Just months after pulling it from the market, the 2026 MG ZS Vibe 1.5 has returned to the market in non-turbocharged form, with a drive-away offer of $22,990 that makes it Australia’s cheapest new small SUV.
This means it undercuts the Chery Tiggo 4 Urban as well as the Mahindra XUV 3XO AX5L – both of which are $23,990 drive-away. Kevin Gannon, Business Director of MG Motor Australia offered the following statement:
“MG ZS Vibe is about making life simple. It’s a car designed for people who want great value, modern technology and 5-star safety peace of mind, without overcomplicating things. The return of ZS Vibe strengthens our promise of offering accessible mobility for Australians.”
As with its force-fed brethren ($24,990 drive-away, at time of writing), the Vibe includes a 10.25-inch touch-screen incorporating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, MG Pilot ADAS system and a reverse camera.
Recently, the MG ZS was bumped up to a five-star ANCAP rating, putting it on par with its rivals from Haval and Chery. The GAC Emzoom is yet to be tested. Unlike before, the Essence will not be available in this guise – only with the turbo and hybrid ZS.
We’ve driven the naturally aspirated version of the 1.5L ZS before and its performance figures were glacial, to say the least. However, in day-to-day driving, it is responsive enough and adequate in most situations, producing 81kW and 140Nm.
We’ve clocked 0-100km/h in 13.93 seconds. Importantly, it is a world away from its four-speed automatic equipped predecessor which was painfully slow. It’s on sale now.
