MG ZS steps up to Pro status

SPORTY: REPLACEMENT FOR OLD ZS MAKES BETTER CASE >>> Latest model is a big upgrade with more tech, space, power and luxury.

- Jaco van der Merwe

Already-spoiled buyers in the compact SUV segment will have to further lengthen their shopping lists with the arrival of the MG ZS Pro.

The MG ZS Pro is effectively the replacement for the aging ZS. It is bigger, more modern and boasts more tech and power. The Chinese-owned British marque will sell the two alongside each other with the ZS offering an affordable option and the ZS Pro a more upmarket product underneath the flagship HS mid-sized SUV.

Fellow Chinese manufacturers Chery and GWM follow similar strategies locally. The older Haval Jolion became the Jolion City alongside the new Jolion Pro, while the older Chery Tiggo 4 Pro has been kept underneath its new version, the Tiggo Cross.

"The ZS will eventually run out, but definitely not for at least six months. We have access to stock and for as long as we do, we will continue selling them," says Christo Valentyn, head of marketing at MG Motor South Africa.

The two-derivative ZS Pro lineup starts with the Comfort at R397 600, which is R87 700 above the flagship ZS Luxury. The top-of-the-range MG ZS Pro Luxury is priced at R431 500.