What is the MG ZS like?

[Sone]

straights would look pants on your car, you already have the best wheels ihmo

 

[Wicksta]

I have an MG ZS 120 which I use for shopping, dump visits etc. Although it's not that bad to drive it required a new engine after 75k and a new alternator, both of those soon after I bought the car. However mechanical parts are cheap and easy to get hold of in my experience and I fitted the engine myself saving loads. It's been running great ever since and I expect I'll keep it as a second car for quite a few years.

Oh, and mine is definitely a hatch.

 

[agw_01]

straights would look pants on your car, you already have the best wheels ihmo

Thanks

It's not the straight I'm talking about though... it's the later wheels off the Mk2 ZS. They're absolutely stunning.

edit... these

 

[Phate]

If the car itself is straight, drives straight etc, I'd absolutely go for it.

£1,400 is a steal for that car.

Oh, has it got the nice big flat spoke wheels? I'll do you a deal on those if it has

It has those wheels

How much do you want em Andy? - are you willing to beg?

Can't wait till I have a proper look at it! Spoke to my insurance company who want £300 to switch to the MG - I asked them how much renewal would be in a few months time and they couldn't tell me...so I'm a little wary and need to do some more research into it...

Andy, will you be about tonight mate? be good to pick your brains if I can!

Rover buddy....

 

[Scrutinize]

Can't wait till I have a proper look at it! Spoke to my insurance company who want £300 to switch to the MG - I asked them how much renewal would be in a few months time and they couldn't tell me...so I'm a little wary and need to do some more research into it...

These are nice cars, written off due to hassle of sourcing body kit I would imagine.

As for insurance renewal, just put your details into any online insurance engine but forward date it i.e. that your a year older, 1 years extra NCB and see what it is etc etc. Easy way to do it.

 

[Pug]

they're great supercharged

 

[agw_01]

It has those wheels

How much do you want em Andy? - are you willing to beg?

Can't wait till I have a proper look at it! Spoke to my insurance company who want £300 to switch to the MG - I asked them how much renewal would be in a few months time and they couldn't tell me...so I'm a little wary and need to do some more research into it...

Andy, will you be about tonight mate? be good to pick your brains if I can!

Rover buddy....

If you're serious about that, we'll come to some arrangement

I'm working until 10pm and am without an internet connection at home at the moment. My bloody step-brother has been hammering the connection and we get a nice 'Usage Amount Reached' whenever I try to open a webpage

 

[K.C. Leblanc]

Phate, why don't you get on autotrader and see if you can find one on a fortecourt that you can have a go in.

 

[Nor]

I have a 54 facelift MG ZS 180. Very nice car. The reviews of the car are all very good. I got mine 18 months old, 9k miles for £7,200. An absolute steal.

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/19862/mg_zs_180.html

Stop sniggering. Okay, I'll give you a couple of minutes to calm down. It took me a while to take the ZS 180 seriously, too. I know what you're thinking: 'MG has stuck an Impreza-style wing on the back of a Rover 45 and is going to try and sell it as a performance car. It must be awful. And what the hell is evo doing featuring such a badge-engineered mess?' Am I right? Thought so. You see, that's the essence of MG's problem. If enthusiasts like you and me won't give them a fair hearing, who will?

Rover's pipe-and-slippers image is a real hurdle to MG's success. That's why MG is planning to go Touring Car racing with a derivative of the 45 and why this, the fastest road-going version, wears that high-rise rear spoiler.

Of all the cars MG engineers had to work with, the 45 seemed least likely to morph into a convincing sporting car. Its reputation for doddering owners and blue-rinse passengers is deeply ingrained. Would you fancy pulling up to your mate's house in a 45? Didn't think so. But - and there is a but - look a bit closer and you'll discover that the idea of a fun-to-drive MG based on the 45 isn't so implausible.

Under the pensionable exterior lies double wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear set-up. MG has fitted springs that are 20mm lower and much stiffer; 66 per cent stiffer at the front and 78 per cent at the rear. Trick dual-valve dampers ensure body-control remains tight without destroying the ride quality, while the suspension bushing has been beefed-up and an anti-roll bar now ties the rear-end down. Impressive stuff.

The steering has also been heavily revised with a quicker-ratio rack and, in an effort to improve feel, has been revalved too. Grip shouldn't be a problem. The substantial 17in alloys are shod with 205/45 Michelin Pilot Sports.

