MG expands successful ZS range

MG MOTOR Australia has responded to customer feedback and added a new mid-range variant, dubbed Excite Plus, to its increasingly popular ZS line-up, while the small SUV is also now available with satellite navigation.

 

Priced from $24,990 driveaway, the Excite Plus shares its standard equipment with the Soul-replacing Excite entry-level variant that costs $2000 less, but it adds the 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine from the Essence flagship variant that is $2000 dearer.

 

Comparatively, the Excite’s 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder unit develops 84kW of power at 6000rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4500rpm, while the Excite Plus and Essence’s engine produces 82kW at 5200rpm and 160Nm from 1800-4700rpm.

 

Both units exclusively send drive to the front wheels via torque-converter automatic transmissions, with the former making do with four speeds, while the latter has six.

 

Standard equipment in the Excite and Excite Plus includes three-mode electric power steering (Comfort, Normal and Sport), two-tone 17-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing halogen headlights, LED daytime running lights, foglights, power-adjustable side mirrors with heating, roof rails and front and rear Satin Silver bash plates.

 

Inside, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Apple CarPlay support, Bluetooth connectivity, a six-speaker Yamaha 3D sound system, a full-grain leather-trimmed steering wheel, cloth upholstery, synthetic leather accents, contrast stitching and Satin Chrome trim feature.

 

Advanced driver-assist systems extend to cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, plus six airbags (dual front, side and curtain).

 

The Essence adds a panoramic sunroof with a power-operated sunblind, and keyless start, while satellite navigation is also now included as part of the update.

 

All ZS variants come standard with MG Motor Australia’s seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and seven years of roadside assistance.

 

“We are thrilled to be bringing the MY19 models to our best-selling MG ZS range for our customers,” said MG Motor Australia product planning manager Pavel Meck.

 

“We have taken our local customer feedback on board and have carefully considered this during the design process for the MG ZS 1.0T Excite Plus.”

 

Sales of ZS have exploded this year, with 1004 examples sold to the end of April – a massive 344.2 per cent improvement over the 226 deliveries made during the same period in 2018.

 

As a result, ZS is now the 10th best-selling model in the highly competitive sub-$40,000 small SUV segment, trailing the Mitsubishi ASX (7185 units), Mazda CX-3 (4798), Honda HR-V (3950), Hyundai Kona (3760) and Nissan Qashqai (3636), among others.