@@HairyNumbNuts Granted I don’t regularly use fuel pumps anymore but still … the Hypercharger and Kempower CCS2 cables were fairly unwieldy and certainly much heavier than the Tesla Supercharger equivalent 🤷
Subscribed. But HOW does the much maligned Lane departure facility work? EVERYONE is complaining about this feature. Thanks. I want to buy an MG4!!!!@@LudicrousFeed
I am about to collect my MG4 Trophy on 1 September. After your review I feel a lot more confident. I have been riding a Zero DSR for over three years and have not experienced any major issues with charging. Thank you.
Great Review. Thank you Tom and Riz! Great to see the new Ampol charging stops both ways at Pheasants Nest. Also based on the 19.9kw /100k stats, I can see that the 64kw version will be the best choice for my use case. Thanks Again!
Good journey Tom. However I find it interesting that the cost of power at pheasants nest was 69 cents/kW based on your screen shot. At this price the journey would cost only $21 less than using my forester at $2.00/l and 7.5L/100km. MG $70, forester $91. I was hoping to see a larger cost difference.
DC charging prices are relatively higher for speed and convenience to allow drivers to get back on the road quickly again. The savings are made wIth home AC charging where available which usually makes it more cost effective overall when compared to equivalent ICE vehicles
If they started the trip at 100% and only charged efficiently it would have been less - also, they only used Ampol chargers which are the most expensive. You can charge as low as 30c/kW, plus ChargeFox give you 25% at their HyperChargers which brings it down to 45c.
Nice to meet you today Tom (I had the Black Model 3P). Did stop off here to check out the chargers so it’s good you have done a video on it. Won’t need to charge here though as I can get back from Canberra to my home in one charge
Those tree-style solar canopies at both Pheasants Nest sites have neons (well, probably LEDs) along the supports. They look really special when lit up at night.
Like the road trip with the two of you. The Gouldburn chargers were filthy and disgusting really, one thing that needs to be better. Petrol pumps generally aren't like that not with cobwebs all over them and dirty. LIke the dynamic range adjustment, something BYD could learn from. That pheasants nest site is good need more of those type of things and hope they allowed for expansion of the more chargers into future.
Agreed, Goulburn Chargefox is not the most pleasant of places to stop. Ampol seem to have got it right, hopefully we see more of this style of highway charging location
Excellent test, didn’t realise this was the 51 version. This proves that this 51 can be easily driven Sydney to Melbourne. Sydney to Adelaide (inland) and Sydney to Sunshine Coast and even Cairns should be easily do’able with its range
Thanks Tom and Riz for reviewing the 51kWh MG4 which I suspect will be by far the most popular spec given the price it's going to be coming in by. The fact that you can use this not just for city trips but for road trips too is a big game changer given the price point.
@@LudicrousFeed LFP is a big selling point too, yep, being able to charge to 100 pc. Also Tom, when you can, please do a review of the Polestar 2 RWD Long Range, and see if it really does get 654km! It's claiming the longest range BEV in Australia, but like to know what the real range might be.
They have the LIP battery and the NMC battery. These are important factors and should be mentioned if you are reviewing an EV. It's like review a diesel vehicle but not telling anyone it's diesel. Who would do that?
Range on that thing is exactly why ice drivers should be reluctant to switch. No issue as a small second vehicle and have a need for limited trip usage.
Live in Canberra, just put deposit down on the base MG4, only going to use it around town as a cheap run around. Will use the ICE car for Sydney and Coast trips.
You missed going to Sutton Forest West. It is one of the few charging stations where you can charge while towing - by going through the truck lane and connecting at the back over the guard rail. Plugshare has a couple of photos showing how hard it is for a large vehicle to charge in the EV bays. An Ebusco bus was charging while trying to keep out of the way by nudging in at a 45 degree angle. We will have to get signage and marked bays to formalize charging on the truck road for large vehicles and when towing.
