2023 MG ZS EV Long Range review

A lot of folks laughed when the MG ZS EV was released in the depths of the pandemic.

I’m not entirely sure why. I mean, it’s based on a very workmanlike SUV base which still needs a few sharp edges knocked off of it, but it’s a perfectly reasonable around-town machine for people who just want transport. Back then, you got one on your driveway for $43,990. Including on-road costs!

My first drive of the MG ZS EV was in November 2020, on its local debut, and then I drove it again about a year later. As with the petrol version, Things Needed Doing and so we’re here to have a look at not only the freshened-up ZS EV, we’re also giving the bigger-batteried Long Range edition a whirl.

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JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• How do rivals compare on value?
• Interior comfort, space and storage
• Battery and charging
• What is it like to drive?
• How is it on electricity?
• How safe is it?
• Warranty and running costs
• VERDICT
• Specifications

How much is it, and what do you get?

The MG ZS EV range starts at a still eye-opening $43,990 (although that is now before on-road costs) for the entry-level Excite.

On your way to the Long Range you also have the Essence for $47,990 and then you get to the top at $55,990 (also before on-road costs), a hefty jump for the bigger battery. It’s worth noting that the entry-level cars scored a bump in battery capacity a while back, moving to 50.3kWh while this Long Range version has a whopping (for a car this size) 72.6kWh battery pack.

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The Long Range is based on the mid-spec Excite and so has:

This isn’t what you’d call a luxurious spec, not by a long shot, but nor is it especially sparse. The equipment list looks okay on the Essence but up in the mid-$50K bracket it’s starting to look a bit thin.

Until, that is, you see that the battery is nearly 50 per cent bigger than you get with the rest of the ZS EV line-up, which is obviously where the extra eight or so thousand dollars have gone. So we’re going to talk about whether you’re getting that kind of value out of the extra spend.

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Given the climate controls are in the touchscreen, it needs to be snappier.

The new media system looks and feels a lot better than the pre-facelift car and it has a nice big screen that responds reasonably well to touch, but it’s not amazing either. Given the climate controls are in there, it needs to be snappier.

A problem I’ve always noticed on MGs is the distaste for non-Apple USB cables for iPhones. The connectivity drops and it’s annoying. It’s not as bad as it used to be, however, because before it would reboot the media screen.

On-road prices for the MG ZS EV vary from state to state. The Victorian Labor government has killed that state’s EV incentive, for example.

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How do rivals compare on value?

At this price point, the Big Bad Wolf is the BYD Atto 3.

These two brands are going to be locked in battle for a while to come, having both dropped their first shots in the mid-$40K range (and now sub $40K with the new MG4 and BYD Dolphin).

In fact, MG was so annoyed with BYD’s arrival and subsequent claim that the Atto 3 was the cheapest EV in Australia that it cut the ZS EV’s price to reclaim the crown.

The Atto 3 is currently $48,011 for the standard range car and $51,011 for one with a bigger battery (both before on-road costs). That looks pretty good against the MG’s bigger battery version, except the Atto 3 stands at 60kWh rather than the MG’s 72.6kWh. BYD says it’ll do 480km on a charge, but that ain’t happening any more than the MG will do 440km on a full battery.

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BYD’s warranty is shorter at six years/150,000km and is laden with ridiculous exclusions.

The BYD ownership experience is also a bit of a rollercoaster according to a number of owners, with delivery, servicing, warranty and parts issues as well as a slightly chaotic approach to customer communication.

It is likely the new MG4 is going to eat away at the ZS, with a starting price of $38,900 (50kWh battery) and $43,990 (64kWh). A good number of people buy the MG ZS EV precisely because it’s the cheapest EV on the market so one imagines the much better-presented MG4 will turn a lot of heads.

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Interior comfort, space and storage

While not a from-the-ground-up EV, the MG’s modest footprint delivers a decent amount of space.

According to MG, boot capacity starts at 359 litres with the rear seats in place, increasing to 1189 litres with the seats folded.

The back seats have plenty of headroom for a six-footer (180cm) and with the driver’s seat set for someone that tall, decent leg and knee room. There are air vents but no cup holders. A flat floor means three across will be less burdensome for piggy in the middle and the doors will hold a modestly-sized bottle.

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Up front, the seats aren’t especially pleasant to sit on, which is a pity partly because they look better than they feel.

The steering wheel only moves up and down and I never got comfortable with that, despite the reasonable range of adjustment. You do get cup holders and bottle holders as well as a wireless charging pad (that didn’t work for me).

Synthetic leather upholstery on the seats isn’t very nice either and I’d prefer the cloth from the base car, especially on hot days. The plastics have steadily improved over the years, as has the legibility and coherence of warning messages in the digital dashboard.

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Battery and charging

The headline figure for the Long Range is a huge 72.6kWh battery pack, an almost fifty per cent increase on the standard car’s.

If you have a wallbox, you can charge from zip to full in about 11 hours or, if you have three-phase power at home, it will be eight hours with the higher capacity wallbox option.

