MG MG4 2025 review: XPower long-term | Part 1

I’ve got high hopes for this MG4 XPower, despite having something of a chequered history with the Chinese brand's undeniably game-changing electric car.

That game-changing thing isn't an understatement, by the way. Long before the BYD Dolphin was taking an axe to entry-level EV pricing, MG was genuinely defining what a good, cheap electric car should be.

At least, it did with the cheapest variant, the Excite 51. I named it one of my favourite cars of the year, automotive publications named it their vehicle of the year, and everyone generally frothed over the price, the power, the range and the driving dynamics.

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Explore the 2025 MG MG4 Range

MG MG4 EV 2026 review: Essence 64 | BYD Dolphin rival tested MG MG4 2025 review: XPower long-term | Part 2 MG MG4 2025 review: XPower long-term | Part 1 MG4 2025 review: Essence 77kWh long-term | Part 2

I stand by all of that. When MG gave the 51 drive-away pricing of around $30K, I very nearly bought one. An electric city runabout with a 10-year warranty makes lots of sense.

But our relationship hit a rockier note when I started driving the more expensive variants, including the Long Range 77 I spent three months behind the wheel of for this very publication.

Don't get me wrong – it too is a competent, mostly comfortable city cruiser, but some of the MG4's weak points (it's infuriating start-and-go sequence, some cabin material choices and it's fiddly multimedia) grate a little more when you're paying circa-$50K.

2025 MG MG4 (image: Andrew Chesterton)

Oh, and I'd give you an exact price, but the MG4's costs go up and down faster than some crypto currencies, so better to play it safe with a ballpark number.

But the MG4 XPower promises to reset my expectations yet again.

For one, it is staggeringly quick for a car in this price bracket. And I do mean, staggeringly. The MG4 Power will clip 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds, which is Porsche 911 Carrera S fast (3.5s). It will also embarrass most – almost all –petrol-powered hot hatches in a traffic-light sprint.

2025 MG MG4 (image: Andrew Chesterton)

The difference, though, is that when you plant your foot in a burbling, barking Porsche you expect fireworks. The MG4, though, lulls you into a state of serenity with its pretty understated appearance and functional interior. But more on that in a moment.

Delivering that blistering acceleration is a twin-motor powertrain, which plonks an electric motor at each axle to deliver a combined 300kW and up to 600Nm.

Two motors means AWD, of course, which means lots of go-pedal grip when you plant your foot – something plenty of front-wheel drive EVs cannot claim.

2025 MG MG4 (image: Andrew Chesterton)

There's also stiffer suspension, ventilated brake rotors at all four wheels, and fancy bright-orange brake caliper covers that, at a glance, look like the big, usually red calipers you find on proper sports cars, but which in this case are merely eye-catching covers on top of the regular brakes.

Away from the performance stuff, you also just get a whole lot of car. Like all MG4 models, the XPower is seriously stacked with kit, including LED lighting all around, V2L (vehicle-to-load) functionality and 18-inch alloys.

Inside, it's much the same as the rest of the MG4 range, with the 10.25-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging and synthetic-leather seats.

2025 MG MG4 (image: Andrew Chesterton)

And the price for all this go-fast goodness? A mere $59,791, drive-away (at the time of writing) in NSW.

For reference, the long-time standard-bearer in the hot hatch space has been the Golf GTI, which is currently $59,990, and, like most petrol-powered alternatives, is significantly slower than the MG4.

If that's the good, here's the bad. I've only spent a month behind the wheel so far, and while the flat-footed acceleration is a great party trick, it's one you find you only really use when you've got other passengers in the car. And so the XPower will need to shine with more than just straight-line speed.

2025 MG MG4 (image: Andrew Chesterton)

And... I'm not totally convinced it does. The stuff that made me grin at the beginning - the firm-almost-harsh suspension tune being the most obvious example - is beginning to annoy me on the day-to-day commute, and I don't yet think the MG4 is genuinely sporty enough to justify the comfort quirks.

And so, if it's not a sporty superstar, and the acceleration excitement wears off, would I actually be better spending less money on a more comfortable version of MG's EV?

Stay tuned, because I'm taking the XPower out of town to put it to the proper test.

Acquired: December 2024

Distance travelled this month: 570km

Odometer: 7637.2km

Average energy consumption this month: 17.5kWh/100km