 2024

I don't have a way to track SoC after the fact, so that would be nice to learn something new about. In the table above, i aimed for 10 to 80 % but in reality it was about 15-18 % low to 85-90% high. ABRP was too pessimistic so we did not go to low and the charge curve was still really good into 87% hence the higher charge levels.

 

[mg4]

Here are some questions i have open, that maybe someone can share some knowledge on:

• Do you guys recommend using a fridge? Something compact since there is no space to begin with. Main things would be sliced meat/cheese for some quick sandwiches. Also, maybe a coolbox that fits somewhere that does not take up critical space? For bread/fruit/vegetables.
• Charge cables, do i buy a 'granny charger'?
• Charge cards i think Ionity, Tesla, Shell recharge are ok, but i have not been to Greece for example. Any recommendations?
• Frunk or not? I know it maybe invalidates the warranty? I already store the charge cable under the hood on trips where i only use DC FC, but thinking of a frunk still. Would it hold more space? I think there is only one available? Gas struts?
• Any luggage recommendations of any sort are welcome. I am considering bringing a battery operated vacuum cleaner to vacuum compress our clothes. It really is not a touring car, so i desperately need ideas. One thing i considered is a hitch luggage box, but it will turn off pretty much all assistance systems, so i consider it a last resort.
• Are there any good fitting SPF window blinds for the rear? Last summer it was not nice for the kids in the back since the air conditioning can only do so much against the sensation of the sun burning your skin off.
• Do you load up on top of the parcel shelf? Or keep all the cargo under it?

Ill add more once i have them, but these are the kind of things i wanted to learn from you. Most are maybe generic questions, but if a fellow MG4 owner has ideas it would be more applicable that someone with a station wagon.

 

[Rolfe]

I have a coolbox which runs off the cigarette lighter socket and only draws 48 watts. It's very good at keeping things cool when it's switched on, but of course if you switch the car off, it goes off too. However, if you have a full house in the car it might be tricky to know where to put it.

 

[PeteC]

• Do you load up on top of the parcel shelf? Or keep all the cargo under it?

I've just been away for a few days with 3 adults and 2 children, so we were quite pushed for space. Once I'd got the boot/trunk filled I disconnected the parcel shelf strings so that it wouldn't lift when I opened the tailgate and then laid a few coats on top of the parcel shelf. I left enough room to see something over the top of them! I also had my charge cable under the bonnet/hood, as you mentioned.

 

[SueH]

Here are some questions i have open, that maybe someone can share some knowledge on:

• Any luggage recommendations of any sort are welcome. I am considering bringing a battery operated vacuum cleaner to vacuum compress our clothes.

That sounds like a complication of the issue. How old are the kids, and can't you all travel light if it's a summer trip? Extra socks/t-shirts/underwear can always be tucked away in zip-lock bags in any spare spaces.

If you are going to more rural areas a granny might be a useful back up. A small 12v coolbox could be the divider between the kids on the back seat (!) and they regularly appear on sale around this time of year in Lidl/Aldi.

 

[mg4]

I disconnected the parcel shelf strings so that it wouldn't lift when I opened the tailgate and then laid a few coats on top of the parcel shelf. I left enough room to see something over the top of them!

This is super helpful, i will for sure use it. Never thought to disconnect them unless i pull out the shelf to make room for the seasonal tire change. Thanks!