MG ZS Excite 2025 review

Being cheap pays off. At least, that’s what the first-generation ZS proved for MG. Far from the best small SUV, the first-gen MG ZS’s attractive entry price encouraged buyers to look past its asthmatic petrol engine, aged four-speed automatic and terse ride.

The new 2025 MG ZS is a different kettle of fish, and really the much-upgraded ZST’s successor. It starts underneath, with the same platform and engines as the MG3 hatch. Initially launched in over-$30K ZS Hybrid+ guise, the more budget-friendly petrol variants have arrived.

Both base Excite and up-spec Essence trims are offered and for this review we’ve chosen the former which, at $26,990 driveaway, is no longer the cheapest SUV on sale.

That accolade goes to the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Urban, which is permanently $24,990 though at time of writing is being advertised for $23,990, matching GWM’s current offer on the Haval Jolion Premium.

Starting to get the picture? Being the cheapest is a bloody war and new MG has rapidly realised that if it turns out great products at sharp — if not market-leading — prices, success is on the cards. The case in point, the MG4, which outsold all other electric cars in October 2024.

Will the new ZS recreate the 4’s success? The ZS is off to a good start with a mature appearance. The bodywork isn’t feature-packed or challenging, the ZS is simply a handsome small SUV with good proportions and unfussy alloy wheel designs.

What are the ZS Excite’s features and options for the price?

Back to that most crucial topic, what the new MG ZS costs to buy. The Excite is as cheap as it gets at $26,990, for a $3000 bump over the nameplate it directly replaces. Functionally, the new ZS is closer to the ZST, which conveniently kicked off at $26,990 driveaway.

Aside from going down an inch in wheel size (which pays dividends in comfort) and having to fish around in your pocket to press the fob’s unlock button, the new ZS Excite is better equipped than the old ZST Core, with a bigger touchscreen with built-in navigation and phone connectivity.

Standard equipment is listed below:

• 16-inch alloy Wheels
• Halogen headlights, LED DRLs
• Push-button start
• 10.25-inch touchscreen
• Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• FM, AM, DAB radio
• Four-speaker sound system
• Manual adjust seats
• Fabric upholstery and interior trim
• Air conditioning

The ZS remains notably cheaper than Japanese and European rivals, with the smaller Mazda CX-3 starting at $27,070, a Toyota Yaris Cross GX over $30,000 and a Volkswagen T-Cross $33,990, all before on-roads.

Moving up the ZS range gets costly fast, though. The Essence petrol adds 17-inch alloy wheels, bigger 12.3-inch screens, keyless entry, LED headlights, leather-appointed steering wheel, power-adjust driver’s seat, more USB ports, a 360-degree camera, six-speaker sound system and a few other goodies for $29,990.

Going turbo or hybrid adds another three grand to the price.

How does the ZS Excite drive?

The new MG ZS follows a similar path to the MG3 and MG4 in being a huge step up in the driving department, though the petrol-only ZS isn’t peachy across the board.

The ZS excite is fitted with a multi-point injected 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with power and torque outputs of 81kW at 6000rpm and 140Nm. A kerb weight of 1266kg gives a power to weight ratio of 64kW per tonne, and all that means the MG ZS is slow.

MG doesn’t make any 0-100km/h sprint claims and we weren’t able to time the ZS, but the bum dyno and power-to-weight ratio agree it would take about 13 seconds. The indecisive and lumpy CVT automatic helps to stifle any peppiness, making T-intersection turns and merging into gaps stressful.

Climbing up from the M1’s Hawkesbury River Bridge to Cowan at 110km/h had the four-banger screaming between 4000-6000 rpm for a good five minutes. Plus, at speed, the ZS lacks insulation so all you hear is a combo of tyre, wind and road noise. Even keeping up with Sydney traffic requires burying the ZS’s right pedal into the carpet.

All of this is doubly a shame because the ZS is a genuinely well-poised SUV. It carves through urban corners with light, 2.5-turn lock-to-lock steering and confidently dispatches potholes, expansion joints and drains. Visibility is excellent, too, with big windows for a modern vehicle.

The MG ZS doesn’t have a pillowy plush chassis, rather it adopts an almost European Ford-like firm-but-absorbent ride quality. It’s aided by the generous sidewall of the 215/60R16 Linglong Greenmax HP tyres, though it’s a shame the cheap rubber is diabolically slippery on wet tarmac.

The ZS remains composed on rural roads and freeways, too, where the front struts and rear torsion beam shrug off big hits. The steering weights up naturally to convey grip levels which allows you to get the most out of the pliable chassis. More punch and better tyres is all the ZS needs to shine.

What is the ZS Excite’s interior and tech like?

Stepping into the MG ZS’s interior is a pleasant surprise for a budget-friendly SUV. There’s no offensive adhesive smell, the polyurethane-covered steering wheel with dimples on the grip zones is nice to hold, and a prominent tartan-patterned cloth dash insert gives a sense of quality.

It’s a clear step up from the likes of a Mitsubishi ASX inside.

