MG Philippines’s surprising big hit (and landslide bestseller), the MG ZS just got a substantial refresh in its home market of China. For 2020, it gets a massaged exterior aesthetic, revamped interior, a pair of brand-new engines, and the company’s first crack at autonomous driving tech.

Exterior-wise, the 2020 MG ZS ditches the “Stardust” grille in favor of a sportier grille which MG now calls “Blackbird Matrix Grille.” The larger grille (it echoes the MG HS’s actually) means that the headlights have reshaped as well, and feature LED lighting technology with automatic high beams. At the back, the taillights, trunk lid, and bumpers have been massaged as well. A new color—first debuting on the EV version of the ZS—St. Moritz Blue is now available on the non-EV version as well.



Inside, the MG ZS has also seen substantial changes which includes full digital instrumentation, and a 10.1-inch floating infotainment system with 170 degrees of viewing angle (and a promise that it won’t wash out in direct sunlight). The trademark “I-MAX” panoramic sunroof with its 1.19 square-meter glass area also remains.

New this 2020 is the “Trophy” treatment. Denoting the brand’s sportiest trim, in the MG ZS, it adds blackened headlights, grille surround, side mirrors, an exclusive wheel design, red brake calipers, and of course, the Trophy badge by the C-pillars. Inside, the Trophy gets an all-black interior with red highlights and carbon fiber accents extending to the seats.


Under the hood, the 2020 MG ZS gets two new engines. The lower-end variants get a New 180DVVT engine with 118 horsepower and 150 Nm of torque. Mated to a CVT transmission, this engine is capable of up to 16.12 km/L. Meanwhile, the new Trophy swaps the normally-aspirated engine for a 1.3-liter turbocharged motor. In this guise, it does 162 horsepower and 230 Nm of torque and is paired with a 6-speed Aisin automatic.

The 2020 MG ZS also introduces the brand’s own set of autonomous driving tech and with that gets full-speed adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go assist, blind spot monitoring, lane departure correction, lane keep assist, front collision warning with automatic braking, and a 360-degree camera.



No word on when the refreshed MG ZS will be offered in the Philippine market. In China, it’s now on sale alongside the pre-facelifted ZS.