Everyday use of a ZT (or ZTT) review please?
Discussion
Hi guys (and ladies!)
I'm looking for a new car (probably to be purchased in a few months) I've come across the ZT's many times and i do really like them.
Had a look at a few reviews on the 'net and they seem to be of mixed opinions. but they are also a quick review after having the car for just a few days (bloody journo's eh?)
I was just wondering what they are like to live with day in, day out.
I commute about 60 miles and about 95-98% of that is on the motorway so comfort on long(ish) journeys is important. what are they like in that situation, i currently drive a rover 200 1.4 16v at the moment and it's horrendous (we're talking 4500rpm at about 80!!) .
I'm considering the 2.5 190 version (don't see much point going for the 160 - although i'm not sure of the differences either, why less power from the same engine?) and don't expect magical fuel consumption but an idea of genuine consumption will help me budget.
I gather servicing costs are pretty low (i'll do oil/filter changes myself) but when things go wrong, are they generally economical to put right?
thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
Cheers.
Ryan
I'm looking for a new car (probably to be purchased in a few months) I've come across the ZT's many times and i do really like them.
Had a look at a few reviews on the 'net and they seem to be of mixed opinions. but they are also a quick review after having the car for just a few days (bloody journo's eh?)
I was just wondering what they are like to live with day in, day out.
I commute about 60 miles and about 95-98% of that is on the motorway so comfort on long(ish) journeys is important. what are they like in that situation, i currently drive a rover 200 1.4 16v at the moment and it's horrendous (we're talking 4500rpm at about 80!!) .
I'm considering the 2.5 190 version (don't see much point going for the 160 - although i'm not sure of the differences either, why less power from the same engine?) and don't expect magical fuel consumption but an idea of genuine consumption will help me budget.
I gather servicing costs are pretty low (i'll do oil/filter changes myself) but when things go wrong, are they generally economical to put right?
thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
Cheers.
Ryan
i am on my third one in 3 years.
started with 1.8 saloon , which i ran for about a year,
sold it and bought a ztt 160 turbo, better all round car. performance increase very noticeable, even took it to le mans in 2005, only had this for 3 months when a v8 zt became available, so thats my history with these cars,
diesel will give you approx 46 mpg,
131 bhp as standard but can be chipped upto 160 bhp.
2.5 v6 190 should give you 28 mpg
4.6 v8 260 should give you 20 mpg.
its a good drivers car ,lots of fun. go for the best spec you can find.
no problems to report with any of my cars, head gaskets well documented issue with k series engined cars.
hope that helps
started with 1.8 saloon , which i ran for about a year,
sold it and bought a ztt 160 turbo, better all round car. performance increase very noticeable, even took it to le mans in 2005, only had this for 3 months when a v8 zt became available, so thats my history with these cars,
diesel will give you approx 46 mpg,
131 bhp as standard but can be chipped upto 160 bhp.
2.5 v6 190 should give you 28 mpg
4.6 v8 260 should give you 20 mpg.
its a good drivers car ,lots of fun. go for the best spec you can find.
no problems to report with any of my cars, head gaskets well documented issue with k series engined cars.
hope that helps
The 260 is well out of my range, firstly i'm 24 so my insurance company will laugh when i ask them to insure it. secondly 20mpg isn't very attractive on a 60mile roundtrip every day!
have any of you got experience with the 190?
you mentione the turbo 160? is this a 1.8t engine? i was under the impression it was a 2.5v6, is this just autotrader muppets not knowing what they have?
have any of you got experience with the 190?
you mentione the turbo 160? is this a 1.8t engine? i was under the impression it was a 2.5v6, is this just autotrader muppets not knowing what they have?
With the added information, you might actually want to consider getting the diesel and chipping it.
You might want to pop on to The 75/ZT Owners' Club forum and ask them for their experiences with Rover Ron's box of tricks. As I understand it, 160bhp is fairly easily and economically reached, and if you should be able to top 40mpg on your motorway cruises.
You might want to pop on to The 75/ZT Owners' Club forum and ask them for their experiences with Rover Ron's box of tricks. As I understand it, 160bhp is fairly easily and economically reached, and if you should be able to top 40mpg on your motorway cruises.