For a small SUV with only a tilt adjustable steering column, the ZS’s driving position is remarkably accommodating and the cloth-appointed seats are comfortable with plenty of lumbar support. We wish the front passenger seat was height adjustable, though.

Technology continues to be a bugbear in MG products, with an overreliance on touchscreens that are too small and laggy for seamless use. We had issues connecting to CarPlay via the USB-A cable, with the car sometimes not recognising the phone.

When music streaming is connected, it sounds more like MG has stashed an AM radio behind the soft-topped dashboard, rather than a four-speaker stereo. No amount of fiddling with the equaliser improved things, either.

Then there’s the unlabelled steering wheel controls with multiple functions. The right side either interacts with the small TFT display between the analogue dials or media functions, while the left side is for the adaptive cruise control. This might not be so annoying if the digital speedo stayed up on the info display, but you have to navigate back to it with each restart.

The air conditioning is also controlled via the 10.25-inch touchscreen and, because there’s no ‘auto’ climate control, you’re constantly futzing with the shortcuts on the home screen, or diving further through the screen to adjust the vent outlets.

Even for the shortcomings of the sound system and phone mirroring issues, it would be hard to recommend walking up to the Essence. The larger screen isn’t any more responsive and synthetic leather upholstery is not really an upgrade, apart from being easier to the clean.

Best to save a few dollars and enjoy the Excite’s remarkably nice materials, comfortable seats and cloth upholstery.

In the rear, the ZS is amazingly spacious. Combine a high roof with exterior that knocks on medium SUV territory, not unlike the Hyundai Kona, and you’re blessed with genuine room for adults in the back seat.

The MG ZS’s bench is more supportive than you might expect, but lacks amenities such as rear air vents, map pockets and soft materials. ISOFIX tabs are fitted on both outboard seats, and there are three easily-accessible top tether points for child seat mounts.

The MG ZS has a large 443L boot, though the tailgate is heavy to close. A 60/40 split backrest — a big upgrade on the single-piece MG3 — folds flat enough to easily carry bicycles and other long cargo and increases space to 1457 litres.

There are some smart inclusions you don’t always find at this price, including a sturdy split-level boot floor, some (admittedly tinny) shopping bag hooks and a space saver spare tyre.

Is the ZS Excite a safe car?

Improving on its MG3 relation, hybrid versions of the MG ZS were awarded a four-star ANCAP score in 2024. And the petrol variants are treated to matching safety assist features.

The four-star rating is one star short of the best, and behind key rivals like the Haval Jolion. ANCAP docked a star due to the ZS’s Adult Occupant Protection score as it is not fitted with a centre airbag. No ZS is equipped with reverse auto emergency braking (AEB), either.

The MG ZS Excite is equipped with a full list of active safety features, including AEB with pedestrian, cyclist, motorcycle and cross-traffic detection; lane-keep assist; driver attention monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert with collision warning (no braking); and seatbelt reminder with occupant detection.

Other niceties you might not take for granted are tyre pressure monitoring and adaptive cruise control. That said, the cruise system has a long follow distance and pulses the accelerator for a jerky drive. We also encountered two phantom AEB triggers, including once driving on the motorway when there were no cars in front.

What are the ZS Excite’s ownership costs?

The MG ZS petrol consumes a 6.7L/100km in the combined ADR cycle, however the real world shows a much greater thirst for 91RON petrol.

We saw 9.0L/100km over a mix of urban, rural and motorway driving with that spiking beyond 10L/100km in town, exactly where many ZS SUVs will spend their lives.

MG offers a strong warranty in Australia, up to 10 years and 250,000km providing the car is serviced on time, which is every 12 months or 15,000km. Unlike Mitsubishi and Nissan’s 10-year guarantees, MG’s warranty stands if you choose to get maintenance carried out by independent workshops — providing genuine parts are used.

Compared to rivals like the Corolla Cross ($1275), MG’s capped price servicing is expensive at $2637 for the first five years. The sixth and eighth years, too, are a steep $1463 and $1359, respectively.

The honest verdict on the ZS Excite

The only aspect MG hasn’t improved with the new ZS is the price. From exterior looks to cabin presentation, warranty, practicality and drive experience, this small SUV is much improved. Its impressive packaging and rural road manners mean it could serve as the one family car, too.

That means it’s just as good, if not better value, than before.

There’s a big caveat though, and that’s the asthmatic petrol engine. It may be new but the 1.5-litre isn’t sophisticated and doesn’t make up for its lack of excellence with any charm — the CVT makes sure of that.

The other problem is rivals like the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and Haval Jolion that are now being offered cheaper with punchier turbocharged engines.

Sure, the ZS offers turbo and hybrid powertrains, and these are better, yet also quite a lot more expensive.

So the new MG ZS Excite is a much better car, it’s just lost its unique selling point of the cheapest new SUV. It will be interesting to see how the sales charts treat the new ZS. Our pick of the range remains the efficient and punchy ZS Hybrid+ Excite.