Road test: MG's dual-motor MG4 XPower is a surprising supercar killer

Saturday, 11 November 2023

MG’s first proper go at a performance car since being bought by Chinese group SAIC has landed.

Completely unhinged. A little bit terrifying. Very silly. Ask me to sum up this new MG4 XPower in one or two words, and you’ll likely hear one or two of the aforementioned descriptors, likely delivered with a giggle and a significant exhale.

Decades and decades ago, when MG’s two letters still meant Morris Garages, the brand was a regular in the hot hatch game, helping craft the early days of the budget performance world with the Metro Turbo, Maestro Turbo, the 6R4, and ZR.

Leaping off the line: The MG4 XPower races to 100kph in 3.8 seconds, placing it amongst some incredible performance cars.

A few decades on, and MG has finally returned to the hot hatch fold. And barely anything’s changed … except for the new owners, the entire motoring industry landscape, and its submission is a fully electric, dual-motor EV with more power than anything else in class. You know, the usual.

The XPower (a name also dug up from MG’s past) might be innocuous to look at, but it’s a sheer numbers behemoth. Its pair of motors produces 300kW/600Nm, making it just as powerful as a Mercedes-AMG A 45, and quicker to 100kph – taking just 3.8 seconds to notch triple digits and 12 seconds to eat up the quarter mile.

Sport pedals, suede inserts, and red stitching lead the changes inside.

Three point eight seconds. Think about that. That is BMW M3, Porsche Cayman GT4, Tesla Model Y Performance, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Ferrari-freaking-Enzo territory … from a Chinese-built electric hatchback that costs $69,990. And the Clean Car Discount slices another $7,015 off that, if your car happens to arrive before the clock runs out.

Engage launch control (yes, an electric MG with launch control), and the 4 leaps off the line in a Tesla-like manner. Perhaps a little bit of initial tyre squeal and bog if you’re on chip seal like we were, but otherwise minimal drama other than the feeling of all of your organs squishing against the back of your ribcage. Even in standard Sport mode it’ll do 0–100kph in four seconds.

Barring a few new trim bits and different wheels, the XPower blends in visually with the rest of the MG4 line-up.

We could just about end the review here since, regardless of whatever follows, the XPower’s numbers and value alone are quite the achievement for MG and Chinese motoring in general. To cram this much performance into a package that is still comfortably cheaper than most entry-grade western-market EVs shows just how much catch up they have to do.

But, the review doesn’t end here. We’ve got another 500-odd words to crack into.

Those bright orange brake callipers? They’re just covers, bolted on top of the actual callipers underneath.

So, the MG4 XPower isn’t just about strapping the biggest, baddest motors to a billy cart and sending you on your way. MG has given the platform plenty of tools with which to try and tame that mountain of power.

Its rear-motor e-diff acts as a torque vectoring system, redistributing power in the bends to aid rotation. Its suspension set-up (McPherson strut front, multi-link rear) is 25% stiffer than what you get from a standard MG4.

Quick in a straight line? Check. Quick in the corners? Well, let’s talk about that ...

Uprated brake callipers and discs sit behind the model-specific 18-inch wheels, which come wrapped in Bridgestone Turanza rubber. MG also boasts that the XPower is perfectly balanced, with 50:50 weight distribution.

In terms of the visual changes, you also get new leather upholstery, red stitching, some alternative plastic trim on the doors, and … orange “calliper covers”. Yes, those bright orange brake callipers are just covers that slip over the actual callipers. Worst of all, they detract from the fact that this actually does have bigger brakes than standard. If I owned an XPower, these covers would go in the bin on day one.

MG's first fully electric hot hatch, the MG4 XPower, has arrived in the country.

While we’re rattling off specs, it’s worth noting that the XPower comes equipped with the same 64kWh battery as in the mid-spec MG4 models, as opposed to the 77kWh unit from the Long Range. MG claims a range of 400km to a charge, 35km less than the Essence 64kWh.

It also gets a power driver’s seat, 10.25-inch touchscreen, and a digital cluster. Like its MG4 stablemates it also doesn’t have a start/stop button, meaning that you just need to unlock it, hop in, and select drive in order to set off.

One of the quirks of this system is that if you exit the car and walk away without locking the doors, it will leave the touchscreen going. We managed to do this by accident, discovering the screen was on a few hours later and losing around 5% of battery capacity in the process. Something to consider for those with a garage that don’t normally lock their cars at night.

Rear legroom is very good, with the rear bench getting the same suede and leather treatment.

The new suede and leather seats look good, but lack support in the twisties.

Like the rest of the MG4 line-up, the XPower boasts ‘V2L’ functionality, an increasingly coveted feature amongst EV faithful.

Its digital cluster is smaller than most, but conveys its information well.

Apart from that amusing rear spoiler and garish orange highlights, the XPower is quite a reserved looker.

Other standard features include adaptive cruise control, vehicle-to-load charging, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto … yadda yadda yadda, boring boring boring. Let’s talk about the interesting bit; how it drives.

In a straight line, the XPower is a bona-fide supercar beater, ready to scare the absolute bejesus out of the Ferrari or Porsche lined up next to you at the traffic lights. When you’re just commuting, it’s a perfectly laid back EV, noticeably more firm than a standard MG4 but not to the point of being egregious like a lot of other hot hatches.

Take it on the kind of curly road hot hatches are meant to be made for, though, and the MG4 is … well … quite different. Unlike in a Ford Mustang Mach-E or Cupra Born, getting into a groove and linking corners together can be quite difficult in the XPower. It’s a hilarious handful, its 300kW of instant electric grunt often overwhelming the platform and the Bridgestones.

Add too much power mid-corner and you’re bound to wash wide or trigger wheelspin. How neutral and reserved it feels when you’re driving it at seven tenths makes it all the more tempting to push it harder. To be properly quick on a backroad in the XPower you need to really grab it by the scruff of the neck with forceful inputs – a great challenge, but not necessarily a quintessential hot hatch experience.

I’d love to see someone bolt bigger, better rubber on one and explore its potential.

It may be a little flawed as a purist performance car, but the MG4 XPower is still an awesome machine. It’s a straight line nuisance, bound to prompt plenty of laughing and grinning from occupants and slack-jawed onlookers. An oddly lovable rogue that highlights the bang-for-buck performance ability that electrification can offer.

Bonus images