Hi
I've got a ZTT190+ which we bought new in May 2003, we've done 40k miles on it so far and it has never missed a beat. Nothing has gone wrong and have only paid for fuel, tyres and standard services.
No rattles or squeaks yet despite being used as a climbing frame by a 4 year old!
Tyres last about 15k miles or so. The seats are really comfy especicially on a long run to the inlaws (Newbury to Sunderland). The ZTT has more boot space than a BMW 3 series touring.
The Harman Kardon sound system is great if you can find one with it fitted.
It is not massively powerfull but when it was serviced in 2005 they updated the ECU and there was a much improved mid range oomf.
It is a great tourer and is surprisingly fun to hurl around the bends.
MPG seems to be 25-29mpg.
Plan to keep it for at least another 4 years and have no idea what to replace it with, for perfomance reliability and character! (I know Kermit, but the other half thinks a ZTT260 is too much power to haul kids about with)
Hope this Helps
Regards
Spunagain
I've got a ZTT190+ which we bought new in May 2003, we've done 40k miles on it so far and it has never missed a beat. Nothing has gone wrong and have only paid for fuel, tyres and standard services.
No rattles or squeaks yet despite being used as a climbing frame by a 4 year old!
Tyres last about 15k miles or so. The seats are really comfy especicially on a long run to the inlaws (Newbury to Sunderland). The ZTT has more boot space than a BMW 3 series touring.
The Harman Kardon sound system is great if you can find one with it fitted.
It is not massively powerfull but when it was serviced in 2005 they updated the ECU and there was a much improved mid range oomf.
It is a great tourer and is surprisingly fun to hurl around the bends.
MPG seems to be 25-29mpg.
Plan to keep it for at least another 4 years and have no idea what to replace it with, for perfomance reliability and character! (I know Kermit, but the other half thinks a ZTT260 is too much power to haul kids about with)
Hope this Helps
Regards
Spunagain
Edited by Spunagain on Wednesday 5th September 13:29
Worth considering that my insurance on my current 260 is less than it was on my previous 190, so don't assume that the 190 will be cheaper on insurance!
Anyway, I am well known for getting bored and changing my car regularly, but I've had a ZT of some sort (currently a ZT-T) for 6 years now, and not bored of them yet
The 190 is nice and reliable with only a few expensive parts (unlike the 260!). I seriously doubt you'll get more car for the money right now - just don't crash, panels could possibly be tricky to come by...
Anyway, I am well known for getting bored and changing my car regularly, but I've had a ZT of some sort (currently a ZT-T) for 6 years now, and not bored of them yet
The 190 is nice and reliable with only a few expensive parts (unlike the 260!). I seriously doubt you'll get more car for the money right now - just don't crash, panels could possibly be tricky to come by...
Nick Young said:
The 190 is nice and reliable with only a few expensive parts (unlike the 260!)
Do you know something that the rest of us don't Nick?Apart from the potential aircon niggles which generally seem to exhibit from new, the fuel filter problem which the 190 also shares and the heater hose, which is a £40 fix, I've not seen many reliability problems?
As for expensive parts, I'll grant you the rear brake discs at £300+ each, but other than that have you come across many parts more expensive on the 260 than the 190 that you actually need to replace at all under normal circumstances?
I have a 2001 ZTT 190+ which I have taken to just under 90k miles. I bought it as a stop gap (I was waiting for a new Saab estate) and I've ended up keeping it.
Frankly it has been superb. I use it for long runs and also round town. I average just under 30mpg, get 20k miles from a set of tyres and servicing, even main dealer is peanuts. (Although the 90k one is going to hurt cos its the cam belt)
Nothing has gone wrong. Nothing squeeks, nothing rattles. It still looks great when cleaned and its a good performer. Seats are wonderful (especially for long journeys. It is safe, solid and charismatic in a way that the BMW 325 and the Volvo S60 that preceeded it were not.
