2003 MG ZR 105+ 1.4 from UK and Ireland
Summary:
A great little car with terrible build quality!
Faults:
Quite a few things:
Constantly leaks oil.
Passenger window won't close properly.
Passenger door sticks.
Immobilizer faulty and the car tries to start itself.
Interior rattles.
Cylinder head needed replaced at 14000 miles (why it was leaking oil)
Seats squeak.
Faulty lights on the dashboard.
Something to do with the injection system (which they wouldn't or couldn't explain properly)
And lots of small niggling things which shouldn't ever happen in a new car.
General Comments:
The MG ZR is a cracking car for a young driver with sporty looks, low insurance and tax and relatively cheap to buy new.
Its not the fastest, but its only harboring a 1400 twin cam engine under the bonnet. But with a 0-60 of sub 10 seconds and a 112mph top speed you can't complain. The performance is great considering.
The best point though is the handling. People say this all the time, but it does really run on rails. Point it in the direction you want it to go and it just does it. Not in the wet however...
But the build quality really lets it down. Its just unacceptable! And the dealers are very bad to deal with. Ill never go near MG Rover again which is a shame as the cars look good and drive superbly.
I'm going to get rid of the car as its just not practical having to take the car to the dealer every other week when another thing goes wrong. I didn't have this much trouble with my Focus, and I thought that was bad!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 19th February, 2004
5th Feb 2005, 16:02
A top speed of 112 is a fair way off the truth I think. I've cracked a fair bit more than that. My MG survived the 3 years I had it remarkably well. I had no problems with mine what-so ever, but the dealers made my mind up about the next car I bought. It's a shame, MG have done amazing thinks with normal rovers, but it's a pity the dealers (the ones I've come across anyway) can't back up the MG brands hard work. I now own an ibiza cupra which is a fair bit quicker than the old MG, but I do miss it a lot. It really was a great looking car when its clean especially with the 17 inch wheels.
I would recommend it highly.