MG ZT

Magazine Subscription

Subscribe to Classic Motoring Magazine and save over 20%

Subscribe NOW

Available at all good newsagents including WHSmith

● Great lifestyle estate ● Good daily drivers ● Mustang V8 power! ● Amazing value if you buy well

Unless you’re a boy racer, where the ZR hatch excels, the mature ZT is the best modern MG. Yes, it might have a faint whiff of Rover about it, but that’s okay because this MG make over is done well to make a splendid sporting saloon of the frumpy 75 while the classy, cultured commonsensical Tourer estate could be the true modern alternative to a Reliant Scimitar GTE.

Driving

The Rover 75 was inherently a good car and the ‘sportifying’ to make it an MG makes it better still. Performance from all is as good as any rival; the V6 makes for a velvety drive (available in 160, 177, 180 and 190bhp tune) and the front-wheel drive handling grippy and composed (when on the right dampers) although the ride is understandably harder than in the Rover.

The fast but not furious V8 Mustangmotored flagship is real thrill as it’s an old school V8 256bhp teamed up with an uniquely engineered rear wheel drive chassis for classic hot rod handling that harks back to the Rover SD1 Vitesse and that was car which, in turn, was likened to something Aston would be proud of!

If you’re after a cheap daily driver then a zesty ZT should suit you to a tee.

Best models

In terms of investments, then it has to be the ’260 Mustanged models’ simply because of rarity, impressive credentials plus what this hybrid offers and it’s amazing that the car is not spoken of as highly as it should be because in years to come we’ll we saying “why the hell didn’t I get one at the time”.

The rest of the wide range is largely dependent on what you can pick up although we give the rare and untrustworthy 1.8 Turbo a wide berth given the K-Series engine’s issues, compounded by the Turbo!

The V6s are nicely swift and sweet but for daily driving BMW diesel range (115 or 131bhp) is the logical and economical choice. Saloon estate? Given the choice, we’d go for latter for their GTE versatility.

PRICES

This is the best bit. Even the soon to be collectible Mustang engined ZTs are £8000 buys and you’ll have trouble to buy a regular alternative for much over two grand, with general ’smokers’ less than half this. This of course makes projects plain daft although it you have the spare space to hand it’s worth buying one for beer money for those essential future parts.

Buying advice

Despite BMW’s help and build quality improvements, these old Rovers had their share of issues, not least a depressingly propensity to rot terminally for such a modern (sells and subframe in the main) don’t get taken in by a think outside.

The K-Series’ foibles are well known but the KV6 V6 has similar ills of its own plus piston problems and some parts are becoming harder to find. Electronics are simple but water leaks can ruin the ECU while on the 260, there are known problems with the marriage of Ford and Rover electronics, plus its special rear axle and brake system can be problematic.

The good news is, as with the ZR and ZS models, there’s a growing army of new enthusiasts’ websites and forums catering for the ‘Z Cars’ such as the 75andztclub. co.uk one. Check them out before buying.