MG ZS to get petrol engines, likely to launch in India in August 2021

The MG ZS petrol has been on sale in global markets since 2017, getting a refresh in the form of a facelift last year. Having caught the car testing in Rajasthan, the design clearly looked like the facelifted ZS, with the tailpipe indicating it was not an EV. MG Motor India is likely to launch the ZS in petrol guise in India soon

Engine

Internationally, there are two powertrain choices available – a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine and a 1.0-litre turbo petrol, mated to a five-speed manual and a six-speed auto ‘box respectively. The naturally aspirated petrol engine makes 104bhp of power, while the turbo-petrol is punchier with 109bhp on offer.

Design

The MG ZS could also be getting a mild facelift in petrol guise, though it might take a keen eye to spot the changes. Globally, the updated ZS sports different light signatures for the DRLs and the tail lamps. The front fascia now appears cleaner, with a reworked grille sitting lower and wider. The bumpers too are re-profiled, while the grille does not feature chrome highlights like on the ZS EV. The rear bumper gets faux cladding as well, adding to the ZS' sportiness.

Interiors

On the inside, the ZS’ layout is likely to be identical to the ZS EV with minor revisions. Creature comforts on the international variants include a 360-degree camera and a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen supporting both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for smartphone connectivity. The ZS gets a fully-digital instrument cluster as well, along with a blind spot monitoring system.

It is speculated that the petrol-powered ZS would be dubbed as the ‘Astor’ in India, differentiating it from the ZS EV that is already on sale. We expect it to slot in between the compact and mid-size SUV segments, splitting cars like the Venue and Creta.