Chery Omoda E5 vs MG MG4

What's the difference?

The Chery Omoda E5 gets solid ticks for value, practicality, performance, efficiency and a great ownership promise. 

But its suspension compliance isn’t in line with class standards and some of its safety assist features aren’t as refined as they should be. Both of which matter in a car likely to be used by families day-to-day. Its price and specification are strong drawcards and that will get it over the line for many. But we think this Omoda E5 would still benefit from some judicious fine-tuning.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The MG4 was a game changing electric car, resetting the price benchmark while also being a very good small car in its own right. But as we discovered when we tested the rest of the range, the MG4 is a car that gets more compelling the cheaper it is. The $38,990 MG4 Excite 51 is arguably the pick of the range given its value equation.

But that’s not to say the MG4 XPower isn’t a good car. It’s a very quick car that will play the role of daily driver and weekend fun machine well. Just not quite as well as its petrol-powered rivals.

While retaining the fundamental shape of its internal combustion siblings the Omoda E5 does away with the petrol-powered car’s huge, rear-sloping grille, replacing it with a wrap-around forward-pointing nose proudly branded with the model name and hiding a pop-out battery charging port door.

The rear is more or less unchanged save for some detail tweaks to the bumper design, with a more noticeable change being the addition of aero-inspired 18-inch rims which I for one like a lot.

Parts of the interior are markedly different to combustion Omoda models with the front of the cabin dominated by an enlarged twin-screen array, both 12.3-inch, one covering multimedia and another in front of the driver for instrumentation. 

The gearshift has also been moved to a steering column stalk which frees up additional space in the centre console.

Soft touch materials on the dash and upper part of the doors is a high quality touch often missing in this part of the market and overall this Omoda E5 has a contemporary exterior design (without necessarily breaking new ground) while the interior exudes a suitably techy vibe.

What really stands out about the design is… that not much stands out about the design. At least in differentiating the XPower from the rest of the MG4 line-up.

There are no pumped out wheel arches or a bigger, sportier spoiler that makes it look different in the same way a GR Corolla won’t be mistaken for a regular Corolla hatch.

Instead, the XPower has the same 'Energetic Agile' silhouette and includes the same ‘Active Intake spoiler’ at the front and the ‘Twin-Aero’ rear spoiler that’s the same as the Essence models.

There are some differences though, including more pronounced styling on the sides of the doors. It doesn’t add any performance benefit but creates a slight visual difference between the models in the range.

Surprisingly, there is very little to signify that this is the sportiest XPower model, with a distinct lack of badging - inside and out. In fact, the only visual clue that this is the XPower is on the bright orange brake calipers. Or, to be more accurate, brake caliper covers.

These are just lightweight metal covers that make the MG4 braking hardware look bigger than it really is, so it’s a bit of visual trickery from the MG designers.

There’s plenty of space up front for the driver and co-pilot, the sleek, twin-screen dashtop array increasing the feeling of space and openness.

And when it comes to storage, there’s plenty with decent bins in the doors that have enough room for a medium-size bottle, a good-size glove box, two cupholders in the top of the centre console, a lidded (and cooled) storage box between the seats as well as a lower shelf under the upper ‘flying buttress’ part of the console unit.

For power and connectivity there are USB-A and -C inputs, located on the passenger side of the lower console, a USB-A plug in the mirror unit for a dashcam, a 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad.

Move to the rear and at 183cm tall I have more than enough head and legroom behind the driver’s seat set to my position. That said, my legs sit up at a fairly steep angle, missing out on much support from the seat cushion.

Three full-size adults will be a short journey-only tight squeeze in the back, although a trio of up to mid-teenage kids will be fine.

For storage, again, there are bins in the doors with room for bottles, there’s a pair of cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest and map pockets in the front seat backs.

USB-A and -C jacks are onboard for power and adjustable ventilation for back-seaters is always a welcome addition.

Boot capacity with all seats up is 300 litres to the cargo cover which is appreciably less than its key competitors all of which hover around the 450-litre mark. 

That number rises to 1079 litres with the 60/40 split-folding second row backrest lowered and there’s a 19-litre frunk in the nose. And Chery deserves a big pat on the back for including a full-sized spare wheel because the Omoda E5 is the only EV on the market that does. 

