- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.5i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
84kW, 150Nm
- Fuel
Petrol(95), 7.1L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
4 Spd Auto
- Warranty
7 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
4/5 star (2017)
2020 MG ZS Excite review
- Comfort, Styling
- Value for Money
- Affordability
- Warranty and Support
- Does not have android auto
- Steering wheel is adjustable for height but not reach
- No centre Column
This is our first new car in many years, having had a series of second hand cars with the most recent being an IX35 wagon.
When looking for a new car we had four main criteria:
- Fit for purpose
- Running costs
- Warranty and support
- Purchase price
The MG ZS fit all these and more. We wanted a car that was economical to run in town, but with enough power and cabin room for us to travel to visit family a couple of times a year.
The interior is very comfortable, well set out and has all the features we needed. There is a full colour 8-inch touchscreen, leather seats, adjustable steering wheel / driver's seat and ice cold air con. Being that my wife and I are both tall the seats are comfortable and still provide plenty of passenger leg room in the rear, even with the seats needing to be back. One down side I have found is that it does not have a centre column so the amount of storage is reduced, leaving no convenient place to store your wallet or chargers etc. But I have ordered a well-reviewed aftermarket unit online for $79AUD which clips in the middle.
The tech in the car extends beyond the audio and driving comforts but includes adjustable steering performance from soft to dynamic to suit the driving conditions. Dynamic is very responsive and precise on long winding roads.
Having just a 1.5-litre power train I was concerned about the performance, but I didn't need to be. Initially I found it lacking but once the first 1000km were done it was a different car. I find it is light on the foot and the wallet, and it has performed well both around town and on the highway. The fuel economy is exceptional and has met my expectations for running costs with an average of 550km on a tank in town, despite the stop-start nature of city driving and the air con running flat in the heat of North Queensland.
Ours is the base model in the range and does not have some of the advanced safety and driver's features, such as lane departure warning, blind-spot alert and satellite navigation, which is what some of the competitors have. But in comparison, we found the MG to be (on average) $5,000 below its competitors, so value for money was there for us. The Excite Plus, Essence and Trophy models offer additional features that may suit your needs.
When you add in 7 years unlimited kilometre warranty, 7 years road side assistance, and 12 months registration, all for the drive away price we paid of $21,990 we could not be happier with our purchase. It has a comfortable and enjoyable driving experience, all the safety, tech and room we need and the reassurance of a solid warranty. Also it looks damn good as well, and with metallic paint and alloy wheels we couldn't go wrong.