Although MG is a completely different automaker from what MG stood for back in the days of the MGA and MGB, the British marque continues to make sporty cars. The MG4 EV XPOWER comes to mind, a small hatchback that packs a tremendous punch for a pretty reasonable amount of money.
Produced in China because MG is owned by Shanghai-based SAIC Motor, the MG4 EV XPOWER carries a starting price of £36,495 in the United Kingdom, which is approximately $46,500 at current exchange rates. By comparison, the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance for the UK is £59,990 before potential savings and optional extras.
The C-segment hatchback features a dual-motor setup that further boasts the so-called Dynamic Cornering Control System, which is another way of saying electronic locking differential with torque vectoring. All told, customers are presented with 435 metric ponies (429 mechanical horses) and 600 Nm (443 pound-feet) of near-instant torque.
To put those numbers into perspective, BMW's previous-generation M3 launched with 431 ps (425 hp) and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) from a twin-turbocharged sixer. The BMW in the featured clip is a pre-facelift G20 in M340i xDrive flavor, meaning that it's a single-turbo affair with 387 ps (382 hp) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) at its disposal.
Similar to the current-generation M3, the M340i actually makes a bit more power and torque than BMW says it does. There are countless dyno testing videos on YouTube with all sorts of B58- and S58-engined vehicles producing the advertised output numbers at the wheels rather than the crank, which goes to show that BMW sandbags like crazy.
Photo: CSL AutoTime on YouTube
According to Thailand's CSL AutoTime, the M340i and zero-emission hatchback weigh 1,670 kilograms and 1,850 kilograms, respectively. Otherwise put, 3,682 and 4,079 pounds. The main reason why the MG is that bit heavier comes in the form of a high-voltage battery with a declared gross capacity of 64 kilowatt hours (or 61.7 kWh net).
In the quarter mile, MG's budget performance battery-electric vehicle clocked a best of 12.14 seconds at 180 kilometers per hour (112 miles per hour). Had CSL AutoTime raced these vehicles over the half mile, the Sino-British model would've topped 124 miles per hour (200 kilometers per hour). All in all, extremely impressive figures.
How did the Bimmer do? Unfortunately, 13.09 seconds at 168 kilometers per hour (104 miles per hour) is the answer, but CSL AutoTime did manage to run 12.6 at 176 in a previous video against a modified Civic. In any case, the M340i cannot pose a threat to the MG4 EV XPOWER in a dig race.
The hatchback asserted dominance over the much pricier BMW from a 30-kph rolling start as well, but looking at the bigger picture, this comparo is more apples to oranges than apples to apples. Nobody in their right mind would consider the MG over the Bavarian sedan, and those willing to spend M340i money (starting at £59,835 at press time) on an electric vehicle would arguably do that on the Model 3 Performance rather than a Chinese EV.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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