MG ZS EV vs Mini Countryman

What's the difference?

The MG ZS EV Long Range is a practical small SUV that's easy to drive and the 440km it can travel on a full charge makes it the better choice over the standard range ZS EV. The extra 120km offered by the Long Range version reduces anxiety and is truly useful in covering more ground between charging.

The asking price may seem expensive but electric vehicle batteries are extremely costly to produce and will remain so for years to come.

Remember, too, that the MG4 electric car has an even great range for the same money - the only catch is, it's a hatch and not an SUV.

My time with the Countryman JCW was brief, but it was enough to confirm that the new-generation model has lost nothing by gaining a few inches.

Mini has ensured that the JCW remains the pinnacle of its range.

When you push the JCW into tight corners at speed, the car’s intentions are clear. This is a dedicated performance model, but it has that duality of being an everyday hauler as well.

The ZS EV Long Range has a traditional SUV shape but with a very futuristic looking face thanks to its grille-less nose. That’s because with no radiator needed to cool a combustion engine there’s no need for an open vent or grille for air flow.

MG has used a textured plastic to subtly imitate an old-school grille to lessen the visual impact of a sheet of plastic between the headlights.

I think the effect works although the obvious charging flap could have been cleverly and seamlessly integrated into the nose, in the same way Genesis has done with the GV80 Electric. But the attempt has failed.

The ZS EV Long Range’s cabin looks premium with the sporty seats and red stitching, the landscape screen and digital driver display.

But, while the interior looks great, it feels a little low quality in places such as the vinyl upholstered seats. 

There are some ergonomic issues with the high centre armrest and the raised seating position, too.

I have already detailed the design of the new Countryman in my review of the Countryman SE, but the JCW has a slightly different look.

The sporty JCW body kit includes elements like stripes, a two-tone roof, some extra visual flourishes and black 19-inch alloy wheels. In black body paint with a red roof, the look is quite cool. But a static example we saw in Portugal in Nanuq White was our pick.

Inside there are unique JCW elements including the sports seat design, steering wheel, and black and red contrast seats and stitching.

None of the JCW styling elements are over the top. They add up to give it a subtly sporty look without shouting it from the rooftops.

The ZS EV Long Range is a practical small SUV and it fit my little family of four, although my kids are both under 10 years old and not at the lanky teenager point yet.

Space on board is good, offering ample legroom for even me (at 188cm) in the second row and adequate headroom back there, too.

I like the large door pockets, the wireless phone charger, and there are two USB ports for the back seats and another two up front.

The second row also has directional air vents and dark-tinted windows. I liked the panoramic sunroof's retractable shade, too. 

SUVS like the MG ZS offer easier access than sedans and hatches thanks to the elevated ride height which means people of my height don’t need to crawl in and out on their knees.

Boot capacity is decent at 359 litres, but not enormous.  

Once again, please visit the Countryman SE review for the ins and outs of the 2024 Mini Countryman interior.

But for highlights, the storage up front is lacking somewhat, but there is ample space throughout the cabin, given the new Countryman is 130mm longer and 60mm taller than the old model. 

The toggles are cute, but the engine stop/start and Mini Experiences toggles look too similar and are right next to each other.

The massive new 9.5-inch circular OLED screen is beautiful to look at, and fairly logical to navigate. The various Mini Experiences - basically modes that change things like ambient lighting and more - are cute, if a little gimmicky. 

Rear seat space is ample, too, and the usual amenities are also there, including a central armrest with cupholders, outboard ISOFIX points, knee-level air vents, map pockets, big bottle storage and two USB-C ports.

The boot offers more space than the electric Countryman - the JCW can swallow 505 litres, increasing to 1530L with the rear seats lowered.

As with the other Countryman powertrain grades - which includes the entry-level petrol C, sporty petrol SE, entry-level battery-electric E, and a sporty EV in the SE - the JCW is offered in three distinct model grades.

The Core kicks things off at $67,990 before on-road costs, then there’s the Classic for $70,990 and the Favoured at $73,990.

Interestingly, that opening price is a couple of hundred dollars less than the equivalent grade of the model it’s replacing. And the flagship Favoured is more than $3000 cheaper than the outgoing top-spec JCW Yours. 

It’s not everyday that a new-generation model with tech and design advances is cheaper than its predecessor, so kudos to Mini for keeping prices down when everyone else is increasing them. 

Spec is fairly generous across the three grades too, with the Core coming standard with the JCW body kit and brakes, as well as JCW steering wheel and seats, adaptive suspension, a Harman/Kardon 12-speaker sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, keyless entry and start, a head-up display, digital radio, a heated steering wheel and a power tailgate with kick function.

The Classic adds an interior camera, augmented reality sat-nav, heated front seats, a panoramic sunroof and body stripes. 

The Favoured gains a few extras, including ‘Active Seat Functions’ for the driver, power seat adjustment with memory function, and additional window glazing. 

In terms of rivals, there are not a lot of performance-focused small SUVs that are in direct competition with the Countryman JCW. There is the mechanical twins under the skin - the BMW X1 and X2 M35i ($90,900 and $92,900), as well the Mercedes-Benz GLA35 ($96,900) that all offer very similar power and torque figures, but are much more expensive. The Volkswagen T-Roc R ($63,490) is another spicy small SUV worth considering and it's more affordable than all of them.

The MG ZS EV has one electric motor driving the front wheels and it makes 115kW of power and 280Nm or torque.

That’s the same power as the petrol MG ZS, but more torque, so it accelerates faster. We’re talking 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds. 

Sure, that’s not Tesla quick, but being an electric car the acceleration is instantaneous with none of the lag petrol cars have due to turbos or changing gears.

