A big refit for the cheapest new electric car Kiwis can buy.

FACELIFT time for the country’s second-best selling new battery-wed car in 2021 has required no small amount of fanbase patience.

 The updated MG ZS EV rolling out to Kiwis just now was revealed internationally 11 months ago, local pricing was announced in March and release now is two months later than anticipated.

Parts shortages, car making in China being consistently hampered by regional lockdowns due to covid, shipping headaches; those are among reasons why.

 Good news. The first shipment’s come in, another is close behind and with China back open for business, newly-installed country manager Patrick Bourke reckons it’ll be comparatively plain sailing from now on.

That’s a relief as much for MG as for the 1000 Kiwis who’ve already signed up for the car unseen. On cusp of big change – with a new wave of electric product coming from next year – MG very much is reliant on this original recipe model maintaining its status as a solid seller until then, not least because it’s no longer the only sub-$50k new electric.

Though Bourke and Peter Ciao, the chief executive of MG Motor Australia and NZ who bases in Sydney, didn’t mention the Atto 3 directly at the ZS EV’s media introduction, they’re clearly keeping a wary eye on BYD’s advance guard product, given it’s basically a whole generation ahead yet not really too many dollars more.

If every buck counts, then at $49,990 drive away for the Excite and $53,990 for the Essence, ZS remains the least expensive brand-new electric choice and, overall, continues to site as a solid proposition, though there’s no doubt a refresh was due.

 New face, new battery, new start? Erm, not so fast. One continuing irk is the driving position being compromised by lack of reach adjust for the steering column. Not a difficult fix? Sadly, not so. It’s a major enough re-engineering to require the car to be crash-tested all over. Not worth it, clearly.

Another ongoing issue is with refinement. China has dodgy roads, but our coarse chip is a real challenge again. Even though the new eco tyres are supposed to be quieter, it’s still a noisy cabin when driving on stone-impregnated seal.

Still, it is a genuine five-seater with a good-sized cabin and reasonably decent practicality. You don't get any additional front storage under the bonnet – because that area, though rather underfilled by the electric motor, was designed for a petrol engine - but boot space is improved this time around with a clever dual floor load space with two levels, plus the 60:40 split-folding rear seats tilt forward (but not flat) to increase the capacity.

It’s perked up, too, on the power front. This comes from a 50.3kWh, liquid-cooled, lithium-ion battery driving the front wheels via a single electric traction engine good for 130kW and 280Nm, both outputs up by about 25 percent over the previous model.

Kiwis would probably prefer it also came with the 72kWh battery sold overseas, which offers much the same performance as the type chosen for here, but delivers much stronger range of 440kms, against the 320kms cited for the new product (which is a step up from the far more middling 263km for the original), simply because that’s more in keeping with what the BYD offers. Funnily, having dismissed the ‘long range’ unit as being unnecessary, MG here is now saying it could yet be added …

The introductory drive raised thought that how it drives overall in electric likely won’t feel very different to how it operates in combustion-engined form; as with that forebear, it’s an honest but conservative choice; solid enough but hardly characterful and certainly not playful. Best to say the ZS is a car that is built with comfort in mind.

There are three drive modes: Eco, Normal and Sport with the latter imbuing a more energetic step. Even then, though, you’d call it acceptable, not blisteringly quick, but if needed to make a quick overtake, there’s enough here. Taking 8.4 seconds to reach 100kmh from rest is respectable enough for a car of this size, but don’t expect to see it one it in one of those ‘EV shows up supercar’ videos.

There are different levels of regenerative braking. In its strongest mode, it is akin to one-pedal braking. At urban pace, we found it almost possible to bring it to a stop without touching the brake pedal.

There’s a lot more than the enhanced drivetrain. A 500kg towing capacity, enhanced home recharging and now quicker charging capabilities will be welcomed.

Likewise, it’s a good sales pitch for ZS to get vehicle-to-load capability, meaning that with an adapter, it is possible to power or charge external devices such as an e-bike or a electric too from the car's main battery. Owners can also now set the charge level limit, which can help prolong battery performance over the vehicle's lifetime. Beyond that, there’s still the fantastically strong warranty.

ZS achieves active emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, traffic jam assist, intelligent speed limit assist and intelligent high beam assist as standard.

These are grouped under the umbrella of 'MG Pilot'. Complementing the rear parking sensors is a 360-degree camera system, 17-inch alloy wheels and electrically adjustable and folding door mirrors. 

All in all, then, it’s clear they’ve been very busy indeed ensuring what is very likely the final big change cycle to keep this car relevant until the replacement, likely to show in late 2024 and set to be developed off the bespoke platform, introducing next year with the MG 4, that’ll underpin a range of cars, right up to a flagship based on its exciting Cyberstar concept.

The new look is engaging, if not entirely original. Nothing too different to what Hyundai has now done with the Kona. Redesigned headlights present a rather different running lamp signature to the previous look and what was the front grille element is now a dimpled body-coloured panel that carries the latest logo. A new battery charge port is more easily accessible on this panel.

The 10.1-inch touchscreen is easily the most modern inclusion in a cabin that isn’t brimming with superfluous garnishes. The interior plastics very much reflect the price positioning; in turn, this all makes the screen seem very glam indeed.

The updated system appears promising at first glance and operability and presentation-wise, it is without doubt a massive improvement over the previous layout. Yet it is still a bit basic once you start to investigate.

Navigation is a standard feature, but seems slow, so it’s good MG provides Android Auto and Apple CarPlay software as standard. Most smartphone users will surely regress straight to those. Also, screens of this type can generally be relied on to deliver pin-sharp camera views, but sadly that’s one area where the ZS doesn’t excel. The quality of image from the reversing camera was rather murky. You’d think you were looking at security camera footage.

The main instrument panel is also an all-digital affair that has all the relevant driving information. And I do mean all. To cram it all in, some data is rendered in such small fonts it’s not at all easy to read at a glance. A constant readout showing the percentage of battery charge remaining is a useful element.

All of the controls and buttons, including those on the multifunction steering wheel, seem easy to use. Having a rotary controller for selecting forward or reverse gears frees up space around the centre console and makes it easier to access the USB ports.

The Essence seems a better buy than the base car, as for a relatively modest price lift it lends a lot of incremental ‘nice to have’ stuff you might want. One example is the wireless phone charger. The upgraded six-speaker audio system is also far better than the base unit. Though the climate control now has a dust/pollen filter, it’s still single zone even in the plush setting.

The ZS now lacks its ‘new kid’ relevance and there’s nothing outrageously flamboyant going on here, but it will likely keep appealing as a solid, easy to accomodate choice whose value cannot be dismissed. At the moment for this spend you’re otherwise only considering a used import Nissan Leaf. Even pre-owned Tesla Model 3s aren’t in this price band yet.

How long will that be the case? As much as there is logic to the ‘more they build, the cheaper they get argument’, on the same day of the MG ZS EV media programme, announcement came that the per-ton price of lithium, so crucial to batteries, has hit a record high, of $NZ116,000 per tonne. That’s three times its value