2023 MG ZS EXCITE VTI-TECH

Right. Lets address the elephant in the showroom.

You may or may not approve of the great Chinese automotive surge the four-wheeled equivalent of a takeaway that arrives suspiciously quickly but heres the awkward truth: the chaps from the Far East have absolutely mastered the art of giving you an indecent amount of car for not very much money.

Take this MG ZS.

Its finished in something called Dynamic Red, which sounds like a setting on a malfunctioning tumble dryer, but in reality looks utterly magnificent. And not just nice for the money magnificent. Proper magnificent. The reason? Its a 3-stage pearlescent paint job. Three stages! Thats not paint thats pâtisserie. It has depth. It has shine. It glows like its been lightly buttered by angels.

Metallic paint? Please. Thats for people who clap when the plane lands.

Then you notice the gloss black trim and diamond-cut alloys, which sit there looking smug, like they know theyve absolutely nailed it. Theyre the automotive equivalent of wearing a tailored suit with outrageously expensive shoes. Effortless. Slightly cocky. Brilliant.

And heres the really good bit: this particular car is a one-owner, ex-Motability example. Which means its been maintained properly. Religiously. Full service history. No corners cut. No thatll do. Its been looked after with the sort of diligence normally reserved for endangered pandas.

Spec? Oh, its loaded.

Air conditioning. Cruise control. Proper alloys. Electric windows and mirrors. And a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can have sat nav, hands-free texting, WhatsApp and whatever other wizardry modern humans require to function. Its essentially smarter than most of the people wholl drive it.

And just when you think it cant get any better its still under MGs warranty until its seven years old. Seven! Thats not a warranty, thats a long-term relationship.

On top of that, youll get a fresh service and MOT thrown in. Free. Gratis. On the house.

So yes, the Chinese automotive wave is very much here. And if this MG ZS is anything to go by, it hasnt arrived quietly. Its turned up in Dynamic Red, wearing diamond-cut wheels, and its grinning.

Features:

Dynamic Red, Designer Houndstooth Fabric - Grey-Black