In case it has escaped your notice, we're in the middle of something of an invasion of Chinese cars in the UK. The electric revolution has opened the floodgates for brands we've never heard of, bringing us names we never expected, like "Dolphin" and "Funky Cat".
A similar invasion happened in the 1970s with the Koreans, and before that with the Japanese, so it's perhaps a cyclical thing. But, rather than slowly creep into the UK conscience as the Koreans and Japanese did, the Chinese are hurling everything into the UK market invasion.
However, while it might feel like this invasion has only just begun, we've got to look back to 2007 to see what was arguably the starting point.
The Chinese first put a proper foot in the door when they started launching upcycled MG sports cars. And it was four years later they showed us their first stab at a UK-ready MG hatchback, the ill-fated MG6. The following year, just 782 changed hands.
But while we were fairly apathetic towards the reborn MG brand as it quietly blossomed, everything changed when the MG4 EV was launched in 2022. Because it was brilliant.
And, not that we've ever felt it was necessary, MG Motor UK has now launched a fast version of the 4, bringing back the once legendary X Power moniker.
Let me talk you through the numbers, to start with, because they're rather exciting. The X Power has two motors instead of just one, there's now one on each axle. The front motor serves up 201bhp, and the rear one delivers 228bhp - so you've got 429bhp.
Yes, you're right, that's rather a lot for a hatchback, and it does rival the Mercedes A45 or the Audi RS3, at least in terms of power.
In fact, it's enough to hurl its not inconsiderable 1,800kg weight to 60mph in just 3.8 seconds which, frankly, is a bit silly. But silly in a good way, of course.
Oh, and there's another thing to shout about. The price starts at £36,495. Significantly less than the £50k+ you'd need to sit in one of the aforementioned fossil fuel-powered superhatches.
It also has a trick differential that controls the torque between all four wheels, stiffer anti-roll bars, stiffened suspension, sharper steering, and huge 345mm brake discs front and rear.
So it's brilliant, right? Not quite.
You need to remember, this is an EV. And while I wouldn't want that to sound like a slur on electric propulsion, it is a consideration we need to take into account. While the Merc and Audi serve up a theatrical cacophony under load, the MG 4 X Power can't set pulses racing in the same way. It's one thing being pinned into your seat, but being pinned into your seat with an engine barking away, screaming out for gear after gear, is always going to win more hearts.
And then there's the weight. To be fair, the X Power handles this really rather well. Hurl it into a corner and the front end tucks in better than it should, but it's the load transfer that happens mid-corner that gives the game away and it feels like the suspension just isn't quite stiff enough.
I really don't want to be too harsh though, because it's actually unfair to compare it to superhatch royalty, because it's significantly cheaper. And that's the one thing that really sells this car.
I'm aware it's a similar price to Hyundai's surprisingly thrilling i30N, but that doesn't have over 400bhp, and the X Power does.
And I don't like the fact the bulbous calipers you can see through the 18" wheels are actually painted covers, but they do look rather good.
I think my biggest problem is, though, the standard MG4 EV is just so bloomin' good. I think I'd find myself trying to justify the £10,000 premium over a standard MG4 with the promise of rapid straight-line acceleration, a few blingy styling tweaks, and a smarter paint job.
It would also play on my mind a bit that the X Power's 61.8kWh battery gives up to 239 miles of range, but not if you show off that blistering acceleration. In fact, if you hoon it around too much, that could sink below 150 miles in the real world, especially in the depths of winter.
Another fly in the proverbial ointment is that there's now an Extended Range MG4 costing the same as the X Power promising 330 miles.
What MG is asking, then, is to choose between power and range. And that would be fine if the Extended Range MG4 was a curmudgeonly old slouch. Which it isn't.
I think this takes me back to what Chinese cars, particularly MG, currently stand for. Value for money.
Yes, you can get a 400+bhp EV built on one of the best EV platforms on the market for £36,495, and that really is something to rejoice, but it speaks volumes for the MG4 generally that the cheapest versions are still arguably the pick of the bunch.