And if you need to hook up that box trailer for a trip to the tip the E5 is rated to tow a 750kg unbraked trailer.

As with the exterior, there’s not a lot to differentiate the XPower from the rest of the line-up. No bright red Civic Type R style interior treatment here. MG has opted to carry over the minimalist design that no doubt contributes to the sharp pricing.

Probably the only notable difference is the seat trim, with the XPower model getting a combination of synthetic leather and suede for a sportier look and feel. But the rest is largely the same, which detracts slightly from its hot hatch credentials.

On the plus side, the MG4 cabin is generally a well-designed interior space, which is a positive for the XPower’s hot hatch argument, as the idea behind the ‘hot hatch’ is that it can be a practical car during the week and fun on the weekends. 

There’s good room for passengers and luggage, in large part thanks to the relatively slim battery design that frees up more cabin space. Front seat occupants will enjoy the space and good visibility on offer.

Small item storage is very good in the MG4, with a pair of cupholders, a large, flat lidded tray (with one USB-C and one USB-A outlet just above) and the centre console box all fitting between the front seats.

There’s also a wireless smartphone charging pad that sits halfway up the centre fascia, next to the rotary gear selector, but it’s a shallow space so your phone will almost certainly fly out as soon as you begin cornering vigorously.

However, once again highlighting the ways MG has saved money to keep costs down, the back seat accommodation isn’t anywhere near as well appointed.

While the space is adequate for a small hatch, there are no cupholders, no air-conditioning vents and no fold down armrest for those in the back. All they have access to are some pockets on the back of the front seats, including a pair of small ones high on the seat, seemingly designed to accommodate your smartphone.

In another positive for its hot hatch practicality, there are ISOFIX points on the outer rear seats, neatly covered by leather pieces for a cleaner look when you don’t have kids.

As for the boot, the XPower measures the same 363 litres with the seats up which is unchanged from the rest of the MG4 line-up.

Disappointingly, there’s no obvious place to stow the charging cable, even though it comes in a small, neat bag. This is a worryingly common trend with these early generation EVs that shows a lack of practical thinking from the designers.

The MG4 has no under-bonnet storage either, so it feels like a few wasted opportunities for what is a bespoke EV design.

While we’ll dive into performance and the headline figures of the XPower soon, there’s another number that’s arguably more impressive - the price.

The MG4 XPower is priced from $59,990 (plus on-road costs), making it only $4000 more expensive than the range-topping MG4 Essence 77.

More importantly, when compared to the likes of the $72,600 Honda Civic Type R, $68,990 Volkswagen Golf R, $64,190 Toyota GR Corolla and $57,990 Subaru WRX tS Sport the XPower is arguably one of the first EVs to achieve true price parity with its internal combustion engine rivals (although the Cupra Born starts at $59,990 so it can argue the same).

Beyond the performance upgrades we’ll detail below, that price brings a well-equipped car.

The XPower comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights as well as vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality.

It also comes with a six-speaker sound system, Bluetooth, navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless smartphone charging pad and synthetic leather and Alcantara trim. 

There’s the 'MG Pilot' safety package included as standard as well, but we’ll detail that below.

The 'Hunter Green' hero paint colour is exclusive to the XPower in the MG4 range, and is reportedly inspired by an MG land speed record car the legendary Sir Stirling Moss drove in the 1950s.

The Omoda E5 is powered by a single permanent magnet synchronous electric motor in the nose driving the front wheels through a single-speed reduction gear transmission.

Outputs of 150kW/340Nm are solid without being spectacular for a car of this size and close to 1.8-tonne weight.

This is arguably the biggest single difference between the XPower and the rest of the MG4 line-up. Unlike the others that have a single, rear-mounted electric motor, the XPower adds a second motor on the front axle.

This has an obvious impact on the performance, boosting it from the previous best of 180kW to an impressive 320kW/600Nm.

Having motors on each axle also means the XPower is all-wheel drive, so it has little trouble transferring all that grunt to the road.

So much so that the MG4 XPower is the equal quickest hot hatch on the market (at the time of publication), taking just 3.8 seconds to run 0-100km/h; matching the Audi RS3, with its turbocharged five-cylinder engine.

