MG ZS

[Bailes1992]

It was new car time for my Wife (again) after a strange 12 months of car swapping.

She had a 2017 Dacia Logan MCV 1.5DCi for 2 years or so but decided in Spring 2023 that the Logan wasn't 'cool' enough and bought a 2015 Mini Cooper instead. The Mini was an awesome car, but very quickly my Wife realised it was totally impractical for child duties. So she traded that for a 2014 Ford B-Max in August 2023.

The B-Max was a great car, they're heavily based on the MK7 Fiesta and I had plans to try find a written off 5 door Fiesta ST and do a full drivetrain and suspension swap. BUT... my Wife decided once again the B-Max wasn't 'cool' enough and wanted something else. She came across an offer currently ongoing on a brand new MG ZS and decided she wanted one. The only input I had was deciding which of the two engines to order.

There was three combinations of engine and gearbox to choose from. There was a 1.5 chain driven, port injected, naturally aspirated petrol engine with a 5 speed manual. Or there was a 1.0 TGDI engine with a 6 speed manual or 6 speed automatic. Naturally as the BITOGer that I am, only the 1.5 would do!

It's a very quiet and smooth engine. I believe it has some GM history? But it's totally gutless and so far, abysmal on fuel. Once you get it above 4000rpm or so it starts to move a bit but honestly, it feels very asthmatic. The only other good thing is there is huge amounts of space around the engine in the engine bay. A clutch change looks an absolute doodle as there's just so much room to wiggle the gearbox about in there!

Not particularly impressed with the customer service from the supplying dealer. A few days after my Wife picked it up she drove down to Swindon and back (~200miles) to see her Girlfriend and phoned me up complaining that she wasn't impressed with the way the car was on the motorway and it felt very 'floaty'. Thought I'd just take a look when she got it home and...

Looks like someone got a little excited during the PDI!

Recommended tyre pressures...

I mentioned adjusted the tyre pressures and mentioned it to the sales person who was quite uninterested. I didn't know if I should be a total a-hole and demand new tyres considering the tyres say max 44psi. But decided to just leave it where it was.

Then a couple more days later the radio stopped working. I told my Wife to phone the dealer who told her she could bring it down on the 22nd April for diagnosis, she wasn't happy about this but isn't a confrontational person so just booked it in and left it at that. I wasn't happy at all and ended up phoning myself and was told by the service advisor that was the absolute soonest they could have the car in for diagnosis. I ended up quite sternly telling them to leave a message for the salesman explaining the situation and tell them I'll be returning the car for a refund as expecting someone to wait 3-4 weeks to have a fault repaired on a car that was less than a week old was totally unacceptable. Weirdly, they phoned me up 10 minutes later and told me to bring it down the next morning. That turned out to be a cable had fallen out behind the head unit. It really annoys me when you have to get assertive and angry to get a reasonable and fair solution to things!

I can't help but compare it to my Duster as they are both the cheapest SUV's available right now and in the same class.

Things I like...
- The interior feels better put together than the Duster and generally looks more upmarket.
- The interior is also quieter at speed.
- Seats are comfier than the Duster which I feel are too short on the base.
- The infotainment screen is also nicer to look at and more touch sensitive than that on the Duster.
- There's a lot more rear legroom than the Duster.
- 8 way electric drivers seat! I love how you can fine tune your seating position with electric controls.
- The boots more practical than that in my Duster.
- Steering wheel is much nicer than that in my Duster.
- 7 year/80,000miles warranty is an absolute win!

Things I dislike...
- It's awful on fuel. So far it's averaged 27.4mpg (~20mpg's in US currency) and it's spent most of it's time on the motorway.
- It's so slow and gutless at low RPM.
- It's FWD. Why? What's the point? You take a car, ruin it's handing, comfort and fuel economy by jacking it up and then handicap it with front wheel drive. Arghhh.
- The instrument cluster is an absolute mess and generally hard to read and navigate.
- The infotainment system is slow to respond and again is just hard to navigate compared to the one on the Duster.
- Fake leather just feels and looks terrible. It's just perfectly smooth and flat with no grain or any effort put in at all.
- It has a key! Why doesn't the top of the range model have keyless start? The Duster has keyless entry and start.
- The suspension is ROCK HARD and doesn't handle particularly well. In fact my Wife was driving my Duster yesterday and commented on how lively the Duster felt compared to her MG ZS.

So would I buy one? I wouldn't. I personally think the Duster is a far better buy and a much nicer drive. BUT my Wife is happy with it so that's all that really matters. The good news is we got a free 4 year service plan so I have no intention of touching it for a long long time.

And of course...

