MG ZS ZS11 Essence (2017-2024)

Good country car, not good in city – Sold car with 220,000km owned 4 years, had 2 major issues, turbo issue 110,000km and wheel bearing in which mechanic tried to fault as gearbox, have driven interstate for work, best to own with warranty, tyres had to be changed 1st time at 15,000km but suffered alignment issues, was practical, had air con switched replaced 150,000km. Was 95% driven on highways. Great highway car but very gutless in the city, take off has a 2 second lag delay Show details

Is the sunroof fit for purpose? – Had the car 4 years, for the most part I am happy with the car, I’ve had few issues mechanically, I think it’s economical to drive and it works as an A-B kind of car… however recently we had heavy rain, and it filled my car……. Turns out my sunroof has been damaged and the car is no longer waterproof! It’s hard to tell if the rubber has just self… Read more

destructed/deteriorated or if something has come and eaten or pecked at the rubber.

Ofcourse the dealership has decided it was birds and have declined to fix it under warranty.

But I don’t 100% believe it was birds, the rubber looks like it could have just deteriorated.. would love to hear if anyone has experienced a similar issue

Smooth ride – I’ve had my MG essence for 3 years and it is the smoothest ride. Handles the freeway really well, quiet road noise, don’t feel bumps and speedy. The only downfall is the seats. Argh looks similar to leather but it’s fake. The sweatiest seats ever. I had to buy seat covers for the summer months. It is such a shame that a major component can be a downfall. If you can live with seat covers I recommend purchasing an mg essence. Show details

Some serious flaws, some real positives – Hire car for two weeks in the Darwin region. It’s not a bad looking small SUV, paint and panel fit pretty much up with the competition. For our use age, the four of us swapped seating positions quite a bit over the fortnight, and my 6’3 son had no issues with leg room or headroom. It seemed quite comfortable to all of us. Wiper/indicator positions… Read more

are as per most global markets, and not swapped for Australia, but you get used to it. One glaring issue is that the steering wheel completely obscures the cruise control lever, so takes a bit of fumbling to set and re set. Driving: the most notable problem is the take-off from a standing start- there is a delay of maybe a second, then another second whilst it slowly gathers revs. I found this dangerous when turning across oncoming traffic, and annoying for drivers behind me. Darwin area is pretty flat, so I have no idea how it would handle hills, but I did not that with the four of us on board plus our light luggage, it struggled to get up to 130 kmh (the limit in the NT on some highways). At 110 kmh, it had poor acceleration for overtaking. On the positive side, the aircon was great and kept us cool when everyday was 38-40 C in Litchfield and Kakadu. As I was a bit wary of being in a very low budget car, I checked the fluids every few days, and after about 2000 km, it hadn’t consumed any water or coolant. Overall: no I wouldn’t buy one because of the acceleration lag ( dangerous) and lack of overall power. However , these are addressable engineering issues. And I reckon Chinese cars will be on par with anything within 5 years

Worst car I’ve ever driven – I rented one of these for the weekend . Completely under powered . Try driving up a hill with the air conditioner on . The whole car shook doing 80km an hour Brakes completely not very responsive. Show details

Very very very show – The engine is like the car of 1960s. Very pool Show details

So many problems with this car!! – I got this car as my first car, a 2021 model MG3. Here is a list of issues I’ve had. 1. The car would go forwards when in reverse and backwards in drive. They then attempted to fix it and it did not work, so had to take it back a second time. 2. After a tire went flat and it was repaired the light continued to flash on my dashboard. They… Read more

attempted to fix it and again it didn’t work, so had to take it back 3 times in total. 3. My revs began to reach 6-8000 and the car sounded dangerously loud. There was also an instance where I was driving at around 50km/h and the speedometer said 0. They again attempted to fix it but the revs still reach 4000 when I am travelling at a constant speed of 20-40km/h. 4. Today I sat in my car in park with the air conditioner on and it began to rumble and shake. The engine light came onto the dashboard along with 3 other lights. It began to smell of gas. I put the car in drive and tried to accelerate but remained stationary. It then could not turn on for 2 hours.

Absolute ticking time bomb – We purchased 2 zst 2021 essence and no longer have either My sons was ok till around 16000ks then it stopped on the highway whilst driving at 100kph with no warning. Car was off the road 51/2 months. Got a loan car after heaps of negotiations and it was a nightmare with constant faults noisy brakes skittish in the wet. Dash constantly … Read more

vanishing. Got his returned and less than 2 weeks later it died again A week later it was returned and it had no Apple car play. The digital dash was constantly vanishing and you had no idea of speed etc. steering constantly jerking and making you fearful. We arranged a buy back with the dealer. I sold mine as well as it was starting to have issues as well at 10000ks. Dealer was awful to deal with no customer service couldn’t find faults. I would never buy mg ever again

Poor quality – Poor quality to much money not worth it for the money never again Show details

Very very average – Stay away from this very ordinary vehicle. No power, poor sound system, very tinny when doors shut. Cannot overtake another car up hills. This MG is a vehicle to avoid So glad it was just a hire car. Would never ever buy one. My New Hyundai 130 N line leaves it for dead Show details

Great car value – Serviced by mg personal and business used daily take kids to school go on holidays car great on. Fuel only issue tyres noisy changed to Pirelli now much less noisy Show details

Could be great...but currently disappointing – We had this as a hire car for a week, the first China built car I have driven. The build quality is ok, think Ford rather than Audi. The interior and dash are pretty good. But the engine, auto box and ride are all sub standard. You get what you pay for. Performance is sluggish once on the move, and steep inclines require reving the nuts off the… Read more

engine, which is smooth but noisy. The gearbox doesn't always know what gear is required. The ride is choppy. However, if these issues were addressed, by fitting a turbo to the 1•5L, a 6 speed DCT, and revised springs and dampers MG would have a pretty good product.

Terrible car – Fortunately this was provided as a work car, which I handed back due to the amount of issues. Engine misfire Radio stopped working Drivers window going down when asked to go up Went back several times to central coast dealer who failed to diagnose the faults. Didn’t even have the correct diagnostic equipment. Not very comfortable very choppy ride… Read more

and the cheap pleather seats get very hot in the summer sun Replaced with a Corolla which is better in every respect So happy I didn’t spend my own money on this rubbish.

Would be a good choice in a world where the roads are flat and perfectly smooth… – Hired the MG ZS essence with 4000km on odometer for a tourist drive through Tasmania, +1000km travelled. Size: Small, easy to manoeuvre and park etc, good access to cabin. Space: Perfect for two people and some luggage, ample driver and front passenger space even at 6’5. Did not sit in rear. Comfort: Front seats supportive, 7/10 padding comfort,… Read more

good adjustment, (no lumbar support), good a/c, low quality infotainment, easy driver controls. How does it drive: Light steering, good brakes, good vision, dull performance until higher engine revs (1.5L) with a small sweet spot between 4000-4500 rpm, excessive amounts of cabin noise, harsh on any road apart from smooth asphalt (low profile tyres not necessary on this type of vehicle), poor damping through suspension stroke means harshness over any bump above 60km/hr. Fuel Consumption: Appx 8L/100 combined. My uneducated verdict: It’s transport. You get what you pay for……..

Very Impressed so far. Zippier than I expected and plenty of built in extras – Use my car daily - both work and private. Not serviced yet as only got it 3 weeks ago. Going really well so far and will hopefully continue to do so. Show details

DO not buy this car – Great for first 6 months and downhill all the way from there. Dealership say they can't find anything wrong. Gave them a list of the problems including an engine that dies. Kangaroo jumps in reverse, makes terrible sound when started, tried to stop and brake didn't work, had to use hand brake to stop. Dealership had my car for 6 days and haven't… Read more

called me .I called them twice. Problem is intermittent and understand can be difficult to diagnose but shouldn't be happening anyway. Engine dying is a safety issue .Car is rubbish. Customer service is atrocious. Drama continued. Returned car several more times. At one point they had car for 8 weeks. They didn't call me once during 8 weeks to update me. I had to chase them. Always too busy to take my calls. They ended up replacing so many parts on a NEW CAR. Beyond a joke. Customer service non existent. They ay arrogant , ignorant. They only replaced parts after I provided them with video footage of the car reviing at over 300 while sitting in driveway at 0 km.per hour and because I did my homework while they had my car for 8 weeks and found out my legal rights. Funny how when I told them I knew my rights then they finally found and fixed the problem. When eventually got the car back it had damage to one of the doors. After informing them about the damaged door I received the most unprofessional email I have ever received in my life. Every single time I get into the car I hold my breath just waiting for it to fail again and I don't trust it one little bit. I trust the dealership even less .

Best car I’ve ever owned – I use my car every day and I’ve driven it on two long trips, my MG handled both trips with ease and was extremely comfortable to drive over long distances. The ride was very smooth na the drivers comfort and the comfort of the passengers was second to none. Plus it also came with MG Roadside assistance which gave us peace of mind. Great car exceeds all my expectations Show details

So Far im impressed ! – After sooo much trouble with my Asx mitsubishi 2015-16 model (that i also purchased brand new) i thought i would trade up and thats exactly what i did , After researching the MG ZS Essense 2021 its just a delight to drive im loving it so much nicer to drive and so far no troubles ,i have come up for my free 1000klm check the process with calling… Read more

for a book in date was a bit long winded to be honest as the service centre closer to be just didnt call me back so i had to travel 30mins to the dealer i purchased and they responded within 24hrs via my email but then i did need to call to make sure of the appt , otherwise im so far all round happy car is going great and honestly alot of car for the money im just loving the panoramic sun roof ! what a feature so good for that slow cruise around the beaches ,and the kids in the back dont seem to be so closed in as the sunroof makes it feel more open for them .ive added a few extras with the window tinting ,weather shields on the windows , scuff plates and dash mat , all easy to install and makes the car look great ! Well done to MG with this model really happy ... Will update at 10,000 klms first service :)

Great Car Great Price – I bought an MG Essence in November of 2018 and haven't looked back. Beautifully designed, wonderful to drive and without a doubt a lot of automobile for a great price. At around 25K the Essence comes with alloy wheels, sunroof, blue tooth Apple Car play connectivity and reverse cameras among other features. Worth the test drive.