EVs - Test Drives and Impressions of NZ Available Models

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › EVs - Test Drives and Impressions of NZ Available Models

1 | ... | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#3093463 22-Jun-2023 14:38

sultanoswing:

If a car can skid when you hit the brakes hard, then the brakes are adequate, and it's the tyre grip letting you down.

That's fine for a single stop, but takes no account of the cumulative heat from repeated or lengthy cycles or the extra energy to dissipate from towing. Those same brakes that will let you skid for one stop might do nothing at all after the first few bends on a twisty downhill road with a trailer on. An important aspect of brake performance is repeated stops in short succesion, which is where better ventilation/cooling is very important.

Dingbatt

6754 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3122708 1-Sep-2023 15:18

MG4 Essence 64 ($56200 incl ORC before rebate)

I finally got the opportunity to test the MG4. I acknowledge there are GZers who have driven, ordered and possibly even received the MG4, so please correct any errors/omissions because mine was only a short, 30 minute test drive.

TL:DR

For the price point this is a good family EV. It drives well, is comfortable, has an adequate range and usable UX. The Essence 64 seems to be the best model for private ownership for price, range and features.

The Essence 64 sits in the middle of the models available in NZ (Excite 51, Excite 64, Essence 64 and Long Range 77). It has extras over the Excite like electric (heated) seats, vinyl seat trim, BSM, 360 camera, better audio, better connectivity, wireless phone charger folding mirrors, to name some. And is $3000 more.

Comfort

The seats are comfortable in a "goldilocks" (not too soft, not too firm) way, although they lack lumbar support. The brevity of the test drive didn't allow an assessment of extended-range comfort. The steering wheel was adjustable in reach and rake and a comfortable driving position was easy to achieve. The interior trim is all black and feels a little cave-like in the rear seats. That may make it feel a little claustrophobic for children in the back. MG is not alone in this. For adults the rear has sufficient headroom. Ventilation in the front is good. Controls are buried in the touchscreen though (more later).

Technology

The car has a centre display with some manual buttons on its lower edge for hvac off/on, front/rear window heater, hazard lights, "Home" and audio volume down/up. The UX is menu based and has shortcut tiles on the main screen. As mentioned above, the hvac controls are accessed via the touch screen and is brought up by swiping down from the top of the screen. The first thing I would be doing as an owner is mapping the hvac controls to one of the "favourite" buttons on the steering wheel. Doing this gives access to fan speed and temperature via the steering wheel toggles rather than trying to use the touchscreen while driving. The menu system seems quite logical, although some settings are buried quite deep. It is more logical than the VWAG arrangement (IMO). The resolution and clarity of the screen is 'adequate'. There is a small driver's display which contains all the essential info and is fully visible through the steering wheel arc (looking at you, Kia and Hyundai). It has drive and safety modes on the left (including a simpler version of the situation display in a Tesla i.e. showing surrounding vehicles, Speed and Energy in the centre, and ancilliary info like Nav, Audio, Caller info selectable on the right. There is no HUD on any of the models.

I was unable to assess the audio system due to the shortness of the drive.

It has wired Android Auto / Apple Carplay. The AA was well displayed on the centre screen. I didn't get a chance to see if phone nav was sent to the driver's display or just the car's own system. Likewise I didn't see if the voice Assistant button on the steering wheel activated the phone's assistant when connected. These are things I'll try on a subsequent visit (unless GZers can fill in the gaps?).

What did look a little cheap were the controls on the steering wheel, particularly the 4-way joysticks used for moving and selecting in the menus. They looked (and felt) like something off a cheap Aliexpress computer game controller and I'm not sure about their durability.

Drive (using my usual test circuit)

On the road the seating position is midway between a sedan and a crossover and provided good visibility except over your shoulder and out the small rear window. The rearward view is compromised by the centre seat headrest. I didn't get a chance to see if it could be lowered. The shoulder check visibility is augmented by good large side mirrors and BSM (Essence and above). The reversing camera is clear (static guidelines only) and the Essence has a 360 top-down view (reverse and low speed). The drive mode selector (D,N,P,R) is a rotary selector on a plinth just below the centre display and falls easily to hand without needing to look while manoeuvring. It is encouraging to see some thought has been put into the driving ergonomics.

The car is quiet at urban speeds, although you can detect some electric hum from the rear mounted electric motor. At motorway speeds there is a reasonable amount of road noise and some drumming from the rear. The drumming is the sound you get from station wagons (in my experience) and is possibly because of the boxy shape of the hatch. I would guess some of the cost savings have been made in the sound deadening materials that have (or not) been used.

The performance (acceleration) is 'adequate' for an EV and I would have to class it at the lower end of EVs I have tried. But this is a modest family car, not a tire shredder, so it is, adequate. Handling and the ride comfort were good. It was softer over bumps than my TM3 without being too wishy-washy in the corners. I was quite impressed, considering the price point. There are 3 levels of regeneration selectable and it can also be selected to "single pedal driving".

