Turn up the XPower: Tackling the Goodwood hillclimb in the sporty new MG4

Among the latest hypercars, F1 cars and Le Mans legends that tackle the infamous Goodwood Festival of Speed’s hillclimb every year, an electric MG hatchback may seem quite ordinary.

It’s true, a standard MG4 – the UK’s cheapest new electric car at £25,995 – isn’t the most ‘Goodwood’ of vehicles. But this is no ordinary model, rather the new ‘XPower’ version. It sees the return of a nameplate MG used for its most extreme performance models in the early 2000s, and is really the first real sign of MG remembering its heritage since this once-British brand was taken over by Chinese SAIC Motor.

And where better to show a new performance car than the Goodwood Festival of Speed? MG went pretty big at this year’s event too. Not only is there the new MG4 XPower, but also the Cyberster – a striking new electric two-seat roadster due to arrive in the UK in Summer 2024.

MG also celebrated its legendary Metro 6R4 with the reveal of the’EX4’ – a one-off concept car, based on the MG4 XPower, which gets a striking bodykit and green detailing. It’s fully functioning too, and has been developed by British engineering firm RML.

But our subject today is the ‘standard’ MG4 XPower. While its looks might not look overly remarkable next to the standard car (matte green paintwork and orange brake callipers aside), it’s under the surface where the changes have happened.

That’s because there’s a new dual-motor electric powertrain. Not only does this make it four-wheel-drive, but it also means it produces a remarkable 429bhp and 600nm of torque. That is more powerful than the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG A45 S – two of the most ‘hyper’ hot hatches on the market.

We’re in the passenger seat today, but there’s a very capable person in the driving seat; Kiern Jewiss. Aged just 21, he won last year’s Porsche Carrera Cup GB championship, which is the fastest single-marque FR racing championship in the UK.

Jewiss admits he’d never driven an MG4 before the day previously, and the 1.16-mile Goodwood hillclimb doesn’t provide the most time to ‘learn’ about a vehicle.

But needless to say, Jewiss can drive, and as we line up at the start line, all of the driver aids and assists are deactivated. You don’t want lane keep assist on here, that is for sure. Traction control is also turned off, which is slightly concerning given the tarmac is slippy after persistent rain, as well as some of the many crashes observed the previous day.

The XPower is even fitted with launch control, activated by having both feet on the brake and accelerator pedal. It kicks into life when you remove your foot off the brake, and goodness this MG4 can surge forward. The quoted 0-60mph time is 3.8 seconds, but it feels even quicker than that, as – especially as a passenger – you can feel your stomach churning. With limited grip, you can feel the XPower sliding around as Jewiss grapples to keep it in a straight line. It feels like we’ve not even made contact with the road as we slide towards the first corner at pace.

He comments later about how impressed he is that when you turn something off, such as the traction control, it really is off, rather than just turned down as it is in many cars.

Jewiss is deliberately throwing the MG4 into corners hard, being fully committed, as is the racing driver away. The infamous Flint Wall, which has taken many a car’s wing mirrors over the years, feels like its millimetres away from where I’m sat as a passenger. But thankfully we’re unscathed as we continue to the top, just shy of 100mph as we cross the finish line.

The MG4 is remarkably capable for an ‘off the shelf’ electric hatchback, and one which will tempt many with its £36,495 price – cheaper than many rivals with half the power. While there might be scope for MG to push it further, it’s hard not to beam from ear-to-ear just to see MG returning to a place like the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and is a very positive sign of what’s to come from this firm.