Where Ford and Holden once locked horns as the most competitive contenders in the New Zealand market, today its MG verses BYD. Where Aussie met Aussie, now its China meeting China.
There’s no Bathurst battleground for the two EV protagonists, which is kind of a shame, but you can feel contention sizzling in the ozone when it comes to electric vehicle supremacy.
MG has a significant advantage however in that it is a known to us brand having been represented for a few years in this country with a diverse selection of successful vehicles.
Indeed, the generation 1 ZS EV won some awards comparatively recently and with its Excite and Essence models, Gen II is looking to reclaim some of that early success, with a greater driving range, carryover pricing and a stronger warranty offering than before.
As well, the new MG ZS EV has seen increases in battery capacity and charging capability, upgrades to the exterior, app-based driver-to-vehicle interface development, while the MG corporate identity also undergoes a transformative phase which is demonstrated by the company’s consideration of the role MG has in the lives of its customers.
The more tangible aspect of this is the development of the iSmart app which can be sourced from the app store and allows for over the air updates, remote unlocking and locking of the vehicle, pre-entry air conditioning activation, find my car locater and more besides.
This goes a long way to cementing the ownership experience for MG customers, but it goes further than that with the MG EV becoming more than a transport modality and part of home life thanks to the steps made in vehicle-to-load (V2L) application.
V2L allows you to power external devices from the vehicle and, while this functionality is in its infancy now, its application may be more significant as time goes on.
For now, however, MG’s V2L tech is handy for those who live their lives on the go, with the ability to power home office essentials right through to camping accessories.
And as far as home charging is concerned, MG has its proprietary home and office charging solution in the form of the MG ChargeHub, which you are likely to see at hotels around the country in the not-too-distant future, MG recognising that charging away from home plays a significant role in EV ownership.
As to the vehicle itself, the 2022 MG ZS EV takes its power from a 50.3kWh lithium-ion battery, which delivers a range of up to 320kms from a single charge depending on driving habits.
The battery can be charged to 80 per cent in 54 minutes from a rapid DC charger or overnight on a 7kW fixed wall charger, through either the CCS or Type 2 charge ports conveniently positioned in the front ‘grille’, bracketed by the newly designed headlights and more organic body flow lines.
MG has upped the ante on the inside too, with a premium feel to the interior cabin boasting an integral to the dash 10.1-inch touchscreen, for apple CarPlay and Android auto connectivity, Bluetooth functionality and the onboard satellite navigation system found on both models.
Both models have the full suite of MG Pilot safety features with 8 or 10 active driver safety features depending on model.
The MG ZS EV carries a no exclusions, seven-year warranty, seven-year roadside assistance and seven-year Warrant of Fitness check package and is priced from $49,990 driveaway for the Excite and $53,990 driveaway for the higher specced Essence. Both qualify for the clean car $8625 rebate.