How much can the ZS EV tow? Not much. The braked towing capacity of the ZS EV Long Range is 500kg. But think of it like this: a box trailer can weigh about 250kg and a fully grown Sumatran tiger can also weigh up to 250kg.

So an ZS EV Long range can tow a box trailer carrying a fully grown tiger. That sounds impressive.

For more on what the ZS EV Long Range is like to drive, keep reading.

Under the rather sculpted bonnet of the Countryman JCW is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, driving all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. 

Power and torque outputs of 233kW and 400Nm is up and down compared to the previous model’s 225kW and 450Nm. Australia also gets a more potent tune than Europe. Because of stricter emissions regulations, it only pumps out 221kW in Europe. The new Countryman’s figures match the X1 and X2 M35i, given it’s the exact same powertrain.

The 0-100km/h dash time for this model is 5.4sec. That’s just 0.4sec quicker than the all-electric Countryman SE.

The ZS EV Long Range has a larger battery than the standard range ZS EV and this gives it the ability to travel further on a full charge. 

The regular version is fitted with a 51.1kWh battery and the Long Range has a 72.6kWh battery which is pretty big - and that gives this an official range of 440km. 

The standard range ZS EV has a range of 320km. So the Long Range will get you 120km further which could make all the difference in whether you make it to your destination or not.

So, is 440km a lot compared to other electric cars? Well, it’s more range than the Nissan Leaf (385km) or Mini Electric (233km), but not as much as the Kia Niro (460km) and 50km less than the entry-grade Tesla Model 3 (491km).

Put it this way, the 320km offered by the standard ZS EV falls short of what I think is enough. But anything with more than 400km is truly useful and I find anything less than this can bring on range anxiety pretty quickly.

The ZS EV Long Range is fully electric and that means you’ll have to plug it in to charge it. 

You can charge up using a household power point, but it’ll take more than 24 hours to get to 100 per cent. So, a much better idea is to use a fast public charger.

A 50kW charger will take the battery from empty to 80 percent in 63 minutes using a CCS Type 2 port/plug.

As for energy efficiency, MG says that after a combination of open and urban roads the ZS EV Long Range will use 17.7kWh/100km.

I drove our ZS EV Long Range every day and used it for school drop offs, city commutes and some motorway running. And while most of the 156km I travelled was urban-based the trip computer was reporting an average of 20.0kWh/100km.

Mini says the JCW consumes 7.8-8.3 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle, but an Australian figure is yet to be confirmed.

Given my brief time behind the wheel I did not record an on-test fuel use figure.

At first, the driver’s seat felt overly high and the lack of reach adjustment in the steering wheel made finding a good driving position harder.

But, the ZS EV Long Range is comfortable and easy to drive, while its size and ‘electric zippiness’ makes this little SUV perfect for narrow city streets and tight car spaces. 

Some EVs have break-neck acceleration and minimalist cabin controls which can feel weird, but the ZS EV Long Range’s cabin looks just like a regular combustion engine car’s and the motor has the same power as a petrol ZS’s engine.

That said, the instant acceleration of their ZS EV Long Range is fun and great for moving quickly out of car space, merging and overtaking when needed.

As with all EVs, passengers who are prone to motion sickness might find the acceleration and heavy deceleration a bit much. My family didn’t complain but the photographer who filmed the video above found it a bit much while looking down at his screen.

So I had a bit of a taste of the Countryman JCW the day prior to driving it when I was behind the wheel of the BMW X2 M35i. The two models share a powertrain, but in the same way that the electric iX2 differs from the mechanically related Countryman SE, they have different characteristics.

Mini does its own tunes for things like steering and suspension, and the two models differ in size. Other elements like tyre choice and even the feel of the steering wheel further differentiate the models. 

I have driven a few recent JCW products, including the adorable but recently discontinued Clubman JCW at a previous job. There’s something special about a Mini JCW model, and the brand has worked hard to preserve that with the new, bigger Countryman.

For starters, that 2.0L turbo engine is a sweetie. There is a bit of turbo lag accelerating from a standing start, but once it kicks in there’s plenty of power to hit that 5.4-second 0-100km/h time. And it just keeps going. It’s responsive, willing and just plain fun!

It has a lovely engine note, but I suspect some of that is amplified sound.

As with the electric SE, the JCW’s steering is sharp and tuned for dynamic driving. As is the suspension setup, which has a firmness to it without being uncomfortable, even on pockmarked backroads. Mini has struck a nice balance here.

What about the go-kart feel Mini is known for? Fear not, because the JCW’s dynamism hasn’t been blunted by the additional size of the new-gen model. It carved through bends without a hint of body roll and maintained an impressive amount of grip.

The Countryman is yet to be tested by Euro NCAP or ANCAP.

All JCW grades come standard with autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot and lane change warning, an exit warning, ‘Intelligent Emergency Call’, rear collision prevention, rear cross-traffic warning with braking, a speed limiter and tyre pressure monitoring system.

The ZS EV Long Range is covered by MG’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. The battery is covered by a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty, too. 

Servicing is recommended by MG at 40,000km/24 month intervals.

According to MG the first service costs $295, then the next is $810, then $295 for the third, $810 for the next and so on. That’s about $233 a year over six years which is excellent value.

Like its Mini stablemates, the Countryman is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and like its BMW relatives, Minis don’t have a specific term for a service schedule. Rather, the servicing is ‘conditions-based’ meaning the vehicle will tell the user when it needs to be booked into a dealership.

A six-year ‘Service Inclusive’ package from Mini Australia will cost $3092 for the JCW, which is about $80 less than the BMW iX2 twin, but still not cheap.