Agreed we need more pull/drive through stalls. Check out my previous video where I visited Sutton Forest West in a BYD Atto 3: BYD ATTO 3 EV DRIVE FROM SYDNEY TO MELBOURNE IN ONE DAY | January 2023 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3T9KUInbzWA.html
Sydney sits at an elevation of just above zero. Goulburn is 642 metres. Canberra is 578 metres. You'll always be disappointed by your battery range in any direction when leaving Sydney, given it's kinda surrounded by mountains. But especially in the Southern Highlands and Blue Mountains. It's disturbing that the freeway gets you up from Pheasants Nest (292m) to Mittagong (635m) while only travelling 20km in 15 minutes at 110km/h. Climbing the Bargo Ramp doesn't resemble most hill climbs, let alone mountain climbs, but it is. They don't call them the highlands for nothing!
Our Atto 3 and TM3 can both easily do Sydney Canberra non stop. It's a question of speed, driving at 110 uses a lot more energy than 100. A slightly slower speed, thus avoiding the need for enroute charging is well worth it. Also no risk of speeding tickets. I just plug in adaptive cruise and lane keeping put on some nice music and relax. Just under three hours later you are there.
@jimgraham6722 Last night, I left Gymea on 77%. I had a bathroom break and bought an iced coffee at Pheasants Nest (47% to 85% in 20 minutes). That's normally enough to reach Canberra in my antique SR+ with an unusually small battery pack. But as the weather worsened, the nav prediction kept getting closer to zero. I stopped at Exeter Supercharger (59% to 69% in 4 minutes) and reached the Canberra Supercharger on 13%. I wanted to do a few hours of uber later on, so I supercharged (13% to 71% in 20 minutes), went home, freshened up while on 7kW (68% to 77% in 34 minutes), and set off. 2h50m & $161 later I got home on 34%. These stops aren't difficult. And some folks can't leave Sydney on 100%, especially if you don't live there. I can't stress how much I appreciate the Pheasants Nest setup. It's weird for those of us who travel at night that the Northbound fast food sites all close at 11pm. I wasn't going northbound, but it matters at Sutton Forest/Exeter regardless. While it's easy to charge at Pheasants Nest in either direction (once you know how to find the underpass), it's awkward at Sutton Forest/Exeter. Charging there is either Northbound Maccas (closes 11pm) or at the pie shop (closes 9pm). Walking from the pie shop to the 24hr Southbound Maccas after 9pm to use the restroom is doable, but avoid the temptation to shortcut through the gully, as there may be snakes.
@@PCLoadLetter Thanks, interesting experiences. In the BYD (LR) we normally top to 90% at Camden BP, and go non stop to Tuggeranong, where we usually arrive with 12-15%. Then plug in at home. With the TM3 we normally use the superchargers at the Sutton Forest pie shop (and stop for one of their great pies). Unfortunately the Sutton Forest super chargers arent open to non Tesla, so in the BYD we save money as and sail straight by. Both the BYD and TM3 are fitted with 60KWhr LiFePO batteries. They seem to work very well. The TM3 is about 10% more range efficient at 110kmh. However, at 110kmh the KW/100km on the Tesla is the same as on the BYD at 95kmh. So in principle you could go the same distance but it would be a bit slower by BYD. I have a friend who also has a BYD. He regularly takes it Canberra to Melbourne and says he has no range issues at all on that trip. He also recently took it to Swan Hill and back with no issues.
Thanks for the video Tom. Great to see Melb to Sydney has great charging facilities. Pity Bris to Cairns is falling behind. Could you check your Kwh used south bound first stop. 20? Should be 8. Or am I out of wack - which is quite possible.
I had an MG ZS Mk2 as a rental car for a week and I found it consumed far more than my old MK1. I used to get 13.6kWh/100km average but the MK2 was around 20 for the same use case. I thunk MG has done something that has increased the consumption. The MG4 should be much better aerodynamically than the ZS.
