Mention ‘MG’, and many still imagine an open-topped sports car with popping exhaust – even though Chinese firm Nanjing Automobile Group bought the rights to the marque in 2005. Its biggest sellers lately have been popular family SUVs, mostly EVs.
MG did recently re-introduce a sporty open-top, the £54,995 Cyberster which, like most of the range, is electric, alongside a fully electric estate car and a newly-introduced electric ‘hot hatch’. But MG’s offering has for some time been dominated by models such as the ZS EV SUV.
Now the ZS Hybrid+ - a spacious, nice-driving hybrid powered by a combination of electric motor and 1.5-litre petrol engine - is a very tempting proposition indeed, selling from just £21,995.
That’s around £8,000 cheaper than, for instance the Hyundai Kona Hybrid and around £4,000 less than the entry level Ford Puma (and £8,500 less than MG’s ZS EV). Despite the competitive prices, however, the attractions aren’t purely financial.
It’s a distinctive looking car - without being attention-grabbing - with its big, bold, octagonal MG badges front and rear and strong, no-nonsense , slightly squared-off lines. While the one we are driving is clad in Arctic White - not the most exciting colour - those in bright red or more vivid hues pack quite a visual punch.
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Best of both worlds
There are other benefits. A self-charging hybrid, there’s no range anxiety and no plugging in; ideal for those of us in cities, without driveways or garages equipped with charging points. I prefer a hybrid, which offers the best of both worlds; there’s less fuss, no ‘where shall I charge up on a long journey’ dilemma, no winding up charging cables at the roadside in the rain, no boot taken up with coils of grubby leads.
The equipment list is impressive, even on the ‘entry level’ SE. You get MG Pilot (a suite of safety aids comprising Adaptive Cruise Control, Active Emergency Braking with Pedestrian and Cyclist alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Traffic Jam Assist, Blind Zone Detection with Lane Change assist and so on), Hill Descend Control, Tyre Pressure Monitoring, Hill Start Assist, LED Lights with auto high/low beam, rear parking sensors, heated door mirrors, automatic air conditioning, keyless entry and more besides.
Splash out £2,500 more for the Trophy model and you get even more luxury: an electrically adjustable driver’s seat with manual lumbar adjuster, prettier 18-inch instead of 17-inch wheels, heated front seats and steering wheel, black leather upholstery instead of cloth, rear privacy glass and a 360-degree camera. You do feel a bit cosseted.
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It’s a pity there's no memory button on the electric seats or a self-raising tailgate (which can only be unlatched from the keyfob and then raised manually), and there are no self-raising hydraulic struts for the bonnet, just a pole, but you can’t have everything. Not at this price.
Most will find it a comfortable car too although - again - it’s a pity MG stopped short of equipping it with a reach-adjustable steering wheel (it does, however, tilt up and down).
The seats are supportive, comfy and quite squashy - aided by that manual lumbar support on the Trophy - and there’s a feeling of spaciousness for the front seat occupants. In the rear seats there’s plenty of room for big passengers too, along with a roomy boot.
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Left luggage
Better still, there’s plenty of room underneath the load area floor (a welcome bonus); enough for all the dog paraphernalia, or a spare rug/jacket/water bottles and so on. On either side of the boot floor MG thoughtfully provided not just luggage tie-down loops, but left room for two useful, netted oddments storage pockets. Useful for carrier bags, more canine clutter, tissues, cloths, etc..
The cabin is bright and attractive, made more so by the use of ‘raw’ metal fittings here and there, and a sporty red ‘speed line’ in the floor mats.
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There’s a good, chunky, grippy gear shift lever (in something of a move away from rivals’ minimalist offerings which can be more fiddly to operate), a high-tech-looking start/stop button and a pleasing, slightly hexagonal steering wheel which, on the Trophy, heats up quickly on a cold night, along, of course, with the front seats. Very welcome too.
Steering wheel buttons (which might require a little study) are configurable for various functions. The big instrument screen is configurable too, letting users choose media information, energy flow visuals, safety information and so on, although the speed readout - over on the left - is slightly obscured by the steering wheel; I’d prefer it to be more central, and larger.
On the road, performance is peppy and responsive, as you might expect with 193 bhp and 343lbs or torque (low down pulling power) from the electric and petrol drive combined. That’s enough for a respectable 0-62 time of 8.7 seconds and a top speed of 104 mph. Even so, this is a relaxing, easy car to drive.
The brakes are very nicely nuanced (you can do a ‘chauffeur stop’, coming to a halt without the passengers even noticing) and – moving from throttle to brake and back again while enjoying feedback from the steering - there’s a reassuringly even flow, with plenty of ‘feel’, for a car of this type. Some engineer, somewhere, took care while developing the driving characteristics.
Assault and battery
The ride is nicely judged too; it tends towards the firm but the ZS Hybrid+ rides very well even under assault from London’s proliferating speed humps. The three-speed automatic gearbox works efficiently but sometimes feels as though it hangs onto a low gear for a little too long, depending on inclines and – possibly – state of battery charge. It is an easy car to see out of, without annoying blind spots in traffic.
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Foibles? Road noise is always in evidence, though not overtly so. There is a generously-sized 12.3-inch central infotainment screen, even if some of the icons (for instance for heated seats and steering wheel) look a little low tech. They require quite a shove to activate on the touch-screen, although this can be a bonus on a bumpy road. The headlights work well on dark lanes. The car – and seats’ – height – mean it is an easy vehicle to get in and out of; worth considering if you have an elderly friend. I look forward to using the MG iSmart app, to locate the car’s position, or adjust the air-conditioning, before getting in.
Buyers will be untroubled by any minor quibbles because what they will be enjoying - for sensible money - is a solid, comfortable, workmanlike, commodious, good-looking all-round performer that will perform family duties well. All backed by a seven-year/80,000-mile warranty. And you don’t get all that with a roaring open-topped sports car, MG badge or no MG badge.
The Facts
MG ZS Hybrid+
From £21,995 for SE version
Trophy version: £24,495
Top speed: 104 mph
0-62-mph: 8.7 seconds
Fuel consumption: 55.4 mpg
CO2 emissions: 115 g/km
