Anyone watching in awe as MG continues its meteoric rise up the sales charts will know that the foundation of the success is this car: the ZS. It raised more than a few eyebrows when it was first revealed in 2017 at the British Motor Show. First, there was the irritation from enthusiasts caused by the MG badge being applied to an SUV but industry observers knew this sector of the market was key to profitability and sales success. Nissan had benefited from the enormous popularity of the Qashqai and the ZS was priced to undercut it – and the smaller Juke – by several thousand pounds with a starting price of just £12,495.
Unlike the MG6, which it replaced, the ZS was not a car which looked as though it was cheaper than rivals. From the outside it looked every inch like a modern crossover SUV from a European or Japanese manufacturer. To sweeten the deal (and overcome any concerns about quality) MG also offered a seven-year, 80,000 mile warranty from October 2017.
Despite costing less than the top-selling Juke, the ZS sat astride the conventional classes in terms of size, meaning it could offer family-friendly interior space. The 448-litre boot was bigger than the all-important Qashqai, for example.
The engine line-up at launch seemed bang up to date too, although the most advanced powertrain – an EV - wasn’t announced for another
