[Chrome6Boy]

I have booked the Excite version. The main things I wanted in the car was that it should be an EV, a minimum range of 240 KMs, great acceleration, room to fit my family and a decent sized trunk. I don't drive more than 100 KMPH regularly but I love getting to that speed as quickly as possible.

They have quoted a waiting period of 4 to 5 months. For the Exclusive variant it was 3 to 4 months. The reason for the long delay is because of a semiconductor shortage. They also said the blue colour was not available on the Excite version even though this wasn't mentioned on the brochure. We are not too particular about the colour so we weren't too bothered. The salesperson also mentioned that they have had very good enquiries for the car and someone test drives the car almost every day. They have had good bookings too.

There are no discounts on offer but they offered to discuss free accessories and also try and match online insurance quotes during time of final payment. I am not holding up too much hope for big discounts especially because of the waiting periods.

I had almost decided on the Nexon EV but thanks to the reviews on this thread and also Tata's unwillingness to provide a test drive vehicle after several requests helped us make the decision. Also the other threads about making longer trips and charging stations availability in and around Tamilnadu really helped.

While comparing the Nexon and ZS, we found that comparing both isn't really fair as this is clearly a segment above. While the Nexon is really good value for money I need a minimum of 240 KMs range as I make a round trip of 240 KMs every week to my work place in Ranipet. I like using cruise control on highways, which isn't available on the Nexon. I also hated the idea of hypermilling, I don't want to spend a lot of money on a car then always have to drive it slowly with range anxiety since I do the 240 KM round trip every week.

The reason to book the Excite version was because we live in Chennai and items like the sunroof and leather seats are actually a deterrent due to very hot and humid weather for most of the year. Creature comforts like electrical seat adjustment were not too important as they are used rarely. It was really nice to see that safety equipment across both variants are virtually the same, hats off to MG for that.

We have a Venue DCT where we never ever use Blue Link or the sunroof. I understand that the connected features in the MG offer a lot of information regarding trip details and charging but it wasn't worth the incremental 3.5 Lakhs for us.

For our usage we will save on fuel bills for about Rs.10,000 a month which will really help paying the EMI and environmental benefits are a big plus too.

Below is a short description of our test drive experience.

The salesperson from MG OMR was actually quite good. He brought the car home to us on time, and explained the features well. When I explained I am a Team-BHP member, he smiled knowingly and said I should already know all there is to know about the car.

The car was clean despite having several dents on it. It had run for more than 2000 Kms but still looked new and the inside of the car was clean and well maintained.

The car itself was quite large though it didn't look like it from the outside. Seating for our family was more than sufficient. My mother in law and two daughters sat quite comfortably in the back and the trunk was certainly large enough for our trips out of Chennai. The front seats were more than wide enough for my wife and me to sit without brushing elbows.

Interior fit and finish was much better than I am used to since I drive the Vento TSI and also better than my wife's Venue DCT. The sound quality was really good for my ears, I am not an audiophile and mostly listen to podcasts when driving alone.

The car was eerily silent and really well insulated from outside noise. It was such a refreshing experience. This can't be said enough about EVs. I realise people still pay more for a louder car (i20 N line) but its not for me.

The drive really impressed me. We drove on ECR which is quite empty past Neelangarai. The car was on eco+ mode and KERS on 3 when I started driving. I really loved the regen mode slowing down the car every time I lifted my foot off the gas. I think this will be my go to mode on city roads, I regularly downshift on my TSI manually for engine breaking and this felt a lot like that without the noise.

I also really liked their hold function which when the car is brought to a stand still holds it to a stop until we press the accelerator again. This is useful in traffic lights because we don't need to keep pressing the brake, or engage neutral and engage the parking brake. However this will be a little bit of a pain in bumper to bumper traffic as it will negate crawl mode. I live on the outskirts of Chennai and almost never face bumper to bumper traffic.

The acceleration in eco+ mode was really more than sufficient for me in the city, it easily closed the gaps between cars in front of me without much effort. It felt like driving my TSI in the city. Braking gave me confidence, it was never too strong or light.

Once we hit more open roads I tried the normal mode and I was floored by the acceleration. Instant torque in EVs was something I have only read about and I experienced it for the first time here. My previous cars were the Vento TSI and the Cruze which weren't slouches but this car was far superior even in normal mode. Perhaps 0-100 numbers may not reflect this feeling but EVs I think are really nice to drive. I don't doubt that the Nexon EV would be a hoot to drive.