The Omoda E5 is powered by a 61kWh lithium iron phosphate battery and it can accept an 80kW DC charge which translates to a 30-80 per cent charge time of around 28 minutes.

And the Type 2 port in the centre of the nose makes charging a breeze, allowing you to park in front of a charger without having to think about which side of the car the plug has to go into. 

Connect to AC at the E5’s maximum 9.9kW capacity and you’ll be looking at a 10-100 per cent charge time in excess of 30 hours.

Official energy consumption on the WLTP combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 15.5kWh/100km and claimed range is a handy 430km.

Over a mix of urban, suburban and freeway running on test we saw a real-world average of 16.8kWh/100km which is roughly what you’d expect for a reasonably rapid electric SUV of this size.

Interestingly, the XPower is not fitted with the biggest battery in the MG4 range, forgoing the 77kWh version in favour of the 64kWh option.

In the ‘standard’ rear-wheel drive MG4 Excite 64 model this battery can provide up to 450km of range (on the WLTP cycle) but in the XPower that figure is reduced to 400km.

While that’s well short of the 530km offered by the long-range Essence 77 model, it’s still a respectable amount of driving range and should suit your typical hot hatch buyer, who knows performance typically comes at the expense of efficiency.

Our test drive was limited to just two days, so we didn't have the chance to live with the XPower for an extended period, but it managed to make it this reviewer’s preferred hot hatch playground on the edge of the city and back again to home with more than 50 per cent of the battery charge remaining.

This was a trip that included a lot of urban driving, some highway and then some ‘spirited’ running on the twisty road, so there’s enough range from the XPower to meet most buyers' needs.

Across almost seven hours of driving, the MG’s trip computer was claiming an average energy use of 18.6kWh/100km. To replenish the batteries, a 140kW DC charger will take just 30 minutes to take them from 10 to 80 per cent.

The V2L is another nice addition, which allows you to draw power from the battery, if needed, to run small electrical appliances.

The XPower is hardly a car for camping but, for example, if you decided to take it to a track day and want to plug in a kettle to make a hot drink, you can literally plug it into the car. Handy!

Chery says the Omoda E5 will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 7.6 seconds which is pretty rapid and there’s plenty of thrust from a standing start and for dodgem car-style city manoeuvring. There’s also ample oomph for safe highway cruising and overtaking.

There are three powertrain modes - Eco / Normal / Sport - with the latter adding some extra urgency but there’s not a dramatic difference between the three. 

The column-mounted gear selector is in the style of a Mercedes lever rather than a rotary controller and it initially takes conscious effort to avoid flicking it like an oversize indicator stalk.

Once settled in, though, it becomes second-nature and its location frees up extra space for storage in the console between the front seats.  

Chery says it spent eight months on local testing and development of the suspension tune, powertrain integration and safety assistance systems and we believe the car could be better in aspects of all three.

The Omoda 5 rides on a platform designed to accommodate combustion and electric propulsion from day one and the front-wheel-drive E5 is suspended by struts at the front and multi-links at the rear.

It takes a lot to manage close to 1.8 tonnes of mass in a relatively small car. Walking the tightrope between body control and ride comfort is tricky with a beefy battery onboard and the E5’s around town ride is best described as jittery, upset by even moderately rough surfaces, although things improve as road speed rises.

The 18-inch rims are shod with 215/55 Kumho PS71 EV rubber and despite its relatively stubby sidewall we’ve driven this tyre on other cars without issue, so it’s likely not the culprit.

Steering weight can be adjusted but road feel is modest and quick cornering isn’t the E5’s forte. But it’s not that kind of car. Urban duties rather than slicing through a favourite set of corners will be its more likely primary purpose, and for that, the steering’s fine. 

Then, no matter which drive mode you’ve selected, or the level of regen braking, it’s hard to be 100 per cent smooth with accelerator and brake inputs. They can be sharp on application and lift-off.

And when it comes to assist systems, lane-keeping intervention when using cruise control is abrupt and annoying. The centring function can be switched off but, ideally, you shouldn’t have to.

