MG’s second crossover comes with a competitively sized package and nice cabin. Shame about its junky drivetrain.
Sales of SUVs continue to be on the rise which is why some carmakers will mostly emphasise on them in the future. And MG is among them who see SUVs eventually taking over saloons and hatchbacks.
To ensure that the Chinese-owned British brand is prepared to cope with such a trend, it has created a second SUV sitting below the C-segment GS.
Called ZS, the new baby crossover is targeting the lower end of B-segment SUVs including the Ford Ecosport, Honda BR-V and Nissan Juke.
Because MG is a relatively new brand in Thailand that’s still struggling to establish some kind of credibility among mass-market car punters, it has made sure that its latest products come with the most attractive prices in-class.
That’s why the ZS has prices starting from 679,000 baht rising to 789,000 baht in range-topping form, as tested here. And you don’t have to get to the driving bit yet to appreciate its showroom appeal.
The first thing is the packaging itself which is competitive against its intended rivals by being both roomy and practical. Whether you’re seated in the front or rear seats, there’s ample head and legroom.
Cargo space is quite respectable too with the boot floor being able to elevate to a level made flat when the rear backrests fold down. Don’t even bother with upper B-segment SUVs – the ZS knocks out the Mazda CX-3 completely flat down to the canvas when it comes to outright practicality.
The ZS’s cabin is also praiseworthy in the way it has been built and finished. The dashboard, for one, is topped with soft-touch leather that feels totally unrivalled in its class for perceived quality. Generous use of brushed alloy help play to that effect.
The same goes for the nicely designed air-con vents and steering wheel, although they look like design rip-offs from Mercedes-Benz. And while that steering is great to hold onto, it completely obscures the column stalks operating the lights, windshield wipers and cruise control. It’s not exactly an ergonomic delight.
Despite its price-leading status in the B-segment SUV, the ZS is quite generously equipped. There’s a large tinted glass-top with extra sunshade layer that can open halfway in the style of a sunroof.
ZS has most attractive prices in-class.
While that’s quite a good effort, six airbags are only available in this X spec range-topper; the lower C and D only get two and smaller 16-inch wheels. And while there’s a three-point seatbelt for the fifth occupant, a head restraint isn’t available.
Exterior-wise, the ZS looks best in X trim because those 17-inchers help fill the wheel arches, while the roof rails give it the purpose of an SUV. The overall exterior looks are nicely proportioned with pronounced head and tail lights, plus a new front grille that’s claimed by MG to be setting a design precedent for future models.
But, like the interior details, you wonder whether MG has been copying some other cars’ faces because that headlight and grille combination looks like those of some models from Kia and Mazda. One thing’s for sure, though: the ZS looks more macho than its bigger GS brother.
And this point, all looks quite good for the ZS for it can comfortably compete with its opponents in terms of interior space, practicality, features and emotion. But once you set off for a test drive in the ZS, the disappointment starts (like in some other MGs albeit for slightly different reasons).
Since MG wants that price range for the ZS in the Thai market, it has resorted to some old arsenal in the guise of 114hp 1.5-litre petrol engine and four-speed automatic. Moreover, it has tuned the motor to sip E85 gasohol so that the ZS can be subject to just 20% excise tax, down from the regular 25% minimum for cars using conventional internal combustion engines.
Engine is weakest link in the ZS.
Although it doesn’t require much effort in moving the ZS around town, it certainly does when you go out of the city whereby you have to force the transmission into kickdown, work your way throughout the available revs and bear with engine-whining.
And because the torque-convertor auto has only four forward gears, the ZS isn’t that economical on fuel. We recorded some 12kpl on a drive to Rayong which isn’t any close to the 16.1kpl claimed by MG.
Although we aren’t questioning this kind of transmission (and FWD-only format), it’s the number of ratios that should have been more. Executives of MG say the torque-converter auto should be here to stay which is good because the MG3 hatchback, whose 1.5-litre engine is shared with the ZS, is hooked up to a hopeless, jerky single-clutch automatic, aka automated manual gearbox.
It would also have been great if MG considered a turbo engine for the ZS because it helps provide for greater tractability in real-world driving conditions. The GS already has such motors and the ZS, in fact, comes with 1.0-litre turbo engine and six-speed automatic in other markets.
Okay, the Ecosport and Juke in Thailand also come with breathless motors, but that shouldn’t give MG a good reason to make the ZS on par with its rivals in terms of performance when it actually can offer something better.
The driving characteristics in the ZS isn’t perfect, either, although not as a serious issue as the drivetrain. Generally speaking, the ZS handles and rides quite OK, but the steering can feel a little vague in corners and the ride is lumpy over bumpy road surfaces.
Ride can be lumpy at times.
Speaking of the steering, there’s a three-step mode to alter its weight but isn’t really necessary because the default setup seems to be just right. But rather than operating it via a switch located somewhere on the dash, console or steering wheel, the function is located deep in the menu of the infotainment screen.
Ah, infotainment. MG is making lots of noises of the Thai voice control system in the ZS which is claimed to be a first in the auto industry, hence the “smart” moniker it is tagging on the vehicle.
While it certainly proves useful for the average motorist in Thailand, the infotainment software failed on us twice in one day meaning that we were mostly without audio, connectivity features and that ability to alter the steering weight. And another two media cars suffered the same problem. This is certainly another area awaiting fine-tuning.
If MG can fix that up, the ZS would be quite an attractive choice for the new generation of car buyers it is targeting. It’s great to see the ZS shifting goalposts in packaging and cabin appeal, although it hasn’t done the same in the mechanical department.
Which is quite a shame because the ZS, with a better propulsion, would easily win over its intended competition in many aspects. Actually, the ZS even has the potential to take on upper B-segment SUVs.
