A DVANCING THE auto industry is often tasked to the Mercedes-Benz S-Classes of this world, with technology then left to trickle down to more prosaic metal. But change comes in many forms.
The real champions of the car world are those that revolutionise the mass market. The original Volkswagen Golf is a perfect example. And the 2024 MG 4 Essence? Well, for Australians, it may be the car that makes electric motoring truly accessible.
For this test, we nabbed an MG 4 fitted with the medium 64kWh (gross, 61.7kWh usable) ternary lithium-ion battery pack for 435km of WLTP range in Essence trim – the highest spec until the XPower hot hatch arrives.
It costs $47,990 before on-road costs and government incentives, so splits the difference between price leader and more premium rivals such as the Tesla Model 3 sedan.
Underpinning the MG 4 is the brand’s new ‘MSP’ scalable architecture which boasts 50:50 weight distribution paired with front struts and five-link independent rear suspension.
You also get sheet metal designed with input from MG’s Longbridge design centre in the
