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Today is the beginning of the new era for MG, with the announcement of the new MG ZS; the compact crossover taking on the likes of the Nissan Juke, Renualt Kajar and Mazda CX5.

Along with some very generous pricing and equipment levels, MG have shown their commitment to their cars, providing one of the best warranties you can have on a car... a full 7 years of cover or up to 80,000 miles.

The base model comes in at £12,495 equipped as standard with Bluetooth & MP3, all around electric windows, cruise control and daytime running lights - you really can't complain. The next trim level Excite adds 17" alloys, 8" colour touch screen and parking sensors, and the top spec car adds Apple car play, leather style upholstery with stitching, as well as dynamic driving modes. The top of the line car totals at £17,495, which is still allmost three thousand pounds cheaper than any of its rivials.

Overall the equipment levels on the car are very generous, especially considering the price. The overall build quality within the cabin is much more refined than previous MG models, everything just has that extra level of finish and quality, the leather effect interior, perforated leather steering wheel and stiched dash really do pay tribute to that. However when you do look lower down in the car, there are some more brittle plastics, but MG have to save the money somewhere, it's just nice its been spent where it matters. 

 

Space in the ZS is the best in its class, with generous leg and head room in the front and the rear, 6FT adults will have no problem at all, admittedly, it would be a bit of a squeeze having 3 adults in the back, but children would be fine. The boot is the largest in its class at 448 liters with the rear seats up, and 1375 liters with the rear seats folded flat. The addition of the multi level boot floor make loading longer items much easier whilst still allowing for that additional boot space when required. One niggle we did have is the boot is rather low when opened and people around 6ft will find themselves banging their head.

Finally MG have added a 3 Cylinder turbo engine to their range, a more traditional 1.5L engine is also available... the same as you will find in the MG3 and MG GS. We think the most popular will be that 3 cylinder with the auto gearbox. Both of the engines are petrol, not suprising considering the possible taxes which are going to be enforced on diesel cars in the near future. Power ranges from 106PS (1.5L) to 111PS (1.0L T) and fuel econemy is lacking compared to some of its competitors ranging from 49.6MPG to 44.9MPG. 

 

 
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Northern Group of Motoring Writers NGMW

Northern Group Of Motoring Writers

Annabelle Quirk Vice Chairwoman
Ben D T Quirk Member