Storage

I won't use Gavin Shoebridge's potato scale, but there is a good amount of storage in the cabin, although the door bins are quite slim. The wireless charging pad is well placed below the centre screen and the the USB port for AA/AC is just below the plinth it's on, so a 60cm cable would probably reach. Cup holders are within easy reach there too. Once again the layout has had some serious thought put into it.

The MG4 doesn't have a Frunk, although there seems to be some aftermarket accessories available overseas to retrofit a small one.

The hatch is manual, its storage space is good, although there's virtually no space underfloor ( what there is, is taken up with inflator and goo kit). The boot floor can be set at different levels but I would be careful how much weight I put on it in its upper location. Obviously, being an EV, there is no spare wheel. It does have a parcel shelf though.

Economy

On my standard test drive route (urban, extra-urban and motorway) with aircon off, the Essence 64 returned 150Wh/km*. So that works out to 414km from the 62.1kWh usable from the battery (WLTP 435km). The various claimed capacities are on the MG NZ website, but the figures quoted for WLTP seem to be reasonable.

From what I can ascertain, the 51kWh battery is LFP, the bigger ones are NMC (still looking for confirmation). DC rapid charging is limited to 80kW on the small battery and 140kW on the bigger ones. AC charging is 6.6kW single phase on all but the 77kWh which has three phase 11kW.

Summary

I was pleasantly surprised by this car for the price it is currently at. It drove well and would make an excellent urban family wagon. It seems well constructed and is thoughtful in its design. It doesn't have the quirky design features that the Atto4 or Ora Cat have, but that makes it more appealing in my book. And being rear wheel drive it is nicer to drive than some of its competitors, including more expensive offerings from other parts of Asia. It will probably depreciate quickly, but that's for an individual to decide.

Definitely in consideration as our second car.

* My Tesla Model3RWD does 130wh/km over the same route.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

sultanoswing

814 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3122711 1-Sep-2023 15:28

"vinyl seat trim"

Should that read "leather"? Or is vinyl trim now considered a luxury extra in its own right?

Dingbatt

6754 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3122712 1-Sep-2023 15:31

sultanoswing: "vinyl seat trim"

Should that read "leather"? Or is vinyl trim now considered a luxury extra in its own right?

I try not to use the term "vegan" or "faux" leather for what is actually poly-urethane. So these seats have PU side bolsters rather than just being all cloth for that 'luxury' look. And I did call it an "extra" rather than a luxury.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

sultanoswing

814 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3122713 1-Sep-2023 15:34

Dingbatt:
sultanoswing: "vinyl seat trim"

Should that read "leather"? Or is vinyl trim now considered a luxury extra in its own right?

I try not to use the term "vegan" or "faux" leather for what is actually poly-urethane. So these seats have PU side bolsters rather than just being all cloth for that 'luxury' look.

Thanks :)

So definitely no burr walnut either?

Dingbatt

6754 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3122714 1-Sep-2023 15:35

Via the aftermarket on AliExpress I would expect...😀

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#3122721 1-Sep-2023 16:26

Thanks, Dingbatt, for a comprehensive summary. I generally agree with your comments, having had a couple of shortish drives in the same Essence 64 model; I've not had an opportunity to actually drive the Excite 51, which is the one my wife has ordered. Just a few things to add that may provide some additional context:

I think there are three key exterior differences between the Essence and Excite models - the latter misses out on the substantial rear spoiler and the black contrast roof, and it has smaller wheels. These things may be important for some!
Essence 64 may only be $3,000 more than the Excite 64, but that's already an additional $5,000 over the base Excite 51; given the only difference between the two Excite models is battery capacity, if range isn't a critical factor (which it may not be for those using it as an urban runabout) then that's an $8,000 difference one is paying the other features (plus losing the LFP battery). While the extra kit is certainly desirable, an additional $8k is a significant extra % on the price of the cheapest version ($41k after rebate and including ORCs).
Agree on rear visibility; we found the best option was to remove the middle seat's headrest, after which it was actually better than that of my Model Y. (We'll just keep the headrest in the boot, as it's not really wide enough for taking three in the rear for anything other than short trips.)
It's worth noting only Essence and above have one pedal driving; this isn't present on the Excite models. There's some word from Aus that this may become available as a software update at a later point. As someone who loves OPD, I'd appreciate this - but I'm not holding my breath.
Agree on the darkness of the cabin, noting there are no ceiling lights in the rear; this and the relatively sparse interior provide a very strong contrast to the Atto 3, which is anything but spartan! For some - including my wife - the "different" aesthetics may be enough to rule one of these out.
Re power/acceleration: Agree this is nothing spectacular if used to a decently speedy EV, but it's still got the EV instant response absent from similarly priced ICE cars. I've not yet driven a BYD Dolphin, but the base model BYD has 44% less power than the base model MG4 so it's a much more leisurely stroll to reach 100 (12sh seconds). Interestingly, despite the lower power (125 vs 150) the base model Excite 51 is apparently slightly faster to 100 than the Essence 64.

