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Would you buy a £23,000 EV with a 250m range from MG?

  • Yes

    Votes: 48 46.6%
  • No

    Votes: 19 18.4%
  • No, but I can see it bringing more cut price competition which is good

    Votes: 36 35.0%

Possibly the first true “Game changer” from China?

9K views 88 replies 29 participants last post by  GarryL 
#1 ·
So I see the MG5 which is already good value will be updated to fix most of its shortcomings, yet only go up by about £1400......

So the addition of a 61kwh battery (57 useable) giving 250m range, and the advanced driving suite. Then a big boot, roof rails you can use and so on and so forth (hopefully fixed the woeful sat nav too)...

So given the old one is circa £20k new with some haggling, this new one might be £22k ish after haggling...... all of a sudden we have a long range, well specced, good EV pseudo estate car for under £25k with a 7 year warranty? This might just move the game on for most people far more than all the new Tesla Plaid’s in the world....

 
#10 ·
Personally, brand new cars are generally a bad buy and lose a lot of value in the first few years, EVs had a somewhat unique period of very low sales protecting their used values but now sales are rising sharply this won't last. They might be interesting in around 3 years time when low cost used ones start showing up.

It'll also be interesting to see how the reliability of the current models pans out over the next few years to see how well they age.
 
#4 ·
I think it depends on how you approach the question. I'm not in the market for a car this size. If I were, then it would be on the list. As a hypothetical it's a yes. As a practical answer now, it's a no...

I think the brand was badly damaged and has a lot to prove. It's all very well offering a seven year warranty, but will it deliver.

On paper it's a strong proposition though and I agree, affordable, practical electric cars are what we need.
 
#7 ·
So given the old one is circa £20k new with some haggling, this new one might be £22k ish after haggling...... all of a sudden we have a long range, well specced, good EV pseudo estate car for under £25k with a 7 year warranty?
Trapped in the dealer servicing network for seven years... :eek:
 
#9 ·
I'm sure I did a list some time ago about the dozens of items on an EV that could be 'serviced' or more like 'inspected' then subjected to a 'diagnosis fee' being applied if you don't write them a blank cheque at that point in time :LOL:. Forgive my sceptisim having been royaly screwed in the past with dealer servicing...
 
#13 · (Edited)
Thing that put me off this is that it's likely to be an unpleasant 7 years. If you could drive a Daewoo Matiz and it never break, you'd still get sick of it and make excuses not to drive it. I suspect these MGinese models are very much like that.

It's also an ICE body with an EV derivative, so whilst an ID.3 has shortcomings over it, it's still the next-gen of EVs.

A bit like when Sony made that facelifted little 'PSone' - yes it is a nice little cheap model, but everyone's moved on.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Thing that puff me off this is that it's likely to be an unpleasant 7 years. If you could drive a Daewoo Matiz and it never break, you'd still get sick of it and make excuses not to drive it. I suspect these MGinese models are very much like that.

It's also an ICE body with an EV derivative, so whilst an ID.3 has shortcomings over it, it's still the next-gen of EVs.

A bit like when Sony made that facelifted little 'PSone' - yes it is a nice little cheap model, but everyone's moved on.
Sure there are better cars and better EV’s, I drive one, BUT I was lucky, I could afford it.

If we want mass adoption, we need cheaper EV’s that just work, and this one does.

I have driven the current one, is it perfect? No - BUT for the money absolutely nothing comes close....

With the main faults fixed and the bigger range, this is a real game changer and would allow most people who buy any small new hatch on a PCP to choose electric instead, which the current 35k cars don’t....

This will be no dearer than a fiesta, and allows people to get a family sized EV with a big boot - it’s a massive step forward in my book...
 
#15 ·
It's certainly quite a lot of car for the money, but are you not forget it's 'relative' huge elephant in the room....


This car will apparently be in the UK second half of next year (?) much better spec and well it actually looks nice! :D This latest update just looks like a sticking plaster..
 
#78 ·
I think it'll be longer given this revision of the UK car. Suspect it'll come when they think there's enough (other) RHD interest to bother - that's realistically India, Aus, NZ although EVs are a tiny market share in those countries.

The crucial thing on the new EU ones is 500kg towing capacity. Bike racks, camping trailer, motorbike, etc - much better prospect as a sensible utility car.
 
#18 ·
Have done 20k miles in a ZS - performance is good, range in summer is close to WLTP, ride on poor road surfaces is decent, build quality is better than budget but nothing like premium (think Suzuki) though some of the tactile materials (steering wheel, dashboard, switchgear) are rather decent.

Handling is a bit mince due to rear spring/damper set-up.

For ~20 grand nothing touches it: I could drop 15-25k more on eNiro or Model 3 but I simply can't justify it.

Can I justify paying 4-5k more on a MG5 that drives a bit better and can manage 50% further on a charge?....
 
#21 ·
There are Fiesta sized EVs with 200 mile range (eCorsa/Pug 208).

They're too small for family/main car use and cost too much as you (@Tooks) allude to.

