In short
Compact electric SUV
Chinese made
Canon price: from € 29,990
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No, you are not dreaming, the MG brand is back with us after 15 years of absence. Forget it says all you knew about her. Owned by the Chinese group SAIC, it does not return to sell sports cars or roadsters. Times have changed, electricity is in the air, and SUVs are more drooling than convertibles. Also, MG has in his bag an electric SUV, the ZS. If it takes the name of a compact spicy derived from the Rover 45, it has absolutely nothing to do with it.
dailymotion
The ZS is a creation of MG Motor, designed between China and England, where the design office is installed in the historic Longbridge factory, which used to manufacture the Austin, MG, Rover… But not our SUV, which comes to him from Canton. Contrary to what one might think, SAIC is not at all a newcomer to the automobile since we can trace its foundation in 1955. At the time, the Chinese firm was called Shanghai, then became Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp and finally SAIC Motor Corporation Limited in 2015. It benefits from a partnership with Volkswagen since 1985 and also works with General Motors. In 2007, it absorbed Nanjing Automobile, which had taken over MG Rover in 2005, hence the fact that MG belongs to it.
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Strictly speaking, the SUV ZS is nothing new. Indeed, it was presented in 2017 with thermal mechanics and has since been marketed in the United Kingdom, where MG has been trying to relaunch for years without much success. The electric version dates from 2019, and it is the only one that will be available in France. The brand is therefore careful, does this mean that it doubts its product?
An agreed design
In terms of style, the ZS does not show any originality: there is Hyundai Tucson, Ford Kuga old generation in its design. To quote only those. Everyone copies themselves, so why would MG Motor be deprived of it? Same observation in the cabin, very conventional, but not unpleasant. Despite the very low price for an electric SUV, the whole looks more opulent than in a Dacia Duster for example, which is confirmed by the materials used, the entire cover of the dashboard being made of foamed plastic. The assembly seems well done, no shocking lightness is to be noted: a good surprise. On our high-end “Luxury” version, the equipment amazes with its richness, the GPS, the panoramic sunroof, the electric driver’s seat and the multimedia system incorporating a Carplay as well as a GPS being standard. But, surprisingly, the air conditioning has electronics only its adjustment, its regulation remaining purely manual!
At the rear, we appreciate the excellent interior space, especially the legroom. The bench is very pleasant by its flexibility, but it offers only a banal functionality, by folding 60/40, while the seat is fixed preventing a flatness of the loading surface when it is folded. It also does not require length adjustment and cannot tilt its backrests. All the same, this vast space allocated to passengers is not to the detriment of the trunk, spacious and equipped with a two-position floor with a capacity of 448 liters. The packaging of this SUV is therefore very well studied.
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Technically, too, this is classic. The 44.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack (supplied by CATL) is installed in the floor, between the wheels, which contributes to the good centering of the masses and the lowering of the point of gravity. The engine, placed at the front, develops 105 kW, or 143 hp, for a torque of 350 Nm, interesting values when you know that the weight remains reasonable, at 1,532 kg in this high-end version. So, if the maximum speed is limited to 140 km / h, the ZS reaches 100 km / h in 8.2 s: very attractive.
In terms of autonomy, the manufacturer announces it at 263 km according to the WLTP cycle, which is compatible with the capacity of the batteries, suitable but no more. Recharge? It is done using a type 2 plug or a CCS combo. In 40 min on a supercharger (it collects 85 kW), the batteries are filled to 80%. On a 7 kW wallbox, they are charged to 100% in 7.5 hours, while on a domestic outlet, it will take 12 to 16 hours. Again, values in the good average. The suspensions are also very classic, holding the front of the McPherson legs and the rear a common torsion axle.
The different recharges of the MG ZS EV
| Plug type | State of charge | Loading time |
| AC 3.7 kW | 0 – 100% | 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| 7 kW | 0 – 100% | 7:30 am |
| DC 85 kW | 0 – 80% | 40 mins |
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