MG launches baby SUV

Hot on the heels of releasing its GS mid-size SUV, MG has today launched its ZS small SUV.

The Mazda CX-3 competitor arrives in dealerships this week in mid-spec Soul and top-shelf Essence guises, priced from $20,990 (plus on-road costs).

The ZS comes with MG’s new seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which will also apply to the five-star ANCAP safety-rated ‘MY17.5’ GS arriving this week.

The ZS is currently being tested by ANCAP so it’s not yet known whether MG’s smallest SUV will also come with top safety marks. However, it’s unavailable with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which as of next year will be required for a five-star ANCAP rating.

Fitted as standard are expected safety systems including front, side and curtain airbags, stability control, anti-skid brakes, electronic brake-force distribution and active cornering brake control.

The entry-level, sub-$21,000 ZS Soul comes with a naturally-aspirated 84kW/150Nm 1.5-litre petrol four-cylinder engine and four-speed automatic transmission.

Standard features include cruise control, rear parking sensors, reversing camera, 8.0-inch infotainment screen with Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay, Yamaha 3D six-speaker sound, leather steering wheel, synthetic leather seats, tyre pressure monitoring, auto-on headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels and front/rear fog lights.

Priced at $23,990 plus ORCs, the top-shelf Essence is fitted with an 82kW/160Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and six-speed auto.

Additional features include a panoramic sunroof and keyless start.

Steering is height-adjustable only, there are no face-level air-vents for rear occupants, and the centre rear occupant also misses out on a head restraint.

Boot capacity is 359 litres with the 60/40-split folding rear seatback in place, or 1166L with the back seat lowered.

An entry-level Core version of the ZS will arrive in the first quarter next year, but MG Motor Australia product planning manager Pavel Meck said the cheaper model “definitely won’t be a poverty-pack vehicle”.

He said the ZS Core will retain as standard auto headlights, an 8.0-inch screen, reversing camera, rear parking sensors and 17-inch alloys, although in a different design to the Soul and Essence. The Core shares its powertrain with the Soul.

Neither a manual transmission or all-wheel drive is on the menu; the ZS was developed as a front-drive-only model and MG Motor Australia believes there’s limited local demand for either manual or AWD in the small SUV segment.

No local suspension tuning was undertaken for the ZS; it gets a European suspension tune here in preference to the only other option available, a softer Chinese-market suspension set-up.

2018 MG ZS pricing (plus ORCs):
Core -- TBC in Q1
Soul -- $20,990
Essence -- $23,990