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

KrazyKid

1238 posts

Uber Geek

#3123507 4-Sep-2023 13:17

I too test drove a MG4 2 days ago and want to agree with most of what the others have written.

Coming from a Nissian Leaf 24KW this is a huge jump up and as such I really liked it.
I've driven a M3 once for a weekend a year ago, and have driven a BYD Atto 3 a year ago don't have a large range of comparsion for EV's.

I drove the 64 KW model so a step up in trim and a few features from the 51KW excite, bit if I buy an MG4 it will be the 51KW version because of the price and the LFP battery.
$40K vs $48K is a big jump and for my use case of around town abnd occassional weekend drives away - 220Km real world range is probably a maximum I will need.

The ~300Km real world range of the 51KW will be more than ebough for me even with degration of the battery. And the LFP battery will help minimise that range reduction

What I like/disliked:

The music sound quality is rubbish, very tinny, no base regardless of tuning. 4/10 at best
Smooth drive, handles well.
360 camera is nice, I'll miss that buying he 51KW model :(
Limited view out of the review window - needs the middle arm rest removed as others had said.
Plenty of power - didn't fell it was struggly with some Dunedin motoerway hills at 100km/hr unlike the leaf.
Little road noise when driving on the motorway. Quiet ride.

Probably going to put in an order for one soon.

Scott3

3963 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3123558 4-Sep-2023 13:43

KrazyKid:

24KW

Crash course in SI units, relevant to EV's:

Capacities : kWh... i.e. My Nissan Leaf has a 24kWh battery, but my last charge was a partial one, so the car only took 6.8 kWh.

Power: kW... i.e. My nissan leaf has an 80kW motor. Normally I charge it from my domestic socket at 1.8kW, but if I use a DC fast charger, the car can charge at faster than 40kW, if the battery is nearly empty.

distance: km

Speed km/h

Note the use of capitals. SI prefixes smaller than Mega are lowercase. SI symbols are lowercase, unless they are named after a person, i.e. Watt & W.

alasta

6701 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#3123560 4-Sep-2023 13:53

I drove a Mevo home on Friday night and ended up with a 'Build Your Dreams' electric vehicle as none of the Volkswagens were available nearby.

My first task was to adjust the wing mirrors but I couldn't see the control on the driver's armrest as the buttons were not illuminated and the overhead light was terrible. I ended up using the torch on my phone. The next thing was figuring out how to put it into gear as the selector has a non-standard design. As I drove off I asked my passenger to adjust the climate control temperature and, after much fumbling around, she proudly declared that she had figured it out. As it turned out whatever she did resulted in turning on the radio rather than adjusting the temperature. The giant iPad in the centre console is a confusing maze of screens and we eventually decided it was better not to fiddle with anything.

I can see why computer nerds like these cars, but it's not a good option for someone looking for a familiar mainstream vehicle and I feel that Mevo have missed the mark by including these in their fleet.

RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#3123575 4-Sep-2023 15:23

alasta:

[snip]The giant iPad in the centre console is a confusing maze of screens and we eventually decided it was better not to fiddle with anything.

I can see why computer nerds like these cars, but it's not a good option for someone looking for a familiar mainstream vehicle and I feel that Mevo have missed the mark by including these in their fleet.

I don't think this is a computer nerd thing at all. There are increasing numbers of cars with such touch screen controls, and like anything new you try it takes a little time for it to become second nature, but it's not really much different to a touch scren smart phone of whatever variety. Most people seem to get used to this sort of thing pretty quickly, but obvously trying to use any unfamiliar car in the dark will alway sbe a bit difficult.

Having said that, I think there's some things that should always have pjhysical tactile switches or buttons - things like climate controls and turning the audio off that you really need to be able to do by feel, not having to look where you are tapping and take your eyes off the road.

gzt

17104 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3123681 4-Sep-2023 23:32

There's a difference between touch screen ui that does what you want quickly and simply and touch screen ui that doesn't.

Handle9

11386 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3123687 5-Sep-2023 07:15

gzt: There's a difference between touch screen ui that does what you want quickly and simply and touch screen ui that doesn't.

There's also a difference between having an open mind on new things/brands and having a negative mindset on such things.

rb99

3422 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3123689 5-Sep-2023 07:26

Nothing original about no stalks -

proper switches in fact.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

alasta

6701 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#3123702 5-Sep-2023 08:37

Climate controls should not be buried in a touch screen interface. It's something that Peugeot tried years ago and got slammed for by motoring journalists because it was a terrible user experience.

1 | ... | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13