Wake up call

November 14,2018

MGMG, aka Morris Garages, is a British marque that is instantly recognizable among seasoned car enthusiasts. Well-known for its two-seat sports cars, MGs have had plenty of famous owners over the years, including royalty, Hollywood superstars and recording artists. The brand itself now has one prominent owner: SAIC Motor Corporation, headquartered in Shanghai, China.

SAIC has taken the British brand under its wing, launching a new range of cars bearing the famous octagon. SAIC is the biggest Chinese carmaker, pumping out more than five million cars per year.

The market for two-seat sports cars being understandably, if lamentably, limited, MG has been focusing on mainstream cars. Among its new offerings is the new MG ZS, a five-door crossover that provides features and that belie its attractive price point of below P1 million.

Let’s start with the exterior. When you see a price tag that’s less than P1 million, you instantly expect a car that’s small and bereft of features. But the MG ZS defies the entry-level convention. The ZS looks large for its footprint, thanks to a tall greenhouse and sweeping styling cues. Daytime driving lights feature a “London Eye” design surround the headlamps. The Stardust grille is finished with chrome accents. There are no blank slots here, as fog lamps are standard. The ZS clocks in at 4314mm long, on a 2585mm wheelbase.

That impression of roominess is confirmed when you enter the cabin. It’s spacious for four, and fits five. Rear-seat kneeroom—often in short supply in this class of vehicle—is comfortable. Easing into the driver’s seat is a cinch, thanks to a high hip point, just right for stepping on and off the pavement. The seat is adjustable for height, too. The top two variants are trimmed in leather, black with contrasting white stitching. Door panels, too, are leather-trimmed, and feature matte metallic inserts. The rake-adjustable steering wheel sports a flat-bottom design, both for sportiness and to give additional clearance for easy ingress and egress.

Push the starter button, and the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine fires up. The gasoline engine delivers 114ps and 150Nm. It’s paried with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic supplied by Aisin. Throttle response is gentle as the revs build up, and shifting is smooth. There’s a manual override function, accessible by sliding the gear lever into a side gate, and activated via push-pull motion.

Where the MG ZS inspires confidence is with its ride and handling. The ride is well-controlled and has been well-tuned to urban roads like ours. Rough surfaces and obstacles that we meet every day, like humps and drainage grilles, are filtered out effectively. The chassis feels lively and takes corners willingly. The brakes, discs at all four corners, felt strong. We found ourselves frequently late-braking and taking turns at speed in the ZS. The steering is an electric power unit, with available adjustable settings. The Urban made it extremely light and erased whatever feel there was left, so we left it in the still light but much better-weighted Dynamic setting. The two higher variants include electronic stability control and even cornering brake control, which helps the car steer more obediently during high-speed cornering.

The ZS comes with a whole boatload of features, some of which aren’t standard even on cars one class above. There’s available automatic aircon, cruise control, steering wheel controls, side airbags, rear parking sensor, reverse camera, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Gadget enthusiasts will enjoy the 8-inch touchscreen audio system, which includes Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Topping it all off, literally, is the panoramic sunroof. It closes up neatly during the day with an electric power blind. Safety features include anti-lock brakes, electronic brake distribution, hill hold feature, traction control.

This probably wasn’t what we dreamed of when we thought we’d drive an MG someday. But it’s heartening to know that SAIC is keeping MG alive not just as a token badge, but by carrying on the brand’s traditions: comfort, premium features, and handling that’s on the enthusiastic side.

The number one question when considering a Chinese-made car is how is the support for the product? This is where MG’s newly-appointed distributor comes in. The Covenant Car Company is a robust and well-funded company that has successfully grown and supported the Chevrolet brand in recent years. (Aside from another question to which we can answer: the interior smells perfectly fine.

As MG is building its dealer network, it will accredit several independent service outlets. A “Mobile Garage” (get it?) service caravan will start in January 2019, offering regular preventive maintenance in the convenience of one’s own garage. MG will also initiate a “One-Hour Max and Go” preventive maintenance service, a conveniently speedy one-hour basic maintenance scheme. A customer hotline will be available 24/7, as will “MG Hero Services” roadside assistance. A Mobile Gadget program will allow owners to pair their MG to a proprietary smartphone app so they can monitor their car’s running stats. They can also schedule their service appointments right from the app. All new MGs will carry a five-year or 100,000km warranty.

The Chinese car market has been surging in recent years and is already the world’s largest. It is taking the lead not just in volume, and has also been surging in quality, and the MG ZS is one pleasant surprise that is proof of that.

The MG ZS is available in three trim levels at these introductory prices:

Style MT – P818,888
Style AT – P868,888
Alpha AT- P998,888

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