@@LudicrousFeed yes. I have the feeling it may be the AC. I never used the heater in my old MG but on the new the AC seems to automatically turn on the heater even when the temperature is set to low. I did notice some times warm air coming out of the vents even when the temperature was set low and the outside temperature was higher than the set temperature. I wonder if it is doing this to dry up the air. Most petrol cars will run the AC continuously and add hot air to adjust the temperature instead of backing off the compressor. I wonder if it is trying to do the same.
Thank you! Great review. I receive a new MG4 excite next month (NZ here). Thank you for including the details for your trip; it gives me better insight into what to expect and to avoid hilly terrain when travelling (NZ=hills)as much as possible.
Yet more great content, Tom (and Riz 🙂). Pleasing that you didn’t encounter any handshake issues. Ampol did well to supply windscreen cleaning gear. I hope they’ve left scope at Pheasant’s Nest to install more chargers in future, being a site on a main thoroughfare.
Ampol has become an electricity provider, at least in Qld. Get 10c a litre of Petrol if your home is powered by them. I think they have realised adapt or disappear
I wonder what MG's ratio of RHD to LHD cars is? Presumably their ownership of a British marque obligates them to right hand drive vehicles, so maybe they're concentrating their efforts on countries like ours more strongly than someone like BYD would?
@@LudicrousFeedIndeed they are, which is why I was wondering. MG will be obligated to have *more* of a RHD to LHD ratio than many of its competitors, but what that split actually looks like would be interesting know.
@@LudicrousFeedAnd also: are its RHD vehicles compromised in the conversion the way many LHD vehicles are, or has it been designed up to be both RHD or LHD?
Other annoying things so far: (1) The trickle charger supplied is rated at only 8 amps and did not even achieve that. (2) It reverts to NORMAL mode every time you stop the car after driving in ECO. (3) It reverts to Lane Keeping Assist every time you stop the car after driving with it disabled. (4) It does not use the map to present the current road speed limit - it relies entirely on sign recognition, and it often gets it wrong, eg reading an 80 sign as 50.
I'll test these things next time I get a press car. Interesting it relies purely on posted speed signs rather than a combination of that and saved nav data 🤔
Great long run in the MG4 511Kwh SE (Excite) just to let you know in the UK there is NO reversing camera on the base model SE MG4 only on the Long Range Variant and above Artful
My gosh I'd struggle without one these days. So good for knowing exactly how close you are to obstacles. I wish my M3 had a camera in the front bumper for this purpose too.
Appreciate you were not doing Sydney to Melbourne, however, based on your results and assuming cruise control + air con being used, any realistic estimate on the number of times would need to recharge this vehicle on this trip? Thanks.
In this car you’d probably need to stop at least 4-5 times. Here’s a good indication of a car with similar-ish range: BYD ATTO 3 EV DRIVE FROM SYDNEY TO MELBOURNE IN ONE DAY | January 2023 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3T9KUInbzWA.html
@@LudicrousFeed I look forward to see how it performs on the highway. I drove it last week and was really impressed, but a short test drive doesn't give me an indication of how it performs as a road trip car
Do all the chargers at Goulburn make that horrible high pitched noise? Or were you unlucky choosing the only one that does? If they're all like that at that stop, I'll try and find another place.
They have the LFP battery and the NMC battery. These are important factors and should be mentioned if you are reviewing an EV. It's like reviewing a diesel vehicle but not telling anyone it's diesel. Then telling them the fuel consumption. Mmm
Love the fact that the Excite 51 is LFP 👍 This video was focused mainly on the road trip and charging aspects. I’ll be doing a further detailed review on an Aus-spec vehicle soon so stay tuned!
EV drivers seem to spend a lot of time worrying about their state of charge and maps and tech and apps and time and not about style or comfort or the trip
It’s still in the top 5 concerns for serious potential buyers: EV trip planning … style and comfort is still there of course but it’s important to get the basics right
@@LudicrousFeed Haha, nope, just a really well-known local brand. It's an amalgamation of 2 companies, Actew and AGL and kept the pronunciation of each company in ActewAGL
"They" do sometimes! Start with "their" previous video driving to Bathurst over Blue Mountains: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ks5MgCM_3VE.html There are also others 😃👏
@@LudicrousFeed my Model Y allows me to travel from South Sydney to Canberra and back without requiring a charge stop. (barely) Big difference to the MG.
