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MG ZR ZS ZT Technical - ZS 120

Has anyone bought,tested or read a road test on this only 120 HP car ?
(looks interesting for the older among us who drove MG Magnettes when young !)
Also wonder whether any of these will be available in LHD for export?
Grateful for any info you could supply.


kilner

Can't answer the first question, but for the LHD export one - According to MGR, they are only supplying the UK market for the first 12 months, and will consider other markets based on the results.

Cheers

Kieren
Kieren Gibson

Dealer told me the Z cars will be launched in Belguim around December 2001 - January 2002...
Fabrice

This is the second time Kieren has put on a BBS thread that there will be no Z-car exports for 12 months.
My reply then as it is now is:
This is total garbage! MGR has already started building cars for the launch in the European markets over the next 2 months. This includes France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and Portugal, with Ireland taking UK spec cars almost immediately.
However, a number of countries are only taking the top of the range models initially - and France only seem to be planning to offer the ZS in 180 form.

Regards,

JD

John Dalton

Tomorrow there is an official MG-Z-car presentation in Zurich.

I don't know when which cars will be available. The swiss brochure lists these models:

ZR-VVC (160 PS, 3 and 5-doors),
ZS (180 PS, 4 and 5-doors,
ZT (195 PS, Saloon and Tourer).

Christoph
C.Brun

Thanks to all respondents

Am reassured by John Dalton's comments & wonder if he knows one nearby overseas market where the ZS 120 will be sold;otherwise presumably the factory should be able to supply me a LHD model ?

Am also surprised that the overseas markets only want the top of the range models ;with fairly cheap diesel here in France, petrol cars achieving around 25 mpg have a very small demand.
kilner

John's position means he DOES know the correct situation!!!

However he has many committments that may make individual queries difficult to answer.

However if he would like to fax +44 121 482 5746 and ask the question then this should provide a more conclusive answer.

Rog
Roger Parker

The ZR 160 (3 and 5 doors), the ZS 180 and ZT 190 will be presented in France in october and will be shipped to the car dealer in november.

The ZS 120 and other less powerful versions of Z cars are believed to be available beginning of 2002 in France.

Arnaud
http://mgcontact.free.fr/
Arnaud

My good friend Andrew Roberts (who writes for MG Enthusiast Magazine) has laid out the readies for a ZR120 ansd writes about it in this month's issue of MG Enthusiast...
David Knowles

Ok thoughts on ZS120+ picked up on 28/9/01...

Seats are very intimate! Drives wonderfully and hugs corners. Far more grippy than previous car (414) but noticably harder ride on speed bumps.

Found the engine far more responsive than I expected for a 1.8.

Was unsure about radio sensitivity but after using it a bit more, it seems on a par with radio in 414.

No problems found so far and VERY happy with it.
Brett

Many thanks to all who have sent me their comments (generally very positive ) on the 120 model.
However all were on the ZS 120+ manual hence I wonder(a) why everyone chooses the plus ? and
(b) why no one seems to want the steptronic transmission ?

PS Perhaps we can keep active this 120 thread so that it eventually achieves the subject status of
the MGF,MGB etc on this website.
kilner

When you add the costs of the Aircon etc to the basic price, buying a + makes sense. I also added front fogs (didn't like bumper mouldings without them), leather steering wheel and gear change (hated standard gear change) and front and side extra finishings.
Brett Laniosh

Blimey, sorry John, I was only posting what the dealer told me.

Kieren
Kieren Gibson

Kieren, shame on you - you should by now know better than to believe *anything* a dealer tells you ;-)
David

David, I am learning that very quickly.

I apologise to John for being so new and enthusiastic. Maybe I should just stay quiet from now on.

Cheers

Kieren
Kieren Gibson

???

A dealer told you lies and somehow you figure it's YOUR fault and you should take a vow of silence as punishment?

I dont get it...

Growler

Growler, I have no idea who John Dalton is, but I obviously upset him with my first post, and he sounds quite important so I guess I shouldn't do it again....

Kieren Gibson

It's good for people to be upset occasionally. Even important people.

I think John was probably more distressed that you'd posted the erroneous information twice.

Dont be so hard on yourself. Everyone here is friendly, even when they're being...er...enthusiastic.

After all, it is an MG Enthusiasts BBS...
Growler

Ahh, you're probably right Growler. I wouldn't have posted it twice, only I must have missed his first response to my first posting. I stand corrected and will just enjoy. Might even still push for a ZT-T...