Since batteries make up such a large chunk of the cost of making an EV, there is even less incentive to make a small car for manufacturers as there is relatively less cost saving per vehicle by downsizing.

Talk of "game changers" is a bit nonsense anyway - there is a relentless increase in EV adoption whether legacy makers and consumers want it or not.
 
#26 ·
There are Fiesta sized EVs with 200 mile range (eCorsa/Pug 208).

They're too small for family/main car use and cost too much as you (@Tooks) allude to.
Yes, it’s the price that needs to come down, the cars are good enough already for a lot of people.

Are ICE hatchbacks popular now because they’re all the new car people need or all the new car people can afford? I don’t know the answer, but there’s a reason that the fiesta sells so well.

Of course, when we talk about price, it’s really PCP/lease figures we mean as that’s how the vast majority of cars are ‘purchased’.

Again though, we’re comparing all kinds of different EVs by price and not sector as the market hasn’t fully developed yet.
 
#25 ·
The MG montego’s we’re very fast for their time (0-60 in under 8?) but had torque steer so bad you could change motorway lanes with the accelerator 😁

the diesel montego estates were much loved at the time (Perkins diesel?) and many of that variant lasted a long time with mileages going into several 100 thousands…
 
#27 ·
The Fiestas of this world sell well because hire cos,PCPs/lease, fleets etc buy them at heavily discounted prices, sometimes as high as 40%. Often the retail price is inflated so that discounts can be given. The hire cos get nearly all their capital back when they sell them. That is the business model of Ford and Vauxhall. True retail new cars is only of the order of 10%
 
#29 ·
It’s not just Ford and Vauxhall though, VW offer discounts and incentives too. A 58kWh ID.3 Life is £25.7k via PCP now, residuals might make the monthly payment competitive with cheaper EVs although I confess I haven’t looked into that aspect too closely.

The good news is that costs are coming down and ranges are going up, that‘s got to be considered a good thing I’d have thought, as I also think a new longer range MG for the money is good.
 
#30 ·
contrary to popular belief we don't all just want the biggest battery, that's just your view @SoulGW

I can see a market for the 5, and it'll be taxi drivers, and some home owners but folk have different needs/wants.
 
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#31 ·
With genuine 75kg roof capacity it can compete with ZS Exclusive now, though the small SUV bodystyle is far more popular than an estate. A 61kWh ZS is likely to be a better seller than the 5.

Rumours persist of an electric MG3 which will need to be significantly sub-£20k to make any sales.

Whether by luck or judgement there's no doubt MG's current product range has been more successful than the early MG6 & GS would have had us imagine.
 
#34 ·
The comp
Rumours persist of an electric MG3 which will need to be significantly sub-£20k to make any sales.
THAT is the game changer.

Becuase 3 years after it goes on sale it will be cheaper to OWN AND RUN than a free petrol equvilant.
And if you campany car lease it, from day one.
 
#45 ·
I've paid £23,800 for a 45kWh/110kW (150PS) Life Pure Performance, but I had quotes £500 less if I was willing to go via a remote dealer and have someone drive it on delivery.

Granted £23k isn't "just over" £20k, but it's not a huge amount more, and yet (imo) the car is. I'd be very sceptical of the MG being within £3k of the value at 3 years old
 
#37 ·
Renault group will hit that price point first, potentially, with the Dacia EV. The no frills Dacia approach could work well but I suspect the battery will be in the 30kWh range and whilst I’m sure that will work for lots of people they may not think so.

the other half of changing the game will be when Petrol hits £1.80-£2 a litre.
 
#39 ·
I doubt it needs to be £1.80 - £2.

I think we are approaching the £1.50 mark which is psychologically a big big step.

I remember (showing my age) the outrage when it first broke through 99.99pence a litre - Forecourt signs had to be changed to read 3 digits in front of the full stop and so on - people were claiming they would give up cars and all sorts.

Course they didn't as there was no alternative....... However now, well maybe there is....
 
#40 ·
I think a lot of people underestimate the price of new ICE cars.
Last year my wife bought a fairly standard mid range Seat Arona. She bought it through the motability scheme so we didn't pay much attention to the list price. Turns out it's £24K - about the same price as the similarly specced MG ZSEV.

As for haggling - that's not something I can do, The thought of trying turns my stomach in knots. And I can no more "man up" than I can grow an extra limb. So I end up subsidising those of you for whom haggling comes easy!
 
#44 ·
If the updated car turns out to have corrected the faults of the current one -- IF - then I would put in on my list to consider when the i3 goes back to the leasing company.

At the moment, the plan is to get a bus pass when the i3 goes back. We are done leasing cars and there isn't much we can afford on HP.
 
#47 ·
If the updated car turns out to have corrected the faults of the current one -- IF - then I would put in on my list to consider when the i3 goes back to the leasing company.
Intrigued to hear about the big faults.

No significant issues of note on the facebook page other than the crappy roofrails (fixed on 61kWh), lack of app/pre-heat (not a fault just an omission - serious for some), and no NCAP test.
 
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