Finally: a mature electric car for 30,000 euros | Car

It wasn’t even that long ago that we had a good laugh at the attempts of the Chinese car industry to gain a foothold in Europe, such as those of Landwind, Brilliance and Qoros. The fact that it does not always help to stick the name of an illustrious Western brand on your car makes the failed resurrection of Borgward clear. However, MG is living proof that it is possible, as long as your product is of acceptable quality and has a pleasant price tag, supplemented with a unique selling point.

The MG ZS pioneered the compact electric SUV segment and it paid off. Now the brand is focusing on the segment in which the Nissan Leaf and the Volkswagen ID.3, among others, are active. Incidentally, on paper we see quite a few similarities with that Volkswagen and that is not surprising, because the parent company of MG listens to the name SAIC and has been building cars for Volkswagen for decades. Formerly the Santana and today the ID models.

Not that we want to call this car a copy, because that is certainly not the case. The MG 4 has a length of 4.29 meters (for comparison, the aforementioned ID.3 is 4.26 meters long) and offers the rear passengers an enormous amount of space. It is therefore certainly not a punishment to sit in the back. Getting in and out is also comfortable. The luggage compartment is fully lined, which creates a high-quality impression. When you fold the rear seat, you create an (almost) flat loading floor. To be fair, no one really needs more car. And no more driving pleasure either.

We drive the 204-hp MG 4 in Luxury version, which can be recognized by the double rear spoiler. He has been given a strong, dynamic set-up. The engine and drive are located in the rear, which provides a good dose of driving dynamics. The steering is direct and it feels sporty. It is certainly not a punishment to drive this EV on winding roads.

But how fast did we actually drive? How many kilometers have we covered? How on earth are we supposed to enter the destination into the navigation system while driving? The small numbers and print on the two displays may be readable by young computer kids, but not by middle-aged automotive journalists. Given the enormous development steps that MG is taking, we hope that the brand may still get to work.

Furthermore, there is very little to grumble about this car. The 64-kWh battery of our test car is good for a range of more than 400 kilometers and charging goes well with a capacity of 135 kW. The entry-level version has a smaller battery with 51 kWh and less power, namely 170 hp (125 kW). The range is also slightly smaller, namely 350 kilometers. You have that version from 30,785 euros. There are three different versions: standard, comfort and luxury. This MG, like the other models, also comes with a 7-year warranty as standard.