MG ZS EV SUV Lands In Malaysia From RM 129,000

This MG e-SUV arrives in an increasingly competitive segment that has the BYD Atto 3 and Chery Omoda E5. 

While the star of MG’s return to Malaysia is undoubtedly its MG4, the once-British-now-Chinese marque has also brought along its ZS EV to fill its local lineup. 

The fully-electric equivalent to the petrol-powered (HS that is found in other markets), this particular mid-sized and mid-priced e-SUV lands over here to do battle with the hot-selling BYD Atto 3 and soon-to-debut Chery Omoda E5. So how does this MG stack up against its similarly Chinese competitors?

Well, starting with its oily bits first, the MG ZS lands locally in a sole powertrain option of a front-mounted motor that outputs 130 kW (176 PS) and 280 Nm of torque. This in turn translates to a reasonably decent (for an SUV) century sprint time of 8 seconds, before eventually running out of puff at 175 km/h. 

As for what powers its motor meanwhile, the Malaysian-spec MG ZS nets the sole option of a 51.1 kWh lithium ion battery pack, which MG claims is good for a WLTP-rated range of 320 km. This particular pack accepts AC charging of up to 7 kW for an 8-hour full charge, in addition to up to 50 kW DC CCS charging, that sees for a 10-80% top up taking 54 minutes. 

MG is further keen to highlight that available with this ZS EV are three levels of regenerative braking, in addition to 3 selectable driving modes (Eco, Normal and Sport). Though most buyers will probably be more interested in the rather comprehensive safety package available with this SUV, which includes 6 airbags, the usual array of passive safety tech (ABS, EBD etc.) and the MG Pilot ADAS, that encompasses Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM), 360º surround view camera among others…

Moving back outside now, the blacked-off front grille of this ZS EV (which incidentally hides the charging port) is to be flanked by projector LED headlights with integrated DRLs. 17-inch alloy wheels and LED wing mirror indicators are subsequently to be found along the side of this SUV, with its rump topped off by similarly LED rear light clusters and a massive MG badge. Four colours will be available namely the Dynamic Red, Arctic White, Black Pearl and Monument Silver.

Turning within the ZS EV on the other hand, among the key features are its class-leading panoramic glass roof that measures 870 mm x 1,365 mm. Similarly large too with this SUV is its 448 litre cargo capacity, which can be increased up to 1,187 litres when the 60:40 split-folding rear seats are folded down. 

There is unfortunately to be no frunk available with front-motored EV, but there is quite a lot of interior kit to make up for this. This includes a 7-inch digital multi-information display and 10.25-inch central infotainment touchscreen (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration), which is seen from behind a leather-wrapped red-stitched multi-function steering wheel and inset within a similarly red-accented padded dashboard respectively. Also present within the ZS EV are two USB ports up front (with a third built-in for a DVR), a wireless charging pad and a rotary gear selector. 

MG has priced the ZS EV locally rather keenly at RM 129,000, which undercuts the RM 160k estimated cost of the (admittedly larger) upcoming Omoda E5 by RM 30,000, but more impressively also is a fair chunk cheaper than the the RM 150k retail price of the base BYD Atto 3. This particular e-SUV also nets a comprehensive warranty package, including 7 years or 150,000 km (whichever comes first) on the vehicle and 8 years or 180,000 km (whichever comes first) on the battery.

Bookings for the ZS EV (and MG4) are set to open tomorrow (at time of writing) on February 29th, with interested parties able to learn more about the brand and its new models from the various promotional tours it is holding in the next coming days.