10 July 2023
Recently we had the opportunity to take the MG ZS Long Range (LR) for an extended test drive.
At $64,990 the MG qualifies for the full Clean Car Rebate. It also gives you a WLTP-rated 440km of range. Do these two factors make the MG the best bang for buck in this segment? We think it just might be.
With the upright driving stance we have become very familiar with from SUVs, the MG is very easy to drive. Couple that with faux leather seats, a very good wireless phone charger, panoramic roof and a good amount of electric bits and bobs (seats, wing mirrors, etc) you get a lot for your dollar.
The 115kW power can move you from 0-100k/ph in 8.5 seconds. It’s definitely not the fastest EV out there; not even the fastest MG ZS on offer, but that’s not what you would buy this vehicle for.
We never had to think about finding a charger while we had the car as it chewed through the hundreds of kilometres we travelled with effortless ease. However, the bigger 72kW battery does mean that the charging time would take a bit longer when you do need to actually charge it.
The AA team all agreed that the MG was ‘easy’: easy to drive and it would be very easy to own.
We were hard-pressed to find much wrong with the MG, but the two things we agreed on were that the rear camera was a bit low-res and the infotainment system wasn’t overly intuitive. If those were the biggest problems we could find with the vehicle, that’s a pretty good indication of its quality.
When you take into account the purchase price, the Clean Car Rebate you would receive and the package of the vehicle you get, we think the MG LR is very good value for money and a great entry vehicle into the world of EVs.
If you'd like to read a more in-depth review of the MG ZS, you can find it here.
Pros:
- Long driving range
- Easy to drive
- Nice faux leather interior
Cons:
- Low-res rear camera
- Infotainment system can be tricky to use