Cheers

Kieren
Kieren Gibson

Or a ZS Kieren? ;o)

I wonder if I can get an extended test drive over three days... Have to drive to Germany and back, and don't really relish the idea of going that distance in a 1.4 litre Rover 200. I reckon a ZS 180 would be perfect for the job- and a ZT 190 would be awsome.

What do people think to my chances? Betting starts someway less than zero... ;o)
Rob Bell

Why not a ZS 120 Rob? After all this is a 120 web thread and we badly need to have a Road Test on
this car! Regarding the Kieren/Growler exchange,it has taken up rather a lot of space,but it does indicate the friendly ambiance on our thread.(Otherwise could also communicate privately by email !)
andrew

Well, maybe Rob. I have had a ZS for a day and loved it. That time we met up in Luton, I had become aware of the need for more space. Unfortunately, things changed, so I could still get away with a ZS. We have 2 coming here already though and it would be nice to have something different.
I am loosing faith a little now though, as on Monday I discovered a dealer that had a ZT-T in. I rang and asked for a test drive. The sales guy said I could sit in it and look round it, but they didn't really want me taking it out, because if they get over 25 miles on the clock they will have to buy it. He then said they had a Rover 75 tourer which I could take out to get the 'feel' of things. At this point, I thought it best to leave well alaone and give up.

Cheers

Kieren
Kieren Gibson

Sorry Andrew, I didn't mean to Hi-jack the thread. To try and get back on track a little. I haven't considered the ZS 120, as I am in the very fortunate position of having a generous company car policy at work. This means that the ZS180 is a very cost effective option for us, as is it so competitavely priced.
I don't know of anyone who has tried the 120, but I am interested to know how it compares.

Cheers

Kieren
Kieren Gibson

Kieren, wouldn't a ZT be OK for a test drive ? I shouldn't be that different from a ZT-T ...
Fabrice

Hi Fabrice, apparently, because the ZT-T is built on a newer chassis (based on the 75 Tourer), I have been told that it actually handles a lot better than the ZT. As I really need an estate anyway, I was holding out for it.

Cheers

Kieren
Kieren Gibson

Well, maybe I SHOULD ask for one then- a ZS120 would STILL be better than a Rover 214! LOL

Kieren- circumstances changed? Really sorry to hear that :o(

As for the ZT-T, come on sales people- do you not WANT to sell cars and earn a living???? I've come across a couple of sales people in the Bath MG-R dealership who do a VERY good impression of not wanting to sell cars!

If anyone from MG-Rover reads this thread, please give some of your dealership chains a kick up the perverbial!
Rob Bell

I read about the 75 tourer that it has a "new" (stiffer) chassis, but that the standard 75 would have it too, a bit later. Indeed, the journalists thought that the estate handled better than the saloon.
But I would have thought that the MG versions would anyway have stiffer suspensions than standard 75's or 75-T's ?
Fabrice

Fabrice, you are right. I stand corrected, and will be booking a test drive of the ZT, which will be very similar in characteristics to the ZT-T.

Thanks to the e-mailer for putting me right.

Cheers

Kieren
Kieren Gibson

Rob, the problem with dealers having demo cars is that they have to "rent" the cars from MGR if they have them on demo, which costs a fair bit more than if they have them sat in the showroom.

That's why a fair amount of dealers around me don't have a ZT or ZT-T around for demo, which is a real shame. >:(

Also blows any chance of test driving the rear wheel drive ZTs or the X80 when that appears :(


Steve.
Steve Childs

Steve, I understand your point on the economics of having registered metal sitting in the showroom depreciating all the while. However I know that I am not alone in saying that I would NEVER buy a car I had not test-driven.

Fortunately my local Rover dealership was a very enlightened view- it registers all its car very quickly- in fact I had driven a MGF Trophy 160 before 'first-drive' reports appeared in the motoring press!!!

My biggest bug-bear of the aforementioned Bath dealership is that I had arranged a test drive in a ZS180 over a weekend. Unfortunately, something cropped up, so I phoned to cancel, and rearrange a drive for the next day. To say that the salesperson I spoke to was dis-interested is an understatement. He even claimed that the car was not available for test drives DESPITE the fact that I'd booked a drive on one of those supposed 'unavailable' days and was told at that time that the car was available all weekend.

