MG Motor UK MG4 Urban review

Confusing, is what it is. Top Gear has spent a lot of time thinking about the MG4 Urban, and concluded the best thing to do is not think about it too much. So without further ado, the bare facts.

It's a roomy and straightforward EV hatch, selling at very competitive prices. As we write, the base model with an 'MG grant' applied is £21,995. That MG Grant is basically a price cut because there's no Government grant. The UK state doesn't subsidise cars made by SAIC, an arm of the Chinese state.

To stress, that's not £22k for a supermini, but for a car that's emphatically roomier than say a VW ID.3.

So why the confusion? Because while in China the MG4 Urban is replacing the MG4, that's not happening here. MG still still sells the MG4 in Britain, the car it launched in 2022. In fact it's doubling down on it, giving the cabin trim a much-need go-over.

That is strange.

Oh there's more. The MG4 is rear-drive with sophisticated multi-link rear suspension. The MG4 Urban is front-drive with a simple torsion beam rear. The older MG4 has more power, bigger batteries and longer range than the newer MG4 Urban. The older car is definitely the sportier. While the roomier Urban is cheaper.

And yet the design of the Urban more closely resembles the 'brand icon' (their words) Cyberster sports car than the 'sportier' MG4 does.

Oh and because it's newer, the Urban has an advanced battery construction, with the cells bolted directly to the body, a feature that saves weight and space compared with the usual modules in a separate pack.

So, yeah, don't think too much about how these two mid-size MGs relate to one another, just take each at face value. Most interesting perhaps is the fact neither are crossovers, in a world where it sometimes feels like everything is. Oh hang on, MG has an EV crossover too, the MG5 EV.

OK, enough bewildering positioning. Bare stats please.

The MG4 Urban comes in two battery sizes, both LFP chemistry – the sort that are cobalt-free, and also that you can routinely charge to 100 per cent and discharge to zero without worrying about durability. But also the sort that hold less energy than the alternative NMC.

The base model's pack is 41.9kWh, for 201 miles WLTP range. The upper spec is 52.8kWh net, for 258 miles on 16-inch wheels and 251 on 17s.

The smaller battery allows 149bhp from the motor, for 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds. The bigger one is 160bhp, but that shaves off only 0.1s from the 0-62mph time because the car is a little heavier.

Peak DC charge power is 82kW for the smaller battery and 87kW for the larger, so both will get you from 10-80 per cent in half an hour. Of course 80 per cent with the bigger battery gives you more miles. The Premium spec includes battery pre-heating so it should charge pretty well that fast in the cold, while the lower spec will keep you waiting longer.

Talk about that space.

The long wheelbase means a real lot of rear-seat room – tall people can fit behind a tall driver, and average people would be very comfy until the inevitable recharging stop.

It's a pleasant enough cabin too, if a little Chinese generic. More on all that in this review's Interior tab.

What about the drive?

You can tell it has a fairly unsophisticated suspension. Not because it corners badly – that's actually not bad at all. But because of the road noise and busy ride.

That apart, the steering and brakes and accelerator all react neatly so it's an easy car to conduct and surprisingly agile. More fun than a crossover. If definitely not quick. Even on the greasy road surfaces of our test, the motor seldom gave the traction control any work. Acceleration is smooth up to about 60mph, but on a motorway it's not interested in plunging headlong to the limit, never mind beyond.

Any other conglomerate would have invented another brand for the MG4 Urban. After all, MG says it's for 'different people' than the other MG4. And the SAIC parent has no aversion to new brands – it invented IM, after all. Or in VW Group speak, imagine the MG4 Urban as Skoda; the MG4 as Cupra.

Still, let's not get tied in knots thinking where the MG4 Urban fits in the MG range. Is it a good car? Not our thing to be honest. Performance is leisurely and the ride doesn't need to be this busy.

Interesting they chose the suffix Urban. That's because it has a small battery. But actually the generous seat and boot space would make it a decent long-distance family car. Oh hang on – it can't do that because the battery is smallish.

But there will be people who will find the simple proposition compelling. A car with big hatch room for supermini money. What a perfect minicab. The battery is plenty big enough for that and the space is just what the hire-or-reward driver ordered. In a way it best replaces the MG5 estate.

Don't buy an MG4 Urban then. Just experience it on your favourite mobility platform app.