This time we have a car from MG. Specifically, the ZS model in the highest trim level, with a more powerful three-litre three-cylinder engine and an automatic gearbox. MG has an even larger EHS model in the range, which you can look forward to testing soon, and also a hot new model at the moment in the form of the HS.
When you say MG, a number of car fans think of the UK. However, the brand, which originated in the 1920s from the words Morris Garages by Oxford businessman William Morris, passed to Chinese group Nanjing Automobile in 2006, which became today’s giant SAIC Motor.
The MG ZS is an urban crossover, or SUV if you prefer, that measures 4,323 mm in length, 1,809 mm in width and 1,653 mm in height. It is not a global novelty, as you might expect, because the ZS has been in the carmaker’s range since 2017 and three years ago it even underwent a facelift, which has now reached the Slovak market. In 2021 and 2022, for example, the MG ZS was the best-selling small SUV in Australia.
The MG ZS resembles a lot of cars in design, and it doesn’t really matter, because you can’t actually make something completely original anymore, apparently. The design is therefore primarily focused on familiar and modern shapes and it certainly has nothing to be ashamed of in terms of its looks.
The advantage of copying a design is that it shouldn’t age that much. How much of this is intentional, to subliminally gain people’s trust by making them feel like they actually know the car from somewhere, or how much is just designers copying some shapes on traditional models, is very hard to tell. Either way, the design as a whole works, and the MG ZS in metallic blue that we had on the test car is particularly handsome.
In terms of length and interior space, the MG ZS sits somewhere between small SUVs like the Skoda Kamiq and larger ones like the Skoda Karoq. Dimensionally, it’s closest to, say, the Kia XCeed or a Dacia Duster. The interior doesn’t feel cheap by any means, quite the opposite. The workmanship is very decent, the cabin doesn’t smell of cheap glue and the wealth of equipment positively surprises. The boot has a respectable 448 litres and there’s room for a full-size spare, or a net program on the side.
In the cabin, the design is also really well done, it’s modern and doesn’t look cheap. The steering wheel is great, but it lacks longitudinal adjustment and we also find a nicely centered dashboard display, as well as round vents on the sides. I’d work a bit on adjusting the brightness of the displays, as even at maximum luminance there’s almost nothing to see on the digital dashboard in sunny weather.
The leatherette upholstery on the seats is very nice, and there’s plenty of room everywhere, too – in the front, in the back seats, and in the trunk. Not that the ZS is the benchmark for roominess, but it’s not bad at all, I don’t feel cramped and at the same time nothing is pressing into my right leg because someone thought and put a soft area just where it’s needed.
A central, 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen is standard, and its responses aren’t always entirely quick or accurate. Fortunately, a substantial portion of the functions have the ability to be selected directly with physical buttons. The start/stop system, for example, has its own separate button in front of the shifter. Airflow intensity or temperature can also be set with the buttons on the digital climate control, but somewhat surprisingly you can’t set a specific temperature, you just tune the level on a colour scale. So it is actually manual air conditioning with digital settings. The system also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto by wired connection.
The MG ZS is available here with two petrol engines, front-wheel drive only and manual or automatic transmission. The tested 1.0 TGI 82kW (111k) three-cylinder petrol 1.0 is coupled with equipment adding, for example, a 360-degree camera, sunroof, keyless locking and starting and most importantly, the aforementioned 6-speed automatic gearbox from Aisin.
On the road, the ZS is best suited to a relaxed ride, during which it offers the crew decent comfort and a quiet environment. If, on the other hand, you try to drive dynamically, you’ll find that the three-cylinder needs to be dialed in too much, and the slower automatic transmission doesn’t like that very much. The body could also lean less, except that this is basically no handicap for the MG ZS, as the ZS’s target customer group will definitely appreciate more that the car is comfortable and quiet, and some of that dynamism or cornering agility will probably be stolen from them. The chassis, although simple in design, won’t be thrown off by our traditional all manner of bumps and potholes in the road.
The litre three-cylinder itself delighted with both soundproofing and extremely refined running. But it’s no powerhouse and has quite a bit to do with a car of this size, as evidenced by, for example, a peak torque figure of just 160Nm and an acceleration time of 11.2 seconds.
Those interested in this vehicle will also be pleased with the reasonable consumption. I drove the MG ZS for more than 800 kilometres on city, county and motorway roads and ended my testing with an average consumption of 7.3 litres per 100 km. I have no complaints about the steering either, which is precise and pleasant, the brakes are powerful enough and good to work with.
MG offers up to four trims for the ZS. The lower two trims, Essential and Emotion, always have an atmospheric four-cylinder under the hood, and the two higher trims, Elegance and Exclusive, have a three-cylinder turbocharged engine. The difference, however, is that the Elegance trim has a six-speed manual and the Exclusive an automatic with the same number of speeds and to add to that, an electric parking brake (EPB) with Auto Hold. As the motorisations and gearboxes are fixed, so are the other equipment items.
MG offers only two extra charges for the packet with the comfort fabric seats with red stitching and embroidered MG monogram, or the second elegant velour Alcantara seats with red stitching and the same embroidered MG monogram. You can even choose any body colour you like for free, according to the current price list, and everything else is already included in the base price of the vehicle.
And price is an item that plays a bigger role with a certain group of customers than brand, trim, or safety features. And with a similar group, the new MG ZS has a good chance of succeeding. Some might be put off by the fact that a Chinese product is actually hiding under a traditional European brand, but after a week’s testing, I can safely say that prejudice is definitely not misplaced.
In quality the MG ZS easily matches the established brands, in equipment it beats many of them, and for a price well below the usual average in this class you get a good-riding smaller SUV with almost 450 litres of boot space. And MG adds to that a 7-year warranty and 24/7 assistance across Europe…
