2024 MG4 EV Malaysian review – electric hatchback is a sporty but flawed alternative to the BYD Dolphin

Ever since its launch almost exactly a year ago, the BYD Dolphin has pretty much had its way with the entry-level electric vehicle market, having seen off the Neta V. But the five-door hatchback has recently come under heavy fire from the MG4, introduced in March as a much sportier and sleeker alternative.

The more impressive of the two offerings from the Chinese-owned British brand, the MG4 starts from RM104,629 – just over RM4,000 more expensive than the base Dolphin. But the cars you see here are the mid-range RM129,629 Lux and the hot RM159,629 XPower, the latter being the undisputed performance bargain.

All regular MG4 models are rear-wheel drive, with motor outputs ranging from 170 PS to 245 PS; the grey Lux unit tested produces 203 PS. The XPower is the absolute scorcher, with dual-motor all-wheel drive and a sum total of 435 PS and 600 Nm. This gets the car from zero to 100 km/h in a scant 3.8 seconds, making it by far the quickest car in this price range.

Range figures, um, range from 350 km on the Standard to 520 km on the Lux Extended. The Lux and XPower use the same 64 kWh battery that enables the two cars to travel up to 435 km and 385 km respectively. All but the base Standard can accept up to 135 kW of DC fast charging power, which will bring the Lux and XPower from 10 to 80% charge in 26 minutes.

The MG4’s wider, lower-slung look compared to the Dolphin is reflected in the dimensions. Despite the MG and the BYD being millimetres away in terms of length and wheelbase, the former is 66 mm lower and wider – an effect the car’s sharper, more aggressive design maximises.

Inside, however, the MG4 is cleaner and more businesslike, especially in its monochromatic colour palette. The tech consists of a seven-inch digital instrument display and a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, plus a 6 kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) function. Driver assists such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist come as standard.

The MG4 sounds like it has all the ingredients to become an ideal sporty electric hatchback. But as Hafriz Shah found out, there are some pretty glaring flaws that take the shine off things. Watch his review below.

This video review is sponsored by RHB Green Financing, which offers a fixed rate equivalent as low as 2.10% per annum for plug-in hybrid and fully-electric vehicles. You’ll also get complimentary ChargEV credits worth RM210. Find out more here.