MG ZS Hybrid+ Review 2024
Written by Ivan Aistrop
Quick overview
Pros
- Looks pretty swish inside and out
- Stuffed with standard equipment
- Very aggressive pricing
Cons
- Ride is rather firm
- Lots of road noise on the motorway
- No reach adjustment on the steering column
Overall verdict on the MG ZS Hybrid+
"The basic appeal of the MG ZS SUV is the same as it ever was: it provides generous space, lots of standard equipment and a long warranty for a very tempting price. However, the latest second-generation version ups its game in other areas, too, making it a better all-rounder."
You could argue that the first-generation MG ZS SUV was the most MG-ish of all of MG’s products. That is to say, it’s the car of recent years that best demonstrates the appeal of the MG brand to buyers. Find out why in our MG ZS review.
You see, since the British company almost went for a Burton back in 2005, only being saved from oblivion by Chinese money, the brand has gradually worked its way back to relevance by becoming a purveyor of affordable, high-value hatchbacks and SUVs. These gave customers comparatively generous space and standard equipment, while demanding only paltry sums in terms of purchase prices, undercutting rival offerings by thousands. The MG ZS has been one of the firm’s most popular cars during this period, arguably because it fits that model to a tee.
However, now that the firm has recovered and consolidated - it’s now fighting for a top-ten spot on the list of best-selling car companies in the UK - the time has come to grow and flourish further. That’s evidenced by no fewer than five new product launches in 2024 - including the MG Cyberster all-electric two-seater convertible, returning MG to its sports car traditions for the first time in decades - of which the new ZS is the fifth and final.
The traits that made the first-generation MG ZS SUV are all present and correct. Interior space is generous, making the new car practical enough for a small family, while the standard equipment lists are heaving with luxury items. Prices look very tempting compared with those of rivals, and the whole package is even backed by a generous seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty.
The latest incarnation of the MG ZS, though, adds more abilities besides. With sleek new styling, it now looks a lot swisher, while the old car’s cheap-and cheerful interior has been replaced by one that has genuine appeal. The clunky old infotainment system has been swapped for a glossy-looking new one, and instead of thirsty petrol engines, the latest ZS is powered by an efficient new self-charging hybrid powertrain, hence the new MG ZS Hybrid+ name.
Of course, it should be mentioned at this point that the previous MG ZS was also offered in all-electric ZS EV form, a car that also proved very popular. However, that was a car that was engineered to be a petrol car, but was then retro-fitted with a battery and electric motor. That’s not something MG plans to do again, and the ZS EV won’t be replaced directly. The firm will offer a ZS-sized electric SUV, but it’ll sit on a bespoke EV platform (the one that underpins the MG4, in fact) and it’ll carry its own name.
Granted, the latest MG ZS isn’t the most polished car of its type to drive, with a slightly brittle ride and some question marks over refinement. However, it’s good enough not to spoil the allure you’ll find elsewhere in the car. In terms of its appeal compared to that of its predecessor, then, it’s a case of ‘same again, but more besides’ with the latest MG ZS. And we’d say that, overall, that’ll make it pretty compelling for many buyers.
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Is the MG ZS Hybrid+ right for you?
If you’re looking to buy a small family SUV, and you want it to provide as much space and as much equipment as possible for the lowest possible price, then yes, the MG ZS is a very good option for you. It’s decent to drive and has pretty good cabin quality, too. It’s not the most polished car of its type by any means, but it does look like very good value for money.
What's the best MG ZS Hybrid+ model/engine to choose?
The choice is very simple with the MG ZS. There’s only one hybrid powertrain on offer - at least there is until the middle of 2025 when a petrol-powered non-hybrid will be offered - and two trim level choices. The only optional extra available is exterior paint.
The entry-level SE trim is so well equipped that there’s no need to go for the higher-end Trophy trim if you’re working with a budget, but we can see why most customers make that upgrade, because it does add some very desirable items of kit for a very reasonable cost.
What other cars are similar to the MG ZS Hybrid+?
