MG ZS EV - Any Good?
Discussion
My Partner is looking at an MG ZS EV for her long commute, as it seems by far the most cost effective way of doing it. The commute is 75 miles per day, mix of motorway/A road and stop start traffic. She currently has a Qashqai 1.5 diesel manual, not a great car but about as economical as a crossover type thing can be. With the recent increase in fuel, she's now spending anywhere from £250-300 per month on diesel. The Qashqai is 5 years old, out of warranty and starting to get to the point where it feels like things will probably start to go wrong or need replacing.
She really wants an auto, and doesn't want anything smaller than a crossover as she likes sitting up higher than normal sized cars. I'd suggested electric as she can charge on a fast charger for free at work (where hopefully most/all charging will be done) and we will get a charger fitted at home. Some fag packet maths says a cheap electric car could be had for Qashqai (deposit) + current diesel spend per month, with the electricity spend being negligible due to free work charging and Octopus Go tariff left over from when I had a PHEV. That sort of puts it into no brainer territory.
We tried the Peugeot e-2008 but found the seats/driving position uncomfortable and she struggled with the small steering wheel/cockpit layout. We then tried the MG which she thought was perfect. It's got a massive claimed range of 270 miles, much faster than the Peugeot and most importantly she found it really comfortable.
Does anyone here have one and able to share what it's like to live with? I know they've only been out a couple of months but for £34k for the top model and 4.9% APR it seems like a bargain.
Outside of the commute and local trips into town, it doesn't really matter about the range as I have ICE cars that we'll use at all other times. Worst case it needs to be able to do 75 miles to her work and back on the coldest day of the year at motorway cruising speeds, that's about it. If the range is better than expected it might also turn into our airport car to save mine from carpark damage!
She really wants an auto, and doesn't want anything smaller than a crossover as she likes sitting up higher than normal sized cars. I'd suggested electric as she can charge on a fast charger for free at work (where hopefully most/all charging will be done) and we will get a charger fitted at home. Some fag packet maths says a cheap electric car could be had for Qashqai (deposit) + current diesel spend per month, with the electricity spend being negligible due to free work charging and Octopus Go tariff left over from when I had a PHEV. That sort of puts it into no brainer territory.
We tried the Peugeot e-2008 but found the seats/driving position uncomfortable and she struggled with the small steering wheel/cockpit layout. We then tried the MG which she thought was perfect. It's got a massive claimed range of 270 miles, much faster than the Peugeot and most importantly she found it really comfortable.
Does anyone here have one and able to share what it's like to live with? I know they've only been out a couple of months but for £34k for the top model and 4.9% APR it seems like a bargain.
Outside of the commute and local trips into town, it doesn't really matter about the range as I have ICE cars that we'll use at all other times. Worst case it needs to be able to do 75 miles to her work and back on the coldest day of the year at motorway cruising speeds, that's about it. If the range is better than expected it might also turn into our airport car to save mine from carpark damage!
Mikehig said:
Have a look at:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Thanks, interesting reading although for the older lower range model so hopefully the new one is noticeably better. The salesman said it had only been out for 3 months and only a few in the UK so there isn't much real world experience of them yet.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
What I'm finding really annoying is there are loads listed as 'in stock' on Autotrader, however when you call they say 'sorry, system issue, due in July/September'. A bit naughty of dealers to do this, I guess just the latest bait and switch scheme.
gangzoom said:
There is an really interesting 'shift' in EV adoption it seems. People who normally would only consider BMWs etc are loving Kia/Hyundais, and Lexus owners jumping ship for an MG.......
The EV drivetrain may well be the biggest leveler of the driving experience ever, after all a £5K used Nissan Leaf drives just as well in town/at the speed limit as a £150k Porsche Taycan, they both deliver a smooth, silent experience with near instant throttle responses.
That's what really got me when we went to test drive the Peugeot then the MG. We run a large fleet of Pug 308/3008 at work, all with the 1.5 diesel engines. They're horrible to drive - noisy, rattly and slow. That's always been the problem with cars like these, no matter how good they look the powertrain is always poor, you always had to go to BMW etc to get a decent engine option.The EV drivetrain may well be the biggest leveler of the driving experience ever, after all a £5K used Nissan Leaf drives just as well in town/at the speed limit as a £150k Porsche Taycan, they both deliver a smooth, silent experience with near instant throttle responses.
EV well and truly is the great leveller, both cars were smooth and silent in a way no Pug or MG would ever be with one of their crap ICE's under the bonnet. I think it's a great thing for cars like this as it improves them no end, and for the average user I think they'll really notice the improvement.
The kicker though is the cost. I stumbled across the pricing of the standard, non EV MG ZS - they're on Autotrader with deposit contributions making them £15,245. That's a slightly bitter pill to swallow, effectively paying £15k for the EV powertrain, or to put it another way - you're paying £30k for what is really a £15k car with batteries.