I'd have another one tomorrow if they made them new. (and coming from me, thats a very rare endorsement)
Andy
Frankly it has been superb. I use it for long runs and also round town. I average just under 30mpg, get 20k miles from a set of tyres and servicing, even main dealer is peanuts. (Although the 90k one is going to hurt cos its the cam belt)
Nothing has gone wrong. Nothing squeeks, nothing rattles. It still looks great when cleaned and its a good performer. Seats are wonderful (especially for long journeys. It is safe, solid and charismatic in a way that the BMW 325 and the Volvo S60 that preceeded it were not.
I'd have another one tomorrow if they made them new. (and coming from me, thats a very rare endorsement)
Andy
Edited by andymadmak on Wednesday 5th September 20:52
Kermit power said:
Spunagain said:
(I know Kermit, but the other half thinks a ZTT260 is too much power to haul kids about with)
Some women, eh?
(I'm not sure she really appreciated what we were getting into
)ETA I regularly do 4-5 hour stints in it and really can't fault anything but the fuel economy, and that isn't helped by having a right foot cast in lead
Edited by mechsympathy on Thursday 6th September 09:00
Ryan, I had a 190+ back in 2001 and ran it for 2 years, when i parted with it due to a change in circumstances. Had no problems at all during my ownership, and it was a joy to own.
Looking back, i wish that i had not parted with it, and am seriously thinking about getting another if i can find a well cared for one.
Looking back, i wish that i had not parted with it, and am seriously thinking about getting another if i can find a well cared for one.
I run an 04 1.8T ZT-T+. It's done 40K of which I've done approximately 20K in 2 and a half years
- Good points -
Great looking car (IMHO) in a quirky way. Harsh ride but excellent handling. Build quality of the bodywork etc. is pretty good to be honest. I'm hoping to get around to giving mine a really good polish and wax soon which might put the sheen back so to speak ;-)
Benefit of the turbo is reasonable low end grunt. I've driven the KV6 too and found the front end less responsive, probably due to the weight of the KV6
Load space is adequate and the small hatch in the tailgate is excellent
Parts availability is generally good but certain items can sometimes take a while to materialise
- Bad points -
Repairs, off the top of my head:
HGF - £800
New clutch slave/master cylinder - £800
New rear brakes (disks corroded) - £300 IIRC
New HT leads - £??
Fortunately the HGF and clutch were done under a third party warranty
Usual problems with airbag light popping on and off and exhaust brackets needing regular attention. Brakes and tyres need looking at often but that's only because it's a great car to get stuck into driving
At present it appears that the clutch needs doing again and I suspect the rear suspension needs some attention. The heated rear screen looks like it needs replacing
I think mine needs a geometry check, but the 18" alloys do tend to tramline a lot and torque steer is fun but a bit over the top
On a day to day basis, the plenum drains need checking/clearing regularly which is frankly a pain in the arse. On the 1.8 the coolant level is very difficult to check. A tip is to do it in the dark and shine a torch down the neck of the coolant reservoir. I've never cossetted a car so much, but frankly mine is so fragile that I do nothing but worry about it nowadays
- In summary -
Generally speaking a competent car with decent handling for it's size. KV6 is great but don't discount the turbo until you've tried one. Diesels are apparently excellent. 260> must be fantastic!
The difficulty having owned one is what to replace it with. Although looked down on by drivers of other marques, they are a quirky and appealing car to own and although a modern Vectra, Signum. Mondeo etc. might have a more modern look and an uprated interior when compared with the ZT-T, I don't think that's the be all and end all. Mine has no traction control or other driving aids apart from ABS and frankly this adds to, rather than detracts from, the overall experience
Finally - hell of a bargain at the moment! I bought mine a few weeks before MG started to wind up so lost out financially. You can buy a top example for next to nothing nowadays. Lots of car for the money
Hope that helps
As mentioned above, some links:
http://forums.mg-rover.org/
http://www.xpowerforums.com/
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/
http://www.two-sixties.com/
- Good points -
Great looking car (IMHO) in a quirky way. Harsh ride but excellent handling. Build quality of the bodywork etc. is pretty good to be honest. I'm hoping to get around to giving mine a really good polish and wax soon which might put the sheen back so to speak ;-)
Benefit of the turbo is reasonable low end grunt. I've driven the KV6 too and found the front end less responsive, probably due to the weight of the KV6
Load space is adequate and the small hatch in the tailgate is excellent
Parts availability is generally good but certain items can sometimes take a while to materialise
- Bad points -
Repairs, off the top of my head:
HGF - £800
New clutch slave/master cylinder - £800
New rear brakes (disks corroded) - £300 IIRC
New HT leads - £??
