Excite or Exclusive?

[Paulie68]

To be honest we all bought mg due to one thing cost .If you are happy to tolerate the worst customer service in the uk in my experience thats fine , you pay your money you take your choice.For me following my desire for a bargain hasnt done me any favours.If you can afford it upgrade or if you cant buy an e golf.
You will in the long run be better off or just pray that your lucky and dont have to rely on customer services thats where the costs were cut

Mine has been just fine, no aftersales dealer issues, but then, nothing has needed their input. I do think dealers in general are crap though, not just MG. Every marque of car I've ever owned that needed dealer involvement for problem solving has involved grief. Main dealers are down there with estate agents in my book, usually greedy and usually useless too. There are exceptions.

 

[JodyS21]

I’m looking at the ZS EV but need to know what people think I should go for?
I’ve found an white excite for £19500 pre RPG 20 plate with 100 miles or an exclusive 70 plate in blue with 500 miles for £21500

You get so much more for not much extra money with the Exclusive, as many people have said.

What I will say though is, unless things have changed recently (which is possible), I'd be looking to pay less than £21k for a pre-reg 70 plate Exclusive with delivery mileage. Look around, going 100miles etc to get one may save you a lot.

One thing I considered re warranty, years vs mileage. We do a lot of miles, so when I was originally looking at slightly cheaper ones, the mileage already on the car was more important to me that the age as that would give me a longer effective warranty.
(Oh and MAKE SURE whatever you get has DEFINITELY been updated fully/properly before you drive it away!!!!)

 

[Deleted member 2439]

Exclusive, without a doubt. You will appreciate the extra equipment levels (especially the sunroof) and your eventual resale value will almost certainly be higher.

Plus blue is better than white (although not as good as red ?) and a 70 plate beats a 20 plate...

er, how is any colour “better” than any other?

 

[Paulie68]

er, how is any colour “better” than any other?

Colour is, of course, a subjective preference and makes no difference at all. We just like to have a bit of fun with "team red", "team blue" and such.

 

[Deleted member 3150]

Are you buying from a dealer with good ongoing support? On the ZS you might need it. New car on lease might be worth considering. Cost per month and trade it back when you get board with it.
Are you sure the winter battery mileage is enough for you needs, don’t count on over a 100 miles before recharging unless you enjoy the jeopardy of will I get home, or waste your precious lifetime on this planet waiting for top ups and hoping the charger you need is in service.

I’m crossgrading to an HS phev - ZS did not suit us after 7 months winter into summer.

 

[Kithmo]

er, how is any colour “better” than any other?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

 

[Kithmo]

FYI there are more Exclusives on the road than Excites, so if you want to be more exclusive then buy an Excite.

 

[Lovemyev]

Are you buying from a dealer with good ongoing support? On the ZS you might need it. New car on lease might be worth considering. Cost per month and trade it back when you get board with it.
Are you sure the winter battery mileage is enough for you needs, don’t count on over a 100 miles before recharging unless you enjoy the jeopardy of will I get home, or waste your precious lifetime on this planet waiting for top ups and hoping the charger you need is in service.

I’m crossgrading to an HS phev - ZS did not suit us after 7 months winter into summer.