The ride wasn't too bad, but as expected you can't call it in any way 'dynamic'. I did find it quite bouncy, I guess it's fairly stiffly sprung to counter the additional weight of the batteries.
After another weekend of car shopping, I think we've shifted slightly to the Hyundai Kona. Although she really liked the MG, the Hyundai has some massive advantages over it;
- it's been out a while so we can get a used one now for £30k or so
- heated and cooled leather seats, heated steering wheel and premium sound system - this is what swung it, she really wanted a heated steering wheel but the MG doesn't offer it, the cooled seats are a massive plus and normally the preserve of very expensive cars so we were really impressed. The sound system was impressive too, really wasn't expecting it to be anywhere near as good as it is.
The range is similar to the MG as it the drive, so I think she'll probably buy the next one she can get her hands on for immediate delivery. The only thing I think that lets it down a bit is the looks...it's not the most attractive car out there and definitely not as nice as the MG.
- it's been out a while so we can get a used one now for £30k or so
- heated and cooled leather seats, heated steering wheel and premium sound system - this is what swung it, she really wanted a heated steering wheel but the MG doesn't offer it, the cooled seats are a massive plus and normally the preserve of very expensive cars so we were really impressed. The sound system was impressive too, really wasn't expecting it to be anywhere near as good as it is.
The range is similar to the MG as it the drive, so I think she'll probably buy the next one she can get her hands on for immediate delivery. The only thing I think that lets it down a bit is the looks...it's not the most attractive car out there and definitely not as nice as the MG.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
i'm trying to work out how p/exing your QQ and spending £2-300 pm on finance is cheaper than keeping your QQ and spending £2-300 pm on fuel.
It's not necessarily cheaper (all depends on depreciation of the EV) but as the QQ is 5 years old and she wants to swap it anyway the EV option is by far the best bet, otherwise it would be a case of swap the QQ for something else and still have a £2-300pm fuel bill on top of paying for the new car.The biggest driver of the change is wanting an auto, sitting in lots of traffic every day on the long commute has made her really hate the manual.
Just for some closure on this one, in the end we went for the Hyundai Kona rather than the MG. There were a couple of reasons for this - firstly, the Kona has been around longer so we managed to get a lightly used one (at a premium!) and secondly the spec was much better.
I'm really impressed with it, it's got heated and cooled leather seats, heated steering wheel, premium sound system, opening sunroof etc, a brilliant spec for any car!
The range is also fantastic. It was delivered from Bridgend to Derby, the driver said he topped it up at Bristol to around 85%, and by the time it arrived here it still had 45% battery left! My gf commuted in it today and the 35 mile trip only took 37 miles off the indicated remaining range, which considering the commute is mainly dual carriageway and motorway it really impressive. It's an odd looking thing and smaller than the MG, but for what we wanted it for I think it's perfect.
I'm really impressed with it, it's got heated and cooled leather seats, heated steering wheel, premium sound system, opening sunroof etc, a brilliant spec for any car!
The range is also fantastic. It was delivered from Bridgend to Derby, the driver said he topped it up at Bristol to around 85%, and by the time it arrived here it still had 45% battery left! My gf commuted in it today and the 35 mile trip only took 37 miles off the indicated remaining range, which considering the commute is mainly dual carriageway and motorway it really impressive. It's an odd looking thing and smaller than the MG, but for what we wanted it for I think it's perfect.
Witchfinder said:
Did you look at the Kia eNiro before picking the Kona? I think I prefer the Kia as it's a bit more roomy.
We did, but the spec wasn't quite the same. When my gf found the cooled seats and heated steering wheel in the Kona she was sold, the E-Niro didn't have the same level for the money and for some reason seemed even harder to get hold of. We were lucky to find this one on eBay of all places, it was a Hyundai main dealer based in Wales but for some reason they hadn't advertised it on Autotrader - I think that's why someone else hadn't bitten their hand off. Funnily enough, since buying the Kona because of the commute and free charging as highlighted in the OP, my gf has now got a new job 5 miles from home. So...we either keep the Kona (which is still perfect for this), or swap it for something she really wants. The funny thing is, although on paper it's perfect, she doesn't exactly love it and never has done - she's a 28 year old female that loves driving my Macan and Aston and adored my previous Range Rover - so spending £35k on the Kona was somewhat painful for her, even though it was for all the right reasons. Now it's not going to be paying for itself anymore it may well end up going, as whichever way you cut it it's an expensive car once the fuel/electricity saving becomes negligible so she might as well have something she really wants for the money instead!
Witchfinder said:
Sounds like she's quite image-conscious. I can understand why, as great as Hyundais are, it's not going to do it for her. You can get an early I-Pace for just under £40k now.
Not really, just that once you take the fuel saving out of the equation with the new commute the numbers don't stack up to keep the Kona as it's an expensive car at £35k. She might as well get something interesting for under £10k as financially it just makes much more sense and I've fully brought her round to our petrolhead ways (she also loves my Clio Trophy and has done multiple trackdays in it). Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff