MG ZS

The MG ZS lobbed locally late last year to stake a claim on the highly competitive small SUV segment. But has the second SUV from the now Chinese-owned brand done enough to shift public perception?

MG aren't on everyone's radar - yet, but with red-hot drive-away prices, equal-best warranty terms and decent levels of kit and design their ZS small SUV range definitely warrants a close look for those on a budget - but where's the sweet spot?

Is this more than just a cut-price competitor?

China's contender takes on some of the world's best city SUVs.

Australia's most popular new small SUV is about to go hybrid – with the next model caught on Sydney streets.

Prices of petrol and plug-in hybrid MG cars have dropped to their lowest in years.

More Toyota HiLux utes joined rental fleets than any other new vehicle – but there are some unusual vehicles among the most popular choices.

Independent safety ratings for some of Australia's top-selling new models have expired from today.

Aussie new-car buyers love a bargain and these are the affordable models they're snapping up in droves.

The new-vs-used question comes up all the time, but this time it's a dilemma between freshness and familiarity.

For those of you that made it to our recent Sydney open day, you would’ve seen that our garage is an L-shaped mess, with a stack formation of cars that means first in, last out. As a result, when a car needs to get out, it requires half a dozen people to move those behind it.

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.

The MG ZS essence with a massive sunroof and sporty elements. Stay tuned to see how it is to live with after 10.000ks in 2 months. First thing is yes this car is Chinese but it’s built by a machine just like every other mainstream cars the only difference is that the machine is located in China by the biggest car manufacturer so let’s just clear that up for the Chinese car haters . So me and my partner decided it’s time to get a bigger car because since our 2017 mustang was not really suitable to pick up our 9 year old son from school long trips away or to even go shopping so it was upgrade time. After lots of test driving and price checking and features compared we decided on a brand new MG ZS in white with all the add on options . Alright let’s get into this (exterior) the first impression of this car is Mazda with some Nissan and hey let’s be honest it’s not a bad thing because there pretty popular cars . The front is super sleek and it’s beautiful daytime running lights and that massive MG bagde in that grill and the rear end is completed very nicely although A nice Exhaust tip would complete the rear end off a bit nicer . I have added side wind deflectors ,alloy pedals , chrome door handles and ZS floor mats to jazz it up a bit . The interior is a beautiful place to be the dash cluster being very VW polo from 2010 and the steering wheel scream out VW GTI so that makes it comfortable and something you want to hold on to . The dash Materials are pretty good on the top but everywhere else it’s pretty scratchy plastic however it’s not any better or any worse then brands like Mazda,Honda,Kia. The fit and finish is nice no rattles to complain about yet everything is working as it should. The massive sunroof is lovely it can become extremely noisy inside the cabin while fully open on freeways but I normally just tilt it looks good and the hot air can get out . Seating for 4 adults and one child is perfect the space is much better then other cars out there so if you need room this car has is . Big boot lots of leg and headroom . I will note one thing if your taller like 6foot plus maybe opt for no sunroof . The seats a supportive on long drives and the Material leather/Vinyl is good easy to clean. The few things about the interior that I dislike a lot is the lack of centre arm rest and the location of the (only 1 ) USB port how Ridiculous I have to get my nine-year-old son to plug my phone in because my hands are too fat. But I have fixed my centre arm rest issue with a cheap $50 Universal console that matches the rest of the interior. I love my music because I drive a lot so this is important to me the stereo. The infotainment is great. The screen is responsive and feels upmarket the Yamaha sound processing is nice . The sound quality is pretty good with deep bass providing you set up an Equaliser on your phone. The settings are really easy to use and you can turn it up full blast without Distortion however it’s not that loud but better then rivals that don’t even offer apple carplay . Now for safety and Convenience well umm there is not really that much. You get cruise control and speed limiter that I love for around town it also tells you in digital what you have set it at. it also has push button start,Automatic headlights that really should be LED from factory but I have already upgraded them it makes the car feel more upmarket over yellow looking Halogen globes .. it also has see me home lights . I really love when my headlights flick on when you unlock the car and when your walking away from it . It has a basic trip computer in the dash cluster Although a digital speed read out would be nice . Now for driving this MG well I have always driven powerful cars so jumping in to my 3cly turbo MG SUV was a little bit of a shock . But then you realise it’s a family car and a nice place to be . The power is there when you need it and the 6 speed auto is also very nice . The car will need to change at around 4000rpm to keep up with the traffic but that’s ok because the engine sounds beautiful something about a 3cly engine that I love . Getting up hills is fine the engine has a nice amount of torque and that helps . The body roll is hopeless like most other small SUV however this car drives very well in Handling it had 3 modes to select from to adjust the weight of the steering . I always have my on Dynamic as I love the weighted feel . There is little oversteer and understeer it will go where you point it .you may get thrown around a bit if you try going through a round about quickly or around a corner .. do it when your alone it’s a bit of fun. So overall this car is amazing value for money and I would recommend it to anyone in the market for a cheerful SUV that’s not over priced . My best friend brought the base excite MG ZS and she is in love with her car also and she traded in her 2017 Honda Civic . If you want a car to just be a car without to many bells and whistles then The MG is really a car you won’t beat I payed $24.990 with $1000 cash back at the time so it really was a cheap car and it really doesn’t feel cheap or Chinese it’s our new family car for at least the next 7 years . The warranty is amazing and to service it’s cheap $280 once a year or 10.000ks . So please consider this beautiful MG as your next car if you want something different and want people to always ask you oh wow that’s a nice MG it happens all the time when I zip down the street .

Love this little car great fuel economy with a Punchy motor and super smooth gearbox Noticed as it runs in a bit it really start to perform have taken on long road trips up country Victoria in the wet and cold and up steep hills done it with ease . Comfortable iseating and plenty of storage room for luggage and shopping etc Great sound system and Apple car play works great as does the blue tooth on its own I can’t see MG going backwards from here with 7 year warranty I think there out to win a good slice of the market . On the down side a auto letting rear door would have been good but you have to remember this is a budget vehicle that presents great value and looks for a great price and the sun roof is Awesome and heater and air con all work great . Also achieving around 700+ Kilometres To a 50 L tank I think the extra cost for the essence model makes better spending choice over the soul But that’s up to the fire on any on the budget and the extras they feel provides for the value for money . First of heard a little bit slow at the start and the motor was extremely tired but as it slowly runs in its loosen up and more responsive which needs very pleasing exhilarate is great and when in sports mode you can have some real fun it’s very sporty pushbutton start isn’t also a great addition to the vehicle instrumentation cluster is informative and has a nice retrofill to it as I prefer and I’ll Diles over to digital as a taco Speedo and the radiator such as cheap computer etc I also found the Cruise control stick a little awkward to use iat first and they could be improved slightly to be a bit more user-friendly also the use of manual is nicely presented in a band bookstore and looks very good and it’s easy to read. I found that all of the controls work will see the array of buttons on the steering will transfer etc also the headings and other volume controls work great