MG ZT 2.0 CDTI 135+ 4dr Auto (2004)

MG ZT - Powerful! Good family car too.

Firstly we got this as a family car and it's done that job very well. We often do quite long trips to visit family, as we live in Manchester and they're down in Devon, and our ZT is always lovely and comfy all the way. There's bags of space in the back for the kids and their games, tho I suppose it might be a bit tighter for adults - still plenty space tho. The boot is also more than enough for us, even for week long visits. I also like that all 3 back seats get proper belts, not just those ones that go across your hips. That's handy for when we're transporting relatives about.

Up front everything is easy to reach, nice little extra open glovebox on top of the bottom one that closes, so you can stash things you need often. I also like the look of the car inside generally too, I mean it is old and everything nowadays but it still looks pretty swish, kinda timeless. I still really love the way the speedo glows in the dark, feels dead cool. I had the stereo replaced a few years ago, which was a cheap enough job. Actually I've had some friends with more modern cars where the stereo is sort of part of the car, not a normal size so that it can't be replaced, so that's something to think about when I get a new car.

What always impressed me about the ZT, and even more so nowadays, was how far it goes on a tank. I think it's about 45 miles a gallon, maybe more, but like I said I do a lot of long trips and I'm only really paying attention to how much petrol it gets through on the motorways, so it might use more in town driving.

The air conditioning was always a bonus and we really appreciate it on the long drives. It does use up more fuel though, and I don't think it's working as well as it used to, might need refilling.

Driving wise it is quite a beast when it wants to be. To be honest I just bought it cos I wanted a comfy and safe car to take the kids on trips, but it can really vrrroooom away when it wants to! Maybe the down side of that is that the engine is a wee bit noisy, never really gets that quiet. I had a much smaller car before this and I do still find it a bit of a challenge to park and see over the bonnet, but really the driving position is great and the visibility all round is good. I haven't had too many repairs needing, although it gets through tyres quite fast. It doesn't eat them for breakfast but the front ones usually need doing maybe every 18 months (I suppose we do about 15 thousand miles in that time?) There was some exhaust issue that I got a friend to fix with a bit of welding, but apart from that it's been fine really.