Fortunately the HGF and clutch were done under a third party warranty
Usual problems with airbag light popping on and off and exhaust brackets needing regular attention. Brakes and tyres need looking at often but that's only because it's a great car to get stuck into driving
At present it appears that the clutch needs doing again and I suspect the rear suspension needs some attention. The heated rear screen looks like it needs replacing
I think mine needs a geometry check, but the 18" alloys do tend to tramline a lot and torque steer is fun but a bit over the top
On a day to day basis, the plenum drains need checking/clearing regularly which is frankly a pain in the arse. On the 1.8 the coolant level is very difficult to check. A tip is to do it in the dark and shine a torch down the neck of the coolant reservoir. I've never cossetted a car so much, but frankly mine is so fragile that I do nothing but worry about it nowadays
- In summary -
Generally speaking a competent car with decent handling for it's size. KV6 is great but don't discount the turbo until you've tried one. Diesels are apparently excellent. 260> must be fantastic!
The difficulty having owned one is what to replace it with. Although looked down on by drivers of other marques, they are a quirky and appealing car to own and although a modern Vectra, Signum. Mondeo etc. might have a more modern look and an uprated interior when compared with the ZT-T, I don't think that's the be all and end all. Mine has no traction control or other driving aids apart from ABS and frankly this adds to, rather than detracts from, the overall experience
Finally - hell of a bargain at the moment! I bought mine a few weeks before MG started to wind up so lost out financially. You can buy a top example for next to nothing nowadays. Lots of car for the money
Hope that helps
As mentioned above, some links:
http://forums.mg-rover.org/
http://www.xpowerforums.com/
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/
http://www.two-sixties.com/
Thankyou all for your input, it's been invaluable!
I'm failry certain i'll stay away from the 1.8t (partly due to hgf on the k-series) but partly because if i'm getting a nice sized car, i want a niced size engine. and i miss having 6 cylinders (used to have a 4.0 jeep cherokee - god i loved that roar!)
Slightly sub 30mpg is fine, especially considering i tend to dawdle at about 65mph on the motorway on the way home from the office.
I think i'm fairly decided now..... just gotta choose between estate or saloon... now that might be slightly harder.
I'm failry certain i'll stay away from the 1.8t (partly due to hgf on the k-series) but partly because if i'm getting a nice sized car, i want a niced size engine. and i miss having 6 cylinders (used to have a 4.0 jeep cherokee - god i loved that roar!)
Slightly sub 30mpg is fine, especially considering i tend to dawdle at about 65mph on the motorway on the way home from the office.
I think i'm fairly decided now..... just gotta choose between estate or saloon... now that might be slightly harder.
pimpin gimp said:
Slightly sub 30mpg is fine, especially considering i tend to dawdle at about 65mph on the motorway on the way home from the office.
Ah... In that case, you can put the 260 back in the picture! I've managed 27.8 with wife and 2 kids in the car, accelerating gently and cruising at 80, so it should be good for your motorway miles!
Kermit power said:
Ah... In that case, you can put the 260 back in the picture!
I've managed 27.8 with wife and 2 kids in the car, accelerating gently and cruising at 80, so it should be good for your motorway miles!
You won't rest until you've got me firmly behind the wheel of a v8 will you!!?I've managed 27.8 with wife and 2 kids in the car, accelerating gently and cruising at 80, so it should be good for your motorway miles!
pimpin gimp said:
Kermit power said:
Ah... In that case, you can put the 260 back in the picture!
I've managed 27.8 with wife and 2 kids in the car, accelerating gently and cruising at 80, so it should be good for your motorway miles!
You won't rest until you've got me firmly behind the wheel of a v8 will you!!?I've managed 27.8 with wife and 2 kids in the car, accelerating gently and cruising at 80, so it should be good for your motorway miles!
I would feel remiss if I didn't share that with you! We do have a couple of owners in their early twenties btw. Insurance isn't impossible.
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