MG ZS review

MG ZS

First things first, it’s a 2wd small SUV. Yes that’s right, 2 wheel drive. I know we’re called The Mud Life and some of you may think that the MG ZS has no right to be within these pages, but hold on, it has a lot of good qualities about it for those who want an SUV styled vehicle, but not the AWD.

was quite happy to leave it on Normal mode as it does a good all-round job.

Plant your foot firmly down and the 1ltr 3-cylinder lump revs all the way up to 6,000rpm and changes up, and does it again until you ease up. Although it’s more expensive than the 1.5ltr engine, I actually prefer it. It’s an eager and sprightly little thing and suits the ZS well.

On the road Throughout the week we used the ZS for pretty much every journey you can think of, from short commutes to the long and boring, and it didn’t disappoint. MG say that it’s been tuned for UK roads and I have to doff my hat to the engineers for doing a good job.

Yeah, the ride can be a bit lumpy at times, but overall it does a great job of brushing off potholes and broken patches of road, whether that’s through town or zooming along winding country lanes.

The ZS offers three steering modes - Urban, Normal and Dynamic - which offer varying levels of power steering assistance. To be honest, after trying each one for a few miles I

Off road Like its bigger brother, the GS that I reviewed last year, the ZS is only 2wd, but of course, this didn’t stop me from having a little play, and just like its bigger sibling, the ZS managed what I asked of it.

On mud the traction control did a fine job of finding grip where it really shouldn’t have, which does beg the question, does it need 4wd? Of course that all depends on how you’re going to use it, but it is surprising how capable it is without it.

Approach, departure and ground clearance angles aren’t bad either, but like any small SUV you just need to keep an eye out, but I doubt any owners will take the ZS down the lanes I did!

Interior Like the GS, the interior in the ZS is rather nice place to be. There are however a couple of niggles, and first are the seats - again.

Every MG I’ve sat in has the same issue for me, they’re simply too narrow. Now I appreciate that I’m not the smallest of blokes (6ft 1” & 19 stone), but I end up sitting on both of the side bolsters. They aren't exactly uncomfortable, but when I zoom around corners I feel like I’m about to slide off them.

Large drivers, with big feet, will also find the brake and accelerator pedals close together, and on our first outing I kept catching both of them whilst both braking and accelerating. After a few days I’d got used it and became more careful of where I placed my right foot.

Anything else? Oh yeah, and the tailgate doesn’t open high enough - I kept banging my head on it!

Being positive, and there’s lots to be positive about, the driving position is great, the rubberised top dash is better than the SEAT Arona’s cheap feeling plastic dash, and overall the interior is reasonably well equipped.

There are three trims to choose from - Explore, Excite and Exclusive. The entry level models have LED day-running-lights, electrically adjustable door mirrors, projector headlights and 15” alloy wheels as standard on the outside. On the inside they get manually adjustable front seats, air conditioning, cruise control and USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

Upgrade to Excite and you’ll find a DAB radio, Apple CarPlay, climate control, heated wing mirrors, front fog lights and 17’ alloys, while the range-topping Exclusive model adds a reversing camera, rear parking sensors and leatherette upholstery.

In the back long legged passengers have plenty of space to lounge around in and will happily sit behind other long legged front seat passenger and driver. The boot offers 448lts of storage space which MG say is the biggest in class. However, there is deep lip so some may struggle to lift heavy objects out.

Engine ’n’ transmission There are two engines to choose from, both of them petrol. The 1.5ltr 4 cylinder engine develops 105bhp and is attached to a 5 speed manual gearbox, while the 1.0ltr 3 cylinder turbocharged lump and produces 109bhp and is bolted to a six-speed automatic ‘box.

1.5ltr

105bhp - 49.6mpg combined - 112mph - 0-60mph in 10.4 seconds - C02 = 129 g/km

1.0ltr

109bhp - 44.9mpg combined - 109mph - 0-60mph in 12.1 seconds - C02 = 144 g/km

Conclusion As soon as it was delivered I was smitten by it’s looks, and that colour really suits the ZS’s shape - then it hit me, is it me or does it have a slight resemblance to Mazda CX3? I think it does you know, which is why the ZS appealed to me.

MG are confident in their cars, and their new ZS comes with a fully transferable 80,000 mile, 7-year warranty, which as you’ll know is creeping into Kia and SsangYong’s territory.

When you consider the ZS range starts at just £12,495, you have to conceive that it offers great value for money. OK, there are parts that are cheap, like scratchy plastics on the lower half of the trim, and the steering has no reach adjustment, but these compact SUVs are built to be affordable, so it’s forgivable.

Overall, despite a few niggles, I thoroughly enjoyed having the ZS for a week, it was fun, practical and cheap motoring and took me places a 2wd shouldn’t - though I doubt MG would advocate that!