 

[Kira]

Thanks for the post / pictures and detailed comparisons.
It's always nifty to look at cars we can't see.

THOUGHT: The 44psi in your tyres was there to prevent flat spotting during storage.
The PDI person simply didn't check 'em.

 

[Jetronic]

It's a GM 1.5 ecotec, Im pretty sure the one in my (soon to be delivered) HS is just the turbo version of the same engine.

I'm amazed even the ZS is roomier than the Duster.

How are the gearshifts? I suspect it's got a chinese transmission, as the HS does, at least in auto form.

 

[Trav]

Depending on how the engine was honed and if it uses normal tension rings not low tension ones MPG and power may increase over the next 5-10K.

 

[fantastic]

Interesting story/feedback on this particular vehicle. What are the fuel ratings for both the 1.5L & 1L? I'd assume the turbo would've been more fuel efficient w/6 speed.

 

[Bailes1992]

Thanks for the post / pictures and detailed comparisons.
It's always nifty to look at cars we can't see.

THOUGHT: The 44psi in your tyres was there to prevent flat spotting during storage.
The PDI person simply didn't check 'em.

That also crossed my mind. Although the car was delivered fresh from the factory and wasn't stored anywhere. Maybe they put 47psi in them from factory? Either way, someone didn't do their job properly at the dealer.

It's a GM 1.5 ecotec, Im pretty sure the one in my (soon to be delivered) HS is just the turbo version of the same engine.

I'm amazed even the ZS is roomier than the Duster.

How are the gearshifts? I suspect it's got a chinese transmission, as the HS does, at least in auto form.

The gearshift quality is okay, certainly not offensive. The gearchanges in the Duster are also a bit numb and sloppy and I'd probably say the MG is a little better. I have no idea who manufacturers the manual gearboxes. I noticed in the user manual it says the auto boxes use AW-1 so one has to assume they use Aisin units?

Depending on how the engine was honed and if it uses normal tension rings not low tension ones MPG and power may increase over the next 5-10K.

Don't know the answer to that. I hope it does improve a bit as at the moment it's a nightmare to drive slowly at slow speeds. It's quite jerky and lethargic and requires a good slug of throttle to pull off from standstill.

Interesting story/feedback on this particular vehicle. What are the fuel ratings for both the 1.5L & 1L? I'd assume the turbo would've been more fuel efficient w/6 speed.

Officially the combined motorway and urban fuel economy figure is 43mpg. It's identical for both the 1.0TGDi and the 1.5DVVT.

 

[Bailes1992]

Some more to add...

I took the car out last night to fuel it for my Wife. There's now 800miles or so on the clock and the engine is most certainly 'bedding in'. I haven't driven it since it had sub 100miles on the clock. It feels like it's gained a bit of low end power and fuel economy has risen to 33mpg (we haven't reset the computer since we took delivery of the car). Hopefully that's a sign of things to come. I was planning on leaving this alone and letting the dealer just so the recommended OCI's that come with the service plan my Wife purchased but I may to a 1,000miles OCI.

Also, Dacia announced today they are extending their warranty to 7 years for new and old cars to match MG.

I still think Dacia makes better cars.

 

[Jetronic]

Here's what KM77 had to say about the MG ZS, they confirmed how you felt about the lethargic power at low RPM



they don't have a 4x4 duster tested, but they did a 2wd with petrol engine:


They also compare both directly in the duster video

 

[bunnspecial]

I have to admit that it pains me to see the MG name on a vehicle like this...but then another part of me that my in a twisted way be interested in buying one if they were available in the US...

Are the current MGs still made in China?

 

[Rogueman2016s]

Cool little vehicle. The ram air is nice but really choked out by the diameter of the intake plumbing

 

[Bailes1992]

Here's what KM77 had to say about the MG ZS, they confirmed how you felt about the lethargic power at low RPM



they don't have a 4x4 duster tested, but they did a 2wd with petrol engine:


They also compare both directly in the duster video

Interesting watch! Shame they don't do the tests with a four wheel drive Duster. The FWD Duster has the suspension from a Renault Capture where as the 4WD Duster has the suspension from a Nissan X-Trail (or Rogue as they're called over in the US).

The biggest issue with the MG in the handling and road holding category is how hard the suspension is. And while it's probably why it did so well in the above tests, on uneven bumpy back roads it bounces around all over the place and generally feels quite unsettled. The Duster is far calmer generally.

Fuel economy seems to have settled around ~33mpg which is a bit better and I think the engine is a little better at low RPM, but not great.

 

[Bailes1992]

I have to admit that it pains me to see the MG name on a vehicle like this...but then another part of me that my in a twisted way be interested in buying one if they were available in the US...