I then engaged the sports mode and when I accelerated I had to fight not to panic. It was the stuff of dreams! It became evident that this is the future of automobiles. No more gear changes or waiting for the engine to be in the RPM sweet zone. IC engines cannot hold a candle to EVs when it comes to acceleration. I remember reading about CVT gearboxes and how we need to prepare the car for overtaking, there is simply no preparation here. Floor the accelerator and I think this car can pretty much over take anything in its sights. I own two DCTs which are apparently the quickest at changing gears and even the much touted DSG in my TSI is just no comparison because there are simply no gear changes in EVs.

This is when I noticed the seats were really good. It hugged me nicely as I was pushed back to my seat. Finding the ideal Seating position was also easy for me. Even upon hard acceleration the car behaved well, I didn't cross 3 figures but the suspension was really settled. I don't think I will engage sports mode unless I am on empty highways and even then only for short bursts just to have fun.

I drove over some speed breakers and some potholes and the car behaved just fine. Since the Cruze and Vento have fairly sporty suspensions, I liked this setup.

Finally it came to the charger installation at home. I have a 3 phase 5KW setup in my independent house. On causal enquiry with TNEB it looked like it will cost upwards of Rs. 50,000 to enhance the load (charges plus you know what). This mirrored what docelectric2020 also said. It just didn't feel like it was worth it. So we have decided to install it in our factory in Ranipet which has more than sufficient load sanction. I will use that for my weekly top up and use a normal 16 amp plug at home for my city needs. MG said they will install the charger at our factory for free despite delivering the car in Chennai.

This will need some planning at home like remembering to plug in the car over night if the charge is low but there is no way around it. It is really unfortunate. This was really the only minus point about purchasing the car.

Overall we loved the car, and hope they don't increase the price before we get delivery.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading.

[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

This will need some planning at home like remembering to plug in the car over night if the charge is low but there is no way around it. It is really unfortunate. This was really the only minus point about purchasing the car.

Thanks for sharing your first hand experience with the car. In no time you will get used to plugging the car in just like your mobile phone, smartwatch or any other battery operated gadget as and when needed. My guess is after a year into your ownership, you will know that it is indeed not a minus point but a convenience - Filling up at home and no need to visit fuel stations

Congrats on your booking and wish you safe and silent kms!

[docelectric2020]

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

Finally it came to the charger installation at home. I have a 3 phase 5KW setup in my independent house. On causal enquiry with TNEB it looked like it will cost upwards of Rs. 50,000 to enhance the load (charges plus you know what). This mirrored what docelectric2020 also said. It just didn't feel like it was worth it. So we have decided to install it in our factory in Ranipet which has more than sufficient load sanction. I will use that for my weekly top up and use a normal 16 amp plug at home for my city needs. MG said they will install the charger at our factory for free despite delivering the car in Chennai.

This will need some planning at home like remembering to plug in the car over night if the charge is low but there is no way around it. It is really unfortunate. This was really the only minus point about purchasing the car.

Overall we loved the car, and hope they don't increase the price before we get delivery.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading.

You have made a good choice. Good write up too.

Your decision to install the charger at Ranipet is a good one.
Charging the MG at home with the 15Amps charger is more than sufficient. The 15amps charger adds about 6% charge in 1 hour. So overnight charging would be sufficient most of the time.
Kanchipuram already has one 7kw AC charger in MM legacy Hotel.
The Chennai-Velloe route will have some fast chargers coming up soon which can be used in case of unplanned trips.

[Lobogris]

I have been using the 3kW portable charger on my ZS. It does take about 18 hours but the trick is to not let it get too low in the first place. It tops up about 5% per hour so if you are down to 50%, you can get nearly full in around 10 hours. So it works out fine with some fast charger usage where needed.

[WD-42]

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

They also said the blue colour was not available on the Excite version even though this wasn't mentioned on the brochure.

Not just semi-conductors, there is a supply chain crunch causing shortage of blue paint around the world too. MG is probably saving the blue for the Exclusive variant.

Blue Paint Shortage:
https://www.bloombergquint.com/busin...rial-shortages

[Tokengrip]

The reason to book the Excite version was because we live in Chennai and items like the sunroof and leather seats are actually a deterrent due to very hot and humid weather for most of the year. Creature comforts like electrical seat adjustment were not too important as they are used rarely. It was really nice to see that safety equipment across both variants are virtually the same, hats off to MG for that.

Completely agree with you on this. Came to the same conclusion when I picked one up for my dad. The additional logic was, the lesser the electronics involved the lesser the long term problems. I would have liked MG to offer the leather seats on the excite version though. The black interior would have gone well with the white car.

