Once a British sports car brand, MG is now populating the compact SUV segment with numerous vehicles, with some extremely competitive value in the hotly-contested segment.
Just yesterday, the Chinese brand pulled the covers off a new entry to the popular ZS range in the form of the ZST, which benefit from a more potent 1.3-litre engine among other upgrades.
Click here to view all MG listings on DRIVEN
This new turbocharged power plant represents a 33kW and 70Nm jump over the rest of the ZS range, with a total output of 115kW and 230Nm. A six-speed automatic transmission sends power exclusively to the front wheels.
Despite these increased figures, fuel economy is only down 0.4L/100km with a claimed figure of 7.1L/100km.
Bigger dimensions mean that the ZST benefits from increased rear leg and headroom, along with the cargo space that increases by 23 litres. This is now at a respectable 389 litres.
On the inside, a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment display takes pride of place in the dash, and is flanked by a flat-bottomed steering wheel. The higher-spec Excite Plus also benefits from a panoramic sunroof.
A full safety suite is included with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, traffic jam assist, intelligent cruise assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, intelligent headlamp control, adaptive cruise control and speed assistance system.
MG is planning to offer two ZST models in New Zealand, which are the Excite, and the Excite Plus. Priced from $30,990, the ZST is going to be quite a competitor in the compact SUV segment, undercutting more mainstream brands such as Toyota and Mitsubishi.
