2023 MG4 XPOWER deliveries held back

An extra two to three weeks have been added to the roughly month-long customer delivery wait times for the new 2023 MG4 XPOWER electric hot hatch as MG Motor Australia and New Zealand sets about upgrading the 320kW all-wheel drive vehicle’s steering damper during the pre-delivery process.

The upgrade follows overseas customer feedback calling for more steering stability at higher speeds, with many XPOWER owners – especially in the UK – already tracking their new vehicles in addition to more typical commuting duties.

“Seeing UK owners use their new performance hot hatch – whether for work, family or on track – inspired some innovative ideas that drove our HQ’s design and development team to upgrade the steering damper in the XPOWER,” an MG Motor Australia and New Zealand spokesperson said.

“With help of all the rich insights from customers abroad, we’ve taken this opportunity to put the new steering damper in all XPOWER vehicles as part of our pre-delivery inspection process both in Australia and NZ.

“While this will cause some delays in delivery, we believe that this upgrade will further enhance the driving experience through improved handling and steering response without compromising safety.”

The upgrade has no impact on the XPOWER’s headline-grabbing list price of $59,990 plus on-road costs and will also be retrofitted to vehicles already delivered free of charge, meaning all Aussie and Kiwi owners of the new MG4 XPOWER will benefit from the improvements.

The spokesperson was quick to stipulate the new steering damper was purely a performance upgrade as opposed to a safety concern remedy, as reported by some websites, and that the order book for the Tesla-baiting hot hatch remains very much open.

In exchange for their $60,000 or so – by the time incentives are factored in – XPOWER customers score a 320kW/600Nm dual-motor powertrain good for 0-100km/h acceleration in a claimed 3.8 seconds, fed by a 64kWh battery pack providing up to 400km of WLTP range.

The grunt is paired with a stiffer suspension set-up, bigger brakes, electronic differential and generous equipment levels headlined by partial-leather upholstery, heated front seats and steering wheel, wireless phone charging, LED exterior lighting, keyless entry and start, orange stitching and sat-nav.

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