2024 MG Marvel R First Impressions Review | Philkotse Philippines

By now, most already know that MG Philippines has released its one-two punch for the local electric vehicle (EV) segment, the MG 4 EV hatchback and the Marvel R crossover.

Philkotse has already given the MG 4 EV a first-impression look and it comes off as a relatively affordable but capable hatch that is more than a match against its local rivals. But what about the Marvel R? Does it have what it takes to compete in the highly contested crossover EV segment? To answer that, here’s Philkotse’s 2024 Marvel R first impressions review.

2024 MG Marvel R

At first glance, the Marvel R looks like a typical crossover that’s rich in smooth lines coupled with a few angular details and that’s pretty much it. Its front end does have some eye-catching details like an LED daytime running lamp bar, LED headlamp clusters mounted on a shapely lower bumper, and a closed-off grille.

Marvel R front the front

The side portions of the vehicle get even quieter thanks to minimal character lines and flush door handles. The crossover likewise gets practical features like a roof rail, power folding-side mirrors, and a set of 19-inch wheels. Its lower rear portion does have some angular details like faux vents and around the plate holder. The top section including the power-tailgate, meanwhile, mirrors the front with its LED taillight bar and mostly smooth surfaces.

Marvel R from the rear

It looks much more conventional compared to other EV crossovers like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, but we can see what MG is going for in this model. Instead of unconventional designs, the company opted to give the Marvel R a quiet, understated look. The result is an EV that does not scream: “Look at me!” which is a refreshing take nowadays considering how other competing models like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are styled.

This EV is going for a sleek, understated look

In terms of size, the Marvel R is 4,674mm long, 1,919mm wide, and 1,618mm in height. It also has a wheelbase length of 2,804mm. This makes the MG slightly shorter but taller and wider than the Ioniq 5. For your reference, the Hyundai model is 4,635mm in length, 1,890mm wide, and 1,605mm in height.

In contrast to the elegant and quiet-looking exterior, the interior gets more in the way of fanciness. Instead of a typical center console, this MG EV gets a huge touchscreen display that slants from the center of the soft-touch dashboard towards the bottom part of the soft center armrest. Below the said screen is a cubby hole that’s spacious enough to store several gadgets and other trinkets.

The Marvel R's cockpit

The section just below the huge touchscreen though, is finished in shiny black plastic which might get smattered with fingerprints during everyday use.

From the front to the rear cabin, there’s also plenty of eye candy. The interior door cards feature a wealth of stitched patterns which are combined with chrome and matte trim pieces. All seats are likewise designed to feel plush thanks to their perforated leather covers.

A closer look at the Marvel R's steering wheel

The front cabin gets particularly comfortable thanks to the presence of cooling and heating functions. Finding one’s driving position is likewise made easy thanks to a tilt and telescopic steering column and power adjustability for both front seats.

The rear seats meanwhile, are abundant in comfort and are neither too hard nor too soft. Legroom is also plentiful even for large adults. As a reference, the writer who tested the Marvel R stands at 5’11” and is wide at the gut. On top of that, this MG also gets a sunroof, which is a nice touch in giving the interior an even more open feel. In total, the Marvel R can comfortably seat up to five occupants.

Marvel R rear seats

For on-board cooling, the Marvel R gets a dual-zone climate control system with rear vents. These are controlled via the touchscreen, and we think it would be better if it had auxiliary physical controls to make it easier to use while driving.

Open the trunk and you’ll get a default cargo space of 375 liters which is plenty enough for a week's worth of groceries. For larger cargo, fold the rear seats down for up to 1,396 liters of space. One also has access to the 150-liter front trunk (frunk) which is great for storing tools or stuff that you would not want inside the cabin.

The frunk is a good place to store tools

The Marvel R gets a massive 19.3-inch touchscreen equipped with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. We didn’t get to explore this touchscreen too much, but from what we have experienced, it is easy to understand and is very legible.

The driver, in turn, is provided with a 12.3-inch instrument cluster which is impressively large as far as digital clusters go. It is also easy to understand and that’s top of its colorful user interface which gives the mostly black, grey, and silver interior a splash of color.

A closer look at the Marvel R's central touchscreen display

Keeping one’s gadgets aboard the Marvel R is easy thanks to its wireless charging pad and its series of USB ports. For the ones on the front cabin though, one will have to bend down to access these ports because they’re positioned within the cubby hole under the central touchscreen display.

Regarding on-board safety, this MG EV gets what you’d expect from a modern crossover. It has anti-lock braking, electronic brakeforce distribution, hill-hold control, traction control, and stability control, among others.

The screen is reinforced with Corning Gorilla Glass for added durability

Those standard safety bits are reinforced by several advanced safety bits like autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and an intelligent speed alert.

We didn’t get to use any of these safety features during our test run for the Marvel R, but these are nice to have for a driver’s peace of mind.

In driving the Marvel R, we found it to be very quick from a standstill. That’s no surprise since motors provide 184 horsepower and 255 Nm of instantaneous torque to the vehicle’s rear wheels.

That said, the Marvel R is particularly agile when compared to other crossovers, especially against similarly-sized internal combustion-powered models like the Peugeot 3008. We got to try out its handling capabilities via a short driving course with slaloms and a 360-degree turn where it showed great stability and minimal body roll. Its steering was likewise direct, and it even provided some feedback on some uneven road surfaces.

For its size, it's pretty quick on its feet

Road noise was effectively staved off by the MG EV crossover as well. Some wind noise can be heard during spirited driving, but tire noise is essentially non-existent.

As with the MG 4 EV and other EVs in the market, the regenerative braking will take getting used to. To refresh your memories, this system converts the car’s forward momentum into energy. While it slows the car down, it harvests energy to store it in its 70.0 kWh battery.

Note that the Marvel R has 402 km of range which is plenty enough. Couple that with regenerative braking, and you won’t likely see the need to charge the EV for a day or two when driving inside the city.

At its price of Php 2,588,888, the MG Marvel R is an EV model that offers much to its prospective buyers. It has decent handling, as well as a boatload of amenities.

We would also like to emphasize its looks since the Marvel R is the total opposite of most EVs available right now. More often than not, electric cars have some styling cues that aim to dazzle and ensure that they stick out from other vehicles on the road. Some we dare say, are even overly designed.

With all that said, the MG Marvel R has more than enough to make it up to par with its rivals. Come to think of it, it might just fit the bill for those wanting a comparably conservative-looking alternative to the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.