I really wanted to like this MG. I really did.

The marque brings back memories of a zippy classic MG Midget I once owned, of my brother’s hairy-chested MGB sportscar, and of a vintage MGT with a broken hood I was once privileged to travel in from Palmerston North to Napier. 

The headlights of the latter, an open-top sportscar, were so dim we had to crawl our way along the highway peering through the gloom at 50km/h until we were overtaken by a faster car.

Then, able to see for miles, we wound it up to 100km/h and pelted along the straights behind the other vehicle, emitting a glorious roar.

That’s until the next corner, when we had to drastically reduce speed to go round on its skinny tyres under the running boards. 

And until the rain, when I had to lean over the windscreen and hand-operate the wipers for the driver using a lever on the mechanism box. 

Different beast

So, you get the picture. This marque has history.

But MGs are now made in China, and if you’re a fan, look away now. 

MG Motor UK Ltd is now owned by SAIC Motor UK,  headquartered in London and owned by the Shanghai-based Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC Motor.

The MG today is a totally different beast from those of old, an all-electric SUV with mild manners and a low price.

I test-drove the all-electric MG ZS Long Range, which has a slightly higher price than the base model ($64,990, and eligible for the clean-car discount of $8,625) but in return claims a range of up to 440km.

My colleague Matt Martel drove the MG for BusinessDesk and thought it was pleasant enough and a really good deal. I’m afraid I can’t be that kind.

The indents in the front panel in no way replace the grille as a focal point. (Image: MG)

Yes, it came in a very nice colour, but from then on, the looks missed the mark for me. 

The front of this model has the distinctive MG badge but it’s missing a grille. True, you don’t need a grille in an electric car, but it’s been replaced by a cheap-looking panel with pressed indents. In this panel you’ll find the flimsy charging-point flap.

The panel makes the vehicle look unfinished, as though the grille just fell off and we left it on the side of the motorway.

But the rear looks fine – neat and chunky – with a big round MG button to lift the hatch. The MG ZS Long Range definitely looks better going away.

Metal air vents look space-age but the rest of the interior falls short of that high-tech promise. (Image: MG)

The interior looks like a collaboration between Pratt & Whitney and Lino. There are space-age metal air vents, but below them sits a patterned panel that looks like a pressed-steel factory floor.

The designers may have thought it was “industrial chic”, but there are some places those words should never be seen together, and this is one.

I headed onto the motorway first, in dense traffic, and the SUV was comfortable and easy to drive at slow speeds, locking onto the car in front in cruise control and giving me time to enjoy my music from the Apple Car Play. It also does Android Auto.

Opinion softened

So far, so good. But when the traffic thinned and I reached motorway speed, every bump in the road left the car drifting and rolling. I didn’t realise there were so many imperfections on the newly sealed sections.

Thinking it could be the lane assist destabilising the wheel tracking, I switched that feature off. 

There was a small improvement, but I soon knew this was not a car that would make me anticipate a long journey with joy.

As sometimes happened, I softened in my opinion over the week of driving the MG and could see some benefits, especially in slow motorway traffic.

The charger plugs in just fine, but the cover is tinny and lightweight, with a flimsy catch. (Image: MG)

Charging it was easy and the battery charged overnight up to 95% with my home socket. It was called Long Range (and the number plate was LRANGE) but I didn’t test that on my hour-long commute each way, each day. 

An owner had told me to beware of the readout for the distance remaining, and there are times you just don’t want to push your luck.

Clunky sound

To be fair, the MG ZS Long Range had auto lights, auto wipers and heated front seats and I appreciated the cruise control. Except – in an epic design fail – the cruise-control stalk hides behind a steering-wheel spoke and it took me some time to find it. Then I occasionally found it by mistake and wondered why the indicator didn’t work. 

Talking of the indicator, who arranged for it to beat out a tinny clunk that sounds like a Morris Minor’s? It might be retro, but it sounds like a clock counting down to an explosion in Mission: Impossible. I grew to hate turning at intersections.

Yearning for the past

A helpful friend had to find the recirculate button for the air conditioning for me in the fan speed settings, and the rear hatch never played ball when I pushed the button on the key fob.

But if you want an entry-level EV to replace your Honda Fit, this is an okay place to start. 

This car just had me yearning for the drives I’ve experienced in some damned fine mid-sized all-electric SUVs and, if I were actually in the market to buy, I’d gladly pay the extra money. 

Or wait for the MG Cyberster sportscar (below) to arrive.