MG4 77kWh Essence Long Range 2024 Review

While the dual-motor MG4 XPOWER is the performance flagship of the range, the 2024 MG4 Essence Long Range 77 sits atop the mainstream single-motor/rear-wheel drive hatch line-up priced from $52,990 drive-away.

Up until very recently that price was $55,990 plus on-road costs, so the 77 has gone through a substantial and very appealing price cut that takes it out of direct competition with the Tesla Model 3 and Cupra Born.

MG Motor Australia has assured us in writing this is not some quick and temporary fire sale of old stock, but a permanent price change. Let’s hope so, because we love this trend!

Essentially, in terms of close EV rivals, the price cut now pitches this compact five-door hatchback up against the BYD Seal – specifically the Dynamic base model.

As its name suggests, it’s the 77kWh lithium-ion battery pack that distinguishes this model from other MG4 EVs, which come with either 64kWh or 51kWh capacities.

That leads to more claimed range at 530km, more power and torque at 180kW/350Nm (versus 150kW or 125kW and 250Nm) and a slightly faster 144kW DC fast-charging rate than the 64kWh and much faster than the LFP 51kWh.

Its fastest AC charging rate is also higher at 11kW (versus 6.6kW for the others), although you need three-phase power to exploit that.

The 77 is also the fastest from rest to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds, while its consumption is rated officially at 14kWh/100km.

Standard equipment otherwise reflects the 64kWh Essence ($46,990 drive-away) specification – there’s also 64kWh Excite ($44,990 drive-away) and 51kWh Excite ($39,990 drive-away) – and includes 18-inch alloy wheels, front seat heating, power for the driver’s seat, a heated steering wheel, satellite navigation, six-speaker audio, web-based services like weather forecasting and a wireless charging pad (out of which your phone will fly during cornering).

Equipment shared with Excite MG4s includes single-zone climate control, keyless entry and start/stop (so it’s running when you get in), a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, cabled Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and digital and FM radio bands.

A 3.3kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) function is available from the charge port.

All MG4s come with a five-star ANCAP rating, a comprehensive array of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and six airbags. The Essence 64 and Long Range 77 add extra ‘MG Pilot’ ADAS and a 360-degree camera.

The MG4 and its battery pack come with a seven year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Service intervals are a lengthy 40,000km/24 months and are currently priced-capped at $3905 over 280,000km and 14 years.

The MG4 is of course the reigning carsales Car of the Year so it’s not going to surprise you to find out we rate the 2024 MG4 Long Range 77 highly.

While that gong was based around a week-long judging process of the MG4 Essence 64 and 11 rivals, much of what we liked then translates.

The 77’s claimed 530km range is a bit optimistic in the real world, but there’s safely 400km-plus depending on how full your battery is when you set off. Over a week of varied running our average consumption came out at 16.4kWh, which equates to about 450km.

That just means this car is easily going to cover normal weekly commuting just by plugging it into a 240V outlet at home every now and again.

Of course, MG is portraying the 77 as a bit of a sports model, so don’t expect to average 16.4kWh if you take the powertrain out of Eco, switch off the one-pedal mode and go to Sport drive mode. Then the strong acceleration becomes attention-getting and the consumption rate heads for the high teens or low 20s.

It feels faster than the 6.5sec 0-100km/h claim. There’s a real shove in the back.

Unlike most Chinese cars, the MG4 has the chassis basics to back up its powertrain. It steers accurately, handles confidently and rides comfortably at almost all speeds – it’s a bit rough at walking pace and just above.

It’s compact and nimble enough to be really enjoyable, either on the open road or in town.

The driver is also well looked after in a comfy seat, paired with reach and rake steering wheel adjustment and a big left footrest.

Considering its overall size equivalent to a Toyota Corolla hatch, the MG4 Essence Long Range 77 offers impressive interior space. Tall adults (180cm-plus) can sit with some space behind a 180cm driver.

It helps there are air-con vents and lots of storage pockets back there.

Up front, storage is even better-executed, with big door bins, a lidded tray and a bin between the seats. The boot is okay too at 350 litres, expanding to 1165 litres once the rear seats are split-folded (just enough to fit a mountain bike with the front wheel removed).

As we’ve just been talking about storage positives in the 2024 MG4 Long Range 77, we should mention the negatives.

Firstly, even though its e-motor sits at the rear, there’s no frunk. Secondly, there’s no spare tyre under the boot, just an inflation kit. Thirdly, the tailgate is manual rather than power-operated.

Okay, point three is a bit ‘meh’ really. It’s just the price of this car puts it in the power tailgate region.

But that’s the reality of EVs. Batteries cost a lot. It’s fair to say the overall ambience of the 77 is more akin to a regular $40,000 petrol-engined hatch. Yep, there’s soft touchpoints, but there’s no shortage of hard plastics either.

But the most annoying negative about the MG4 is how the well-executed bare bones are overlaid with a set of excessively fiddly controls.

The 77 has some MG Pilot driver assist features that are very intrusive. They include lane keeping assist, overspeed monitoring and driver monitoring. I had to switch them all off before every drive, a process that required drilling down into the touch-screen several levels.

Eco and single-pedal have to be selected as well.

Then there was the stuff that couldn’t be fixed. The active cruise control insisted on slowing the car in fast corners that didn’t require it, such as a sweeper on a freeway. That’s a safety hazard, not a feature.

And the satellite navigation bonged every time the car entered a new town or municipality. Very irritating.

There are very few hard buttons in the 77, which means tapping into the screen to change air-con and audio settings. Again, not an enjoyable or efficient set-up.

Of course, reducing hard buttons and doing all this stuff through the screen saves build costs. But having experienced a temporary infotainment screen failure on an MG4 (not this car), it’s no fun when you can’t turn up the air-con on a hot day.

The recent price cut has elevated the 2024 MG4 Essence Long Range 77 from likable but perhaps a bit too expensive to great value and very attractive.

It’s got lots of range so it banishes that anxiety and it’s got plenty of e-motor oomph, so it feels athletic.

And the $52K spend means it’s now not such a huge leap over the Excite or Essence 64 that would do most people most of the time.

And as we’ve already pointed out, this revised pricing takes this car out of the orbit of the Tesla Model 3. As good as the 77 is, it’s not that good!

2024 MG4 77kWh Essence Long Range at a glance:
Price: $52,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Rear-mounted single three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 180kW/350Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 77kWh lithium-ion (74.4kWh usable)
Range: 530km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 14kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)