Is the MG ZS small SUV a good buy?

Former sports car maker MG is now under Chinese control, and the new owners are selling up a storm with low-priced SUVs. Are they worth a look?

Chinese car makers are on the march in Australia.

While the rest of the car industry is in the doldrums — sales are down by 8 per cent over last year — sales of Chinese cars are up 70 per cent on the back of low prices and extended warranties.

MG, the former British sports car brand now owned by the Chinese, is leading the way.

Sales are up a staggering 181 per cent and the brand is outselling established brands such as Jeep and Peugeot.

Leading the way is the city-focused MG ZS.

Reader Peter Oliver asks if it’s a good choice for his daughter

THREE FOR THE ROAD?

My daughter’s considering an MG ZS small SUV as it looks good value. It has a tiny 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine or 1.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder. Being an old bloke, I’m sceptical about small engines for reliability and longevity. Are they a bad choice?

Peter Oliver

The MG ZS is proving a popular choice with Australian buyers. Picture: Thomas Wielecki.

MG sales have almost trebled this year due to half decent product, strong value and industry-leading seven-year warranty. I also used to be sceptical about three-cylinders — thought them only fit for motorbikes — but the modern turbo ones are crackers. Certainly a better choice than MG’s naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre mated to its ancient four-speed auto gearbox. Reliability? Impossible to say, but that seven-year warranty is excellent insurance. The ZS 1.0T is a good car for not much money ($23,990 drive away), but its four-star ANCAP rating and depreciation would worry me. Unless she really needs an SUV, a small hatchback like a Hyundai i30 is a five-star alternative for the same money.

DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION

I was shocked to read Claire Haiek’s Audi SQ7 report saying she would prefer to enter navigation details through the touchscreen while on the go. Surely nobody in their right mind would take such an action without stopping the car? It’s as bad as taking your eyes off the road to use a mobile phone.

Harry Laurenceson, email

Tough one this, Harry. I see your point, and while using your phone while driving is illegal, using your car’s touchscreen — with or without phone mirroring such as Apple CarPlay/Android Auto — is legal. The caveat being as long as you’re not “distracted”, which is a bit ambiguous. Whether laws change in the future remains to be seen, but legislators should keep a close watch on how quickly in-car tech is evolving. My personal preference is to use the car or phone’s voice control (such as Siri) for things such as navigation input or making calls. Hands and eyes then remain on the road.

Touchscreens — are they safe to use on the go? Picture: Supplied.

SEASON OF GOODWILL

Re: “Keep Your Options Open”, heed Iain Curry’s advice and service your car at the dealership because goodwill is everything. My Volvo’s gearbox failed outside warranty but when I told Volvo Australia it was serviced independently they weren’t keen to help.

Pete Mulkearns, email

Servicing independently doesn’t mean you won’t receive goodwill repairs outside of warranty, but common sense dictates you’ll be viewed more favourably if you’ve serviced within the dealer network.

THE BIG ISSUE

My brother’s a 193cm giant and is having trouble getting a vehicle he can fit in. What cars or SUVs have the biggest driver’s space? Would the SsangYong Korando be suitable?

Garry, email

On the car front, a fellow motoring writer who is even more giant at 200cm tells me the Kia Cerato, Holden Astra, VW Golf and Honda Civic offer him good driving positions. The Korando is a small SUV, but reviews suggest it has decent headroom, so give it a try. Toyota’s C-HR is roomier than it looks from the outside, while the Suzuki Vitara is a bigger small SUV and rivals the SsangYong for price. Try the Nissan X-Trail for a true mid-size SUV, while the market-fresh Kia Seltos has impressive cabin dimensions. I’d favour it over the SsangYong; they’re priced similarly. Have your brother do a tour of the dealerships and check for the best fit.

Toyota’s Hybrid Camry makes good sense no matter how many kilometres you cover> Picture: Supplied.

HYBRID GAINS

Is there any advantage to owning a hybrid Toyota Camry if I live in the country and only do trips of 200km or more? As a retiree, fuel economy is critical for monthly cash flow. If I can do less than 5L/100km it would be a big saving.

Chris Scott, email

Toyota prices its hybrids so close to non-hybrids it’s a no-brainer for practically everyone. Especially as hybrid batteries have a 10-year warranty. The Hybrid’s combined economy figure is 4.2L/100km, returning 4.7L in town and 4.2L on the highway. The four-cylinder non-hybrid does 7.8L, 11.0L and 5.9L respectively. Clearly the biggest gains are for urban drivers, but I find hybrids give more reliable economy figures on long journeys. The non-hybrid’s 5.9L/100km on the highway? Fanciful. The most you’ll pay extra for a Camry Hybrid over the non-hybrid is $2000. The only negative, which could swing it in your case, is the Hybrid needs pricier 95 fuel. The non-hybrid drinks 91.

BOUNCE THE CZECH

While reading Roadside Assist last week you admitted owning a Skoda. It is sad you can “expertly” comment on cars when you own a Skoda. All cars should have options for rear-wheel drive and eight cylinders. Focus please on real cars and real drivers and remember there’s no replacement for displacement.

Peter Stewart, Townsville

How’s the festive spirit there, Peter? I’d love a rear-drive V8 as the family car — a Mercedes C63 AMG wagon would be fine — but it’s 10 times the price I paid for our Skoda family wagon and I’m not sure my wages would cover the weekly fuel bills. Skoda sales are up 17 per cent this year, and they’ve shifted more vehicles in 2019 than Jeep, a brand that still embraces the V8. I take it you’re not looking forward to the electric car future, either?

Originally published as Is the MG ZS small SUV a good buy?