MG ZS EV 2020 Review

Cheap can be good for short-term impact but MG is aiming at a value target with its electric headliner.

So its MG ZS EV is fully equipped, right up to a giant glass sunroof and a full suite of its MG Pilot safety systems, to ensure that buyers are getting a car that’s more than just an electrified science experiment.

The only significant downside is that it’s built on the earlier MG ZS small SUV package, not the upgraded and slightly pricier ZST premium model that arrived in Australia last month.

There is a single trim level for the MG ZS EV and it includes everything from 17-inch alloys to a huge panoramic glass sunroof, with an 8.0-inch infotainment screen, sat-nav and full smartphone integration.

There is also an EV-only colour, called ‘Clipper Blue’, in addition to five regular MG colours.

MG is also out to create ‘surprise and delight’ with the ZS EV, which is more than $5000 less expensive than expected. The Chinese car-maker originally allowed early adopters to snag a showroom slot with a promised price of $46,990 drive-away, allocating 100 launch-edition cars, but is undercutting the target by a full $3000 as it aims to sell 3000 examples in 2021.

The announcement of the MG’s price point took rivals by surprise, as the Hyundai IONIQ Electric starts from $48,970 and the Nissan LEAF costs $49,990, both before adding on-road costs.

“We’re looking to create a movement. We will fast-track EV adoption,” says MG Australia’s director of marketing and product development, Danny Lenartic.

“It is a dynamic urban SUV. It fits into the life of everyday Australians. It’s our first EV, but definitely not our last.”

The MG ZS EV comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with roadside assist (down from MG’s standard seven-year/unlimited-km warranty) plus eight years and 160,000km for the battery. Service intervals are a decent 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first.

Slightly unusually, MG Australia has not chosen an energy partner for its electrification strategy and is not planning any sort of packaging with a home wall box – a significant contrast to most other companies on the electrification road.

The electrification of the MG ZS takes a predictable course, with a giant rectangular battery pack laid over the floor of the chassis and the operational parts of the package at opposite ends and taking advantage of the traditional engine bay.

The plug-in charging port, which is the standard European CCS2 design, is located behind a fold-up panel in the grille and not in the rear guards like many of the latest plug-in hybrids.

The MG ZS EV can cope with all charging modes from a three-pin home plug, which takes around seven hours for a full charge, through to an 85kW ‘fast charger’ that will take the battery to 80 per cent in 45 minutes.

The changeover to electric concentrates weight very low in the chassis, a bonus for safety, and the battery itself is mounted in a steel safety cage. It is also made by SAIC in China, one of only three car-makers that is currently producing its own batteries.

MG Australia says it expects the EV to achieve the same five-star NCAP safety rating the ZS gets in Europe, thanks to the battery cage, and it has loaded the full MG Pilot safety suite into the car. In addition to autonomous emergency braking (AEB), it runs to lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and speed assist.

The MG ZS EV is plug-and-play without many of the ‘bells and whistles’ of other electrified cars, such as a charging display panel to allow drivers and passengers to watch in real-time what is happening in the system.

It’s a minimalist approach that means there’s a single rotary controller in the centre console, identical to the selector for a regular automatic, and a couple of switches that set the (three) drive modes, (three) levels of regenerative braking and display the battery condition.

The instrument cluster dials incorporate a distance-to-empty number, although it’s very small, and instead of a tachometer there is a readout for the percentage of power being used – a bit like a Rolls-Royce.

Some brands re-purpose their flappy gearshift paddles for regen control, but there are none in the MG.

The headline numbers for the ZS EV are good, with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 8.2 seconds and a range of 263km according to Europe’s WLTP test cycle. But MG Australia claims it will cover more than 370km in stop-start city running, where the regen makes a significant contribution to extending the range.

The electric motor is good for 105kW of power and 353Nm of torque and the battery has a capacity of 44.5kWh. So it’s relatively small but only adds 50kg to the weight of the internal-combustion ZS.

Sparkling starts from stop lights are typical for an electric car, and so too is the quietness in the MG ZS EV compared with the piston-powered ZS.

What comes as a surprise, and a big one, is the extra compliance in the ride and the enjoyable cornering performance. The EV is much happier to turn and gives better feedback than the regular ZS, probably partly because of the low-set battery weight.

But there is more to it than that, as the Chinese engineers have done more tweaking on the EV than they did with other ZS models.

“All our vehicles get tested in outback Australia but, with the EV being such a new product, they spent quite a lot of time in Australia evaluating our conditions,” Lenartic tells carsales.

“There was definitely more development time on this model. That’s one of the reasons why it’s in the traditional ZS style, with the new design language to come later.

“You can see the benefits from the work. The collaboration between us has always been strong but now, with us putting a foothold in the market and making inroads, it's allowing us to have more conversations with the factory. We’re talking about the one-percenters that Australians are looking for.”

Operation of the EV system is easy, with the switchable regen allowing the car to be a one-pedal drive for much of the time – although you must apply the brakes for a full stop – and it is more of a ‘background’ conversion than an in-your-face electric package.

There was no chance to test the charging claims, although the grille-mounted port will be more practical for home charging, or to verify MG’s range claims. But the kilometres-to-go number stayed commendably high while driving with 20-40 per cent of available power in city and suburban running.

The MG also offers a really strong overtaking surge and it will take something fairly sporty to beat it away from the lights.

My only real disappointment was the driver’s seat, which had less support than I remember from the updated ZS and was set too high for my preferred driving position.

It’s impossible to sample the MG ZS EV without flicking back to memories of driving the LEAF and IONIQ. It doesn’t have their electric-first focus, but that’s not a bad thing for people who are want a non-confronting switch to EVs.

It’s easy to spend time with the MG without thinking about the electric angle, unless – like me – you enjoy the new driving challenge of maximising the battery range and using the regen system instead of the conventional brakes.

My big question mark is the standard glass sunroof, which made the car too hot for me and means the car will need lots of power-draining air-con use.

There are no real compromises from the internal-combustion MG ZS, not even in boot space, and I was truly surprised to find Peugeot-style suspension quality on the same roads where I drove the latest 2008 SUV last week.

Cornering grip is also great and, with the regen on max, it’s easy to flow along and enjoy proper driving roads.

The bottom line, of course, is the price and MG has done a great job of re-setting the EV bar and opening a discussion with a lot more potential converts.

How much does the 2020 MG ZS EV cost?
Price: $40,990 plus ORCs ($43,990 drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: Battery-electric
Output: 105kW/353Nm
Transmission: Single-speed, front wheel drive
Fuel: 0L/100km
CO2: 0g/km
Safety rating: Not tested