TOO many car makers stiffen the suspension of their cars in a bid to give them a more sporting edge, but this almost inevitably spoils ride comfort - sometimes very badly.

With the ZS SUV however, MG chose to stay with good quality for the ride and I applaud them for not falling into the same trap as some of the opposition.

It's a big plus, giving excellent comfort even over very rough country roads at speed, and when driving around town.

They simply soak up everything in their path - including speed humps - with tremendous ease, and that helps them appeal to a wider range of owners.

Softer suspension can all too often affect handling and roadholding, but again, the ZS designers managed to maintain a good level of body control without too much roll, and this gives high levels of grip and very safe handling.

The two wheel drive ZS comes with an excellent seven year, 80,000 mile warranty, which is only matched by one other car maker.

And looking at the power and specification against other smaller SUVs, new prices are incredible value for money so that buying secondhand is also much more affordable.

There is no diesel option, which might seem strange, but there is a fully electric model in the range that is one of the most reasonable EV's you can buy.

Two petrol offerings start with a normally aspirated 1.5-litre as used in the MG3, and it has 104bhp. That's enough for a zero to 60 miles an hour time of 10.6 seconds and economy of 42mpg.

The other engine is a 1.0-litre turbo with 109bhp that gets to 60 in 10.8 seconds and is also capable of 42mpg. It is also available with an automatic gearbox and this was standard in the earliest models.

The ZS EV as its known, has a range of between 162 and 273 miles on a single charge and on a home fast charger, takes six hours and 30 minutes to charge fully from zero.

Power ranges from 140 to 173bhp and all reach 60 in about eight seconds. The longer range models are only available post 2021, when the ZS was updated with a larger battery and a much improved interior.

The clutch is light on the manual cars, the steering is informative and reasonably precise, and the brakes are excellent. Of course, the EV, like all pure electric cars, comes with a single speed automatic gearbox.

All have a really good feel on the road, and certainly instil confidence in the driver.

Inside, there are soft touch materials all round, brightwork around the cabin and a touch screen for major functions. This works very well and the rest of the dash is uncluttered and simple.

The seats are comfortable and supportive and there's plenty of room in the back, making it bigger than some of the others in the class.

The mid-range Excite comes with cruise control, reach and height adjustable steering, height adjustable driver's seat, loads of airbags, electric heated mirrors, traction control, multi-function steering wheel, four electric windows, alloys and aircon.

The boot is a very good size, and the rear seat folds in a 60/40 pattern to get more stuff in.

All in all, the MG ZS is a hugely likeable, accomplished, good looking family SUV that comes with an excellent warranty.

Pay about £10,450 for a '20 20-reg 1.5 VtiTECH Excite, £14,450 for a '22 22-reg 1.0T Exclusive or £16,600 for a '22 22-reg EV Trophy.