Autotest 31-03-2023 MG 4 vs Peugeot e-2008

MG English? It’s Chinese now, how about that?

There are new MGs driving in the Netherlands, which do not come from England. When MG Rover went bankrupt in 2005, China’s Nanjing Auto bought the rights. The also Chinese SAIC Motor later took over this company and the rights went with it. Thus, the new MGs come from China, even though the headquarters of SAIC Motor UK is in England. This new MG has conquered quite a bit of market share in the Netherlands in a short time with the fully electric and affordable ZS. This was mainly due to its favorable price. The Chinese dived into a hole where nothing was actually for sale if you wanted to drive electrically. Even a Renault Zoe was considerably more expensive. Only Dacia with its Spring Electric went under with its pricing, but it is hardly comparable to the ZS due to its compact shape and limited options. We also expected that MG would struggle as the competition grew. Until recently, the established order mainly aimed at the more expensive segments with their electric cars, because there is usually more money to be made there.

Is the MG 4 the hatchback version of the MG 5?

The electric MG Marvel R recently failed to blow us away and the also electric MG 5 as a station wagon had to rely mainly on its unique proposition: there are hardly any other electric station wagons. So here too it seemed to be waiting for other brands to overtake MG. But suddenly there was the new MG 4, a hatchback in the once important compact middle class, which is on a completely new platform. This is not a five-door MG 5, but a new model with a different chassis. At the first meeting, the Chinese immediately charmed us. The design may be a bit heavy and not everyone’s cup of tea, but the ride was surprisingly good and everything felt solid. That requires a comparative test. After all, there is plenty of competition in the MG 4 segment.

Isn’t a Volkswagen ID 3 a better competitor for the MG 4?

Still, we have to look hard for a suitable opponent. The car has the size of a C-segmenter, but the price is one segment lower. In addition, calibrated opponents such as the Cupra Born and Volkswagen ID 3 are dropped, because there will soon be updates on the program. A Nissan Leaf is already old, just like the Kia e-Soul. A new Kia Niro EV is too expensive. The electric Peugeot 2008 then? Just a little bigger than the 208, but not as expensive as some C-segmenters. There is also an update in the pipeline here, in which the technology from the new DS3 E-Tense is used, but that will take a while. The Peugeot can show nicely where MG stands.

Which version of the MG 4 is in the test?

As a test car we have an MG 4 Longe Range in Luxury version, the thickest you can buy. It has a 64-kWh battery, good for 435 WLTP kilometers. In addition, there is an electric motor of 204 hp on the rear axle. Indeed, it has rear-wheel drive. You get seat and steering wheel heating, a heat pump, autopilot and navigation as standard. The model does not have separate options, only the color is added. Total price €38,500. For €31,000 you have the same car without the above options, with 51 kWh and 170 hp, good for a range of 351 kilometers on paper. That is still more than the statement of today’s competitor: the Peugeot e-2008. It also has 50 kWh, but that only comes a paper 324 kilometers away. The starting price is also higher, at €39,570. We have a big GT Pack that is €41,800. With some separate options, the test car comes to more than 45 grand. A significant price difference, especially when you see that we only have 136 hp of power, considerably less than the MG.

In this test we give you all the answers.