2005 MG ZS 180 from UK and Ireland - Comments

I own a saxo vts and have read some of these comments from vtr owners etc - LOL.

I am actually selling up and thinking about a zs180.

I must say however, as standard, a saxo vts does 1/4 mile in mid 15 seconds, mine is cammed with breathing mods and a remap running 157 bhp (120 std) and did a 1/4 mile in 14.623 @94 mph.

When std I did it in 15.2 so off your high horse about all saxo's.

I had a zr105 a few years back and enjoyed that so will be going for a zs180.

2002 38k - £3850 bargain!

It's quite simple really. The ZS180 is probably the most under-rated car ever, and probably the best value for money car ever. All you little boys with your souped up posing mobiles, annoying old Mrs Smith next door through your 8inch tailpipe, are obviously jealous. You've probably spent more on your induction kits and go faster stripes than most 180 owners spent on their car!!! And you're still struggling to keep up with the big boys. Ha Ha. There is no point in reading reviews from boy racer mags either, cos' they're all written by boy racers who are hardly going to be truthful about the 180, cos it's not "cool". And if they were to admit it was a far superior all round package AS STANDARD, (bar maybe the Impreza, but it's ugly and common as muck) than the other hotties, then they'd probably loose all credibility with their younger followers. You need to listen to the MG owners if you want the truth.

Bottom line is, the ZS180 is superb. As a family car, as a fast car, as a DRIVER'S car. There can't be many that beat it over all three catagories, and certainly not at the price. I first encountered the 180 at knockhill as a passenger, with a pro track driver, and fell for it right away. HE recommended it highly for performance, outstanding handling AND reliability. He couldn't tell me of any major breakdowns, and their cars get hammered on a very tight track, so I would really question the cylinder head problems. I've had mine for 18 months, 32000 miles, and not one problem.

Drive it hard, and "KEEP THAT NOISE DOWN".

I used to own a saxo vtr they are good nippy little things however my ZS 180 would easily crush it in a race. A 1.6 zetec fiesta would beat the saxo! The vts saxos are quick of the mark, but don't have the power to match the 180 in a straight line. Braking systems on both the saxo and 180 are good, even the vtr has disks all round so it stops quick due to its weight.

My ZS180 is by far the best handling and performing vehicle out of the 2. And comments on head gaskets aren't quite right its the K series not KV6, KV6 has issues when the belts snap or water pump overheats...costly!

A mate of mine owns a saxo. When comparing like for like, the saxo is quite a good car IMHO.

What I don't understand is how anyone can, or would even think of comparing it to a car that is so very different in so many ways. The ZS180 is what it is.

Its not a: "I've past my test and want a Saxo like everybody else"..

It's a: "I've grown up & can appreciate something something a little deeper based on its own merits recorded by people who 'have' actually 'DRIVEN' the car (EVO) as well as many other cars & so have a point of reference based on 'FACT' & NOT Granturismo"

Tiff of top gear: "best handling FWD I've ever driven" And he's driven a lot of cars. Not only that, but he can 'ACTUALLY DRIVE' as apposed to the majority of us who only 'THINK' we can.

Any negative opinion of 'any' car not just the ZS, is only valid if you have actually driven it. So you will have to excuse me if I refrain from paying any attention to people who have an opinion on something they have no experience of (in the real world) & know nothing about.

Esp when a lot of the people posting on here couldn't have even written the above reply I just made without resorting to degrading its integrity to little more than swearing and personal insults.

I drive a MG ZS 180 and I think that boy racers in Saxo VTR should just shut up. It isn`t even in the same league as mg ZS. They do 0-60 in 10 seconds which is the same as my girl friends MG ZR 105, I raced one in it and they were the same, so the MG ZS 180 will just kill it.

I am sitting here amusing myself with the utter drivel that some people can come out with. Basically I think each to their own, whatever floats your boat. However in the case of the saxo driver, why are you getting so tetchy about how fast your little tin box is?. My advice is grow up and leave the comments section for people with a genuine view or piece of USEFUL information for people searching for reviews on a car that they wish to buy. Not "my car beat my mates milk-float up to 60"

Yet again I buy another car and I still have to put up with pathetic saxo / Paxo (I call them Paxo because every car I've had has given them a good stuffing) owners passing negative comments on cars they have never driven and never will because they are so narrow minded. Saxo's feel quicker than they actually are due to the weight of the car and the set up of the suspension (sit up and beg sensation). My old Fiesta Zetec-s was quicker than a VTR and felt quicker from stand still than my zs180, but that's all it is, just the feeling. in reality I've blown away zetec-s's on several occasions and I wasnt pushing it that hard. Why can't you little boy racers set up your own page so you can all play nicely together and let potential buyers of the ZS180 read real comments by real drivers who have owned/driven the car under review and have an education!

