Slowly but surely, MG is proving itself to be a major player in the local auto industry. Here is a carmaker whose products were, just a few years ago, considered Chinese offerings hiding under a British name. Now? The company’s vehicles are steadily growing in number on Philippine roads.
A big part of the MG’s newfound success was Covenant Car Company’s (TCCCI) decision to bring in more attractive products. One of these offerings is the MG ZS, a competitively priced subcompact crossover with great looks.
If you like the ZS that’s available here, you’re going to hope TCCCI follows up its success by bringing in the refreshed version, which wears a new face that’s noticeably sharper to look at than its predecessor’s.
The headlights are no longer joined together by the front grille, and the new lower fascia and foglight housings give off a much more rugged vibe than before. There’s considerably less black plastic up front, too, while sleeker headlights and a more minimal use of chrome on the grille boost the vehicle’s stylish appeal. The crossover runs on a set of new 17-inch alloy wheels, and gets sleeker taillights in the back, too.
Inside, the design remains familiar. The ‘turbine’ A/C vents are still there, and the application of trim is largely the same as in the pre-facelift version. The dashboard, though, has been tweaked and now comes available with a partly floating 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The layout of the A/C controls and shift knob have also been changed, and a front armrest is now included.
No performance upgrades have been reported. The new MG starts at £15,495 (around P955,000) in the UK market, and comes equipped with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine capable of 105hp and 141Nm of torque.
Would you like to see this refresh eventually make it to the Philippine market?