Are the current MGs still made in China?

Agreed. I've lost count on the amount of times I've almost bought a Rover 75 V8 or an MG ZT V8 but my Wife has said no!

I believe they're built in China. Just like the Dacia Duster is littered with Renault logos, the MG ZS is littered with SAIC Motors logos.

 

[michaelluscher]

Agreed. I've lost count on the amount of times I've almost bought a Rover 75 V8 or an MG ZT V8 but my Wife has said no!

We all have an inner James May when browsing the classifieds

Enjoy the new ride

 

[Jetronic]

Interesting watch! Shame they don't do the tests with a four wheel drive Duster. The FWD Duster has the suspension from a Renault Capture where as the 4WD Duster has the suspension from a Nissan X-Trail (or Rogue as they're called over in the US).

The biggest issue with the MG in the handling and road holding category is how hard the suspension is. And while it's probably why it did so well in the above tests, on uneven bumpy back roads it bounces around all over the place and generally feels quite unsettled. The Duster is far calmer generally.

Fuel economy seems to have settled around ~33mpg which is a bit better and I think the engine is a little better at low RPM, but not great.

Well, the MG ZS is not what one would buy if they wanted to off-road, and not a 2wd Duster either.

Too hard is subjective, but I chose the HS for it's soft suspension so likely would find the ZS too hard aswell (for this type vehicle). But for something that lives on tarmac (like 99% of the crossovers) it would make sense to prioritize performance there.

My diesel Giulietta, before break-in, would downshift to 5th on some motorway hills at about 70 mph, but not anymore after break-in. it soldiered on in 6th at 45 mph on a local hill, where my dad's citroen of equal weight but 350cc less can't make it up in 6th at all. So low torque at low rpm (for some designs) and break-in improving performance are both real things.

 

[Tikka]

Interesting watch! Shame they don't do the tests with a four wheel drive Duster. The FWD Duster has the suspension from a Renault Capture where as the 4WD Duster has the suspension from a Nissan X-Trail (or Rogue as they're called over in the US).

The biggest issue with the MG in the handling and road holding category is how hard the suspension is. And while it's probably why it did so well in the above tests, on uneven bumpy back roads it bounces around all over the place and generally feels quite unsettled. The Duster is far calmer generally.

Fuel economy seems to have settled around ~33mpg which is a bit better and I think the engine is a little better at low RPM, but not great.

Hi Bailes.
I am grateful for you posting this thread as my Mrs has designs on a new MG ZS. Guy on my Avenue has one and she likes the look of it. I hope you don't mind if i pick your brains a little.

I have read several reviews that state the 1.5 litre could not pull the skin off a rice pudding and the 1.0 litre is the better engine. I am not too keen on the idea of a 1.0 litre, 3 cylinder turbo engine though. 1.0 T-Gdi is a GM unit too i believe, same as some Astra and Corsa use. I am old enough the think that a 1.0 litre engine belongs in a Mini or Morris 1000. I am sure the 1.5 will be more reliable though.

Is the auto box a double clutch unit like VW use?

Annoying too that if you want any colour but white you have to pay extra.

How long did you have to wait for delivery?

 

[Bailes1992]

Hi Bailes.
I am grateful for you posting this thread as my Mrs has designs on a new MG ZS. Guy on my Avenue has one and she likes the look of it. I hope you don't mind if i pick your brains a little.

I have read several reviews that state the 1.5 litre could not pull the skin off a rice pudding and the 1.0 litre is the better engine. I am not too keen on the idea of a 1.0 litre, 3 cylinder turbo engine though. 1.0 T-Gdi is a GM unit too i believe, same as some Astra and Corsa use. I am old enough the think that a 1.0 litre engine belongs in a Mini or Morris 1000. I am sure the 1.5 will be more reliable though.

Is the auto box a double clutch unit like VW use?

Annoying too that if you want any colour but white you have to pay extra.

How long did you have to wait for delivery?

I've since done some research on the engines and it does appear that the 1.5DVVT and the 1.0TGDi is from the same 'family' of GM engines.

The 1.5DVVT is totally gutless. As the revs build it does start to pick it's dress up and get a shift on but it's never in any great hurry to do so. It's also poor on fuel in my opinion, but it's no surprise because you're constantly having to drive it at 4000rpm+ to make reasonable progress.

I haven't driven the 1.0TGDi and looking on paper it doesn't appear to be that much faster or more powerful. But I'd imagine you get a lot more torque low down making it more bearable. The question is though, is that really worth the extra cost and complexity?

