Living with the MG4 SE SR – and living in it
For some years before buying my MG4 I had thought my next car would probably be an EV, because I like to keep up with new tech. I asked a few people who had EVs how they liked their car, and what I didn’t get was “yes, it’s OK, does what I want”. What I did get was starry-eyed gush about how fantastic it was. Every time. So, since I had electricity in my garage already, I decided that was good enough for me.
I thought I’d probably change my car in 2024, and have plenty time to think about the details. But then, in March 2023, my insurance company informed me that they were declaring my ageing Golf GTi Mk6 an economic write-off after I was T-boned by a careless BMW. Things were suddenly a lot more urgent, and I started browsing YouTube for car review videos.
I looked first at the VW ID.3, obviously, and was appalled by the price. But then, all the electric Golf-sized hatchbacks were much the same price, and the cars were so new that there weren’t any decent second-hand deals available. I looked at a new petrol GTi, and realised these were just as expensive. I hadn’t bought a car since 2009, and it was all a bit of a shock to the system.
Then I saw the video that changed my life. The Cupra Born compared to the MG4, which had been on the market for about six months by then. The reviewer assessed the MG as being nearly as good as the Born for most features, and better on driving quality. Then the bombshell. The MG4 was over ten grand cheaper than the Born (and all the competition), and within my price range. It looked fantastic. To quote the video, “Why wouldn’t you?”
I booked a test drive – never even having been in an EV before – and came back with a stupid grin on my face babbling, “Take my money!” The ordinary MG4 (the X-Power hadn’t been launched back then) felt as nippy as the (admittedly elderly) Golf GTi, and I was completely sold on the instant torque and the ultra-smooth ride. After trying his best to sell me the Trophy trim, and then the SE LR, the dealer admitted that he had exactly what I wanted, an SE SR in Holborn Blue, sitting out the back waiting to be prepped. Less than a fortnight after getting the news about the write-off I drove home in my new EV and just plugged it into the 13A socket in my garage. Given that my nearest petrol station is nine miles away, this felt like a miracle.
The very first morning, after a night on the granny charger.
Although the salesman was right about most people buying Trophys, I felt that the base SE model was better value for money. Its cloth seats seem harder wearing than the leatherette of the Trophy, who needs an integrated satnav when you have a phone and Android Auto, heated seats are a bit superfluous when you have preconditioning, and I actually prefer rear parking sensors to a camera. (I’d never had either before and the Golf had the scars to prove it.) The lack of auto-folding mirrors is a compromise too far in my opinion, as is the parking sensors being limited to the rear of the car, but you can’t have everything! The early models didn’t have a rear wiper because the car was designed not to need it, but so many reviewers moaned about this that they added one in the 2023 summer facelift. MG were right all along about that one, though. You don’t need it. Admittedly the Trophy is the better choice for a family, as the SE has no lights or speakers (and just one USB socket) in the rear, but the SE absolutely fulfils my requirements.
Yes, there were teething issues and bugs. I was too late for the oil leak and the lock-in bug, but I had the sagging undertray, failed charging port lights and a failed passenger door button fixed under warranty. Initially I had a pretty lengthy moan list of software bugs to hand to the dealer to pass on to MG, but although it probably took longer than it should have, most of these were eventually fixed with routine software updates. (The Trophy, having more bells and whistles than the SE, was far more plagued by software issues in the early months.) The biggie for many drivers (at both trim levels) was the lane keep assist, which scared me on my test drive, but this was eventually tamed to a nothingburger -I still switch it off, I don’t think having two “people” steering a car at once is a good idea.
I like the car’s spartan, uncluttered interior, and the dreaded “hard plastic” isn’t something I worry about. The car hits a sweet spot on buttons, with a row of these under the central screen plus programmable steering-wheel buttons meaning that I seldom need to touch the screen while I’m driving – I can change the HVAC temperature and fan speed and the radio volume and station with one thumb, without taking my eyes off the road. The adaptive cruise control – something I’d never had before, and I’m a big fan – is also easy to operate from the steering wheel.
There’s only one decision I might re-think. I went for the SR partly because I had been persuaded of the merits of LFP batteries, but also because I felt that as I had home charging capability and didn’t anticipate driving beyond the SR’s practical range on a day to day basis, there was no need to consider the LR. However, I hadn’t factored in the fact that the MG4 itself would change my driving habits.
I love it. After a few weeks I was looking for reasons to take it further. I booked a ticket for a music festival in Sussex, and in August I set off to do the 450 miles from Peeblesshire with a sense of adventure. In 2023 public charging wasn’t what it is now, but I made it there and back without any drama. It’s a journey I used to do often in my petrol cars, so I know the road, but the EV is just so much more relaxing to drive that what was a chore when I was working in down south is now a pleasure. I’ve done it several times a year since then.
Slumming it on the PodPoints at Glyndebourne opera house, with an identical (but Long
Range) MG4 in the row behind. The owner told me she often takes that car to the south of
France.
