THE more we drive an electric vehicle (EV), the more we could understand how to make the best use of such vehicles in long distance drives.
Basically, we realised that it works by applying the same approach to driving an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle to EV motoring.
To illustrate our point, we would describe our recent drive from Sungai Penchala, Selangor to Kuantan and back in the MGS5 sports utility vehicle (SUV).
The MGS5 was introduced to the Malaysian market in May at attractive prices ranging from RM115,900 to RM135,900, depending on the battery capacity.
Depending on variants, the LFP battery options are the 49kWh or 62kWh units that deliver up to 340km and 430km range respectively.
The fun part is that MG is bucking the trend by having the electric power driving the rear wheels rather the front, which is the prevailing drive trend.
It is a mid-size SUV comparable to the Toyota Corolla Cross and Honda HR-V based on its vehicle dimensions; 4,476mm overall length, 1,849 overall width and 1,621mm overall height.
The MGS5 has a longer wheelbase of 2,730mm and that best explains its roomy rear seating capacity and luggage space of 453 litres, which could be expanded threefold to 1,441 litres with the 60:40 split-rear backrests.
Typical to EVs, the grille-less front allows a more flowing body design that has lower bumper apron vents for cooling brakes and battery.
The uppermost sweeping lamp design contains the daytime running lights while the lower lamp housing is for the high and low beams, all light emitting diodes (LEDs) of course.
The rear panel sees a full body width LED light strip in red to connect the two light clusters for a broader effect.
Only the top-of-the-range LUX variant was made available for the “coast-to-coast” media drive and this version runs on 18-inch alloy wheels that were fitted with 225/55 R18 Bridgestone Turanza tyres.
It comes standard with the more powerful 62kWh battery and our test unit was 99% charged to provide a range of 428km.
Our drive from the MG Malaysia dealer showroom in Sungai Penchala saw very heavy traffic till Genting Sempah, with accidents, vehicle breakdowns, road diversions and road works along the way.
We also had a brunch detour to a durian plantation with camping site near Sungai Dua, Bentong to sample some branded favourites.
That gave us a short experience of the MGS5 capability to cover off-road trails with reasonable ride comfort.
By the time we reached the Petronas Gambang rest stop that has two Gentari DC chargers, our MGS5 range was down to 86km or about 20% battery level, thanks to some robust driving.
It was about 55km to our final stop at Swiss Garden Beach Resort but thought it wise to get a 20-minute charge to give us almost 200km range.
This is the part where we feel we could do it on a single charge if we apply our ICE driving mode in driving the MGS5.
We took that as a challenge to do the return drive from Kuantan to Sungai Penchala on a single charge the following day.
This time, our MGS5 came with 307km or 70% battery level, a lot less than when we started off a day earlier and the distance to be covered, according to our Waze guide, was slightly under 250km.
Besides indicating the battery range, the instrument panel also tells us how we are using the battery power during driving in percentages.
The lower the percentage reading, the lower the flow of battery power to get the MGS5 moving.
And like an ICE vehicle, electric power flow was higher when accelerated up an incline and lower to no power flow on downhill gradients.
Using this power flow as our guide, we maintained the drive over the entire distance within 0 to 30%.
Another typical EV feature is the regeneration option, from low to strong as well as adaptive and we chose medium to boost battery level, especially during urban driving.
That allowed us to arrive at the dealer showroom in Sungai Penchala with a 31km remaining range or 9% battery level.
Doing that also meant we maintained the indicated highway speeds for the respective sections of the drive route.
There were two features that bugged us though during the drive; one was the “You’re driving above the speed limit” warning each time we were a bit too fast.
And it wasn’t fully accurate as the warning would also come on when we were driving below the speed limit.
Apparently, this could not be switched off and MG Malaysia said the fix might come in the near future with a software update.
The other bugbear was the rather insensitive touchscreen function for the 12.8-inch centre info display; it needed a firm prod or two before allowing access to the respective function.
Besides enjoying the quiet EV motoring, helped by the good body aerodynamics, the ride was pretty good too.
We tried out the respective options available, which were Normal, Sport and Comfort, and found Normal being the best for highway drives.
The Comfort mode was clearly felt in the softer damping over road bumps and the firmer ride.
Sport mode was best during the few times we enjoyed some quick drives.
There was no opportunity to get some winding road impression but from the few tight corners we came across, the rear-wheel drive MGS5 showed its mettle in taking them.
The understeer that is common to front-wheel models was not there and we liked how the MGS5 steered through the corner with the least of drama.
As we were assigned two media to a vehicle, we didn’t get to do our rear seat impression but we believed the suspension system was well tuned to provide ride comfort in that area as well.
The MGS5 LUX variant also comes with a sunroof that we obviously didn’t use with the blazing sun raising temperatures uncomfortably during our drive.
The 453-litre luggage space accommodated what we brought along nicely and would easily meet the needs of four adults on a holiday jaunt.
At the end of the day, our MGS5 drive experience convinced us that whether EV or ICE, the range or mileage is well within our control.
