MG ZS 2020 facelift revealed: budget SUV gets tech and safety upgrade

MG Motor has revealed a facelifted ZS SUV for the 2020 model year ahead of its official reveal at the Chengdu motor show.

The new ZS has a major styling overhaul, ditching the Mazda-style light fittings for fresh LED units, as well as an overhaul for the front fascia with a more restrained, less blingy design.

For the Chinese market, the ZS also gains significant changes under the hood, sporting a new 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine good for 93kW/230Nm, a decent jump over the current 1.5-litre engine’s 84kW/150Nm, or the current 1.0-litre turbocharged three cylinder’s 82kW/160Nm.

The four-speed automatic has been ditched in favour of a new six-speed torque converter unit, also sourced from Aisin. The new transmission also comes with an electronic parking brake as opposed to the current car’s analogue handle.

Yesteryear's four-speed auto has been dumped in favour of a new six-speed.

Safety has also received an overhaul, with the ZS now augmented with a suite of active safety items. These include auto emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control.

That adds to the existing car’s six airbags, reversing camera and torque vectoring system, although it was only capable of a four-star ANCAP safety rating when it was tested in 2017.

The ZS’ interior has received a mild update, now with more faux-leather trimmings, and a reworked transmission tunnel and centre stack with more storage and a larger multimedia touchscreen.

The interior receives some minor tweaks, with a new tablet-style touchscreen.

For the Chinese market at least, this screen will now host an overhauled user interface, but there’s no word yet on whether it will support Apple CarPlay like the current car or add Android Auto connectivity.

There's no word yet on whether the EZS fully-electric variant will receive this aesthetic update prior to its Australian arrival, but CarsGuide will reach out to MG for confirmation.

MG Motor's parent company, SAIC, has plans to electrify every model in its range by 2025.

There's no word on whether the electrified EZS will also get this aesthetic upgrade.

The new ZS is set to be fully unveiled at the Chengdu motor show in early September. Expect Australian launch timing to be revealed shortly afterwards.