Abingdon Living Jan - Feb 2020

MG ZS
Exclusive EV
Motoring
Journalist Sue
Cooke test drives
the new MG ZS
Exclusive EV...
Nowadays the majority of cars I am
asked to road test are alternatively
fuelled vehicles. The latest figures from
the Society of Motor Manufacturers and
Traders show that more than one in 10
cars joining UK roads, are either hybrid,
plug-in hybrid or pure electric.
In fact, the demand for the latest
battery electric cars surged by 228.8%
and MG has joined the jostling crowd
and launched an electric version of
its compact Sports Utility Vehicle. It is
good to see the choice moving from the
supermini electric car to an electric small
crossover, like the ZS. Aside from power
being derived from a battery, the ZS has
many other attributes.
The exterior design is stylish with a large
MG badge taking centre stage on the full
frame grille. The badge is what the new
owner will press to raise a portion of the
front grille where one end of a lead is
plugged into the car and the other into a
house plug to charge the battery.
Charging from home, using the 7kW Type
2 charger to fully charge takes 6.5 hours,
ideal for overnight charging but with the
50kW CCS rapid charger, you can charge
from zero to 80% in 40 minutes.
The class leading interior space comes
with most of the ‘extras’ as standard and
trim level choice is the entry level Explore,
Excite or top of the range, Exclusive.
The ZS has one of the most generous
shoulder, leg and headroom capacities
in its segment. There is 448 litres of boot
space, which is 60 litres larger than the
typical compact SUV. The split-level boot
has plenty of room for prams, luggage,
outdoor leisure equipment or the
weekly shop. Numerous compartments
throughout the car provide additional
storage.
An 8” touch sensitive infotainment
screen is supported by DAB radio (on the
Exclusive and Excite models). Bluetooth
hands-free and Cruise control are also
included and Satellite Navigation and
a rear camera are standard on the
Exclusive variant. MG offers Apple Car
Play on the Excite and Exclusive variants
at no extra cost. The safer way to use
your iPhone in the car, CarPlay will take
the things you want to do with your
iPhone while you are driving and puts
them on the car’s in-built display.
The Excite and Exclusive models come
with three power-assisted steering modes
– Urban, Normal and Dynamic. Normal
is normal, while Urban steering offers
a lighter and quicker response at low
speeds and when parking. The Dynamic
mode is designed to increase the steering
effort, deliver a higher damping effect and
increase the centre definition at medium
and high vehicle speeds.
Acceleration is instant as the car
silently tiptoes through urban traffic.
Deceleration is gradual as the right
foot slowly removes the pressure. The
EV is only available with automatic
transmission.
MG offers a 7 year/80,000 mile warranty
as standard across all variants, which the
British brand says is one of the longest
fully transferable warranties in its class.
It’s good to see the increase in
registrations of electrified cars. The
larger choice of models like the MG ZS
SUV is ideal for people who want to go
electric but also need the space and
practicality of a compact SUV. For 2020
manufacturers are offering plenty of new
and exciting alternatively fuelled models
to give buyers even more choice. It just
needs a more confident consumer.
Facts at a glance
Model: MG ZS sports utility vehicle
Exclusive EV
Basic Price: £30,495otr but with the
MG grant of £3,500 on top of the
Government’s £3,500 plug-in car grant,
the overall price is from £23,495.
Power: 44.5 kWh battery
Performance: 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds
and on to a top speed of 87 mph
CO2 emissions: zero
Combined fuel consumption: WLTPaccredited
range of 163 miles
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