MG ZS EV facelift debuts in Europe, Long Range version with 72 kWh battery introduced

Morris Garages (MG) has taken the wraps off the facelifted, 2022 MG ZS EV for the European market, which gets a slew of cosmetic and vital technical changes. Having made its debut in 2019, the MG ZS EV has received its first major update that adds a number of styling tweaks, a few new features on the inside and a new ‘Long Range’ variant with a significantly larger battery. Let’s take a closer look at all that’s new on the 2022 MG ZS EV facelift.

MG ZS EV facelift: Styling updates

For 2022, the MG ZS EV gets new LED headlights and ditches its chrome-surround grille for a nearly-fully sealed-off front-end, which makes it quite obvious that this is a fully electric vehicle; further visually distancing it from the combustion engine-powered MG ZS. It also sports redesigned front and rear bumpers, lightly tweaked elements for the tail-lights and new alloy wheels. These changes aside, the 2022 ZS EV is more or less identical to the model on sale in India. [caption id=“attachment_10036701” align=“alignnone” width=“1173”]  New LED headlights and sealed-off front-end differentiate the ZS EV facelift from the ICE model. Image: MG[/caption]

MG ZS EV facelift: Interior

MG has decided against making any radical changes to the interior of the ZS EV with the facelift, so that dashboard design remains exactly the same as before. However, the differences are with the screens – there’s a new, 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system as well as a digital instruments display; both appear to be the same as in the soon-to-be-launched MG Astor .

MG ZS EV facelift: Battery and range

The biggest and most important changes for the 2022 MG ZS EV come in this department. For the base ZS EV, out goes the 44.5 kWh battery pack, and in its place comes a larger, 51 kWh battery. This also brings a notable increase in range – the 2022 model has a range of 320 kilometres on the WLTP cycle, an increase of around 58 kilometres compared to the outgoing ZS EV. [caption id=“attachment_10036711” align=“alignnone” width=“1600”]  Floating 10.1-inch touchscreen and digital instruments display added to the ZS EV facelift. Image: MG[/caption] There’s also a ‘Long Range’ version of the MG ZS EV now, with a substantially larger 72 kWh battery pack. This variant has a WLTP-certified range of nearly 440 kilometres. MG has integrated four-stage indicator LEDs into the charging port (now offset to the right of the MG logo on the nose) to reflect charge status. The on-board AC charger – a combination of Type 2 and CCS standards – facilitates charging up to 7 kW, and the ZS EV can take as much as 76kW via a DC fast charger. MG claims the Long Range version of the ZS EV can be fully charged in ten-and-a-half hours using a standard 7 kW charger, and in just 42 minutes using a 100 kW DC fast charger.

MG ZS EV facelift: India launch

Launched in India at the start of 2020, the MG ZS EV already received a key update earlier this year, with range rising to 419 kilometres on a full charge, and continues to be one of the best-selling EVs in India. Yes, that figure is higher than the range for the base 2022 ZS EV and not too far off the range of the ‘Long Range’ model, but remember that the figures for the 2022 ZS EV are on the WLTP cycle, and the ARAI test cycle differs greatly. If MG chooses to plonk the larger battery into the India-spec ZS EV, its range will be closer to or may even exceed 500 kilometres. However, the larger batteries will come at a cost, and it’s likely that MG will skip the 72 kWh version entirely, and choose to launch the ZS EV facelift in India with the slightly larger 51 kWh battery, which would give it a clear range advantage over its main rival, the Hyundai Kona Electric. Expect to see the MG ZS EV facelift in India sometime in 2022, with prices likely to range from Rs 23-26 lakh (ex-showroom).