When you think of MG, you are probably going to reach back to the sports cars of its past – the very British MG B, MG TF, the Midget, even the MG F if you really want to be friends with your local AA man.
But expect the MG of the now and future to be a very different thing. Now part of China’s giant SAIC, MG Motor is specialising in more mainstream fare. Their local range to date includes a hatchback and two small SUVs, with more to come.
Oh and electric. Lots of electric. China’s automotive market has skewed massively electric in recent years, with nearly a million full-electric cars sold there last year. And early indications are they are rather good at it.
Case in point is today’s test vehicle, the MG ZS EV, a small electric SUV which, as it stands, has stripped the title of the lowest-priced BEV from the Nissan Leaf. The team here at EVs & Beyond think it will really open up the electric vehicle market to new buyers… but why?
The numbers quickly tell at least part of the story – a 44.5kWh battery, a 250km real world range, and all for just $50,100 for early buyers. That makes it $12,000 cheaper than a Nissan Leaf with a 40kWh battery (in fairness that is the usable capacity of the MG). Once the introductory promotion ends an educated guess is the price will rise around $5000, still putting $7000 in your pocket over the Nissan (as we went to press the price was confirmed at $55,990.)
Plus, it comes with a seven-year, 130,000km warranty.
And unlike the Leaf, this lithium-ion battery is liquid cooled.
MG Motor country manager Anthony MacLean told us they have no restrictions on supply. There was a delay getting the first vehicles here due to the need to get Bosch engineers, responsible for the MG Pilot driver assistance system, down to this end of the world for compliance reasons. The first cars are built and preparing to ship, and deliveries begin in November. MacLean says 200 should arrive this year.
And you are not getting some bargainbasement specification for your money. The ZS EV comes with automatic headlights, alloy wheels, a panoramic glass roof, synthetic leather seats – don’t Tesla call them vegan? – with heating in the front, leather steering wheel, an 8-inch LCD screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry and start and alloy wheels.
I think the ZS is a sharp looker outside and in.
It looks modern, without standing out, and our business manager thought the grille on the car was ‘beautiful’. Our initial impressions were also that build quality is pretty good, save for some clearly hard and ‘cheap’ feeling surfaces inside, including where your elbow rests on the door.
The seats are comfortable, but a reachadjustable steering wheel would be nice.
Interior space is pretty good for a small SUV, in fact it does not feel much smaller in the cabin than a Hyundai Kona. Rear seat space is good for two adults, as long as they are not particularly tall, and a rear-facing child seat will fit without imposing too much on the front seats. The boot is an utter standout, 470 litres in capacity with an adjustable floor. Even at its lowest level there is still room for the charging lead and cables underneath. There is no trunk.
STEADY AS SHE GOES
The ZS EV drive experience is good, but unexciting, and that is no bad thing.
The motor, powering the front wheels, is rated at 105kW and 353Nm, and will run it up to 100km/h in 8.5 seconds. You never feel short of power, and it can squeal the tyres away from the line. The big lump of torque means it pulls well up hills even with a family on board. It is not, however, and nor should it be considered a quick EV.
The way it drives follows a similar theme. The ride is compliant, and the battery hung under the car, makes it feel fairly planted. The steering feels solid and nicely weighted, but it doesn’t feel particularly crisp or engaging. It’s a comfortable commuter or cruiser.
Drive is selected through a dial shifter, pretty standard these days. Regeneration can be shifted between three levels using a centre console switch marked ‘KERS’ – a term most F1 fans will remember – and there are three drive modes, ECO, Normal and Sport that just vary throttle response.
MG Pilot, the brand’s driver assistance system, is no Autopilot, but works surprisingly well. Features include lane keeping, blind spot warning, autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. It has a couple of interesting quirks – the lane keeping is quite strong and for some may feel a little aggressive, while the adaptive cruise control uses the brakes rather than regeneration system.
On top of MG Pilot, the ZS gets six airbags and electronic stability control. Officially it does not have a safety rating here, though the ZS initially held an ANCAP four-star rating for the petrol version without autonomous emergency braking. The EV has been awarded a five-star Euro NCAP rating in the same spec tested.
EFFICIENT SURPRISE
If you get the chance check out the video we have made about the ZS EV on our YouTube channel. We headed out to test how efficient the car was on road, and were surprised. A 100km urban-rural mix drive produced a 15.4kWh per 100km result – not as good as the Hyundai/Kia cars, but better than a Leaf.
Considering the bluff front and size of the car, I think that is impressive. As mentioned earlier, that makes the MG good for 250km.
When you run low it is not a bad charger either. The onboard unit is 7.4kW, while the CCS2 port allows fast charging, including above 50kW. Reports indicate that if you hit a high powered charger you will see up to a 76kW charging rate though only for a short period.
If there is a negative in this space it is that there is no charge scheduling or preconditioning system. MG indicates they may have scheduling built into a wall box at some stage.
SO HOW GOOD IS THE MG ZS EV?
It is a sold all-round offering rather than being standout in any one area to the point that I really like it. There are a few minor issues, but none that are a stop sign – especially at the launch price. The debate has begun within the EVs & Beyond office as to whether one should replace the beloved Leaf on our fleet.
