[ankitsingh7]

Originally Posted by anshul70701

When the weather is right, the '20 ZS EV can be really efficient. I can't wait for the 2022 version to arrive in my garage day after tomorrow. I'll post some pics of the delivery.

Congratulations!! Which color is it?

Also which showroom did you book it from?

[ankitsingh7]

Originally Posted by venom_op

I'd booked a black one as well. but my number doesn't seem to be anywhere in sight.

You should be able to check with the showroom. Just ask for sales manager. They should be able to let you know. Especially if you very politely tell them that you are thinking of the Nexon EV Max so you need some visibility on your waiting period.

Are you thinking of ceramic coating or ppf on the black color? I am wondering if ppf will adhere to the pattern on the front grill.

[venom_op]

Originally Posted by ankitsingh7

You should be able to check with the showroom. Just ask for sales manager. They should be able to let you know. Especially if you very politely tell them that you are thinking of the Nexon EV Max so you need some visibility on your waiting period.

Are you thinking of ceramic coating or ppf on the black color? I am wondering if ppf will adhere to the pattern on the front grill.

Haha. I’ll try that actually. So far we’ve been very generous and not hinted at anything. Let’s see if that works.

And as for the color, I’ll probably do ceramic since this is going to be my daily city car. It’ll never see a highway in its entire time with me. I’ll definitely do PPF on the bumpers and door edges. The pattern on the front will be tricky but since I’m in the detailing business myself, it’ll be a fun little experiment.

[NT56]

I corroborate with all the things mentioned in the official review. So instead of repeating all the hits and misses, I have focused on my initial ownership experience and observations. I got this car in April and I am enjoying it so far.

I was instantly attracted on the first ride. Her sophistication, elegance and energy had me smitten. I had to woo her a lot because there were so many suitors. She tested my patience but finally after several months she moved in with me. Now I have gotten to know her personality better and the initial attraction has metamorphosed into deep admiration.

The first few weeks revealed her quirks. I quickly found out that she hates heat. Her efficiency drops rapidly and so I try to keep her in the shade. She also doesn't like to be pushed to the limit and prefers smooth sailing. She has a weird accent and so we keep our verbal dialogue to a minimum. After several efforts I was also able to convince her not to start the radio every morning.

She is like an exotic beauty and yet extremely low maintenance. Her best aspect is the poise with which she carries herself even while hustling. There is no melodrama instead just peace and comfort. At the start I thought she was strictly a city gal but it seems she doesn't mind a short weekend getaway. She was surprisingly fun and energetic on our recent trip. We both know that she is a sprinter and not a marathoner. So she doesn't mind me occasionally riding with other gals who prefer cross country trips. She knows I will come back to her. She is also very charismatic and has charmed my family and friends. She is unique and the easiest to live with compared to all my previous partners.

These are still early days but so far I love this car for its refinement, comfort, acceleration and technology.

Following are the things I have done and recommend to prospective owners:

• If possible install the 7kW charger because it has all the advantages of slow charging at thrice the speed. When you are back late in night and need to head out early the next day you will appreciate the charging speed.
• Set the regeneration to highest and push through the change. I felt motion sick for the first few days because my body was expecting coasting instead of deceleration. But now I love not having to use the brakes so much so that I long for stronger regeneration.
• I got a ventilated seat cover powered by a 12V socket. This not only prevents sweaty backsides but also increases range because the AC doesn’t have to work very hard.
• I bought a dongle to convert wired android auto to wireless
• According to my research this car most likely has a LFP battery (not confirmed officially) that is actively cooled. This chemistry is very resilient to high charging/discharging so don’t fret about charging to 100% or going down to 20%. On the contrary it needs to charge to full to get a good estimate of SOC (state of charge).
• Do your own research before buying the car and if you are still risk averse to this new technology stay clear of EVs. But after you have pulled the trigger enjoy the car without worrying about battery degradation. Personally this car fit my requirements so well compared to anything else on the market that I am okay to be an early adopter (probably early majority) of this relatively new technology. I believe that the car will remain usable in the city for a very long time.

Other things of interest that I have noticed:

• As I mentioned before this car isn’t efficient in heat. If the car is parked in direct sun than in 44° afternoons I notice the efficiency drop to 4.5-5km/KWH and it increases to 6.5-7km/KWH in 35° evenings. On a relaxed night drives I see the efficiency rise above 8km/KWH. I am not a sedate driver and I consistently got an effective range of around 300-320kms in the hottest month of the year with ambient temperatures soaring above 42°. All of these observations are with the car in the Normal drive mode and the regeneration set to the highest (the car defaults to these settings on every start).
• The regeneration unfortunately goes away and the efficiency is the least when SOC is above 95%.
• Eco mode lightens the steering, dampens the throttle response and the AC to give about 10-15% boost in efficiency. Full power is still available with heavier throttle when needed. I would probably use this mode in cooler monsoons and winters.
• Compared to a hatch or a sedan the ride is firmer at low speeds. One can carry more speed over bad roads and it actually improves the ride.
• I like the heft of the steering which is unlike other light modern steering wheels. Also many controls feel similar to past VAG cars
• I have come to appreciate all the technology which I initially didn’t care much about. The image quality from the 360 camera should have been better. Even so with dynamic guidelines it surely eases getting in and out of my tight parking spot at work or on a tight ramp. The blind spot detection light in the ORVMs is a great touch. The alerts are overcautious so I look over my shoulder only when the light isn’t blinking. The rear cross traffic alert is very helpful when backing out of certain parking zones.
• The glass roof is a hit with rear passengers and the rear AC vents keeps everyone cool

