MG’S BARGAIN SUV
ANeW mG has hit the road. But if you were expecting a sprightly British sports car, you might be disappointed. It’s actually a budget SUV called the mG ZS. And it’s a far cry from those modestly priced vintage sports cars — the mGB, mG midget (one of which I owned) and the earlier mGA. But with the ZS, a low- priced challenger in the e increasingly competitive crosso- ver market, mG aims to more e than double UK sales to around d 10,000 vehicles a year.
mG began life as morris Garages in oxford in 1924, but for the past few years has been under Chinese ownership, after the firm went bust under the ‘Phoenix Four’ led d by John Towers.
Today, mG motor UK is owned d by SAIC, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, and keeps a toe-hold at the former giant rover plant at Longbridge, Birmingham. It’s steadily t dil on the th long l march hb back k to UK showrooms and the handsome, if not revolutionary, ZS is a step in the right direction.
It’s keenly priced — from £12,495 for the entry level explore — in a bid to undercut establ lished rivals such as the Nissan J Juke and renault Captur.
The biggest seller is expected to be the exclusive model priced from £ 15,495. The middling excite trim level costs from £13,995, while the range-topping exclusive auto costs £17,495.
There are two engine options: a frugal 1- litre, three- cylinder petrol version that’s linked to a six- speed automatic gearbox, developing 109bhp and returning 44.9mpg, and a cheaper 1.5 litre, four-cylinder petrol with a five-speed manual gearbox. A seven-year 80,000-mile warranty offers peace of mind, while the 448- litre split- level boot expands to 1,375 litres with the three rear seats folded down.