We’ve done the same in our RWDY. Nice having that luxury 😁 2023 Tesla Model Y Road Trip Australia RWD LFP Battery Sydney Canberra ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-L7vvYU67_Zw.html
@@SenseiSifu just a standard MY. I use aircon. Generally speaking, on my way back from Canberra if it’s looking really tight. I’ll stop at Sutton Forest for 15 mins. The MG looks like a good city car that you charge every night.
@gregb1599 I thought they had the higher spec MG4 that had 140kW charging. Didn't realise till end of Video it mixed out at 75kW But on flip side 75kW is 50% faster than 50kW charging. Depending on how much time you want to spend at a spot
Interesting the MG 4 gets a good safety rating of 5 from ANCAP. And the MG 5 got a ZERO. Not good. I believe the whole EV thing is experimental at this stage. I certainly won’t be spending $50k+ when I know what I am getting with my powerful, efficient diesel vehicle. Which I can drive from Sydney to Brisbane with topping up fuel.My Audi A6 gets 5.6l per 100km at 110kmh. Which is $10 per 100km.
The thumbnail called it a road trip. It's 290Km each way ffs. That doesn't constitute a trip, it's a commute. For my Mazda 2 skyactiv D, as long as I have half a tank I will get there AND back. How's that for planning? Diesel rules. Damned lucky there is an LFP battery or it would be 3/4 quick stops. First stop, 8 kWh for 14 mins for 16% SOC added. Was it worth it? Top up ffs, why stop again at Goulburn, effing madness and that took 30 mins for 21 kWh, not even half a tank of electrons. The one way consumption was 19.2kWh/100km, that's 265km max, ie piss poor and you lost 45 mins in stops. EVs are 'ok' for long trips, but crap in comparison to cars, especially diesels.
Those who have read the comments will know that I didn't really need to stop at Pheasants Nest - I just wanted to check out the new facilities which were quite good for EV drivers and a sign of good things to come hopefully. This video was more about showcasing what's available rather than getting there ASAP. I'm personally grateful my commuting distance is not this far each day!
Received an email from MG saying the MG4 has arrived, rang to book a test drive. I was told sorry they aren’t here yet 😳😳😳 …but you can book a test drive I was told, great I thought only to be told I need to sign a contract to buy. Confused I asked why I would sign a contract too buy a car I have not driven, they said it’s to stop people wasting their time. Told them I won’t sign any contract until after I test drive and oddly only if I intend to buy so they refused to book the drive. Zero chance I’m buying an MG if it’s this hard to drive the car, Tesla might be more expensive but I booked a drive and drove it, no conditions, no contracts, no sleazy sales people ringing every day for a week asking if I’d changed my mind about a test drive as experienced with MG. A company that makes it this hard to drive won’t be in business long, buyer beware
That’s very disappointing that they want you to sign a contract to secure a test drive. Very shady tactics and they wonder why consumers are shying away from the dealership model of doing business 😔
Okay, so I’ve arrived here as a result of checking out a few cars as a possible shift to an EV in the next few months. How refreshing to come across an authentic and vanilla exploration of what it takes (and does… and costs…) in the real world. While now living in Melbourne, I grew up I Sydney, so appreciate all of the marker points you identify as logical stopping points on the trip. I’m looking at a MG4, Ora or perhaps Dolphin but the fact that you do this as a no-nonsense examination of what goes on in the real world is brilliant. From a first time viewer, thank you.
My pleasure and I’m glad you enjoyed this video. You’ve summed up what I try to achieve in my content and that is to provide a real world view of EV ownership👍
TbH, im not ready to have the EV anxiety of having only 212kms in my tank on HWY driving with still only few EV chargers available. City drving maybe ok.