Booked ours on the day MG announced the facelift release and still took till end of July for us to get delivery. The factory produces the Exclusive and excite model in batches. The problem was that the majority of bookings they initially recieved was for the exclusive model. Hence preference was given to its production. Only when collective booking reached a required no did MG start to manufacture the excite model. Hence we had to wait a while.

Finally it came to the charger installation at home. I have a 3 phase 5KW setup in my independent house. On causal enquiry with TNEB it looked like it will cost upwards of Rs. 50,000 to enhance the load (charges plus you know what).

Dad faced the same issue at his place. Decided it makes no financial sense to install it. So he s still using the slow charger with no plans to install the fast charger as he s finding it quite adequate.

[SRT_Dwarka]

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

I
On causal enquiry with TNEB it looked like it will cost upwards of Rs. 50,000 to enhance the load (charges plus you know what)

Might I suggest: Apply for the load enhancement, online if possible, Since you already have a 3 phase connection, I don't think the load enhancement will entail any new lines etc. Just a change of the supply transformer, for which most distribution companies charge a fixed nominal amount which is about 150-200 Rs. Per kW AFAIK. Just apply and sit tight, they have SLAs too which they have to fulfill and engineers are made personally liable these days for breach of SLAs, they'll provide you a connection without too much trouble. If they ever make any excuses to get extra money, just say, whatever you do, give intimation to me in writing and this will resolve everything.

[Chrome6Boy]

Originally Posted by WD-42

Not just semi-conductors, there is a supply chain crunch causing shortage of blue paint around the world too. MG is probably saving the blue for the Exclusive variant.

Blue Paint Shortage:
https://www.bloombergquint.com/busin...rial-shortages

Wow this is some information! We decided on red so it didn't matter.

Originally Posted by Tokengrip

Booked ours on the day MG announced the facelift release and still took till end of July for us to get delivery. The factory produces the Exclusive and excite model in batches. The problem was that the majority of bookings they initially recieved was for the exclusive model. Hence preference was given to its production. Only when collective booking reached a required no did MG start to manufacture the excite model. Hence we had to wait a while.


Dad faced the same issue at his place. Decided it makes no financial sense to install it. So he s still using the slow charger with no plans to install the fast charger as he s finding it quite adequate.

Yes this is in line with what the salesperson explained to us. They've quoted 4 to 5 months which seems like a lifetime away.

Regarding the charger, we decided on the Excite model to save 3.5 lakhs, we weren't about to spend some of our savings by giving it to the electricity board.

[Dhillon]

Originally Posted by WD-42

Not just semi-conductors, there is a supply chain crunch causing shortage of blue paint around the world too. MG is probably saving the blue for the Exclusive variant.

Blue Paint Shortage:
https://www.bloombergquint.com/busin...rial-shortages

While this shortage of blue paint is true, MG never had Blue color for excite variant since its launch. It was exclusively for Exclusive variant

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

They also said the blue colour was not available on the Excite version even though this wasn't mentioned on the brochure. We are not too particular about the colour so we weren't too bothered.

You should reach out to MG direct and ask them if this is the case. When you are paying so much for a car, you should get the color of your choice, not have the dealer dictate what is available. Understand that this isn't a priority. Its no deal breaker but its a nice feeling to walk up to a car when it your preferred color.

I have limited experience behind the wheel of an EV and can relate to some of what you've said. Acceleration is a no contest and the best part is that you don't need an Audi E Tron to prove that. There is no doubt that 50% of the cars we see on the road will be an EV and this is going to happen really fast. 99% of personal car owners use their vehicles as a mode of transport, not to race off the line or listen to the engine note. An EV is perfect for this. I am pretty sure that if an EV version existed for every model of car on sale in our market and if the cost were not that much higher (Than IC), we'd switch over in an instant. All it takes is a little bit of education, to take out that whole range anxiety issue. Once we know there are no more oil changes to be bothered about and if we present an excel spreadsheet with the difference in running costs, its going to be a no brainer. That said, I am sure atleast 20% of us here (Maybe higher) on this forum, will still have a gas engine car along side an EV. There ain't no substitute for the gas engine when it comes to the thrill and feel of driving. I know I will be out dragged by a little Honda E but that's missing the point.

[Chrome6Boy]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

You should reach out to MG direct and ask them if this is the case. When you are paying so much for a car, you should get the color of your choice, not have the dealer dictate what is available. Understand that this isn't a priority. Its no deal breaker but its a nice feeling to walk up to a car when it your preferred color.