Purchase decision
This thankfully ended my passionate and painful car search journey of 2 years. This car replaces my 10 year old Polo for my daily city commutes of about 40 odd kilometres. I tried all the turbo petrol automatic crossovers from the Duster to the Compass and all had some deal breakers. Most suffered from the turbo lag and felt slow to respond to my throttle inputs when I wanted sudden bursts of acceleration at low speeds. I was finally convinced with the Octavia even though it’s a bit too big for my needs. I have seen enough Skoda breakdowns in my family past 60000 kilometres to not trust the brand with high mileage use cases. But the Octavia seemed like the only car that would make me happy and so I had prepared myself to pamper the car including its DSG gearbox, light suede seats and the turbo petrol engine. I also braced myself for the high running and maintenance costs. While waiting for discounts on the Octavia, I test drove the ZS EV and found it impressive. I never thought I would get an EV in 2022 much less so with a relatively new brand. The exclusive (top) trim surely seems expensive by 2-3 lakhs but then so is everything else that I liked in these times of supply shortages. The MG sales and service experience have been very good so far. They have cordially attended to my several unusual requests pre and post sales.

Among all the cars that I test drove I felt that under 30 lakhs the Compass is a solid touring car, the Octavia is an elegant all-rounder and the ZS EV is a brilliant city car. If one needs a silent, comfortable and a quick automatic city car this one should be on the shortlist.

I have been lucky in terms of ownership experiences with all my past cars and I anticipate this one will build special memories too.

[ankitsingh7]

Originally Posted by NT56

I corroborate with all the things mentioned in the official review. So instead of repeating all the hits and misses, I have focused on my initial ownership experience and observations. I got this car in April and I am enjoying it so far.

Thanks for the post. This makes me feel a lot better about my decision.

A quick technical question. Is it better to charge using the portable charger compared to the wall box when you can? Does that help the battery?

[qaqa]

Wonderful love song for the new beloved, and great points!

Originally Posted by NT56

.[*]I got a ventilated seat cover powered by a 12V socket. This not only prevents sweaty backsides but also increases range because the AC doesn’t have to work very hard.[*]I bought a dongle to convert wired android auto to wireless

Could you let me know which brand you purchased and how much it costs? I am on the ZS EV wait list and if I go through with it, I would be very keen to install these accessories!

[ankitsingh7]

Originally Posted by qaqa

Could you let me know which brand you purchased and how much it costs?

I was wondering the same thing

Also are there any after market seat ventilation kits? Mainly that would be installed in the seats itself. When I was in Canada, it was quite common to have it installed.

[NT56]

Originally Posted by ankitsingh7

A quick technical question. Is it better to charge using the portable charger compared to the wall box when you can? Does that help the battery?

To my knowledge it doesn't have any extra benefits. My 7kW charger charges at max 6.7KW and is considered slow charging. The charging speed is less than 0.14C

Originally Posted by qaqa

Could you let me know which brand you purchased and how much it costs? I am on the ZS EV wait list and if I go through with it, I would be very keen to install these accessories!

I bought Airbrace apron plus from Amazon for less than 3k. It is a strap-on apron, so should not be a hindrance to the seat airbag. Also they are black and merges well in the cabin

For the wireless dongle I bought the AAWireless for about 8k. It's pretty small and goes out of sight if you stick it to the sidewall of storage space that houses the main USB port.

[ankitsingh7]

Originally Posted by NT56

I bought Airbrace apron plus from Amazon for less than 3k……

I’ve been following this for a few days now but it seems to be out of stock always. Will check if it’s available elsewhere.

[zandot]

Imagine having to install those on a 27L Car! Just a shame MG didn't put those factory fitted. Anyone got any insight on their deliveries yet? Coming up to month 4 for me and still no news.

[ankitsingh7]

Originally Posted by zandot

Imagine having to install those on a 27L Car! Just a shame MG didn't put those factory fitted. Anyone got any insight on their deliveries yet? Coming up to month 4 for me and still no news.

I understand the sentiment, but I feel that every car under 30L will have sets of features that would be obvious otherwise. I think in ZS EV’s are Auto Dimming IRVM and ventilated seats. ADAS could be another one but most cars in this range do not use regen when running cruise control and given the version we get has a smaller battery, that effect would be that much bigger.

I do not want to sound like a fanboy trying to defend his choice but I feel that the car does offer a lot of features that other cars dont.

[venom_op]

Originally Posted by zandot

Imagine having to install those on a 27L Car! Just a shame MG didn't put those factory fitted. Anyone got any insight on their deliveries yet? Coming up to month 4 for me and still no news.

Right with you there. MH deliveries seem to be slower than the rest of the country. God knows why.

My dealer said that they're fulfilling December orders right now. Apparently, they carried forward the orders for the older gen car. So God knows when people who booked the new ones will get them.

People up north seem to be luckier than us. Most of the deliveries are going there according to my RM.

[ankitsingh7]

Originally Posted by NT56

I bought Airbrace apron plus from Amazon for less than 3k…..

How can one install these on both front seats? Is there a way to split the 12v socket?

[venom_op]

Originally Posted by ankitsingh7

How can one install these on both front seats? Is there a way to split the 12v socket?

You can buy a splitter socket

[NT56]

Originally Posted by zandot

Imagine having to install those on a 27L Car! Just a shame MG didn't put those factory fitted.

Yeah that was one feature that was important to me. Interestingly both the other cars that I liked Compass(wouldn't have gone for top model S) and Octavia don't have cooled seats.

Originally Posted by ankitsingh7

How can one install these on both front seats? Is there a way to split the 12v socket?

Yes you can install a splitter. There should be enough power to drive both the fans.