► Twin-motor, AWD with 330kW of power
► Targets a 4.0sec 0-62mph time
► Here in 2023, priced around £35,000
It’s official! MG has revealed specs of its new, electric MG 4 XPower hothatch. The news follows our earlier scoop and an accidental leak by several dealerships – all of has already given us a glimpse of the new XPower. On this page you’ll find all the official details about the car so far. What’s more, we’ll be reviewing this fastest-ever MG in July, shortly before it makes its public ‘dynamic debut’ at thge 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
‘We’re confident the MG4 XPower will shake-up the market like the MG4 SE and Trophy, showing that a compact EV can be affordable, practical and a terrific drive,’ said Guy Pigounakis, Commercial Director at MG Motor UK.
‘We expect it will appeal to customers looking for a pure performance offering which is the antithesis of the traditionally ‘loud’ high performance hatchback. The XPower also retains the generous technology and equipment levels, as well as practical hatchback features, of the award-winning MG4 range.’
What are the specs?
MG engineers have packed not one but two motors into the MG 4’s capable chassis, and the numbers speak for themselves. The MG 4 XPower can muster 435PS and 600Nm of torque – all for a 0-62mph time of just 3.8 seconds.
As mentioned, the car will run on the MG4’s Modular Scalable Platform (MSP), with the front axle motor deliverying 150kW and the rear 170kW. To live with the increased power, the XPOWER gets a locking electronic differential and torque vectoring. There are also a range of suspension upgrades including stiffer anti-roll bars, quicker steering and 25% stigger springs.
How much will it cost?
The only thing punchier than the MG 4’s performance specs is its price: it’ll start at £36,495 when it’s released in July this year. Punchy!
What else?
Aside from supersonic speed off the lights, there won’t be too much to differentiate this MG from the standard 4: the brand says it wants this model to fly under the radar. With that in mind, there’s an XPOWER badge, two-tone roof and 18-inch alloys are among the handful of additions the XPower gets.
The new XPower model features a highly anticipated dual motor powertrain delivering 435PS and up to 600Nm of torque, firmly positioning the latest MG4 model alongside the most potent high-performance hatchbacks on the market.
What’s the upgrade over a standard MG 4?
The performance variant will offer more than double the power output of the standard MG 4 Long Range model below.
By adding a second motor on the front axle, power rises from 150kW (201bhp) to around 320kW (429bhp), bringing all-wheel drive into the bargain.
The XPower is, by some margin, the most powerful MG ever sold. Even the short-lived MG XPower SV supercar didn’t make that much in its rortiest SV-R guise.
What about the competition?
We’ve seen plenty of high-performance EVs so far, from the deeply impressive Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S Plaid right up to true supercars like the Pininfarina Battista or the Rimac C_Two. But the electric hot hatchback has evaded us so far.
The closest competitor would be the Cupra Born e-Boost, which offers 228bhp and rear-wheel drive with a current price tag of £39,205. Not only does the MG 4 XPower beat this on price, it obliterates it in the performance stakes with 90% more power.
The headline specs for the MG 4 XPower are 320kW of power from twin motors and a 239-mile WLTP driving range from a 64kWh battery pack.
That’s equivalent to a stonking 429bhp in a car the size of a VW Golf – or perhaps more pertinently, it’s roughly double the maximum power available from an VW ID.3 (201bhp) or Cupra Born (228bhp) at this time.
Exciting times for MG, which is also about to launch the Cyberster convertible in its bid to regain some of its sporting reputation.