As a small SUV, the MG ZS sits in arguably the most fashionable sector of the car market, so rivals are in plentiful supply. Alternatives available with hybrid power include the Toyota Yaris Cross, Renault Captur, Nissan Juke, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Hona, Kia Niro, Dacia Duster and Lexus LBX, but if you’re not bothered about hybrid power, then the choice gets much wider. Pretty much every manufacturer offers an alternative, if not two or three.
Comfort and design: MG ZS Hybrid+ interior
"The large touchscreen infotainment system - more on that a little later - means that there aren’t many buttons and switches on display inside the MG ZS, giving the cabin a fashionably minimalist feel."
The few that are left on the dashboard are large and well placed in the main, although some of those on the steering wheel - the toggle switches particularly - are a bit of a faff to operate.
Every version of the MG ZS gets six-way adjustment for the driver’s seat, that adjustment being manual in the entry-level SE and electric in the range-topping Trophy. Irritatingly, however, all versions only have tilt adjustment for the steering column, so there’s no reach adjustment. This will inevitably make it difficult for some drivers to find a comfortable driving position, and maybe even impossible for some. MG has promised later examples will be updated to include reach adjustment, but for those buying early cars, it’s a major oversight.
Quality and finish
Given the badge and the pricetag, you might well expect the MG ZS to feel rather low-rent on the inside. In reality, though, you might be rather pleasantly surprised. Granted, the plastics do look rather functional in one or two areas, but these are very much the exception rather than the rule, and they’re also very well concealed. Most of the surfaces immediately in your eyeline have an appealing look and feel - the stitched faux-leather finish on top of the dashboard and doors is a particularly nice touch - and they’re just as nice for your fingertips. The assembly perhaps isn’t quite as sturdy or substantial as it is in the very best rivals, but it’s still very convincing and totally acceptable.
Infotainment: Touchscreen, USB, nav and stereo in the MG ZS Hybrid+
Both versions of the MG ZS get precisely the same infotainment system, which centres around a 12.3-inch infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard. All the functionality you expect is present and correct, including DAB radio, Bluetooth, satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The stereo system has six speakers as standard, and there are four USB ports in total, including one in the back seats and one in the rearview mirror for powering dashcams.
While MG’s previous efforts in the infotainment department haven’t really been up to much, the ZS’s is a considerable improvement. First of all, it looks much better, with a larger, glossier screen and sharper graphics, and useability have improved thanks to a range of shortcut icons, a useful Home button, and a Home screen that has tiles for various functions through which you can make basic changes to that function without delving into the corresponding submenu.
It’s not perfect. A few important functions are still buried in the menu structure rather too deeply, and the sensitivity of the screen isn’t what it might be, so you often have to jab the screen a couple of times before your command registers.
The central screen is also accompanied by a 7.0-inch digital instrument screen behind the steering wheel. This can be configured in a number of different layouts, but it’s only the information in the middle of the screen that changes, and it’s information that’s not particularly useful to the driver. All the important information is displayed around the outside of the screen, and it’s smaller than it should be, presumably to make room for the bits that change.
Space and practicality: MG ZS Hybrid+ boot space
MG refers to the ZS as a B-segment SUV. Run that phrase through the motoring-speak decoder, and it normally means that the car is roughly the same size as a supermini like the Vauxhall Corsa. In truth, however, the MG ZS is considerably bigger than that, with a footprint more like that of an Astra rather than a Corsa. In terms of dimensions, the ZS measures 4,430mm long, 1,818mm wide (not including door mirrors) and 1,635mm tall. The wheelbase (the distance between the front- and rear wheels) is 2,610mm.
That means that there’s a very decent amount of space inside the MG ZS. There’s loads of room up front, as you’d expect, and the rear seats have more than enough headroom and legroom to comfortably accommodate a brace of tall adults. Things will become rather more cramped if you try and add a third member to the back seat crew, because the cabin is a bit narrow for that, and the middle seat of the rear bench is also rather narrow. However, while shoulders and backsides will feel cramped, at least the low transmission tunnel in the floor means that there’s room for everyone’s feet.
