Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: No data available
Entertaining and forgiving handling, smooth V6, comfortable ride, fair value
Messy, dated dashboard, poor rear room, ageing looks
Unexpectedly capable, with much to offer if you can live with its flaws
The ageing Rover 45 might not be the most promising basis for a sports saloon and hatchback, but MG Rover has nonetheless attempted the same transformation from Rover into MG as it has with the 25 and 75. The resultant MG ZS is available with a 108 bhp, 1.6-litre engine (ZS 110), or as a 117bhp, four-cylinder, K-Series-powered 1.8 model badged 120, a considerably more potent 177bhp V6 model badged ZS 180 or in diesel form (101bhp or 113bhp). All engine options are available with either five-door or four-door bodystyles, the latter more expensive. The ZS is a Honda-derived car, a hangover from Rover's relationship with the Japanese manufacturer, and owes its roots to the Honda Civic of two generations ago. Its dashboard is old, its cabin packaging not the best, but its sophisticated double-wishbone suspension - the same layout used by Formula One racers - offers potential. Indeed, the ZS is the most surprising of these new-generation MGs, proving just as entertaining as the ZR and ZT, and it's the easiest to drive briskly. It's fair value too. Surprisingly, if you're a keen driver, it deserves a look.
