MG ZT 180 Sports Auto
The MG ZT range has been garnering some serious acclaim, having carried off the conversion from fogeyish Rover 75 beginnings to rapier sharp sports saloon with astonishing, if not entirely unwelcome, panache. There was always a gnawing suspicion that something was missing from the mix, the sort of car where you just plant your right foot and go, hence the MG ZT180 Sports Auto.
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9 seconds. Should you opt for the ZT-T estate version, youll be detained for another 0.4 of a second. Top speeds are 134 and 132mph respectively.
"The most fun you can have with one foot on the floor?"
Those of you familiar with MGs contemporary range will notice that these are creditable figures. However, it wont escape the eagle-eyed observers notice that theyre also figures very similar to that of the ZT160 model. Given that the ZT160 saloon retails for £19,395 and the ZT180 Sports Auto opens at £22,395, it seems quite a premium to pay for the benefit of an easier life in town and a heavier fuel consumption figure. Fair comment, but a significant part of the ZT180 Sports Autos appeal comes in the way the simple expedient of changing a transmission has fundamentally altered the character of the car.
Whereas a ZT160 feels eager, aggressive and begs to be punted through a corner, the ZT180 has more of a muscle car feel to it, the languid burble at idle soon being replaced by a satisfying surge of power, the five-speed JATCO gearbox slurring sweetly between ratios. You may have sampled this gearbox in the Rover 75, and many will attest to its excellence. With a number of intelligent programs built in, this box will hold a gear when it senses youre midcorner and will let the engine rev hard during aggressive throttle openings and will shortshift during relaxed progress. If you really work the engine, youll get quite a hard metallic blare at the top of the rev range, belying any suspicion you may have held that the ZT range was being watered down.
Of all the engines in the ZT range bar the V8 in the ZT260, this feels the most sporting, so it seems a trifle odd that it can only be mated to the automatic gearbox. A more logical option would have been to reserve the automatic for the more powerful ZT190 and introduce the ZT180 as a manual car. As a colleague rightly noted, since when does logic have a great deal to do with sports cars? Sports saloons (and indeed estates) are all about power projection and the ZT180 just has it in spades. Serious overtaking presence is guaranteed on this recently facelifted model by virtue of the slatted grille, restyled headlamps and cleaner bumper lines.
Instead of aping the techno-sheen of German sports saloons, the MG ZT has an almost transatlantic muscle car look to it, the bulky lines reminiscent of Chicano low riders. It seethes with attitude and certainly looks more cohesive than the Rover 25 and 45-based ZR and ZS models. The ZT-T estate model, if anything, looks even better, the sweeping lines giving the car an elegance that the more truncated saloon model lacks. Although it is fitted with an automatic gearbox, dont expect the ZT180 to go easy on any of the chassis modifications that made the ZT series so popular in the first instance.
That means youll still find low-profile 18-inch tyres, aluminium subframe mounts and hugely reinforced front and rear anti-roll bars. Get underneath the car and youll still find suspension arms that look stronger than anything this side of a Humvee. Like the four-door version, the ZT-T looks a class bigger than it really is which gives the car some driveway stature over rivals like BMWs 3 Series Touring, the Audi A4 Avant and Alfa Sportwagon. It should even swallow a little more luggage, thanks to boxy dimensions that disguise a slightly smaller 1,222-litre capacity with the seats folded down.
Dont go expecting to transport a grandfather clock mind you: theres only 45mm of extra rear overhang which means that the load bay is restricted to 2,060mm in length. The tailgate also houses the emergency triangle so that you can get at it easily should you break down when fully loaded. Another nice touch should disaster strike is the illumination of a spare wheel compartment, the cover for which rises up and supports itself on a gas strut. The interiors have also come in for a sprucing in the latest round of revisions, with a Technical Grey finish offered alongside the more traditional Black Oak or Burnt Walnut.
The instrument graphics are as special as ever but this time round theyre backlit in blue. MG ZT 180 Sports Auto models feature Summit fabric sports seats but if you opt for an SE derivative, youll get Cool Black leather-trimmed seating. Rear passenger space has been worked on with re-profiled seat cushions and squabs answering the traditional ZT complaint that for such a big car, theres not a lot of rear kneeroom. As another string to the MG bow, the ZT180 Sports Auto is a welcome addition.
Its still far more car than ex-custodians BMW can provide at the same price point and has a swagger thats borne of major corporate confidence. Having fallen foul of the ASA over their advertising slogans, itd be fascinating to hear the strap lines for the ZT180 Sports Auto that never made it out of the ad agency. The most fun you can have with one foot on the floor? Maybe not, but its not far off
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: MG ZT 180 Sports Auto range
PRICES: £22,395 - £27,390 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 259-264g/km
PERFORMANCE: [saloon] 0-60mph 9.3s / Max Speed 134mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [saloon] (urban) 17.7 (extra urban) 35.9 (combined) 26mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags / ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [saloon] Length/Width/Heightmm 3910/1780/1270