Boot space stands at 443 litres, which is actually five litres smaller than in the previous MG ZS. However, that’s actually not too bad when you consider that the new car is packing hybrid technology. Importantly, that volume isn’t too bad by class standards, either.
Fold the rear seats down (this happens in a 60/40 split, rather than the awkward angle-piece bench you get in the MG3 supermini) and you get 1,457 litres of cargo space. That’s 82 litres more than in the old ZS, and there’s a movable boot floor that helps level off both the load lip and the step up to the folded seatbacks. However, neither is levelled off completely, and those seatbacks lie at a fairly steep angle, leaving you with a significantly sloped load area.
Handling and ride quality: What is the MG ZS Hybrid+ like to drive?
"You expect most SUVs - even small ones - to focus on providing a comfortable ride rather than sharp handling, but it seems that’s not the direction that MG has taken with the ZS."
There’s a distinctly firm edge to the car’s suspension, which gives quite good body control, keeping the car feeling level through bends, and settled and stable on undulating roads and on the motorway. The quick steering also contributes to the car’s pointy feel, and although grip and traction levels aren’t massive - you’ll find it rather easy to spin up the front tyres when pulling away at junctions - they’re good enough to keep the car feeling safe and secure.
That firm suspension does mean, however, that the ride comfort isn’t as good as in many rivals. Calling it uncomfortable would be overstating the case, but it’s certainly true that a number of competitors are more cosseting, and provide a rather more relaxed experience. With any car, we always recommend taking a test drive so you can try before you buy, but in this case, it’s extra important to make sure that you can live with the MG ZS’s ride.
And going back to the steering for a moment, you might detect a small oddity there. It’s incredibly light at very low manoeuvring speeds, but once you’re above 5mph or thereabouts, it weights up massively all of a sudden, which feels rather strange. Once that initial strangeness is out of the way, though, the steering is actually very pleasant and suits the character of the car, with a meaty feel, fast reactions, and even some genuine feedback.
What engines and gearboxes are available in the MG ZS Hybrid+?
A pure petrol-powered version of the MG ZS will become available in the fullness of time, but initially, the car is only offered as a self-charging hybrid. The hybrid system is the same one used in the MG3 Hybrid+ supermini. It uses a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor to deliver a combined 193bhp to the front wheels through a three-speed automatic gearbox. As you’d probably expect, it operates in a very similar way to how it does in the smaller MG3, although there are a few interesting differences.
Like with the MG3, the pickup has that eager and unbroken quality you get from an electric car when driving at low-to-moderate speeds, giving a pleasant peppy feel around town. When you’re going faster, or when the battery charge gets too low, the petrol engine chimes in to either charge the battery through the on-board generator, or to drive the wheels, but if you keep your throttle inputs gentle, this all happens fairly imperceptibly.
Push the pedal harder for more speed, though, and both power sources can drive the wheels together, which makes the pickup feel quite a bit stronger, although not as strong as it does in the smaller MG3 under the same circumstances. The stopwatch supports the sensation: the ZS’s 0-62mph time of 8.7 seconds is 0.7 seconds slower than the MG3’s.
The other difference is that the engine is a bit noisier at full throttle than it is in the MG3, presumably in part because it has to work that bit harder to shift the car’s extra weight. But although the engine sounds a little bit thrashy, the noise stays fairly distant, and it’s not too loud when cruising on the motorway, either.
Refinement and noise levels
As we’ve just mentioned, the MG ZS’s petrol engine can sound a wee bit thrashy when asked for full power, but even then it’s not massively loud, and if you keep your accelerator inputs more subtle, then the powertrain stays quiet and subdued.
Wind noise isn’t a huge factor, either, but unfortunately, road noise most definitely is. There’s a distinct rumble from the tyres to be heard even at moderate speeds, and by the time you’re cruising at motorway speeds, the rumble has turned into more of a roar. It’s significant enough that you might well find yourself raising your voice to talk to your front-seat passenger, or almost shouting to be heard by those in the back.