The ZS 180 moniker is a little misleading, as with 175bhp it's a few ponies short. Mind you, that's a healthy output and mere figures can't convey the manner in which the 2.5-litre KV6 produces its power. It spins keenly right up to the 6750rpm limiter and emits a lovely hard-edged shriek that no four-cylinder rival can emulate. Low-down torque isn't great, but over 4500rpm the ZS really flies and throttle response is excellent. The short-throw gearchange helps, encouraging you to keep the engine on the boil with its snickety, positive action. MG claims 0-60mph in 7.3secs and a top speed of 139mph; both of which are entirely believable.

Traction is superb. Even in torrential rain on mountain roads around Cardiff the ZS has no trouble transmitting its considerable power through its sticky front Michelins. Over-enthusiastic entry speeds see the front-end wash-out but understeer is never sudden or irretrievable. A sharp lift of the throttle will bring the rear into play but in the dry I'm sure it would take real determination to unstick the tail. MG has provided brakes that are well up to the job, too - huge 282mm discs up front and 260mm discs astern - which should ensure that fade is never a problem on the road.

Over a challenging stretch of black-top the ZS's combination of keen steering, fine body control, stonking acceleration and well-judged damping would surprise a few established evo favourites. Turn-in is incisive and confidence inspiring, fast corners reveal a neutral balance, and mid-corner bumps fail to find holes in the ZS 180's thoroughly well-sorted chassis. Although never as involving as a 306 GTI-6, it remains faithful and fun.

Unfortunately I have a feeling that not many people are going to discover what a surprisingly good package the ZS 180 is. While big wings, showy alloys and mesh grilles may appeal to a certain audience, I suspect that those with over ΂£16,000 to spend like a bit more subtlety.

The cabin's none too convincing either. The silver-grey dials and metal-effect panels on the dash and doors do little to hide the old-fashioned architecture of the cabin. The stalks look and feel like an '80s Honda's, the doors lack the reassuring thud you expect and the driving position is far from ideal. Not even the supportive sports seats, splashed with dubious red panels on our test car, compensate for the perched driving position.

MG has done a great job of turning the cooking 45 into a car capable of attacking B-roads with real enthusiasm. But at ΂£16,395 for the saloon (΂£15,595 for the five-door hatch), it faces stiff competition. The similarly powerful SEAT Leon Cupra costs ΂£14,995 and has a classier cabin, while the Golf GTI lacks a bit of poke but has a cast-iron reputation. The ZS deserves to do well, but the odds are stacked against it.

 

[ajgoodfellow]

Good cars - the V6 is far more reliable than the 4-cylinder K-Series too

Really sorted on the road too

Can't really add much to this thread then has already been said

Standard consumable parts are easy to get hold of, body parts are a little more difficult

 

[Nor]

Good cars - the V6 is far more reliable than the 4-cylinder K-Series too

Really sorted on the road too

Can't really add much to this thread then has already been said

Standard consumable parts are easy to get hold of, body parts are a little more difficult

Aye, I think there's a couple of rear body panels for the facelift models which take a few months to order.

 

[Phate]

I'm going to find one and try and get a test drive this weekend!

That's also when I'll get a proper look at it, and see what damage has occured.

If anything it might be worth while, buying it - repairing it and selling it on

 

[kieranv]

My dad bought one when they first came out, same as this one

He got it for something like 16k new, after 3 or 4 years it had started falling apart so he px'd it for 6k for a citroen c5 which he's had since

 

[Phate]

schnip

Thanks!

and what a sig!

Skindred are the muts nuts!

 

[pitchfork]

I wouldnt go near a Rover, their not very reliable and the parts are getting more and more expensive due to supply issues.

I wouldn't say that, they're brilliant runabouts, you get a lot of car for your money. I mean, you csn pick up a rover 400 for about 400 quid, if it dies after a few months, it's financially viable just to buy a new one.

 

[Phate]

MG is coming home tonight just had a text off Dad saying "it's on the Daily"

Will post pics of it...although it is damaged so it'll look pants!

 

[Nor]

Nice one Phate, I'm sure you'll love it.

 

[Phate]

Bad news...it was sold at 5.35 today

It's given me an ideas as to what I want though

I'm well gutted because I really liked that car, but I'll hunt around autotrader and stuff to find another. My friend who works in Adrian Flux done me a good quote today and saved me about £700 - so insurance isn't a problem. Still gutted though had my hopes set on that car!

ah well! onto Pistonheads!

 

[olv]

Astra to Saab to Rover. you've lost the plot

 

[jamoor]

get one of these bad boys instead.