Shropshire Star

First drive: MG's new ZS offers a great value package

The MG ZS is one of the latest SUVs to enter the market. Is it any good? Ryan Hirons has been to find out

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What is it?
The MG ZS is the Chinese-owned, British manufacturer’s new compact SUV.

It slots in the middle of MG’s current range, sitting between the MG3 hatchback and MG GS SUV, and the company is billing it as its “greatest car yet”. With six months of development just for the UK, MG is hoping it will be living up to that statement.

With the compact SUV market so strong these days, MG is aiming to make the ZS stand out through a low price and a seven-year manufacturer warranty.

MG ZS
(MG)

What’s new?
Aside from the ZS nameplate — previously attached to a high-performance, Rover 45-based saloon — the compact SUV is an almost totally new car in the MG line-up.

It introduces a new design language for the brand, showcasing a much larger grille and more angular styling cues compared to its GS and MG3 stablemates.

A new engine joins the lineup as well — a range-topping, 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine developed in conjunction with General Motors.

What’s under the bonnet?
Two petrol engines and gearboxes are available for the compact SUV — the aforementioned new 1.0-litre motor available with a six-speed automatic and MG’s own 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated unit which is paired to a five-speed manual

We spent most of our driving the 1.5-litre engine. It develops 105bhp and 141Nm of torque, taking the ZS from 0-60mph in 10.4 seconds and up to a top speed of 109mph. Fuel economy is a claimed 49.6mpg with CO2 emissions of 129g/km.

It’s not the most responsive of units, feeling very sluggish at the low-end, although it picks up fairly well in the mid-to-high rev range — albeit with quite a lot of unpleasant noise.

A brief stint with the 1.0-litre motor proved a bit more engaging, as may be expected when the engineering might of General Motors has had a hand, but the automatic gearbox felt unresponsive and it may have been better served with the five-speed manual.

MG ZS
(MG)

What’s it like to drive?
In urban driving, the MG ZS offers a perfectly fine experience. A high seating position, good all-round visibility, soft suspension and parking sensors — coupled with a camera on higher-spec models— make city driving easy and stress-free. However, do expect plenty of gear changes and high-revving at traffic lights because of the lack of low-end torque.

Country driving and long-distance trips don’t quite match that, though. Overly-soft suspension makes the experience akin to holding a steering wheel on a bouncy castle at times and incredibly firm seats become uncomfortable to be sat in after even a short while.

MG also makes a big deal of the car’s three steering modes — urban, normal and dynamic. In all honesty, each setting has no major effect — with dynamic adding a little more weight, and urban taking some away. The differences are noticeable, but not worlds apart and will likely be an untouched feature after a while of ownership.

MG ZS
(MG)

How does it look?
MG has introduced a totally new design ethos with the ZS.

It’s by no means a bad looking car, in fact, it’s arguably one of the better-looking cars in the compact SUV market — but it seems a little uninspired. The front-end reminds us a whole lot of the current Mazda CX-3 while the back-end is reminiscent of an earlier Kia Sportage.

We’d like to have seen something on the car that makes it stand out as an MG, rather than blend in with a sea of other crossovers.

MG ZS
(MG)

What’s it like inside?
The interior of the ZS looks quite impressive, offering a visual design of something in a much higher price bracket.

To touch though, it’s not quite so good. The leather-effect materials have a cheap rubbery feel to them and hard, scratchy plastics are scattered around the cockpit. It’d be hard to expect anything more at the ZS’ price-point, but it makes it hard to justify the savings over its rivals if cost isn’t your priority.

It’s certainly a practical car as well — offering 448 litres of boot space with all seats in place. Compared with 354 litres in the Juke, 346 litres in the Ford EcoSport and 350 litres in the Mazda CX-3, the ZS offers class-leading space.

MG ZS
(MG)

What’s the spec like?
Considering the low price, the MG ZS is fairly generously equipped.

Standard equipment on all models includes LED daytime running lights, Bluetooth connectivity and cruise control.

We tested the Excite model, which included 17-inch wheels, air-conditioning, ‘designer’ fabric seats and parking sensors — coming in at £13,995.

Range-topping Exclusive models offer an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system that includes Apple CarPlay, satellite navigation and a reverse parking camera — starting at £17,495, it massively undercuts the cost of rivals with similar level of equipment.

MG ZS
(MG)

Verdict
The MG ZS isn’t the best-equipped car in its class, it’s not the most dynamic and it’s arguably far from the most desirable — but what it does offer is sheer value for money that rivals such as the Nissan Juke, Ford EcoSport and Mazda CX-3 simply cannot match.

With prices starting at just £12,495, topped off with a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty and zero per cent finance deals, it’s a solid choice for anyone simply looking for a brand-new, practical car with the ease of knowing it can be relied on for a few years to come.

FACTS AT A GLANCE
Model: MG ZS Excite
Price as tested: £13,995
Engine: 1.5-litre petrol
Power (bhp): 105
Torque (Nm): 141
Max speed (mph): 109
0-60mph: 10.4 seconds
MPG (combined): 49.6
Emissions (g/km): 129

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