Arriving with a 7 year warranty, including the lithium-ion battery, it’s quite clear that MG are confident with the build quality and new technology present in their ZS EV. Gorgeous looking Dynamic Red paintwork, 17” diamond cut alloy wheels designed exclusively for use on the EV, LED daytime running lights, full length panoramic ‘Sky Roof’ and a silhouette that is thoroughly modern look fantastic whilst hinting at MGs from way back. Take a look at the side profile and tell me you can’t see the outline of an MGA hidden amongst the strong rear wheel arches and waist high crease along the side.
As the ZS was always designed to be an BEV it has the benefit of battery specific packaging designed to achieve decent handling and chassis feel. In fact, the ZS EV’s technology has been cleverly packaged underneath the passenger compartment to achieve a low centre of gravity whilst also spreading the weight of the batteries evenly throughout.
With 353Nm of instant torque and 105kW of power, the equivalent to 142bhp, the MG ZS EV will not leave you wanting when it comes to acceleration off the line or when you need to distance yourself from any situations that might occur on the roads and will surprise more than a few youngsters off the line when you’re feeling a little frisky.
And then there’s three different drive modes, Sport, Normal and Eco and a myriad of impressive driver aids. MG have great faith in their newly christened suite of driver assistance technologies, MG Pilot, designed to allow the driver to maximise the driving benefits of a BEV. Active Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control and more are available and set up simply enough. The thing is, these systems do not take away from your driving enjoyment or your interaction with the MG as some would have you believe, but what they give you is a secondary level of safety that can and does take away the stress from longer drives and turns the ZS EV into a very capable distance shrinking machine.
510 miles from Bradford to Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire was an excellent test of the MG’s capabilities. Starting with a full charge of 173 miles, regenerative braking set to maximum and Eco mode selected, it was time to head to the first charging stop of the day 109 miles away at Oswestry. Plugging the car in on arrival was simple a 30 minute charge later, after coffee and sustenance, it was time to head a further 83 miles to Llandovery. That might not sound far but by using the excellent Zap Map app for route planning I knew that I could reach Saundersfoot and return to Llandovery on the trip home without a further charge, then heading back to Oswestry and finally, home. Four charging stops added around 2.5 hours to the driving time but I’d have stopped for a few breaks along the way for refreshments anyway so the journey probably only took an hour longer than if completed in the petrol ZS equivalent. The best bit? A cost of just £15.10 spent at chargers. That’s all four combined, not each.
Everyday charging can be taken care of at home via a three pin plug or 7kW home charger box overnight meaning that you’ll wake to a full charge each day. The secret to the MG ZS EV is planning your journey around the range and available charging infrastructure. An infrastructure that is improving every day.
Embrace the future, it’s here right now and can be on your driveway for around £25,494.
Where will you go?