We didn't want the blue colour, I was just mentioning what the salesperson told us. We decided on the red.

With regards to the thrill you feel while driving an IC engine, is it because of the noise it makes or the gear changes? For me the acceleration is all the thrill I need.

Perhaps people felt that way when cars started replacing horses. Horses are still probably quite thrilling!

We're have an IC car for the occasional road trip, but I suspect as chargers become more frequent on highways we will replace our second car with an EV too.

[car_guy1998]

My first impressions after driving an EV for the first time in my life:

Yesterday, when I went to MG showroom to have a look at Hector Diesel, but, I was told that TD of Hector wasn't available. So, at the same time, since I was at the showroom, thought why not TD the ZS EV, which I've been planning to do since ages.

Man, I was very much impressed with the car's performance and the car was super silent (we own couple of Diesel vehicles at home) and I coudln't hear any sound from the car.

One test drive of ZS EV made me fall in love with it. Drove in sports mode as well as in normal mode but sports mode felt overkill to drive in city traffic IMO though pull is impressive. For me, normal mode would be sufficient for daily driving. The rear seat space seemed to be ok IMO. And, we have already decided to get an EV as the replacement for our 2014 Honda City Diesel, which has run 1.2L Kms and mainly driven within city limits as well as occasionally on highways but it will take sometime as we are replacing our another vehicle with new one soon and we will be moving to a new place in another few months, where we will be installing the solar panel.

Since we are getting the solar installed at our new house, I and my parents thought why not get an EV car as the daily runabout replacing the City Diesel soon.

The present price of ZS EV Excite is around 23.1L while Exclusive is around 26.5L, OTR Hyderabad.

But, overall, I've fallen in love with the ZS EV. Next is to TD the Tata Nexon EV, which I'll be doing it soon.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

We didn't want the blue colour, I was just mentioning what the salesperson told us. With regards to the thrill you feel while driving an IC engine, is it because of the noise it makes or the gear changes?

I misread what you wrote. When you said the blue color was not available, I read it as you were keen on that color. It looks different.

With IC, yes it is the noise, vibrations, the effort you put in to make something happen, etc. There is none of that with EV. Its all silent, calm to the point of being therapeutic. Its a good thing.

Horses are indeed a thrill. Ever seen them take off? Without a firm grip on those reins, you'll likely be on the ground.

[Kickdown]

Test drove the ZS EV today. The overall experience was pretty good. Everything felt normal from the get-go. And I say that in a positive way. The drivability was excellent and the acceleration in Sports mode was absolutely stonking.

One thing that I did notice was how bumpy and bouncy the rear seat was. I don’t know if it was specific to the test drive vehicle or something else. I feel the rear seat passengers will not appreciate it and it’s a definite deal breaker for me. The road that I took was a regular one for me so I know how a car should feel on it. Did anyone else notice it?

[ChargedGarage]

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

While the Nexon is really good value for money I need a minimum of 240 KMs range as I make a round trip of 240 KMs every week to my work place in Ranipet.

Hey buddy, I too was contemplating buying the MG ZS EV for my weekly run which includes 250km on Friday evening and then 250km again on Monday morning and took the 3 day test drive. But something that you should be aware of and it seems that your salesperson has forgot to mention is battery degradation over time. I was told that somewhere around 30% degradation in 5/8 years (forget if its 5 or 8) is considered to be an acceptable amount by MG and it will be changed under warranty only if the battery degrades more than that within the specified period. Charging the battery to 100% means that battery will degrade faster and also if you quick charge it.

For me this meant that within 2-3 years, I might not be able to complete my 250km one-way trip without charging in between or I will be barely making it with little charge to spare. The test drive car I received had 7k kms on the Odo and was showing around 290km range with AC in Normal Mode for reference.

Putting in a new battery pack at your own cost will damage your pocket by about 50% of the car price.

I would personally pick one up today if it was available on a leasing plan where I can then return the car to MG in 3-5 years without a worry for resale. Since the electric car tech is evolving very quickly and all companies are launching their new vehicles, as soon as a car with a 500-600km range comes out, I expect the car with the 250-300km range to tank very quickly in resale value especially since a used car's range will be further degraded.

I personally came to the conclusion that right now may not be the best time for my use case to buy an EV. The handling, acceleration and experience was overall fantastic and I am excited for EVs to enter the Indian market but starting off with a 300km range that degrades over time won't really cut it for me.