The new 2025 MG ZS has been unveiled, previewing the model’s first hybrid.
It’ll arrive in Australia in 2025, following the launch of petrol-only grades before the end of 2024.
MG’s second-generation ZS replaces an ageing but popular SUV which has been in production since 2017, and received a facelift in 2020 with the ZST – which will also be replaced by the upcoming model.
It wears a new look inside and out which aligns it closely with MG’s other recent vehicles such as the new HS.
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Only the ZS Hybrid+ variant has been unveiled so far, which will allow MG to compete with electrified rivals in the small SUV market such as the Hyundai Kona, GWM Haval Jolion, and Toyota Corolla Cross.
Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine good for 75kW on its own, mated to an electric motor which produces 100kW and 250Nm, bringing the total power outputs to 144kW.
Australian government approval documents previously showed this combination would produce 158kW, while the same drivetrain manages 155kW in the smaller and lighter MG 3 hatchback.
As with the MG 3, the new ZS Hybrid+ drives the front wheels through a three-speed automatic transmission, with its electric motor fed by a 1.83kWh battery pack.
Though MG has yet to reveal them, Australian approval documents also showed a pair of non-hybrid engines would be available, both in non-turbocharged and turbo guise.
These un-electrified drivetrains are expected to use a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and will remain front-wheel drive.
Despite not yet being unveiled by MG, the petrol-only ZS variants will be the first on sale in Australia before year’s end, with the Hybrid+ and a replacement for the current electric ZS EV arriving in 2025.
In the UK, MG has confirmed the ZS will come standard with a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen (increased from 10.1 inches in the outgoing model) which features Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and navigation.
The analog gauges have been replaced with a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, which sits behind a squared-off three-spoke steering wheel.
Keyless entry, rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera are also standard on the base SE, as are 17-inch wheels.
Moving up to the Trophy gives UK buyers 18-inch wheels, a surround-view camera, heated front seats with six-way power adjustment, a heated steering wheel, and leatherette upholstery.
MG has bolstered the safety suite, with the SUV now equipped with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) – a requirement for all new cars in Australian showrooms by March 2025 – as well as blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning and lane-keep assistant, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, and rear cross-traffic alert.
In the UK, the base MG ZS Hybrid+ SE starts from £21,995 ($42,760), while the flagship Trophy is £24,495 ($47,620).
Compared to the existing £20,890 ($40,615) ZS Excite turbo – the closest equivalent to the ZST Excite in Australia – prices of the new hybrid are up by about five per cent.
With the same percentage increase applied to the ZST Excite locally – as there’s no direct ZS comparison – we can expect the new Hybrid+ to go on sale from less than $35,000 drive-away.
As there’s no UK pricing for the petrol-only ZS, it’s not clear how much more local buyers can expect to pay, though price rises are all but guaranteed with the increased level of equipment.
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