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MG offers a ChargeHub wallbox in either 7kW or 11kW guises.

On a public 50kW charger you’ll get from zero to 80 per cent in 63 minutes, but as ever that’s (metaphorically speaking) downhill and with a strong tailwind.

An interesting optional extra is a 2.2kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) adapter. This allows you to plug in a device such as a television or computer or even a coffee machine while you’re out and parked. Hyundai and Kia are fond of this tech but the Europeans seem reluctant to offer it, so that’s a win for the MG.

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What is it like to drive?

Considering the petrol-powered ZS is a perfectly inoffensive car that is not very nice to drive, the ZS EV is a revelation – a ZS I could like, almost enjoy.

It still feels old, though, with a ride straight out of a Three Stooges sketch. It bounces over bumps with more enthusiasm than is strictly decent and rolls in a fairly pronounced fashion around corners if you’re enjoying the right pedal.

That’s probably the worst of it, though. The vast majority of owners will notice the bouncing but probably not the body roll because it isn’t the kind of car that appeals to keen drivers. Which is, as I always say, perfectly fine.

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When driven more sedately, it’s pretty good. Strong initial acceleration will release you from the clutches of many a traffic light racer in a petrol car and it will also participate in reasonably ambitious gap-grabbing in traffic.

Although 130kW and 280Nm to move 1620kg isn’t a lot (MG says the Long Range weighs only 10kg more than the regular ZS EV), it seems like more when you’re in town. The drive system is quite nicely calibrated, which can suck you into thinking it’s a bit sporty. Which, as we’ve established, it isn’t.

The steering feels like an old video game before force feedback, with absolutely no feel finding its way back up the rack to your palms. It’s light and numb but twirls happily for parking duties.

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The KERS switch (nobody calls it that except 2008 Formula 1 fans) allows you to switch between three levels of regenerative braking.

Wind noise is mostly well-suppressed until you hit about 90km/h and road noise is surprisingly low, too. At higher speeds, the ride smooths out, which is gratifying. A porpoising SUV leads to puking passengers and that would be no fun at all for anyone.

The KERS switch (nobody calls it that except 2008 Formula 1 fans) allows you to switch between three levels of regenerative braking. The lowest is barely noticeable, the second is not bad and the third is where I left it. It doesn’t quite reach one-pedal driving, which is a shame, but it’s more effective than its main rival, the BYD Atto 3’s set-up.

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How is it on electricity?

MG Australia has never been too punchy on range estimates, accepting that the ZS EV is more of a city car than a cruiser.

This bigger battery adds a hefty 120km of range to the 50kWh car’s 320km (both figures WLTP). As I and others have discovered, neither of those numbers is achievable, at least not with any ease.

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Now, 360km is a fairly solid miss on the WLTP figure but when compared to the consensus experience, a ZS EV with the smaller battery delivers a comfortable 240km.

Just over 360km is not bad for a car not being hyper-miled or nannied through a week’s driving so it’s exactly what you can expect from it unless you drive it lunatic.

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How safe is it?

When the MG ZS first arrived in Australia it wore a five-star ANCAP rating from a 2019 test.

The ANCAP website regards that as an old model – which is curious given the petrol car’s four-star rating still applies from 2017. Chalk that one up to one of those ANCAP anomalies.

Having said that, while the Essence and Long Range feature blind-spot monitoring and reverse cross-traffic alert, the Excite does not, so bear that in mind if you’re looking around the range. That could be the reason that this new model doesn’t have an ANCAP rating because whatever the base model gets would apply across the range.

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Warranty and running costs

MGs come with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Unusually for an EV, the battery warranty matches the vehicle warranty, at least for private buyers. Commercial buyers get a seven-year/160,000km warranty on the pack.

Servicing comes around every two years/20,000km, which seems a bit weird but kind of works if it’s a low-kilometre city car. A fixed-price program applies for up to 14 years or 280,000km.

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Prices alternate between $412 and $922 per service, which works out at a not super-cheap $333 per year if you average it out over four years, but not outrageous either.

Except EVs are supposed to be cheaper to service. You’d at least expect it to be cheaper than a BMW electric car’s servicing. If you run out to the 14 years, it’s $9338 for servicing. Just in case you were wondering.

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VERDICT

The ZS EV facelift is a much-needed upgrade to what was a fairly pedestrian car with electric motivation. Not everyone wants or needs more than that, but this is a better EV than the one it replaces and for that alone it deserves praise.

The Long Range is a lot of extra money for an extra 120km-odd of driving range, so think carefully before hitting the buy button. The mid-spec Excite seems like the smartest buy, but take one look at the MG website and you’ll soon discover that the ZS EV is about to be old hat.

Yes, the MG4 is coming and from what others have told us it’s a thoroughly modern car. Also, it will not cost as much as the ZS EV. If you need an electric MG now, the Excite is the go unless you’re desperate for that extra range.

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