Guaranteed to keep your neighbours thinking you bought a Mazda.
Ahead of its local introduction, a spokesperson from the parent company behind MG revealed several salient details of the incoming MG ZS compact SUV. The SAIC employee let slip that the ZS will be due to arrive on Australian soil in October, and go on sale with no less than two engine options.
The SAIC-backed British brand will introduce the ZS to our market with a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine (rumoured to put out more power than the unit in the MG3 we already have), along with a three-pot 1.0-litre turbo unit with 92kW & 170Nm. Compared to the MG3 1.5L’s rather diminutive 78kW/137Nm, the three-cylinder offers considerably more poke, though it will likely command a premium.
All ZS variants will be front-wheel drive, with the atmo engine getting a four-speed(!) automatic gearbox while the turbo-petrol enjoys a six-speed Aisin automatic. Three trim levels will be offered at launch, with only the base model getting the 1.5-litre engine. We’ll also get Apple CarPlay as standard on higher variants, which should come in handy should satellite navigation not make it to local-spec models.
The ZS will likely trade on its practicality, as its maximum cargo space is claimed to be more than 1100L. That means this Mazda CX-3 rival will be packing the kind of load-lugging capacity from a class above, rivalling cars like the Honda CR-V in space and the HR-V in price. Helping things along will be the inclusion of leather trim for the two top variants, along with LED daytime running lights that could be made standard (though this remains unconfirmed at the time of writing).
Further details remain scarce for the time being, but we’ll be sure to bring them to you as they come.
For more information on MG, check out our Showroom.