Safety equipment: How safe is the MG ZS Hybrid+?
The second-generation MG ZS is yet to be crash-tested by Euro NCAP, so we don’t know how it’ll fare in a smash. The previous version only scored three out of five stars when it was tested way back in 2017, but the latest car is mechanically very different from its predecessor.
To help you avoid putting its crash credentials to the test for yourself, MG has fitted the ZS with an extensive suite of electronic driver aids, collectively known as MG Pilot. This includes forward collision warning with active emergency braking, blind spot detection, lane keep assist, lane change assist, lane departure warning, intelligent speed limit assist, rear cross traffic alert, and driver attention alert. You also get adaptive cruise control thrown in.
MPG and fuel costs: What does an MG ZS Hybrid+ cost to run?
"The MG ZS is priced to undercut rivals by thousands rather than hundreds, but that would mean very little if it cost owners a packet to run. Thankfully, it doesn’t."
Its self-charging hybrid powertrain has a larger-than-average battery, meaning it can run on electric-only power for a good slice of the time at low speeds (although not for anywhere near as long as a plug-in hybrid alternative). The official combined WLTP fuel economy figure stands at 55.4mpg, while CO2 emissions stand at 115g/km. That’s not quite as good as hybrid-powered rivals such as the Renault Captur and Toyota Yaris Cross, but it should have the beating of most non-hybrid rivals.
MG ZS Hybrid+ reliability and warranty
The latest MG ZS is rather too new for there to be any meaningful data available on the subject of reliability, and the same goes for a great many of the firm’s cars, most of which have been introduced or replaced very recently.
When talking about the firm’s older cars, MG placed 18th out of the 29 manufacturers included in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, which is a decidedly fair-to-middling result.
None of the firm’s cars featured on the study’s lists of the best- or worst-performing cars, in terms of either reliability specifically or overall customer satisfaction, which would again indicate that a fair-to-middling performance should be expected in both areas.
You can, however, take plenty of comfort from the company’s generous seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty. Service intervals stand at 12 months or 15,000 miles on the ZS, whichever occurs first.
MG ZS Hybrid+ insurance groups and costs
Insurance groups for the new MG ZS Hybrid+ are yet to be announced, but the previous generation model was cheap to insure, with models sitting between groups 10 and 15.
VED car tax: What is the annual road tax on a MG ZS Hybrid+?
The MG ZS’s hybrid drivetrain means it qualifies for a discount on your annual VED bill, but the discount amounts to only a tenner, leaving you with £180 to pay per year. That’s not going to form a major part of your decision to buy a hybrid, then.
MG ZS Hybrid+ Price
"If buying brand new, you’d be looking at paying around £22,000 for the entry-level SE version of the MG ZS, and around £25,000 for the range-topping Trophy version. Compare that with rivals such as the Renault Captur and Hyundai Kona, and it’s a good chunk less."
The second-generation version of the MG ZS SUV is still quite new, so it’ll be a wee while yet before a significant number of pre-owned examples hit the used car market. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for pre-registered examples or ex-demonstrator models, though, whether that be at your local MG dealer or in the heycar listings. These will likely give you an as-new car for a four-figure discount.
Trim levels and standard equipment
MG likes to keep things simple, so there are two trim levels to choose from with the ZS, and once you’ve chosen which paint colour you’d like your car in (there’s one standard colour and five more that you pay extra for), there are no more optional extras on offer.
The entry-level trim is called SE, and it’s still very generously equipped, especially given the price. You get 17-inch alloy wheels, LED exterior lights, automatic lights and wipers, keyless entry, climate control air-conditioning, four electric windows, heated and electrically adjustable door mirrors, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.
Despite the generosity of the entry-level version, though, the vast majority of customers pay the extra to upgrade to the top-of-the-range Trophy version, and this gets quite a few desirable upgrades. These include 18-inch alloys, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, an electrically adjusting driver’s seat, lumbar adjustment, man-made-leather upholstery, power folding door mirrors and 360-degree cameras.
Ask the heycar experts: common questions
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