MG4 Urban Premium Long Range 54kWh
We've always really liked the
MG4 EV, because it's a great-to-drive and affordable electric car that does lots of things very well and nothing notably badly. So here comes a new derivative of the line, called the MG4 Urban. And, right about now, you're imagining this is like a
Cross Country Volvo or that weird facelift of the
Skoda Yeti, which split the range into a smoothed-off city-focused model and then calling the one with all the black-plastic cladding the Outdoor instead.
Exceeeept... that's not what the MG4 Urban is at all. It might wear an MG4 badge, but it is a completely different car underneath. Different platform. Different drive system. Different batteries. Just...
different. But it is, at least, designed to take over the duties formerly carried out by the 49kWh Standard Range MG4, allowing the existing car (itself recently updated, with minor tweaks to the exterior looks and an improved cabin) to push upmarket and concentrate on the longer-legged models. So what, precisely, is the new Urban like? Let's find out.
Styling
You're going to have to use your imagination here, but MG's designers say the car you should be thinking of when you look at the new Urban is no less a luminary than its flagship model, the
Cyberster. You're supposed to see it in the arrangement of the front bumper, complete with the outer intakes and that split lower-section design. You're supposed to see it in the shape of the headlamps, and in the full-width light strip at the back of the car, which features angled-in details at the edges. You're even supposed to see it in the design of the (admittedly attractive) 17-inch alloys, with their black central faces and silver rim details.
Hmm. Honestly, we think that's a bit of a reach, because the bubbly and smoothed-off shape of the MG4 Urban is nothing like as appealing as the edgy angularity of the 'regular' MG4. Also, even on 17s, the wheels on this car appear tiny and markedly inset, so a looker this hatchback isn't. That said, the important thing here is that, despite being the lowlier of the two vehicles from a marketing perspective, it is longer than an MG4 (by about 110mm, with a 45mm stretch in the wheelbase) and it's a bit taller too, and these two dimensional gains will become pertinent in just a few sections' time of this review.
Interior
Built to a careful cost and played simple from a design perspective to suit the budget nature of the MG4 Urban, the passenger compartment isn't going to have anyone cooing in delight at the texture of its material fixtures and fittings. But it's not bad at all in this regard, being perfectly serviceable and easy enough on the eye. A 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system dominates the dash, and it slickly runs both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for those who prefer to mirror their own smartphone devices in their cars, while there's a seven-inch digital cluster for the screen - in this, the Urban differs from the upgraded 2026MY MG4, which has the same-sized centre display but a larger 10.25-inch item for the driver's benefit. Anyway, pick the higher spec of two available for the MG4 Urban and some other tech luxuries come in, like heated front seats and steering wheel, wireless smartphone charging and six-way electric adjustment for the driver's chair, among more. Yes, the Urban's cabin is fine; not fancy, not flashy, but fine.
Practicality
And here comes the main USP of the MG4 Urban. It is
huge inside for this class of car. Not that the pre-existing MG4 has a cramped second row of seating, but the leg- and headroom provided in the Urban eclipses its namesake entirely. There are few machines in the C-segment that are as capacious as this, save for the (generally dearer)
Skoda Octavia, and it's a real validation for the British-Chinese company creating the Urban in the first place. That then links on to a whopper of a boot: in the higher-spec car, as tested here, its volume is trimmed back slightly from the base-grade model, but 568 litres is again a vast figure for this market sector, helped by 98 litres of that accounted for by a big under-floor storage area. Fold the back seats down and up to 1,362 litres of space is liberated, and in case you're wondering the entry-level MG4 Urban's equivalent figures are 577-1,364 litres. So, as non-estate cars go, you won't get much more room inside for anything like as little cash as you do in the Urban.
Performance
There are two battery packs available for the MG4 Urban, both of LFP chemistry. There's either a 42.8kWh unit in the Standard Range, or a 53.9kWh item for the Long Range car. Both lose about a kilowatt-hour for their usable capacities, so you can say that you've got either 42- or 53kWh to play with.
That means the Standard Range MG4 Urban will do up to 201 miles to a charge, while the Long Range manages a peak of 258 miles as a Comfort-spec vehicle, or a slightly lower 251 miles for this flagship Premium model we're testing here. As with other EVs, there's a little more power from the e-motor with the bigger battery, as it has 160hp instead of the lower variant's 150hp. Either drivetrain for the Urban maxes out at 250Nm torque, so the 0-62mph is either 9.5 or 9.6 seconds, in favour of the Long Range car.
Obviously, no Urban is quick, but they're again nicely judged for what they need to be, and the Premium Long Range has enough about it that it can easily keep up with traffic on anything up to A-roads. It feels a little bit less muscular when you're trying to get beyond 50mph towards motorway pace, but it's certainly not tragic in this regard and will be more than swift enough for the likely end users' needs. Also, both the throttle pedal and the regenerative braking on the MG4 Urban are well calibrated, so it's an easy and undemanding car to pilot about the place.
Ride & Handling
The major differentiation between Urban and the grander MG4 is that the former is on an all-new platform called E3 - and that's front-wheel drive, not rear-driven like the latter. Now, most customers wanting an affordable electric runaround in the C-segment are likely not going to care or even discern that the Urban leads from the front, but if you're being hyper-picky and comparative then no, the new car does not quite have the same level of fluidity and engagement to the way it goes about its business as the MG4 possesses.
But, you probably know what's coming here: for what the Urban needs to do, for the role it has to fulfil, it's absolutely on the money. And it's not without dynamic merit, because it has pleasant steering and good body control for a value EV, so it can be hustled along at a decent lick if you need to. More importantly, it's quiet and comfortable in its preferred urban (clue's in the name, folks) environment, and it doesn't lose all composure as speeds rise out of towns. Admittedly, road roar and suspension noise can be evident at higher pace, but neither of them are dealbreakingly bad. And so the MG4 Urban proves itself to be an amenable little thing to scoot about the place; sure, an MG4 is more fun, but if you're only ever sticking nearer the suburbs then the Urban should serve you very well indeed.
Value
Replacing the old Standard Range MG4s, the Urban is excellent value for an EV that does a claimed 200-miles-plus in all its three main specifications. The entry-level car, a Comfort Standard Range with the 43kWh battery, comes in at £23,495. Add another two grand to that and you get the Long Range power pack in the same trim grade (for £25,495), while stepping up to the Premium Long Range requires another £2,500 from there for a £27,995 outlay.
All MG4 Urbans come with lots of useful kit as standard, but the Premium spec adds desirables such as privacy glass, 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather-style steering wheel, a 360-degree camera system with 'Transparent Chassis' function, a six-way adjustable electric driver's seat, a wireless smartphone charger, an uprated six-speaker audio system (which is what trims the boot space back by nine litres, incidentally), heating elements for the front seats and steering wheel, and ambient interior lighting. It's probably worth the extra outlay to end up with that model of Urban, then, as £28,000 is still not a huge heap of money for an EV like this.
Verdict
OK, so the new MG4 Urban is confusing, as it's not really an MG4 at all. And, as such, it drives in a capable and assured fashion, but it's not in any way exciting to be behind its wheel. The car also looks a bit gawky and doesn't have the aesthetic appeal of a full-on MG4, but what it does offer is a good dollop of driving range, plenty of equipment and a simply enormous passenger cabin and boot, all for not a lot of money. And those factors, in many people's eyes, will be more than enough reason to give the MG4 Urban some serious consideration as their next everyday electric car - so it's a thoroughly worthwhile addition to the MG product canon as a result.
