MOTORING REVIEW: MG’s ZS Hybrid+ is Eco-Friendly small family SUV

THE MG brand is one of the Chinese auto companies making big inroads into the Irish passenger car market in recent years, with well-designed and well-built cars offered at competitive prices. 

MG is a British-origin brand now owned by the Chinese company SAIC Motors, the seventh-largest car manufacturer in the world. 

The Irish range includes a ZS Hybrid+, my latest review car, which the company claims offers one of the most comprehensive packages in the heavily populated B-SUV segment with enhanced performance, efficiency, and advanced safety features. SAIC has plans to build a manufacturing plant in Europe to produce electric cars and light trucks for the MG brand in order to avoid potential import tariffs on electric vehicles from China. 

The ZS Hybrid+ is a well-designed practical family car with hybrid fuel efficiency, a comfy driving experience, and a long list of usable standard features that we Europeans like in our day-to-day cars. 

Exterior features include a modern and striking-looking front grille with dynamic lines and full LED lighting, giving the car a bold presence on the road, but not overly so. The streamlined rear design, with LED taillights, and nice chrome-type styling around the tailpipes, gives a sporty look. It’s hard to make a design stand out in this cluttered segment where most small SUVs look the same, but the gorgeous blue of my car, together with chrome roof rails and chrome along the bases of side windows, added that extra stand-out touch. 

The interior is comfy, spacious, and well thought out. My top-specced car had a black dash/doors/leather-type seats and contrasting pale roof lining. The main feature was a very bright infotainment screen placed lower on the dash to avoid glare but which I found to be very bright and distracting at night. 

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A row of physical switches below the screen are for fan, demist functions, the ‘Home’ button, a limited climate control, and one for volume control. Climate controls are accessed primarily through the touchscreen infotainment system but can also be accessed through the shortcut buttons or buttons on the steering wheel. 

The very colourful 7-inch digital instrument screen is crammed with info and graphics and is subject to glare. 

Front seats can be heated, ditto for the steering wheel. My driver’s seat had 6-way power adjustments, but the front passenger seat just has manual adjustments. 

Handy features include a wireless phone charger with two USB ports and a power socket. There’s a large square-shaped Start/Stop button and electric parking brake, and I particularly liked the big stylish lever for the automatic transmission. Audio control square shaped toggles on the steering wheel take a bit of getting used to.  

Cubbies include large door bins, a bucket-type glove box, and a good area below the front armrest. 

There’s decent head and legroom in the rear but a highish tunnel to manage feet around. The tailgate opens manually to reveal luggage space of 443 litres, and there’s a sealant kit below the floor. 

Three trims are Essence, Excite, and Exclusive. The entry level has 16-inch steel wheels, a 10-inch screen display and driver display, rear parking sensors with camera, automatic headlights, and heated mirrors. Excite adds 17-inch alloy wheels, full LED lighting front and rear, a larger 12.3-inch infotainment display with navigation and live services, auto wipers, and keyless entry. The top Exclusive moves up to 18-inch alloys and a 360-degree surround-view camera as well as features already mentioned. 

A suite of comprehensive safety and driver assistance technologies, standard on all models, includes adaptive cruise control, active emergency braking with pedestrian and cycle detection, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot detection, forward collision warning, and traffic jam assist. 

Drive modes are Eco, Normal, and Sport.

The only powertrain combines a 102hp 1.5 petrol engine with a 136hp/250Nm traction motor, offering a combined total output of 196hp, which is quite a lot of power for everyday use. This combination achieves a 0-100km/h time of 8.7 seconds. The 1.83kWh high-voltage battery is recharged by a 45kW generator, offering the potential for significant savings in running cost, an improved fuel economy of 5.1 L/100km (WLTP combined), and €190 in annual road tax. 

Seamless transitions with the automatic transmission contributed to my enjoyment of driving the car. I liked all the power on tap, especially for overtaking and motorway driving, and the light steering helped when parking, as did the 360-degree camera. 

The ZS Hybrid+ achieved a safety rating of four out of a possible five stars from EuroNCAP, but MG are so confident about this car that they offer a seven-year manufacturer’s warranty as standard. The Frank Keane Group is responsible for importing and selling MG vehicles in Ireland. 

The entry level is priced from €28,995, the top spec from €33,995.