In a world seemingly obsessed with cost-cutting and shrinkflation it appears MG is one of the few manufacturers still intent on giving you more for your money, not less.
Granted, the all-new ZS is a tad more expensive than the model it replaces but it is bigger in almost every way, and with a starting point of just £21,995 it is priced to undercut the likes of the Kia Niro and Toyota Yaris Cross and yet it looks and feels closer in size to a Nissan Qashqai.
Interior
Certainly, there’s more than enough head, leg and elbow room front and back for a family of four and it’s not as if the cabin lacks sophistication. Yes, the seats feel a little squidgy and lack a degree of support but even areas where you might expect to find harder plastics, such as the door cards, are textured to prevent a feeling of low rent accomodation.
The only exception to the Benny-bonus package is the boot, which has shrunk a little to accommodate the Hybrid powertrain’s battery, which is located under the rear seat. As this creates a noticeable step in the floor when the seatbacks are folded its not the most capacious of boots but at least there is a height-adjustable floor boot board included to help flatten things out.
Perhaps the most glaring omission is the lack of reach adjustment for the steering wheel, which means some folk will feel a little too close to the redesigned dashboard for comfort. That said, everything in the driver’s eye line look smart and pleasantly contemporary. A seven-inch driver’s digital instrument cluster, featuring subtle hues and sharp script and can be configured to show various driving information is complimented by a large 12.3 inch central screen packed with infotainment icons. In practice, these icons can be a wee bit tricky to hit on the move and often require a pronounced prod to activate but the system is backed up by voice command interaction to help mitigate matters.
MG has also integrated its phone app, meaning you can remotely monitor many of the car’s functions and pre-heat or cool the cabin via your phone, always providing there is sufficient charge left in the battery to do so.
Performance and drive
The ZS comes with MG’s latest hybrid powertrain, which combines a 102hp 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 136hp electric motor, while a 1.83kWh battery is recharged by a 45kW generator.
The drive is delivered to the road through a three-speed automatic transmission and if you’re thinking three-speeds sounds a wee bit 1950s then you really shouldn’t. Whenever possible the ZS starts and drives in electric mode, so it is deathly quiet and forceful and when the petrol engine is called upon the melding of the two power sources is encouragingly seamless. Although the petrol engine can become a bit shouty when extended, its coalition with the strident electric motor helps deliver surprisingly strong and rapid performance, so you rarely need to wring its neck in everyday driving conditions.
The powertrain also employs three levels of responsiveness Eco, Normal and Sport and three levels of regenerative braking; the latter being the most notable. The higher settings are so aggressive deceleration can be difficult to moderate, so much so they constantly undermine smooth driving when backing off the accelerator pedal.
Having garnered quite a reputation for building sweet driving cars over recent years it’s all the more disappointing that the ZS doesn’t live up to this billing.
Imprecise steering means placing the car accurately on the road is less intuitive than it should be and the suspension can feel overly firm and fidgety, especially at town and B-road speeds. There’s also plenty of road noise audible even when covering relatively smooth surfaces and once speeds rise a good deal of wind noise joins in the chorus.
Overall though, with so many positives, including a seven-year 80,000 mile warranty, and with such an attractive pricing strategy, it is hard to see anything other than a rosy future for MG’s latest SUV.
Positive: Attractively priced, good cabin space, long warranty
Negative: Excessive wind and road noise, unsettled ride, disconnected steering
Standard equipment: 17in alloys, remote-entry with push-button start, air-conditioning, electric-parking-brake, four electric windows, electrically adjustable mirrors, Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, 10.3in colour touchscreen, sat-nav, adaptive cruise control, reversing camera and rear-parking sensors, lane keep assist, rear-cross-traffic-alert, blind-spot monitoring with lane-change assist and hill descent control.
Engines: Hybrid: 196hp 1.5
Transmissions: Three-speed automatic
Equipment grades: SE, Trophy
| Model | MG ZS Hybrid+ Trophy |
| P11D | £24,495 |
| Residual value | TBC |
| Depreciation | TBC |
| Fuel | TBC |
| Service, maintenance and repair | TBC |
| Cost per mile | TBC |
| Fuel consumption | 55.4mpg |
| CO2 (BIK%) | 115g/km (28%) |
| BIK 20/40% a month | £114/£229 |
| Luggage capacity | 443 litres |
| Engine size/power | 1,498cc/196hp |
| Score | 7/10 |
