MG has returned to the European market with great force, offering products made in China but designed and created with European preferences in mind. Besides, with a really fair price. Its star product at the sales level is the MG ZS, a model that we are going to examine in these lines and in the video that you have a little below.
The MG ZS is the smallest of the SUVs the brand Originally British but with Chinese owners. By the way, it is also made in the Far East. His promotional price is 13.990 euros, breaking with everything established today. Therefore, we are not surprised that this car is giving a lot of trouble in Spain. By the way, with 7 year warranty or 150.000 kilometers.
How is the MG ZS and what does it offer us?
Is a crossover that measures 4,32 meters long and pointing directly at the Dacia Duster. Since we are talking about measures, its width is 1,81 and the height of 1,65, based on a wheelbase of 2,58 meters. Therefore, it is "on horseback" between the B-SUV and C-SUV segments.
As I said, aesthetically it complies with European tastes. It is not a design that you will fall in love with, but it fits perfectly, because there are no strident features or that could generate doubts. In this case we tested it with the Luxury finish, which is the most equipped.
La series termination is called Comfort, but it already brings, among other things, 17-inch wheels, LED headlights, rear parking sensors or a 10-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I repeat, with a promotional price of 13.990 euros.
Meanwhile, the Luxury adds a more elegant appearance to the exterior and other equipment such as 360 camera, browser, heated front seats and electric adjustments for the driver, imitation leather upholstery, rain sensor and other security elements such as blind spot control or rear cross traffic alert . Its price, with campaigns, is 16.190 euros.
Inside it has points for improvement, but it is better than expected
Inside we find some finishes and aesthetics better than we could expect for a low-cost vehicle from China. Comes with padding materials in the upper and intermediate part of the dashboard, and with correct adjustments in most elements. Also, it doesn't rely on many glossy black finished plastics, which is always a good sign.
In this Luxury finish there is also room for visual sportsmanship, with parts covered in a finish that wants to imitate carbon fiber and multiple red stitching on the dashboard, seats and steering wheel. By the way, the brand logo is embroidered in red on the front headrests.
If we go to the technological section, we have a 10,1-inch touchscreen multimedia system. It doesn't have the best resolution or the best fluidity or speed, but it's not bad because it comes with a browser, 360-degree camera, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This screen is standard on the entire MG ZS range.
Meanwhile, behind the wheel we have a digital instrument cluster. It is not very customizable, but honestly it is not something that I have missed at any time. We have the travel data, consumption, autonomy and others. What doesn't quite convince me is the way it presents the revolutions, although as the days go by I've gotten used to it.
I liked less other details, such as the plastic feel of the steering wheel or some peculiarities, like we have heated front seats but not an automatic climate control (it's manual); or driver's seat with power adjustments but a steering wheel that cannot be adjusted in depth. I suppose that little by little the brand will polish these aspects.
Some rear seats that seem to be of a higher segment
The opening of the rear doors is wide and leaves a good vertical space for loading children in child seats or for people with mobility problems to access without difficulty. But what is really remarkable is the space for two adults to travel here behind.
With the driver's seat positioned at my 1,76 height I can sit in the back with plenty of room to rub on the front seatback. In fact, I can even comfortably cross my feet or easily tuck them under the seat. Also for the head there is enough height and the feeling here behind is of having a lot of living space. Four adults around 1,95 will be able to travel without too much stress.
The central square is wide, but the transmission tunnel is very prominent and will not allow you to comfortably place your feet. That is to say, it is a car designed for four people and not for five.
For the rest, we can add that comes with rear USB sockets, holes in the doors and a nice upholstery. However, we do not have a central armrest, and this is the only thing that I have missed a little behind here.
The trunk is another of the great virtues of the MG ZS
Another of the strengths of the MG ZS is the trunk. Curiously, it opens using the brand logo on the gate, very much in the Seat or Volkswagen style. Leaving that aside, once opened we find a trunk of 448 liters, a very good number taking into account that its total length is 4,32 meters.
It only has a couple of details that could be improved, and that is that the loading mouth is a bit high and, on the other hand, that we do not have handles to fold the rear seats from behind, but we have to use the levers that are on the own seats.
Gasoline engines with similar powers, but very different
Moving on to the section on engines, this crossover of the Chinese brand is available with two heat engines. Both are gasoline and similar power, but with different approaches. On the one hand there is the 1.5 CV 106 VTi, which is atmospheric with four cylinders, while the most powerful is the 1.0 CV 111 turbo, which uses three cylinders.. There are also two electric options in the MG ZS EV, but we'll talk about them another time.
In this case we are with the one with the largest displacement, but the least powerful. This is because it doesn't have a turbo. The 1.5 VTi-tech It is a 1.500 engine with four cylinders and 16 valves, which yields 106 CV at 6.000 revolutions and a maximum torque of only 141 Nm at 4.500 rpm.