Pants. I shan't be returning there in a hurry. A shame really. I wonder how many other potential MG-Rover customers have been put off by such stupid attitudes?
Rob Bell

Rob
Which dealership in Bath? Hartwell have lent me theirs while I wait for mine to be delivered. I took it at around midday Saturday and this was at a bit short notice as I was waiting to see what the possibility was of the one I had on order (overdue) being delivered. The salesperson I am dealing with is trying to help me out, although ultimately it's MG-Rover that are causing the delay. Maybe they're less keen to sell the Z saloons if they can't get hold of them.

Richard

SPOILERS
On the MG Website thread (of all places), there has been a lot of discussion about spoilers.Am I right that most of you would not want a big spoiler on a ZS 120 car-it would really be a sheep in wolve's
clothing ! By the way ,I understand that Rover France don't want big spoilers on ANY of the cars they import-is it a case of different cultures Arnaud ?
andrew

Richard, it was Hartwell's. The younger sales people there seem really enthusiastic and switched on- which really impressed me. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of those guys who answered the phone. One of the older guys- the old guard perhaps?

It doesn't take much to put people off. Let's face it, I'm a big MG fan, so if I was put off ever returning there, imagine what effect that would have on an 'undecided' person making enquires.

Top marks for customer service WRT your loan car. Big de-merits for poor telephone manner in my case :o(
Rob Bell

Andrew,

IMO :

The regulations on modifying cars in France are very tight therefore there are not as much “excentric” cars in France as there are in Great Britain or Germany.
So many tuning car owners are believed to be young “outlaws” peoples who don’t care about regulations and are therefore considered to be dangerous by other drivers. They have quite a bad reputation so.

With their big spoilers, the Z cars will look too much like these tuning cars. Therefore a Z buyer won’t only buy a MG but also a really bad reputation…

Also, a few months ago, I’ve made a post about someone get killed by an illegal rear spoilers. Many newspapers talked about this accident and fingers were pointed out against the tuning community.

French journalists should test drive the Z cars in a french racetrack this month.

For further information about the Z in France, go to : http://mgcontact.free.fr/ , select Z cars in the “Cahiers” directory.

Arnaud
Arnaud

Arnaud,

>>The regulations on modifying cars in France are very tight therefore there are not as much “excentric” cars in France as there are in Great Britain or Germany.

Do you mean SF would not be allowed to cross the Channel and visit France ???
Jerome

Has anyone got any experience of the Stepspeed transmission on the MGZ please?
Would the performance & fuel penalties be too severe
to plan to get this option on a ZS 120 ?
andrew

On the simple point of the big spolier for the ZS saloon I will simply relay the words of Peter Stevens during a recent conversation with him. "The spoiler REALLY does work for the cars stability." As such it is irrelevent that the car is a V6 or 4 cyl as the effect is aerodynamic and benefits either way.

As to the Stepspeed option then whilst I haven't driven a saloon with the CVT transmission there is absolutely no reason to expect that the difference found when this is used in the MGF will not be repeated in the saloons. The loss will be quite marked and this affects fuel consuption too.

I am a firm believer that the car needs an additional 15% power to maintain standard manual performance levels, which of course will detract more from fuel consumption and put it on a par with the V6.

I suggest that what you need to do is to experience the Rover 45 2.0V6 Stepspeed model.

Rog
Roger Parker

After all your comments/tests on the other models,has anyone else acquired a ZS 120 -or a model with the
stepspeed transmission about which he/she could give us their impressions?
andrew

Andrew,

Could be some dealership somewhere has a demonstrator car of the specification you seek. Ask your local MG-R outlet to make enquiries for you. Then if one is available somewhere, you can find out for yourself what these features are like first hand. Reliable recommendations are helpful but direct hands on personal experience is always better. Only you can really be the judge.

John.
John McFeely

Many thanks for your advice John but the problem is that I am in France with no time to get to the UK
before Christmas & yet wanting to be ready to change
my car soon after.
andrew

Andrew ..... c'est la vie ...... :-(

Even so, if you have contacts over here why not ask them to line something up for you as soon as you return - hit the road running so to speak .. :o))

John.
John McFeely

MG Z Car Road Tests
After participating for 3 weeks on this website,there was finally ONE reader who led me to find what I was looking for!.The Channel 4 tests on www.4car.co.uk seem to be fair and well balanced -except perhaps for the choice of competitors to the ZS.
andrew

This thread was discussed between 24/09/2001 and 16/10/2001

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