A different kind of Roadster

[Jeo]

What are those paddle shifts for - if there is a sports mode, and a proper gearbox to exploit the electric motor's zero-revs max torque characteristics, could be a serious blast.

Don't know about the MG's but on the Hyundai/Kia EV's they use paddles to control the regenerative breaking level. In manual mode it's a 0-4 scale, or press and hold the right paddle to put it in auto and then use the left paddle to temporarily increase regen.

[greenMachine]

Yes, the vid I posted in the other thread said that one was controlling regen, the other I think changes the screen readouts. Actually, I think that was an annoying Brit whose vid I didn't post or link, but it was a decent review, I'll see if I can find it again. Found it, can't seem to embed though, linky:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi5LZWZQzHA

[KevGoat]

Watched a few videos of this roadster since first seeing this thread, and on first impressions, it looked yummy.........then I found the price! Circa $100k+ for the awd!! Not much less the 2wd! From various reviews, this is still a Chinese quality (or lack of) car at an exorbitant price !! Rather lousy ergonomics, some weird seating and control positioning problems. Some positive comments on how it drives, but for the price, it appears hard to justify. While looking for a new car to replace my wife's Echo, I looked at the Chinese brands. Their pricing makes them hard to ignore. They pretty much all present pretty well these days and have reasonable tech specs for their price ranges, but I just couldn't help wondering how well they'd stand up over time. The materials used appear low grade (though they look good as a new car), in most the seating and control positioning felt awkward if not uncomfortable, and the attention to detail and fit is horribly lacking compared to Japanese standards. I just couldn't bring myself to buy one. I doubt this roadster would be much different. An ND RF would still be my choice as a roadster, and I dare say it's only a matter of time before the MX-5 goes electric. Hopefully, it happens while I could still enjoy one ....

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[Rocky]

The Chinese product is being "dumped" here at a loss to the producer in order to simply swamp the market with cheaper products that naive consumers will buy because they are motivated by self-interest.
I will not buy these things on principle - some folks may need to look that up - or any other Chinese product I can avoid - because they are a manipulative and deceptive country and think it is fine to ban or restrict our exports to punish us for speaking out about their human rights abuses and colonialism in the euphanistically-named "South China Sea".
I see lots of this MG junk on the roads and I hope it all fails spectacularly.

[kalt]

Good for you to hold on to principles

The problem with that is you'll be waiting a long time for a 'non-Chinese' car maker to make an electric roadster, you'll grow old, your reflexes start to fail by the time a Tesla Roadster 2 rolls out. That's why they focus on AutoPilot software in the interim, authoritarian driving dressed up as preventative safety.

Next gen BMW Electric Mini will be manufacturer in China, so they're selling current "overpriced low-range battery" at a "discount" now.

https://www.drive.com.au/news/mini-electric-20000-price-cut-australia/

At the end of the day it is weak effort by the manufacturers to ween off dinosaur juice, prodded and poked by the cartel to keep the fossil flow going.

[bruce]

Reality is, it probably weighs nearly 2 tons and can hardly be classifed a sports car.

[KevGoat]

Considering the complete lack of any connection to their car or any form of responsible driving skills of most drivers these days, I doubt most would even have any thought of where their car comes from. All they care about these days is that their phone connects seamlessly when they get in it. I actually know two people who sold near new, very nice cars, for that very reason - their phone didn't always connect!!! MG would probably sell enough of these to the kind of people who would purely buy it for the attention the doors would get when they pull up somewhere... all else would be irrelevant...

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[greenMachine]

... people who sold near new, very nice cars, for that very reason - their phone didn't always connect!!! MG would probably sell enough of these to the kind of people who would purely buy it for the attention the doors would get when they pull up somewhere... all else would be irrelevant...
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Sad but true.

[Rocky]

All the previous, sad but true!
I figure we have one more car left in us before we hang up the driving gloves and it won't be electric and it won't be Chinese.
We are doing less klms each year and I don't really care how expensive petrol is, we will always be able to afford it. Likewise when the government starts to increase Rego on non-EVs to try to drive the population into EVs.
Fortunately I have never placed much importance on my phone - I remember what it was like when it was only attached to the wall at home - or you used a Public Phone. I am one of those who reads a book in the Doctor's waiting room.
The MX5 is a keeper and I am committed to maintaining it until they prise my rigor-mortised fingers off the steering wheel.

A little story - Friends just bought an MG EV SUV. Nearly caused a crash recently when it "saw" a vehicle in an opposing lane that it "thought" might have been on a converging course, and applied the emergency braking - on a corner - causing several cars behind to need dry-cleaning of their driver's seats. I sat in this vehicle while the owner ran me through the "systems" . He is one of the smartest people I know and he was not real sure how it all worked, and I was well and truly at sea.