You REALLY have to do your homework very carefully, when considering moving to a full EV or maybe you have access to a second ICE car ?.
I went from owning a PHEV for four years, then made the jump into a full EV.
So, after owning a PHEV for that length of time, I was MORE than sure that a full BEV would suit our needs.
My wife has a small ICE car also, this could be seen as a “Back Up” plan.
But it has never been the favoured option for BOTH of us !.
The PHEV was a great car and I though the economy was really good.
It’s surprising how many people purchase a PHEV and never plug them in !.
What a waste of money.
When you are doing your “Man Maths” you do have to factor in a few things with owning a PHEV.
Check the price of the servicing costs, you WILL find that the costs do increase greatly as the car gets older.
The first couple of years are okay, but then it gets more expensive.
Remember with a PHEV you are serving two masters.
There is the ICE servicing demands, then the electric side of things also.
Although the PHEV is cheap to run, you will not get close to the low running costs of a BEV.
Am I glad I choose to go down the PHEV route first ?.
Yes - It was a great “Bridge” car into the world of a full BEV.
It helped give me the confidence to go full BEV.
I would totally recommend going full BEV in a heart beat IF you are 100% sure it will cover your usage requirements.
The safest bet for moving from a previous ICE car, to either a PHEV or a BEV is the biggest dilemma.
Most people will often air on the side of caution and go for a PHEV.
They are a “Toe In The Water” start to the world of full electric powered cars.
Warning .
Electric car driving is very addictive !.
The more you drive in pure electric, the more you want to drive ALL of the time in electric mode.
Buying a PHEV can give you this feeling, I had it in my previous car.
All is nice a smooth, then you hear the ICE kicking in !.
It can become a little tiring at times when driving in town traffic, when your small electric range has become depleted.
Engine stop / starting just to move a couple of inches at a time.
Don’t find yourself being a PHEV owner saying :- “If only I had more electric range”.
If you find yourself in this camp, you will pine for a BEV for the whole time you own the PHEV.
It is a REALLY difficult call, which never has the right or correct answer for any two different people.
Study your usage pattern very carefully !.
Actually sit down with a piece of paper and document a typical weekly usage.
Most people are shocked how little actual mileage they really cover.
If the BEV can cover this usage with a plenty of redundancy to spare, then you choice has just become a little easier.
My ZS EV is now 18 months old and we have covered 12,500 miles in that time.
This includes two lock downs in Wales.
The car has placed no restriction on where we wanted to go, in fact we have covered WAY more miles in the BEV than we ever did in the PHEV.
Why ?.
The answer is quit simple, we enjoy the pleasure of driving / travelling in a BEV and more importantly for a OAP is the cost to cover them miles is never a concern.
The cost saving with regards to fuel is a LOT !.
Making trips for a couple of pounds is brilliant.
A sandwich and a cup of tea for our lunch, can cost more than the price of the juice to conduct the trip in many cases.
Each to there own I guest.
I have no regrets buying the PHEV it served us well over the four years of ownership, as it stands right now after 18 months of owning the BEV.
I am totally convinced I took the decision to go full BEV.
If it was not a ZS EV - It would have been another EV of some type.
None of that “Self Charging” rubbish out there !.
Do your home work, then do it again is the best advice that I can offer and I am sure you will come to the right decision in the end.
Good luck with your choice.

 

[Lovemyev]

I looked at both but for financial reasons I went for the Excite. It still has more tech than my ICE Exclusive had. I miss the reversing camera but I do love my car.

Very honest reply ?.

 

[Deleted member 3150]

You REALLY have to do your homework very carefully, when considering moving to a full EV or maybe you have access to a second ICE car ?.
I went from owning a PHEV for four years, then made the jump into a full EV.
So, after owning a PHEV for that length of time, I was MORE than sure that a full BEV would suit our needs.
My wife has a small ICE car also, this could be seen as a “Back Up” plan.
But it has never been the favoured option for BOTH of us !.
The PHEV was a great car and I though the economy was really good.
It’s surprising how many people purchase a PHEV and never plug them in !.
What a waste of money.
When you are doing your “Man Maths” you do have to factor in a few things with owning a PHEV.
Check the price of the servicing costs, you WILL find that the costs do increase greatly as the car gets older.
The first couple of years are okay, but then it gets more expensive.
Remember with a PHEV you are serving two masters.
There is the ICE servicing demands, then the electric side of things also.
Although the PHEV is cheap to run, you will not get close to the low running costs of a BEV.
Am I glad I choose to go down the PHEV route first ?.
Yes - It was a great “Bridge” car into the world of a full BEV.
It helped give me the confidence to go full BEV.
I would totally recommend going full BEV in a heart beat IF you are 100% sure it will cover your usage requirements.
The safest bet for moving from a previous ICE car, to either a PHEV or a BEV is the biggest dilemma.
Most people will often air on the side of caution and go for a PHEV.
They are a “Toe In The Water” start to the world of full electric powered cars.
Warning .
Electric car driving is very addictive !.
The more you drive in pure electric, the more you want to drive ALL of the time in electric mode.
Buying a PHEV can give you this feeling, I had it in my previous car.
All is nice a smooth, then you hear the ICE kicking in !.
It can become a little tiring at times when driving in town traffic, when your small electric range has become depleted.
Engine stop / starting just to move a couple of inches at a time.
Don’t find yourself being a PHEV owner saying :- “If only I had more electric range”.
If you find yourself in this camp, you will pine for a BEV for the whole time you own the PHEV.
It is a REALLY difficult call, which never has the right or correct answer for any two different people.
Study your usage pattern very carefully !.
Actually sit down with a piece of paper and document a typical weekly usage.
Most people are shocked how little actual mileage they really cover.
If the BEV can cover this usage with a plenty of redundancy to spare, then you choice has just become a little easier.
My ZS EV is now 18 months old and we have covered 12,500 miles in that time.
This includes two lock downs in Wales.
The car has placed no restriction on where we wanted to go, in fact we have covered WAY more miles in the BEV than we ever did in the PHEV.
Why ?.
The answer is quit simple, we enjoy the pleasure of driving / travelling in a BEV and more importantly for a OAP is the cost to cover them miles is never a concern.
The cost saving with regards to fuel is a LOT !.
Making trips for a couple of pounds is brilliant.
A sandwich and a cup of tea for our lunch, can cost more than the price of the juice to conduct the trip in many cases.
Each to there own I guest.
I have no regrets buying the PHEV it served us well over the four years of ownership, as it stands right now after 18 months of owning the BEV.
I am totally convinced I took the decision to go full BEV.
If it was not a ZS EV - It would have been another EV of some type.
None of that “Self Charging” rubbish out there !.
Do your home work, then do it again is the best advice that I can offer and I am sure you will come to the right decision in the end.
Good luck with your choice.