I have a first gen MG4 in the UK and I can’t use the auto steering. It keeps trying to steer into the next lane over even on straight bits of road. It’s good to see they fixed it in gen 2/refresh cars
I disagree it's still very grabbing, I ended up turning it off, even my wife Nissan Leaf with Propilot is far better as it does not try and rip control out of your hands!
My petrol Ford is coming to end of life and I want to buy an EV when it goes to the scrapyard in the sky, but the tech and infrastructure still isn't there. Different apps for different charge systems, WT actual F?? I don't need an Esso app to fill my Ford at an Esso pump, ludicrous if this is to be a mass-transport system. Less than 200 mile range, meaning you need to plan your journey around charger availability / coffee stops and get excited over charger speeds and chargers not being MIA?? Kinda kills taking the scenic route and finding a nice café in a country village for a break. The actual cars now seem viable alternatives from a driving perspective with the MG4 (hopefully) being a breakthrough on cost giving parity with IRC vehicles which is great, but outside town (where I cycle and walk) still not there for long distance journeys.
16:40 we used our first Kempower the other day. I love the QR code that gives you more stats whilst not near charger plus the extra derails like kW vs SoC
NRMA Goulburn (formerly Chargefox Goulburn) has always had a garbage problem. It's literally next to the tip. And the Bogan ATM is just opposite them. One time I brushed a year's worth of cobwebs off the chargers. But I hate driving through Goulburn, and there are better options now, so I rarely stop there anymore.
I see you edited out that super annoying speed recognition flashing if even 1kmh over! I do not share your like of the lane keep assist, it's very grabbing if you hold it and the lines are not clear, I ended up turning it off but the adaptive cruise control works fine if a little slow to react in stop and go traffic. Not a fan of the infotainment screen, could not even find how to easily change from normal to sports setting! And the controls on the steering wheel are odd. Not the EV for me. Will look at the 60kwh Dolphin, it's interior is much nicer.
Speed recognition flashing? I honestly don’t recall seeing that … I’ll need to take another look when I drive today Add: just went for a drive and noticed it. I think the tolerance is more like 3kph+ before it flashes. I’m just glad it doesn’t beep like other cars!
Thanks for the video. I'm interested in the road trip charge experience as considering an EV and the MG4. Do we really have to use a phone app to charge at all of these charge stations? Farting about with an app to take photos of QR code is just dumb and seems a big point of failure to me. Vandals will scribble over or scratch those things off in a jiffy. I'd prefer just to do a card tap 'n' go, or even go inside and pay a service attendant if necessary. Does that option exist? I hate the thought of being stuck at a KFC for nearly an hour. At least that Pheasants Nest service centre looks reasonable.
At this stage you either have to use a phone app or a linked RFID card (eg Chargefox or Evie) for almost all charging providers. It is a common bug bear for most current EV owners however … there is a trend overseas towards credit card readers. We’ve been promised at least by the NSW gov that partially public funded installations in the future must include such a facility.
i remember when we rented a tesla model y to bring us (4 adults 1 kid) plus snow gear from canberra to mt perisher on a full charge. we have more than enough to get us back down to cooma for a short recharge bbefpre heading home. absolutely amazing trip, we went there with fresh snow on the last days of winter
All work and no play (thanks for the upload), not even a dad joke for the trip Tom. Good to see Riz along for the ride. He's the only one that can make a DC plug pulling out sound like popping a bottle of bubbly, cheers :)
We’ve got the MG4 77 and have been using the granny charger to charge during the day when the sun is on the panels - has worked perfectly. After watching your vid we’ve uploaded the amp charge and Evie apps and look forward to doing g the same road trip in the next couple of weeks👌👌 the 77 has a 530ish km range but we’ll see how it goes
The EV DC charge curve is such that the last 20% of the battery takes about the same amount of time as charging it from 0-80% hence why I always recommend only topping to 80% on road trips unless you absolutely have to charge beyond this …
do you guys get free Chargefox 32amp 22kw chargers all over shopping center car parks? we get those here in Queensland you don't need to be a member of any insurer its just free.
