Occasionally it took two or three taps before the screen in our test car responded but at least MG has taken advantage of having that large central display and made all the on-screen shortcut buttons and toggle switches big and easy to hit while you’re driving.
The MG4 Urban also features two customisable buttons on its steering wheel which in our test car were programmed to switch between the drive modes and adjust the strength of the regenerative braking. Oddly however, activating the one-pedal driving mode has to be done via one of the many menus on the touchscreen.
The driver’s display uses small, thin text and icons for everything apart from your speed. This can make it hard to read the information like range or what drive mode you’re in at a glance, especially the regen braking strength, which is a tiny icon tucked into the right-hand corner of the screen.
“While I have to applaud MG for fitting proper physical climate controls – something which more than a few manufacturers have yet to return to – I can’t understand why it decided to put the headlight controls on the touchscreen rather than on one of the stalks behind the steering wheel!” – Ellis Hyde, news reporter.
The sheer amount of space you get for your money with the MG4 Urban is frankly staggering
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The MG4 Urban is a family hatchback but it’s priced like a supermini or a small SUV, giving it a huge advantage over the competition when it comes to practicality. That includes 30 litres worth of storage cubbies spread throughout the cabin, including the large tray located underneath the centre console.
Dimensions and size
Despite what the name suggests, the MG4 Urban is about 110mm longer than the original MG4, and its wheelbase is 45mm longer too. This provides considerably more space for rear-seat passengers and increases the luggage capacity. Measuring nearly 4.4 metres long, the Urban is also bigger than most other family hatchbacks, but close in size to the Vauxhall Frontera and Citroen e-C3 Aircross SUVs.
| Model | MG4 Urban | MG4 EV | Volkswagen ID.3 |
| Length | 4,395mm | 4,287mm | 4,264mm |
| Width | 1,842mm | 1,836mm | 1,809mm |
| Height | 1,549mm | 1,516mm | 1,568mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,750mm | 2,705mm | 2,710mm |
| Boot space | 577 litres | 388 litres | 385 litres |
Seats & passenger space
The difference in interior space between the MG4 and MG4 Urban doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, but we had a chance to compare the two side-by-side and those extra millimetres really do result in a lot more space for passengers in the back. There’s just enough space in the back of the regular MG4 for six-foot tall adults to sit, whereas the MG4 Urban offers them acres of legroom to spread out in. Headroom is good, too. There’s space under the front seats for people’s feet and two sets of Isofix child-seat mounting points in the back.
Boot space
The enormous 577 litres of boot space in this car doesn’t just dwarf the 388 litres you get in the other MG4, it’s significantly bigger than almost all its rivals we can think of, from the Renault 5 and Citroen e-C3 Aircross to the Volkswagen ID.3. The Ford Puma Gen-E comes closest, with its 556-litre boot.