And likewise, the driver attention warning is intrusive. To the point where it fired an alert at times where I was looking directly at the road ahead. Again, it can be turned off (which is what I’d do 100 per cent of the time) but the calibration could be better.

Physical braking is by vented discs at the front and solid rotors at the rear and three levels of regen braking are available. Snag is you have to work through multiple screen options to get to the point where you can adjust it. Wheel-mounted paddles would be far more effective but the bean counters must have won the arm wrestle with engineering.

Once you apply the most aggressive regen level, even it is relatively low-key, so no i-Pedal-style single-pedal driving here.

In terms of miscellaneous observations, strategic inclusion of acoustic glass on the EX grade seems worthwhile as the mild highway wind noise we noticed on the BX wasn’t apparent in the top-spec model.

And the lack of a conventional dial for audio volume control is a miss. Far safer to quickly adjust a dial than sliders or buttons (even on the steering wheel).

Interesting to note Euro NCAP is lining up to make inclusion of physical controls for things like audio volume, turn signals, hazard lights, wipers and the horn mandatory for a maximum five-star safety assessment from 2026 onwards. 

The real question about the XPower is not if it’s quick, because all EVs and especially those with dual motors tend to be very rapid in a straight line, but how it handles itself on a twisty road.

That’s what separates a good hot hatch from a great one, but it’s also an area EVs have struggled in, because the combination of silence, weight and just the fact they’re new and different tends to mean they lack the driving engagement of more established competition.

Hot hatches also need to play a dual role, as daily transport and weekend fun machine, so that’s another factor to consider.

So, how does the MG4 XPower stack up? Well, the unsurprising news is it’s very, very quick. The acceleration is ferocious and really shoves you back in your seat, leaving you in no doubt that it will leave most of its hot hatch rivals (with the exception of the Audi RS3) in its dust.

When the going gets twisty though the XPower feels like it lets its rivals catch back up. There are different driving modes and switching to ‘Sport’ and reducing the regenerative braking makes a notable difference to the way the XPower handles.

The steering gets heavier and it will roll and coast into corners more like a petrol-powered hatch. It makes for a very competent car, with direct steering and good road holding… but not a great hot hatch.

It lacks the engagement and excitement that the best hot hatches offer. For example, the steering gets heavier in Sport mode, but doesn’t provide any more feedback to the driver. The Bridgestone Turanza tyres do a fine job but they lack the grip of a Michelin Pilot Sport. 

The lasting impression on the driver is a car that feels quick but doesn’t leave you wanting more. The best hot hatches make you want to keep on driving and driving, that’s not the case in the XPower.

As a daily driver it’s arguably better than its rivals, though, with quiet, effortless commuting potential thanks to its electric powertrain.

There’s the usual passive safety features, including six airbags as well as the required stability controls, anti-lock brakes and the like, however the XPower also comes equipped with the MG Pilot suite of active safety features as standard.

MG Pilot includes autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

Thanks to all of this safety gear, the MG4 range was awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment, when it was tested in 2022.

Chery covers the Omoda E5 with a seven-year/unlimited km warranty, which is ahead of the mainstream market norm, with a separate eight-year/unlimited km warranty for the drive battery; again, ahead of the pack.

You’ll also pick up seven years roadside assist (if you service the car at a Chery dealership) and the brand’s seven-year capped-price servicing program is super-competitive. 

The scheduled service interval is 12 months/20,000km, which is shorter in terms of time than many EVs which stretch the interval to two years. But each workshop visit averages around $227 and that’s sharp.

Like every MG sold in Australia, the MG4 XPower is covered by the brand’s seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is industry standard for high-volume brands these days.

As for servicing, the intervals are also the same as the rest of the MG4 range, which means a lengthy two years or 40,000km, whichever comes first, between visits to the dealership.

That’s much longer than your typical petrol-powered hot hatch, which has more moving parts that need servicing. 

In terms of costs, the XPower is ever-so-slightly more expensive compared to the rest of the MG4 line-up.

A minor service is the same $296 but a major service (which comes every second service) will cost you $962.

But even so, for the first six years you’ll only be up for $1554 in servicing costs, which is comparatively cheap amongst its hot hatch rivals, and only $76 more than you’ll pay for any other MG4.