Does it give you and accurate range estimate en route like. Tesla? I rented a BYD Atto recently and the range estimate was terrible and not integrated into the navigation.
Yep as Tom mentioned there's an Exploren DC charger within the Kia dealership in Woden. It's open to all cars (not just Kia's). Some food trucks next door, and across Westfield Woden. I'm sure Tom will review this charger next time he's here ;)
When I charged my 66 kWh MG4 today at a charger rated at 110 kW, it barely managed to charge at 50 kW. I would like to see some evidence that the MG4 can actually achieve the claimed charging speed of over 100 kW.
Not sure where you started from in Sydney (Berowra or Campbelltown) but to burn through 1/3 of the battery to get to Pheasant's Nest sounds like you'll need to have another 40 minute or so stop again at Marulan or Goulburn? Seems a lot longer than my current 3 hours North Canberra to French's Forest, ICE option. I hope you don't get a major flat as I believe the MG4 doesn't have a spare?
The bags were not just a couple of bags. One bag was a vehicle to load cable which comes with the MG4. It's not an optional extra. That's quite important and you didn't mention that either.
Let me get this straight. Chargers are covered in Australia but not in the UK where is rains all the time. Brilliant. Haha. Of course you have some solar which is probably why.
The "save" icon is still a floppy disk. I don't think there's much hope for a charging symbol. Not when you think about the money needed to roll out the change.
Sydney to Canberra is a "road trip"? Expectations are so low aren't they ? so we have a chance to cheer mediocrity. I just finished 800klm from regional VIC to regional SA. Only fueled up at the destination.
What's a freeway? There is nothing free about them. In fact you go through quite a number of toll ways before you reach the motorway heading to Canberra and Melbourne. And Sydney can boast the most expensive toll way in the world by distance. It's a ramp to get on the motorway heading south near Neutral Bay. Yip the most expensive on the planet.
For me, the sweet spot is the Essence 64: 2024 MG4 64 kWh Essence Australia Range Handling Walkaround Review ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZAjGYHBrxUc.html Great for getting around town, going to the shops or gym 😂 but enough range to comfortably go on a road trip if needed. The Essence variant also looks better and has a few nicer features
@@LudicrousFeed thank you so much for the reply. I have been leaning towards the Essence but I was concerned the extra cash may not be worth it. I've actually found an ex-demo for $43,888. Might have to pull the trigger.
Hi Tom, great video! I’m very new to the EV game and we just purchased this MG4 Electric 51 (this one I think?) I saw that your Tesla home charger was compatible with the car- was there a reason that you chose to use Ampol chargers instead of Tesla chargers on your drive? Cheers
Congrats! At the time of this video, the Tesla superchargers en route were not yet open to non-Tesla EVs. Currently (Nov 2023), 30 Tesla supercharger locations in Australia are open to non-Tesla EVs so I suggest always checking the Tesla app for latest info when you are planning your journey. Yes my Gen 3 Tesla wall connector at home was compatible with the MG4
Haven't been impressed by the ampcharge site in Brisbane. Advertised as 185kw but it only does 80 (model 3 can do 180ish) and it's super expensive compared to chargefox and even superchargers
Hey Tom, another awesome review 😊 I’m looking at a MG 4 64 Essence. Loved the drive, just concerned regarding the battery? The 51 has an LFP type battery, where the longer range 64 has a nickel manganese & cobalt, that does not like to be charged to 100%. I like the MG, price between the two is around $9,000. Can I please ask your thoughts on these two? Or should I go to the BYD Atto3? Thanks heaps in advance 😊
I personally love the fact that the 51kWh has LFP for the reasons you stated. I do however like the fact that the Essence has better inclusions … The Atto 3 certainly is a bigger car though so it depends on your requirements Stay tuned, I’ll give further thoughts when I get a loan of the MG4 64 kWh Essence variant 👍
I am not either however you get what you pay for. It is a good cheaper option for a lot of people that will do the job perfectly. A step in the right direction
