RE: SOTW: MG ZS 180
Discussion
I had two of these from brand new, one in X-power grey and the other in Le Mans green. 65,000 miles between the two of them without a single issue. I can honestly say that my ZS 180's were probably the best handling hot hatch / saloon I have ever driven. The engine is perfectly matched to the chassis which is beautifully damped with bags of steering feel. I'll still maintain this and I drive an E46 M3 now.
For less than a grand this is a bargain, there are no head gasket issues on the KV6, the only expensive service item is the cambelt change.
I actually quite enjoyed how unfashionable a car it was, one in the eye for everyone with a Focus ST170 which was its closest rival at the time.
For less than a grand this is a bargain, there are no head gasket issues on the KV6, the only expensive service item is the cambelt change.
I actually quite enjoyed how unfashionable a car it was, one in the eye for everyone with a Focus ST170 which was its closest rival at the time.
£750 and people talk about risk, unless you decide to sink money into it there isnt much risk.
Good shed.
get tired of people going on about them being an "Old Mans Car", not like all those cool young dudes in their diesel german things, to me it is actually better to not follow the herd occasionally, what is wrong with being older anyway, you can insure your car for much less, suspect those who make comment like that are either young and know no better or 45 and wearing SuperDry T shirts pretending they are 25.
Good shed.
get tired of people going on about them being an "Old Mans Car", not like all those cool young dudes in their diesel german things, to me it is actually better to not follow the herd occasionally, what is wrong with being older anyway, you can insure your car for much less, suspect those who make comment like that are either young and know no better or 45 and wearing SuperDry T shirts pretending they are 25.
X5TUU said:
think i would rather walk than drive one of these, especially as its the most ugly out of the ZR/ZS/ZT range
I´ve driven them at their launch and a few months later as a road tester - I can assure you that after you´ve driven one you wouldn´t care what it looks like - especially for a measly 750 quid!I´d say, though, that it looks a heck of a lot nicer than the contemporary Golf/Astra/Megane etc. They come in somewhat more interesting colours than black, blue or silver, too...
Not a bad shed this week! If you're not bothered by the pipe and slippers connotation then it would be great fun.
This weeks shed has got me thinking though. For a while I've been trying to think of a light, compact and cheap V6 as a possible conversion for my MX5 (for some reason I feel the urge to avoid the usual FI route for more power...) and the KV6 could just be the answer! There's my weekend research project sorted, thanks PH!
This weeks shed has got me thinking though. For a while I've been trying to think of a light, compact and cheap V6 as a possible conversion for my MX5 (for some reason I feel the urge to avoid the usual FI route for more power...) and the KV6 could just be the answer! There's my weekend research project sorted, thanks PH!
burstlikeabubble said:
It's a Rover. Sorry but i'm out.
Isnt that the whole point of SOTW? As in overlooked, forgotten and unfashionable yet interesting cars that are fantastic value for money. Its shared with a Rover platform but hotted up and desperately untrendy - BUT, for £750 and its got a V6 that sounds great and goes well - isnt this a perfect example of a shed?SuperHangOn said:
On the plus side, those moronic "its a Rover, its s
t, wouldn't be seen dead in it lololol" comments mean the car buyer with half a brain can pick up bargains like the ZS180. If it were to wear a Ford or VW badge, it would be known as an icon in some goofy scene and be worth 5 times as much.
t, wouldn't be seen dead in it lololol" comments mean the car buyer with half a brain can pick up bargains like the ZS180. If it were to wear a Ford or VW badge, it would be known as an icon in some goofy scene and be worth 5 times as much. Edited by SuperHangOn on Friday 17th August 12:32
Richair said:
Not a bad shed this week! If you're not bothered by the pipe and slippers connotation then it would be great fun.
This weeks shed has got me thinking though. For a while I've been trying to think of a light, compact and cheap V6 as a possible conversion for my MX5 (for some reason I feel the urge to avoid the usual FI route for more power...) and the KV6 could just be the answer! There's my weekend research project sorted, thanks PH!
How about a Mazda MX6 or Probe engine? Or if you really fancy a challenge how about the supercharged lump from a Xedos 9?This weeks shed has got me thinking though. For a while I've been trying to think of a light, compact and cheap V6 as a possible conversion for my MX5 (for some reason I feel the urge to avoid the usual FI route for more power...) and the KV6 could just be the answer! There's my weekend research project sorted, thanks PH!
Kitchski said:
SuperHangOn said:
On the plus side, those moronic "its a Rover, its st, wouldn't be seen dead in it lololol" comments mean the car buyer with half a brain can pick up bargains like the ZS180. If it were to wear a Ford or VW badge, it would be known as an icon in some goofy scene and be worth 5 times as much.
t, wouldn't be seen dead in it lololol" comments mean the car buyer with half a brain can pick up bargains like the ZS180. If it were to wear a Ford or VW badge, it would be known as an icon in some goofy scene and be worth 5 times as much. Edited by SuperHangOn on Friday 17th August 12:32
300bhp/ton said:
richb77 said:
SpudLink said:
300bhp/ton said:
richb77 said:
Dated design and ageing tooling didn't help the cars at all.
Some people wheel out this line again and again. But I'm curious in design terms (in 2002) what exactly is out dated? Or are you simply referring to styling rather than design.Not sure what the tooling has to do with it either if I'm honest.
personal preference but thats what an open forum is for
For the 400 Honda had already done the interior design work before Rover was part of the project. So the interior is 100% Honda, but the irony is, they followed the lead and design ethos that they'd learned from Rover over the previous years.
I've had the saloon version of these for the last 8 months as a 'stop gap' car after my MK5 Golf was written off. The fact I still have it probably speaks volumes. The interior does let it down badly and it's not 'just like a golf' in many ways, but most importantly in that its actually fun to drive. It hasn't given me any mechanical problems touch wood, MPG is high 20s driving how I like and performance is more than acceptable for the road imo.
monzaxjr said:
How about a Mazda MX6 or Probe engine? Or if you really fancy a challenge how about the supercharged lump from a Xedos 9?
I have thought about that and it's a pretty well trodden path! (pretty much a full conversion was up for grabs on nutz for 500squid recently, but I didn't have anywhere to store it at the time...). More research is required, but I imagine parts for the KV6 may well be cheaper and more readily available though. However, I could well be wrong!Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff