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The MG ZS Story

Written by MG Car Club member John Thompson.

“That mix of a big V6 engine in a compact body is really appealing. The ZS 180 feels like a car which can handle long-distance motorway drives and having some fun on a winding road equally well. I reckon it’s a well-rounded package – and genuinely sporting too. The steering is terrific – and that engine noise is a real joy for any true car enthusiast” Warren Hughes.

Background
The ZS story really begins in May 2000 when the Rover Group was broken up into its individual businesses. The MG, Rover (under licence) and remaining heritage Marques were sold to the newly formed MG Rover Group under the administration of the Phoenix Consortium.

Sales of the Rover range had been falling for a number of years, but sales of the MGF two-seater sports car had remained consistently healthy since its launch in 1995. The decision was taken to expand on the MG brand and develop a new range of sports saloon cars based on the current Rover range, the 25, 45, and 75 models. An announcement was made late in November 2000 and the first pre-production ZS came off the production line on December 13 2000.

Testing and development of the prototype ZS followed during the first half of 2001 with production commencing properly towards the end of May 2001. The three MG saloons were initially known as the X30, X20 and X10 but later that year they received a high profile launch, in July, and were unveiled as the MG ZR, ZS, ZT and later ZT-T.

Genesis & Evolution
The overall body design was already familiar on our roads. The joint Rover/Honda designed hatchback had been launched as the new Rover 400 and Civic respectively in 1995. A saloon version designed solely by Rover followed during 1996, making the car a very flexible package depending on requirement.

A rebrand to Rover 45 and a minor cosmetic redesign took place in the autumn of 1999, together with the Rover 25, to mirror the lines of the then new Rover 75. It was important that the modifications made during the ZS development were more than just a case of ‘badge engineering’ an existing Rover 45.

It was also felt important that the customer was given a car with a completely different feel to that of a Rover 45, which had been designed purely for comfort. The double-wishbone front suspension and fully independent multi-link rear suspension made it ideal for its MG transformation.

Although there are too many to mention in any detail here, the modifications made were wide and varied. Improvements mainly concentrated on the handling, performance and the styling of the design, both internally and externally. A number of interior options were available, as were the design and diameter of the alloy wheels.

Both of these were either fitted as standard depending on the model purchased, or as an optional extra at an additional cost. Some of the modifications made were common to all three Zed saloons and have already been documented in a previous Register newsletter in Safety Fast!

So how would this new ‘affordable power’ sports saloon, developed from a similar Rover design, fare in the same market? Actually very well. After initial doubts that the MG brand couldn’t compete, the new saloon was well received by the press and public alike. Even with the basic package, the customer received a lot of car for their money.

When first launched, 10 standard body colours were available. To show that the ZS was a completely different animal to its Rover 45 cousin, the shades included the eye-catching Trophy Blue and striking Trophy Yellow as well as the more traditional British Racing Green.

The ZS was launched squarely into the small family car market. It also launched MG Rover into the British Touring Car Championships in September 2001. The provision of both a four-door saloon and a five-door hatchback version placed the new ZS in a very strong position among its competitors.

In most markets the entry model in the ZS range was the ZS 110 incorporating a 1.6 litre version of the well-established K-series engine producing 110bhp (in Ireland and Portugal a 1.4 litre option was offered as the ZS 105). The ZS 120 model incorporated a 1.8 litre version of the K-series engine delivering 120bhp in its standard form. It was, and still is considered an ideal engine for that size of car.

The ZS 120 model was also kind to the pocket with fairly low running costs and insurance grouping. With the basic model priced at £12,495 it allowed drivers to experience the MG Marque without breaking the bank and placed it in a strong position among other cars in its class.

The higher powered top-of-the-range model, the ZS 180 featured a 177bhp version of the 2.5 litre KV6 engine and certainly gave an exciting driving experience. To cater for the extra power, larger brake discs and callipers were fitted all round. It was rare for a car of this size to have such an engine, especially at such a competitive price.

Many of its competitors at that time were using turbochargers to gain the extra power. With a 0 to 60mph in 7.3 seconds and reported top speed of 137mph, it received favourable reviews in the press and became a very desirable model to own.

There were also two diesel versions produced, the ZS TD and TD115. Both these models featured the 2.0 litre L-series engine producing 101bhp in the former, and increased to 113bhp for the latter. As with petrol versions, modifications were made to the brakes to handle the increased performance and both variations were fitted with the same braking arrangement as the ZS 120.

Facelift
The ZS, together with the other MG and Rover saloons, underwent a major facelift in mid 2004 by Peter Stevens and his design team. The new styling was designed to reflect that of the new MG SV super-car which had recently been unveiled at that year’s Birmingham Motor Show.

The original features of the Rover 45/MG ZS design were replaced with a completely redesigned front end to give a more modern angular look. The rear of the ZS saw the number plate move down to the redesigned bumper, allowing for a stylish, smooth boot panel with a large MG badge.

The interior of the ZS also saw alterations similar to those of the other MG saloons. There was a redesign of the dashboard, console and revision of instruments together with the switches. Circular aluminium air-vents completed the final design.

At this time the opportunity was taken to introduce some additional colours to the range to go with the new look. Some of the original colours were discontinued. The ZS 180 probably benefited the most from the facelift programme. Subtle changes were made to the body profile in addition to new ventilated front wings.

A new design multi-spoke alloy wheel was produced for this model to complete the modifications. The finished product gave the ZS 180 a more aggressive overall appearance.

With the launch of the new facelift models in 2004, production continued into 2005 (with all of later cars being built with the ‘180’ body kit) until April that year when the MG Rover Group went into receivership.

John Thompson is the Safety Fast! scribe for the ZR/ZS/ZT Register, who cater for all Zed cars and their owners.

Find out more about the Zed Register here.