 

[Deleted member 3150]

Great advice @Lovemyev. i had a Merc phev before I retired and went to the ZS while we still had 2 ice cars in the garage but now we are down to one and it’s been an eye opener. range anxiety and practicality have meant moving to the HS but if we could afford 2 cars we would of kept the ZS too.

 

[jamesie]

Agree with all that has been said. Each use case is different.

The only thing I would add is that the manufacturers and dealers need to be more "honest" about range specially in winter. I think that catches some people out. 163 miles WLTP suddenly become a comfortable maximum of 100 miles.

 

[AussiePete]

I’m looking at the ZS EV but need to know what people think I should go for?
I’ve found an white excite for £19500 pre RPG 20 plate with 100 miles or an exclusive 70 plate in blue with 500 miles for £21500

Exclusive all the way.

Adaptive cruise control and MG pilot are worth it alone, but add in panoramic sunroof, leather(ish) seats, reversing csensors & camera and without a doubt it’s worth the extra

 

[Lovemyev]

Agree with all that has been said. Each use case is different.

The only thing I would add is that the manufacturers and dealers need to be more "honest" about range specially in winter. I think that catches some people out. 163 miles WLTP suddenly become a comfortable maximum of 100 miles.

I do agree, but car manufacturers have been “Talking Up” the MPG figures on their ICE cars for years now.
Somehow we seem to accept this, but not on an EV for some reason ?.

 

[jamesie]

I do agree, but car manufacturers have been “Talking Up” the MPG figures on their ICE cars for years now.
Somehow we seem to accept this, but not on an EV for some reason ?.

Yes, you are right. It's a big difference between winter and summer with an EV less so with an ICE.

 

[Kithmo]

Yes, you are right. It's a big difference between winter and summer with an EV less so with an ICE.

It's the same with ICE cars especially hybrids. My 2016 Prius averaged 55 mpg, real world, over the 4 years I had it measured tank to tank and it wasn't uncommon to get low 40s mpg in winter and just over 70 mpg in summer from a tank full. A difference of around 30 mpg.

 

[Lovemyev]

Yes, you are right. It's a big difference between winter and summer with an EV less so with an ICE.

This is 100% correct, but who bothers to check their MPG returns in a ICE ?.
When you are carrying a full tank of fuel around, that could take you from one end of the country to the other, nobody is that bothered compare that to the manufacturers figures !.
If you had a EV with a range of 400 miles, then you would not be that interested either ?.

 

[Kithmo]

This is 100% correct, but who bothers to check their MPG returns in a ICE ?.
When you are carrying a full tank of fuel around, that could take you from one end of the country to the other, nobody is that bothered compare that to the manufacturers figures !.
If you had a EV with a range of 400 miles, then you would not be that interested either ?.

Yep, even at 40 mpg in winter, I could go almost 400 miles with the 43 litre tank.

 

[Lovemyev]

Yep, even at 40 mpg in winter, I could go almost 400 miles with the 43 litre tank.

My point entirely.
ICE cars never achieve there reported figures, we all know this when we buy them.
But we completely slag off EV’s when they don’t match their reported returns.
The problem here is, your not sitting on what could be a HUGE amount of reserve juice.
Plus even if you are running low, you are always only less than about 5 miles away from another refill.
When EV’s have this type of charger coverage, nobody will give a toss if their cars are matching the range of the WLTP figures.
We don’t suffer from range anxiety, it’s charger ( the lack off ) anxiety we really suffer from.

 

[JodyS21]

I do agree, but car manufacturers have been “Talking Up” the MPG figures on their ICE cars for years now.
Somehow we seem to accept this, but not on an EV for some reason ?.

I know you already know the answer to your own question!
but I'll put it into words.
An incorrect ICE MPG won't leave you potentially stranded embarrassingly waiting for a recovery truck unlike a lying EV WLTP in winter.