MG ZS review: the best-selling MG in Bahrain earns it with the new generation
3.8/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
The ZS is the easiest recommendation in the entire MG lineup and arguably the smartest small-SUV buy in Bahrain full stop: a genuinely modern platform, a spacious cabin for the footprint, and a six-year warranty at a price that undercuts a Seltos or Creta by a wide margin. Choose the 1.3-litre turbo grade if you spend real time on the highway to Saudi; the base 1.5 is enough for anyone who mostly drives around Manama.
Pros
- All-new platform finally competes with the Seltos and Creta on substance, not just price
- 2,610 mm wheelbase gives genuinely usable rear legroom for the segment
- Six-year/200,000 km warranty beats every Korean rival sold in Bahrain
- 1.3-litre turbo grade adds real highway overtaking pace for the Saudi run
- Compact enough for easy parking around older Manama and Muharraq streets
Cons
- Brand-new platform has no Bahrain ownership track record yet
- Base 1.5-litre engine is adequate rather than lively for highway overtaking
- Resale value will take a full ownership cycle to establish itself
- Smaller dealer network than Kia or Hyundai in Bahrain
The ZS has quietly been MG's biggest seller in the Gulf for years, and the reasons were never complicated: it was cheap, reasonably equipped, and backed by a warranty no rival matched. The all-new second-generation car that arrived in 2024 keeps all of that and finally adds the part that was missing — a platform, cabin and driving feel that hold up on their own merits against a Kia Seltos or Hyundai Creta, not just on price.
What actually changed
The new ZS is a completely different car underneath, not a facelift: a stiffer platform, a widescreen dashboard replacing the old car's basic layout, and noticeably better damping over Bahrain's patched secondary roads. At 4,430 mm long it is still compact enough to park easily around older Manama and Muharraq streets, while the 2,610 mm wheelbase gives rear passengers usable legroom rather than the token space common in this class.
The entry 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine makes 112 hp, adequate for city driving and comfortable enough at highway speed for the daily commute, while a 1.3-litre turbo further up the range adds meaningfully more overtaking pace for buyers who do the causeway or the Saudi run regularly. Either engine is quieter and better isolated at speed than the outgoing ZS was.
Value against Seltos and Creta
Pricing undercuts a similarly equipped Seltos or Creta by a real margin in Bahrain, and MG's six-year, 200,000 km warranty comfortably beats what Kia or Hyundai offer here. The one caution is that this is a brand-new platform with no Bahrain ownership history yet — the previous ZS earned genuine trust through volume and time on the road, and the new car has to build that reputation from zero, even if the early signs from the redesign are positive.