Hottest MG4 revealed with more power than a Mercedes-AMG

Monday, 10 July 2023

MG has debuted the MG4 XPower, a hot hatch with more power than a Mercedes-AMG.

MG will top the MG4 range with a genuine contender to the hot-hatch crown, the dual-motor MG4 XPower.

The all-wheel drive EV produces a serious amount of power, with MG claiming 320kW and 600Nm from its new powertrain. That’s more power than the already bonkers Mercedes-AMG A45 S (310kW/500Nm), and not far off the mighty Tesla Model 3 Performance (393kW/660Nm).

There's little to distinguish the fastest MG4 aside from the green paint, black roof and orange brake calipers.

MG says the XPower will hit 100kph in 3.8 seconds, 0.1s quicker than the AMG but still slightly behind the Model 3 Performance’s 3.4-second sprint.

The MG4 was given its local reveal at the Fully Charged EV show in Sydney, ahead of a launch in New Zealand in H2 2023.

Coming with the power bump are recalibrated springs and dampers, stiffer anti-roll bars, and sharper steering. Overall suspension stiffness has been increased by 25%, MG says.

Also debuting is a new Dynamic Cornering Control System, which uses an electronically locking differential and ‘Intelligent Motor Control’ for torque vectoring between all four wheels.

Even the interior is the same as the regular MG4.

Uprated, ventilated 345mm brakes hide behind wheels clad in Bridgestone Turanza tyres.

Interesting choice with the rubber, as the Turanza tyre is more geared towards efficiency and reducing road roar, as opposed to a sportier tyre like Bridgestone’s Potenza. Of course, this is an easy change to make.

As for looks, there aren’t many cues that this is the high-performance MG4. Orange brake calipers, a black roof, special 18-inch wheels and that unique Racing Green finish are about all you get.

“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 MG4 range,” said Guy Pigounakis, commercial director at MG Motor UK.

The MG4 XPower is available in the UK now, but MG New Zealand is yet to confirm if we’re in line for the electric hot-hatch killer.