The head gasket affected early models (1990's). Basically in order to heat up the engine quickly the coolant ran dry when the engine was first started until it reached temperature.

When the engine was hot the coolant was switched on and the sudden change in temperature weakened the gasket over time.

MG realised this and after two years revised the engines. (still in 1990's). So if you own a 2000+ model your fine.

If your REALLY concerned don't thrash your 6v till the engine is up to temperature. But this is general advice not specific to MG ZS's.

This info is from wikipedia (MG ZS 2.5 6v search).

Head gasket went on my mk2 mgzs 180 after only 12000miles! Be wary of this engine as a couple of mechanics told me they are weak and prone to faliure. Also the wheel bearings wear quickly. Be warned.

I have a S2 Saxo Vtr (100bhp) and unlike most I've kept mine bog standard.. I didn't want one and wasn't interested in one until I drove it. My brother has a mk1 Mr2 and in a drag race they are exactly even... the 0-60 is around 8.5s NOT 10s... For the money I'd have a 306 gti6 any day... my old mans got one its very fast...I've raced clio 182's and through the gears they've not got away from me. Plus you can get them for around £3000...bargain? However its French and bits do tend to fall off of it.

I owned a 2004 facelift ZS 180 4dr from new until March this year - I only keep cars for three years then sell them on. I'm not sure about all this chat about killing Citerons and what not, I'm probably too old to understand anyway! The MG was a great car all in all for the money. Plus points - sharp and seated handling, behaves itself remarkably well for a front wheel drive car in the corners - will over steer, but will let you know in time to correct it. Great engine, the kv6 is fantastic, zero problems with mine though it did tend to go through coolant. Lovely, free revving.

Negatives, easy, MPG, terribly economy. Expensive insurance, I'm probably what you would call a low risk driver, but I found the insurance premiums more than excessive. Build quality and materials, far from the best (!) Tyre wear was greater than usual. They make sense as a cheap buy. To call them performance cars seems excessive, performant maybe.

'I have a saxo vts, if you think your rover can beat it bring it on, my mods r a performance air filter, de cat and a backbox, in a couple of months a supercharger, I live in kent, if you want to put ur theory of the rover being faster, lets put it to the test shall we! my email address is Ben_2k2000@hotmail.com email me n ill be happy 2 kick ur ass!'

Wow, with those performance mods, I bet that's kicking out a healthy 32.5bhp ;-) Maybe 41bhp with the supercharger? LOL just pulling ya leg! :-) Sure it goes well enough. I did slam a VTR in my Mini Clubman with an MG Metro engine fitted though! In all fairness, the spec was quite high on the Clubman however.

The KV6 does NOT suffer HGF, there is no evidence at all to support this.

"I have a S2 Saxo Vtr (100bhp) and unlike most I've kept mine bog standard.. I didn't want one and wasn't interested in one until I drove it. My brother has a mk1 Mr2 and in a drag race they are exactly even... the 0-60 is around 8.5s NOT 10s... For the money I'd have a 306 gti6 any day... my old mans got one its very fast...I've raced clio 182's and through the gears they've not got away from me. Plus you can get them for around £3000...bargain? However its French and bits do tend to fall off of it."

Saxo VTRs do NOT do 0-60 in 8.5, and a 306 GTi will not keep up with a 182.

Regarding the last comment, it's another classic case of "my Saxo/ Clio Sport will beat any other car".

Sounds to me like you've done a few mods on it and you now think your 120bhp ish car can thrash a ZS180. The only way it will beat it is maybe up to 60mph due to it not weighing much, otherwise the ZS180 will trounce it. Sorry, but that's a fact so get real.

I beat a black saxo VTR in a little race on a duel carriage way. I don't know what there top speed is, but after about 70MPH he was just a dot in my rear view mirror.