2023 MG ZST

Boot space is 359L with the rear seats upright, and 1187L with them folded flat.

The ZST retains the same safety rating as the related ZS.

The ZS received ratings of Good and Acceptable for whiplash and pedestrian protection respectively, plus a frontal offset score of 10.46 out of 16.

In addition to its suite of active safety technology, the ZST also features front, front-side and curtain airbags for a total of six.

The autonomous emergency braking works at speeds of between 4 and 85km/h for stationary vehicles, 4 and 150km/h for moving vehicles, and 4 and 64km/h for pedestrians.

Claimed fuel economy for the 2021 MG ZST is 6.9L/100km on the combined cycle in the Core and Vibe and 7.1L/100km in the Excite and Essence.

The naturally aspirated 1.5-litre engines in Core and Vibe can run on 91RON, while the turbocharged 1.3-litre engines in the Excite and Essence require 95RON as a minimum.

You should service your ZST at your authorised MG dealer or service centre, however servicing it at third party mechanics that follow OEM servicing instructions should not impact the ZST’s warranty.

There’s a bit of hesitation off the line as the turbocharger spools up. Once rolling, though, the ZST’s turbo triple is punchy and the automatic’s shifts are smooth.

The ZST’s engine even has a sporty, raspy engine note under heavy acceleration. Ease off the accelerator, however, and the ZST is impressively hushed. Even at highway speeds, the ZST has a pleasantly quiet cabin for a small SUV.

The electrically-assisted steering is overly light in its standard setting but in Dynamic mode it has a confidence-inspiring amount of weight. We just left it in Dynamic.

Handling is perfectly acceptable for a small SUV. It’s not overly sporty in feel and there’s some body roll in corners but it doesn’t feel too tippy, while the Michelin tyres give the ZST good grip. It’s entirely predictable and a pleasant companion.

Likewise, ride quality is decent for the class. Large expansion joints and potholes can upset the torsion-beam rear a bit but otherwise it smooths out bumps and ruts well.

Other than the turbo lag, about the only disappointing aspect of the ZST’s driving experience is a rather spongy brake pedal.

The panoramic sunroof developed a rattle that appeared sporadically, and when it did it proved especially noisy over poorly-surfaced roads.

The lane-keeping assist needs some finessing. It makes the steering wheel feel loose and disconnected yet it almost aggressively tugs at the wheel to keep you in a lane. It also deactivates at speeds below 60km/h which, in urban traffic, means it’s constantly dinging.

While we could turn off audible alerts for the lane-departure warning, there didn’t appear to be an option for the lane-keeping assist, though we could reduce alert frequencies. After enduring a cacophony of chimes, not to mention visual messages saying “lane-keeping assist quit”, we eventually just turned the feature off.

The adaptive cruise control is controlled via a stalk. You’ll want to take a moment before getting out on the road to look at the stalk and figure out how it works as it’s hidden by the steering wheel when you’re driving in a straight line.

Rather than press a steering wheel button to adjust the vehicle distance, for example, you twist the stalk. That’s not something that’s immediately clear when you’re new to the ZST and it’s something we needed to do as the default setting is overly trepidatious.

You can find more details on all the options and inclusions across the MG ZST variants on the official website, and within the official MG ZST specifications page.

The MG ZST is available in five colours:

• Brighton Blue (metallic)
• Diamond Red (metallic)
• Sloane Silver (metallic)
• York White
• Pebble Black

What is the warranty on a MG ZST?

The MG ZST offers a 7 year unlimited kilometre warranty. This is separate to the warranty on offer under Australian Consumer Law which can be greater for certain parts based on what is deemed as a reasonable period of time.

The MG ZST is a genuinely likeable small SUV, and you don’t need to add the “for a Chinese car” caveat. It has a punchy engine, a well-finished interior and a sharp price. It does most things well and, with a little more finessing, it could pose a serious threat to the established order.

It's worth taking for a test drive if you're after lots of features for a little price.