CARDS ON THE TABLE, I'M NOT THE biggest fan of MGs. A Volvo 480 once tried to take my legs off when it decided it wanted to come through the passenger door of the MG Midget I was a, er, passenger in, and after two MGF long-term test cars and the now Mrs G's own hateful example, if I ever sit in an MGF again it will be too soon. The fact that people handed over their money for one instead of an MX-5 remains one of the world's biggest mysteries. That I turned down a free MX-5 and sold a 306 Rallye to fund the purchase of said Gallagher-household MGF is a decision I still can't explain nearly two decades on.
Enough of the therapy. The MG4 EV is neither a two-seater sports car nor a hot hatch with some red stickers and bold claims of out-accelerating a Ferrari Testarossa, but it is quite possibly the best electric-powered hatchback on sale today although admittedly that's a pretty shallow pool of excellence to go fishing in.
Obvious and natural rivals come from the usual suspects within the VW Group (VW's ID.3 and Cupra's Born), Renault's Mégane E-Tech and electric variants of other 'traditional' size hatchbacks. The MG's trick, however, is that despite its similar footprint it doesn't take on the look and presence of a crossover/SUV and is all the better for it. Its wedge design isn't to all tastes and it suits more sober exterior colours than the Volcano Orange pictured here, but while it could never be described as a clean, flowing design, neither is it a high-riding anonymous blob.
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Esta historia es de la edición August 2023 de Evo UK.
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BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
