DHis initial suspicions proved to be unfounded. No exotic low-cost supplier uses the MG ZS EV for testing, but a serious electric car from China. This former British sports car brand has been part of the Chinese automobile group SAIC since 2007. MG Europe’s first pure electric car is a 4.31 meter long SUV with pleasing sheet metal design and coordinated proportions. The size is positioned between the Volkswagen T-Roc and Volkswagen Tiguan. Not entirely without prejudice, we sat in comfortable synthetic leather seats and were pleasantly surprised by the workmanship and material appearance of the interior.
Stromer passed the test without any complaints; we remember with horror that new cars from the Far East sometimes exhale annoyingly. An adaptive cruise control system with traffic jams, a rather rude lane departure warning system that can be permanently turned off, traffic sign recognition and Android Auto and Apple Carplay navigation are always on board at a price of 31,990 euros. The 9,570 Euro electric bonus may be deducted from the purchase price. The test car in the more expensive luxury equipment of 2000 euros is also equipped with a reversing camera, heated seats and a panoramic sliding sunroof. No compromise on safety: In the Euro NCAP crash test, the MG ZS EV received the highest score of five stars.
But there are disadvantages. The 8-inch display in the center console has always kept us immobile, and a slow infotainment system with simple graphics is as important as a poorly controlled air conditioner without a temperature display. The overview and space are good. But why is there no central headrest in the back row? The trunk has a capacity of 448 to 1116 liters, suitable for daily use, and a bicycle rack weighing up to 75 kg can be attached. The Type 2 charging cable is very short, only 4 meters, located under the double loading floor.
A 143-horsepower electric motor drives the front wheels. The lithium-ion battery placed under the floor has a capacity of 44.5 kWh. According to WLTP, this is enough to travel 263 kilometers, and actually travel 200 to 230 kilometers, depending on temperature and driving style. This makes the 1.5-ton urban SUV more suitable for urban environments rather than long-distance travel. This matches the comfortable setting and smooth steering. Up to 140 km/h. Then the speedometer showed 155 km/h, and the range of the accurate display dropped significantly. You can use the toggle switch to select three driving programs and three different recovery levels. In sports mode, things progress very fast. For some reason, we mainly drove in Eco mode, without air conditioning, and averaged 17.6 kWh per 100 kilometers, and the standard power consumption was 18.6 kWh. Charging through the socket in the middle of the grill saves the trouble of operating around the power pole.
Tap the MG logo, then the lid swings up and shows the connection. Can plastic guides that are not very strong last for the life of the car? On an AC wall box, the trolley can only consume up to 6.6 kW per phase; the battery is fully charged after 7.5 hours. Using CCS to quickly charge up to 85 kW, it takes 40 minutes to charge to 80%; in the test, the maximum flow is 42 kW. What you need to know: The vehicle must be locked out of power. The current flow rate and how long the charging process takes can only be read on the power pole, not in the car.
Overall, the MG ZS EV is a solid, portable and spacious vehicle. Otherwise, Kia only has a seven-year warranty. You have to get used to some quirks, of course there are no images. There is no need to panic about competition.