[StillIC]

....Nearly caused a crash recently when it "saw" a vehicle in an opposing lane that it "thought" might have been on a converging course, and applied the emergency braking - on a corner - causing several cars behind to need dry-cleaning of their driver's seats....

I occasionally drive the work fleet Hyundai Kona EV (only cars we have now, sigh). I am always in a hurry to pick up the keys and get to whatever event I am attending, so don't have time to sit around reading the manual to turn off all the "driver's aids". The two I hate most, in reverse order:
- Automatic steering correct when the car get a sniff of white line near a tyre;
- Automatic radar braking, miles from anything in front.

Often I go to overtake on the freeway, I move up behind the car in front while changing lanes, picking the gap. But on the overlap the Kona thinks I am too close to the car I am passing (I'm not) and jams the brakes on, mid manoeuvre! FFS aaaaaaaahhhhhh. This really confuses the slower car in the right lane who suddenly has a brake checking A_hole in front of him. Nah mate, it's not me, it's the car! Honest!

When cornering left I hug the apex so I don't unnecessarily hold up traffic behind me. But on Sydney roads in particular, many roads have white lines marked the whole way around the corner. When the Kona sees I am about to touch the white line with my front left wheel, the steering wheel suddenly gets jerked right, in the middle of my left turn, sending me heading towards oncoming traffic. You F_ing piece of mother F_ing Sh!t Kona.

Can you feel my hatred?

[Rocky]

Whoa! Now I AM alarmed because although I won't be driving one I can see that I WILL be driving amongst these vehicles - and if it is a problem to the good drivers, it is going to be a nightmare for the majority who don't have a clue what to expect and how to react. Thanks for the heads-up - I hadn't thought about this.

[Nevyn72]

....Nearly caused a crash recently when it "saw" a vehicle in an opposing lane that it "thought" might have been on a converging course, and applied the emergency braking - on a corner - causing several cars behind to need dry-cleaning of their driver's seats....

I occasionally drive the work fleet Hyundai Kona EV (only cars we have now, sigh). I am always in a hurry to pick up the keys and get to whatever event I am attending, so don't have time to sit around reading the manual to turn off all the "driver's aids". The two I hate most, in reverse order:
- Automatic steering correct when the car get a sniff of white line near a tyre;
- Automatic radar braking, miles from anything in front.

Often I go to overtake on the freeway, I move up behind the car in front while changing lanes, picking the gap. But on the overlap the Kona thinks I am too close to the car I am passing (I'm not) and jams the brakes on, mid manoeuvre! FFS aaaaaaaahhhhhh. This really confuses the slower car in the right lane who suddenly has a brake checking A_hole in front of him. Nah mate, it's not me, it's the car! Honest!

When cornering left I hug the apex so I don't unnecessarily hold up traffic behind me. But on Sydney roads in particular, many roads have white lines marked the whole way around the corner. When the Kona sees I am about to touch the white line with my front left wheel, the steering wheel suddenly gets jerked right, in the middle of my left turn, sending me heading towards oncoming traffic. You F_ing piece of mother F_ing Sh!t Kona.

Can you feel my hatred?

Our work cars do exactly the same sort of things, really gives you irrates, and we generally spend a few minutes before departure turning all that stuff off. Really frustrating how many menus you need to dig through to find the off switches...

What kind of EVs are they?
They're not... They are current gen Isuzu MUXs...

This is just the way modern vehicles are, you can thank safety rating regimes like ENCAP, etc.

[93_Clubman]

Whoa! Now I AM alarmed because although I won't be driving one I can see that I WILL be driving amongst these vehicles - and if it is a problem to the good drivers, it is going to be a nightmare for the majority who don't have a clue what to expect and how to react. Thanks for the heads-up - I hadn't thought about this.

^+1 - unpredictable drivers are bad enough but unpredictable cars are an accident looking for a place to happen!

we generally spend a few minutes before departure turning all that stuff off. Really frustrating how many menus you need to dig through to find the off switches...

And sadly many lack awareness & aren't knowledgeable &/or responsible enough to do this.

[Jeo]

I think y'all are overestimating the attentiveness of the average driver.

Think of it akin to ABS. Can a perfect driver outperform ABS? Yes. Can the average driver outperform ABS? No. Do most people Dunning-Kruger themselves into thinking they're closer to perfect than average? Yes.

But also yes, the first time you drive with "modern" driver aids it is real weird. I remember getting properly confused by the radar cruise in a work car the first time and thoroughly disliked it. Having bought my first ever new car about a month ago (previous closest I'd gotten was at least 10 years old at the time of purchase), complete with adaptive cruise, semi-automated overtaking, self centering lane assist, automated emergency breaking, etc - and you get used to how it reacts to things remarkably quickly.

We're still a long way from full self driving, but I'm all for current aids for the masses.