2001 MG ZR 160 review from UK and Ireland

The boot refused to shut and the dealer repaired it under warranty.

The rear doors became very stiff to open and close. I tried oiling them, but it made no difference. Again the dealer repaired under warranty.

There is an annoying intermittent rattle behind the dashboard.

Performance from the VVC engine is very good, but if you want maximum performance then you have to keep the rev range between 4000 to 7000 revs per minute to get the best out of it. The performance between 1000 and 4000 revs per minute is more or less the same as the standard 1.8 litre (the 120) but to be honest the engine loves being revved hard and sounds quite good to.

I average about 33 miles per gallon which isn't bad considering how hard I drive it.

The handling is very good and the steering is very pointy and direct with quite a bit of feel to it.

The cabin is a little dated and some of the plastics used is not the best of quality and the drivers seat is too high even on the lowest setting. It makes you feel like your sitting "on" the car rather than "in" the car.

The exterior looks great especially in some of the bright colours such as Trophy Blue and it really turns heads, far more than say a VW Golf GTI would.