With 742bhp, four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering and charging speeds that border on the unbelievable, the MG IM5 promises supercar performance for family-car money. Surely there must be a catch?

Let’s get one thing straight right from the outset. This is not the MG you think it is. Forget bargain hatchbacks. Forget sensible family SUVs. Forget everything you know about MG because the IM5 is operating on an entirely different plane. In fact, if somebody covered the badges and asked you to guess what this was, I suspect very few people would say MG. And to be fair it does look generic Chinese EV. But here’s what you need to know: this thing is utterly bonkers.