Mostly the shorter range and slower charging speed of the SR aren’t an issue. By the time I’ve driven 110-150 miles on the motorway I’m ready for a break, and the 85 kw maximum charging speed gives me time to sit and eat without rushing out to move the car. However, in winter I can see the opposite point of view. It’s not just the shorter range – three stops is still three stops – it’s the slower charging in the cold. If you’re snarled up in roadworks or forced to leave a closed motorway, you can’t simply decide to cut and run after twenty minutes, you have to sit there and drink your coffee whether you like it or not, wondering if you’ll make it to your hotel before they stop serving dinner. Maybe just once or twice I’ve harboured disloyal thoughts about that LR with its extra 13 kWh and 148 kW maximum charging speed.
In 2024 things took a new turn. I’d sometimes thought about camping in my car, but even the Golf’s load bed didn’t seem quite long enough, and the thought of sleeping in a cold car with condensation running down the windows didn’t appeal. And what about washing, and breakfast? The EV seemed to offer new possibilities. A few others on the MGEVs Community Forum had the same thought, and a long thread of speculation and experimentation ensued.
Teslas have a one-button Camp Mode, which the MG4 doesn’t, but we found work-rounds to make the car do everything a Tesla will do – and more. Teslas do not have VtL, or not until recently. The MG4 can boil a 3 kW kettle without breaking sweat. Washing, sorted. Breakfast (and lunch and dinner and coffee breaks), sorted.
The load bed will take a 6-feet airbed. Simply locking the car from inside keeps the HVAC on all night. Although a software bug leaves the front lights on when the lighting system is switched off, it’s the work of a minute to pull the fuses that stop that little game. I set about collecting the necessary gear, and by early September I was parked up in a leafy car park near Loch Arkaig wondering if I’d ever get to sleep! Of course I did, and I’m absolutely used to it now. It’s cosy and comfortable and strangely womb-like.
The morning after the first night’s camping – I’ve got more organised since then. The airbed
is actually flat, despite the appearance in the photo.
Later that month a week of Indian summer saw me tackle the western half of the NC500, sometimes in camp sites (essential if you want a shower), but mostly in lay-bys or off-road car parks. Great fun, but I was getting more ambitious. I didn’t just want to drive around, look at the scenery and visit tourist attractions, I wanted to get into the countryside and explore. Thus for 2025 I was joined by a lightweight e-bike and tackling all-day rides in Skye, Morar, Ardnamurchan and the Great Glen. Sixteen nights altogether in the car that year.
It’s not only the money-saving, it’s the sense of freedom. Just me and the car, and the road leading anywhere. In Scotland you can park up anywhere within reason, and I’ve never failed to find a suitable spot as dusk begins to fall. Just one word of warning. Everything they say about the midges is true, and worse. After being eaten alive that night by Loch Arkaig, I’ve got very clever about dealing with them. It’s total warfare.
The car powers the following:
• Heating (or aircon) on all night
• Refrigerated cool-box also on all night, from the 12V socket
• Recharging phone, Kindle, night-light, torch etc from USB sockets
• Electric mains pump to inflate the airbed
• 3 kW electric kettle
• 2 kW induction hob
• e-bike charger
A microwave is also absolutely possible, but even a small one is pushing it as far as carrying space is concerned.
Cooking dinner using the VtL, Brodick, Isle of Arran, 2026. The bike is waiting patiently to
the side for its turn on the VtL.
In the 51 kWh SR 24 hours in camp with heating, plus cooking, water boiling, bike charging and cool-box, uses about 12-15% of the battery. Two nights before visiting a charger is easy, and in April this year I managed three nights on Arran, with a little bit of driving into the bargain, even though night-time temperatures were down at 4ºC. It’s important to keep an eye on this, because unlike a Tesla in camp mode, which has a 20% discharge limit, the MG4 will happily run the HVAC till the traction battery empties. Always calculate to have enough to get to the nearest charger in the morning, with a bit to spare.
Here’s how it all fits in. Packed up and ready to go near Fort Augustus, 2025
Bike, sleeping bag with the deflated airbed underneath, flight bag behind with clothes and
toiletries.
The plastic box holds all the cooking and other gear, and supports the head of the airbed at night. The folding table and chair travel behind the driver’s seat and support the foot of the bed at night -the SR doesn’t have a flat load bed. If you’re wondering about the seats, these are aftermarket fake leather seat covers from AliExpress – they protect the dark grey upholstery and lighten the interior.
Cool-box for perishables, plastic box for non-perishables, and the induction hob is under the
rucksack and the spare shoes.
So that’s my experience. At the end of my fourth summer with the car I now have a Zappi, 18 PV panels, a home battery, and no electricity bills. I also have an emergency power supply add-on to power the basics in the house during a power cut, and I’ve experimented with running household appliances from the VtL – that’s how I know it will run a microwave.
I’m already seeing newer EVs coming out with longer range, faster charging and more bells and whistles, but I’m not jealous. The MG4 does what I want it to do, and it does it very well. It’s a keeper.
Article written by @DrMoragKerr.