The MG ZS 1.0TGDI uses an Aisin TF73-SC torque converter automatic gearbox which I'd have no concerns about. We've had a number of cars with Aisin automatic gearboxes and they've been good units! If the 1.5DVVT was available with it then I'd have probably gone for that instead, it certainly would have made life a little easier with the lack of low down torque as you wouldn't be rowing the gears all the time.

Personally, I think the Duster is a far better car to drive and better looking. The MG is just too hard for British roads and I find it a bit awkward to look at. I haven't found an angle yet where I think it actually looks good. I also cant work out why an SUV is made with such harsh suspension. The Duster is a far more relaxed drive all round and I think I trust the engine choices more. My Father In Law has a '21 Duster Techroad 1.3TCe 130 and it's a nice car to drive and has given him no troubles at all. The engine has loads of low down grunt and there's almost no turbo lag. It genuinely feels like a big N/A engine. And again, my 1.5DCi 4WD Duster has done 30k in less than 18 months and has not put a foot wrong! In comparison, the MG has been back to the dealer already and I'm not holding out much confidence for it in the future as a result. Dacia are also offering a 7 year/75k warranty too so the warranty argument has also gone out of the window.

Do the right thing, buy a Duster!

Edit: Delivery was supposed to be 2 weeks but ended up taking 5. We could have had one of many sat in Nathaniels in Bridgend but they were all metallic paint that I didn't want to pay £800 or so for.

 

[Tikka]

Hi Bailes.
Thanks for the reply.
Good to read that the auto box is a proper Aisin unit. Not sure where i got the idea it was a DCT. I think Toyota use Aisin so they must be ok.
The turbo engine seems to produce better low end torque so performs better. I wish they offered the 1.5 turbo in the ZS.

Other thing that concerns me is parts supply. If things get ugly with China then parts supply will shut down?

Depreciation on the MG looks frightening too.

I will look at a Duster. The new, facelifted model looks OK. They are well regarded in the shooting community as being a decent vehicle. 4x4 may be a little pricey though. I showed Mrs a pic of the Stepway and she liked the look of it.

You say Dacia have 7 year warranty now? Dacia UK site still saying 3 years.

 

[Bailes1992]

Hi Bailes.
Thanks for the reply.
Good to read that the auto box is a proper Aisin unit. Not sure where i got the idea it was a DCT. I think Toyota use Aisin so they must be ok.
The turbo engine seems to produce better low end torque so performs better. I wish they offered the 1.5 turbo in the ZS.

Other thing that concerns me is parts supply. If things get ugly with China then parts supply will shut down?

Depreciation on the MG looks frightening too.

I will look at a Duster. The new, facelifted model looks OK. They are well regarded in the shooting community as being a decent vehicle. 4x4 may be a little pricey though. I showed Mrs a pic of the Stepway and she liked the look of it.

You say Dacia have 7 year warranty now? Dacia UK site still saying 3 years.

I believe the 4WD Duster is similarly priced to the top of the range MG ZS.

Dacia have increased the warranty to 7 years for new and existing cars...

Dacia Zen - Servicing offer - Dacia

Enjoy an additional year of warranty by getting your next service carried out in the Dacia network.

www.dacia.co.uk

If you haven't seen it already, I've been keeping a little bit of a diary going on here for my Duster...

New Dacia Duster

After getting shot of my '21 Vauxhall Insignia because it was so problematic, it was time to shop for a new car. I've always had a soft spot for Dacia. I like their simple no-nonsense approach to life. My Wife is on her 3rd one, and although she did have a bad one (which Renault gave us a full...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[Tikka]

I believe the 4WD Duster is similarly priced to the top of the range MG ZS.

Dacia have increased the warranty to 7 years for new and existing cars...

Dacia Zen - Servicing offer - Dacia

Enjoy an additional year of warranty by getting your next service carried out in the Dacia network.

www.dacia.co.uk

If you haven't seen it already, I've been keeping a little bit of a diary going on here for my Duster...

New Dacia Duster

After getting shot of my '21 Vauxhall Insignia because it was so problematic, it was time to shop for a new car. I've always had a soft spot for Dacia. I like their simple no-nonsense approach to life. My Wife is on her 3rd one, and although she did have a bad one (which Renault gave us a full...

bobistheoilguy.com

Hi.
Yes, you are indeed correct, the owner can register for the extra warranty when the 3 year one expires. Just needs to be serviced by Dacia which is no big deal.

I will definitely take a look at the duster. Will have to be a petrol though as my mrs does mainly stop/start commuting.

I will check out your diary. I do remember you flying to Northern Ireland for it.

 

[Bailes1992]

Radio's broken again

If you can't tell, I'm not particularly impressed with the MG so far.