MG ZS Pro’s peppy engine helps it stand out from the SUV crowd
· Citizen
With dozens of models on offer, shopping for a compact SUV around the R400 000-mark is a challenge. But with candidates like the MG ZS Pro to choose from, it is a pleasant headache to have.
After having an MG ZS Pro in flagship 1.5T Luxury guise as a houseguest for three months, it is with a heavy heart that The Citizen Motoring this week bids farewell to its affable long-termer clad in York White paintwork. The Chinese-owned British marque’s SUV not only turned out to be the ultimate all-rounder in daily city traffic, but also a spacious companion on the open-road with plenty of rear head and legroom and a 443-litre boot.
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At a price of R431 500, the ZS Pro offers great value for money. It is modern, attractive, spacious, safe and tech-laden car that features a very peppy powertrain for its class. And it comes with exceptional peace of mind in the form of a seven-year/200 000km warranty and five-year/60 000km service plan from a brand that already has more than 70 dealerships countrywide.
MG ZS Pro’s party trick
While many of the ZS Pro’s Chinese rivals boast fairly similar party tricks, its drivetrain is hard to match. The 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine that sends 125kW of power and 275Nm of torque to the front wheels via CVT is it biggest selling point in our opinion. Due to the generous power on tap, the CVT behaves very well with hardly any droning issues under hard acceleration.
About and about in the Lowveld. Picture: Michel BegaApart from its performance, the ZS Pro manages to get two things right which most Chinese manufacturers have difficulty in doing. It has minimal throttle calibration issues and decent fuel consumption.
Our fuel consumption over 3 000km worked out to 8.7 litres per 100km, while the open road trip to the Lowveld resulted in the SUV sipping just 7L/100km.
In terms of styling, the Pro’s solid wide-frame grille and “Predator Eye” LED headlights resemble the attractive styling of the MG3 hatchback. The Luxury badge brings with it a standard silver roof rails, integrated indicator lamps on the body-colour side mirrors and 18-inch black and silver alloy wheels.
Plush tech-fest inside
The inside is plush with a soft-touch dashboard, door trims with contrast stitching and perforated simulated leather seats, which combine to give the SUV a serious plush finish. Standard is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and 360-degree camera.
Other creature comforts in the Luxury model includes electric driver seat adjustment with lumbar support, heated front seats and a panoramic electric sunroof with curtains.
Safety comes in the form of six airbags, electronic stability program, hill-hold control, tyre pressure monitoring system and the MG Pilot suite of advanced driver assistance features. One of these systems, the speed warning, turned out to be our biggest pet hate during the three months.
The cabin features dual 12.3-inch displays. Picture: Jaco van der MerweLittle annoyances
Working on a pre-programmed speed limit for every road, it warns you when you go over the limit with an annoying chime that doesn’t go away until the speed drops back under the limit. It can be switched off, be is automatically reactivated every time the car is switched off and on again.
Other little things we also didn’t enjoy is the lack of a wireless phone charger, the absence of wireless Apple CarPlay and the that fact that the only to cup holders in the front can’t hold two standard size travel coffee cups.
Overall, these are tiny compromises for what the MG ZS Pro Luxury has to offer. It is just too good not to be included on the shortlist of every buyers shopping around the R400 000-mark.