It is combined with a 5-speed manual transmission and among its benefits we find a 0 to 100 in 10,9 seconds and a maximum speed of 175 km/h. For its part, the average consumption approved is 6,6 liters per 100.
Behind the wheel of the MG ZS 1.5 VTi
As is always the case with naturally aspirated gasoline engines, especially when they do not have a large displacement, it can give the feeling that you do not have a good drive. This car doesn't weigh much, but it's only 141Nm of torque and available on top. So you have to use the gear change frequently.
To wander the streets there are no major problems, but when joining fast roads or if we consider overtaking, you have to turn up the engine revs and accelerate fully, especially if we go with several companions. Even so, since it doesn't have much power either, you have to take it easy and above all measure the distances well.
For the rest, the engine has seemed very correct to me. It is not very noisy, it hardly vibrates and it works smoothly at low revs once it gets a bit warm. Regarding the gear change, they are 5 speeds. To my taste, the first gears are too long, while the fifth is more logical for an atmospheric like this, causing the engine to turn around 3.200 when we go to 120 km/h.
Little feeling of suspension and steering
Changing third, The suspension is softer than I would like, but not quite smooth. There are times when the rear axle chokes a bit on sudden bumps and weight changes. It is not something huge and surely it goes unnoticed by many people, but it is already an indication that this MG ZS will not feel very comfortable if we go at very high speeds.
Similarly, the steering is not the most precise or informative on the market either, although it is comfortable and light for urban use. There are SUVs that transmit a little more confidence, both due to the feel of the steering wheel and the response of the suspensions. In any case, at least We can modify the weight of the steering in three levels.
Consumption of the MG ZS How much do you spend?
It is possible that you are thinking that an atmospheric engine spends a lot on a car with an SUV body, even more so if we take into account that it is a low-cost vehicle and that it must be revolutionized a lot in certain circumstances. Honestly, the data we have obtained has been normal for the characteristics of the car.
The average throughout the week of tests has been 7,1 liters per 100, doing quite a lot of wandering but also several hundred kilometers on highway and secondary roads loaded to the brim. while on a trip at 120 km/h the usual thing is to be between 6,2 and 6,5 liters.
Conclusions
The MG ZS is positioned as the cheapest car of its size by a wide difference. In addition, aesthetically it is not perceived as a low-cost car, it is spacious, has a good trunk and has a level of quality that is not bad. Although as we have already said, it also has its details that can be improved or "rare".
Of course, it must be borne in mind that The 1.5 atmospheric engine is very fair to hit the road. If you are only going to use it in the city it is correct and pleasant, but to travel, even once in a while, I would recommend making the jump to the 1.0 turbo three-cylinder because it will have better recoveries and greater solvency, not being necessary to revolutionize it so much; although it costs 2.000 euros more.
Many people who are looking for, for example, a Dacia Duster or even a Sandero for the price, now have this more affordable and more equipped MG ZS. Without discounts or financing promotions, this car is available from 17.190 euros according configurator. It is important to remember that all the brand's models have a 7-year or 150.000-kilometer warranty.
MG ZS equipment
Comfort
- 17-inch wheels
- bi-LED headlights
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- 10,1 inch color touch screen
- Air Conditioning
- Fabric upholstery
- rear parking sensors
Luxury (adds)
- 360 degree camera
- Navigator
- Sunroof (with manual 1.0 turbo engine)
- 6-speaker audio system
- Heated front seats
- Leather-style upholstery
- red embroidery
- Driver's seat with electric adjustments
- blind spot monitoring
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
MG ZS prices in Spain
Motor | Change | Finished | Price |
---|---|---|---|
Motor | Change | Finished | Price |
1.5 VTi 106 hp | Manual | Comfort | 17.190 โฌ |
1.5 VTi 106 hp | Manual | Luxury | 19.190 โฌ |
1.0 Turbo 111 HP | Manual | Luxury | 21.190 โฌ |
1.0 Turbo 111 HP | Automatic | Comfort | 20.990 โฌ |
1.0 Turbo 111 HP | Automatic | Luxury | 22.990 โฌ |
Editor's opinion
- Editor's rating
- 4 star rating
- Excellent
- MG ZS
- Review of: Diego Avila
- Posted on:
- Last modification:
- Exterior design
- interior design
- front seats
- rear seats
- Trunk
- Spring Suspension
- Consumption
- Comfort
- Price
Pros
- Interior and trunk space
- Qualities and correct design taking into account its price
- Unrivaled in price-space ratio
Cons
- Engine not suitable for going on the road
- No steering depth adjustment
- Soft suspension and at the same time little absorbent