ZS180 what a motor

vitesse_sport · Post by **vitesse_sport** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 4:00 am

I recently had a go in a ZS180. All I can say is what a machine. The acceleration, noise, handling and steering feel are amazing. A genuinely exciting drive. I can't help thinking if more people in the market for a sports saloon had actually taken a test drive in one of these things then plenty more would have been sold. It may well be based on a 95 rover 400 but it certainly doesn't drive like one. The engineers responsible for the steering/suspension setup on this car worked miracles. The tiniest twitch of the wheel generates a response from the car. The ride isn't the softest but it is unreasonable to expect a limo ride from this type of car. Too many people slagged these off without ever sitting in one never mind driving one. I worked in the motor trade for several years and drove many different cars and I have to say this is one of the most impressive. They are probably going for pennies now which is a shame but on the positive side more of us can afford one.

Cheers

George

MGJohn · Post by **MGJohn** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:50 am

vitesse_sport wrote:I recently had a go in a ZS180. All I can say is what a machine. ..........

I can't help thinking if more people in the market for a sports saloon had actually taken a test drive in one of these things then plenty more would have been sold. ............

The engineers responsible for the steering/suspension setup on this car worked miracles. ..................

Too many people slagged these off without ever sitting in one never mind driving one. ..............

Cheers

George

But they didn't, preferring to believe all the negative bullshine and thus missed out!

THEIR LOSS! ... and worse bought something less suitable and certainly not superior.

Losing ..... something us Brits excel at in recent years - with precious few exceptions...

So we can now add to the ever growing list of losses .... ROVER.

Striker · Post by **Striker** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:17 am

Yes, it is a very impressive car.
Not only is it (one of) the best looking sport saloons (I can't help it, but I'm not a very big fan of the ZS hatchback), it's also a superb handling car.
I have to agree with Tiff Needell: it's the best handling fwd car I've ever driven.
The sound of the V6 just brings a smile on your face that won't go away until you turn the ignition of

.

Si · Post by Si » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:20 am

The new ones look absolutely awesome too IMO.

Shame they won't be made anymore :cry:

peteT16 · Post by **peteT16** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:23 am

I agree with all of the above comments, starting with a 400 as a base, Rovers engineers developed a car which drives, and feels completely different to the base car, which is no mean achievement given the small budget involved.

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 11:15 am

I've had two ZS's now....A 1.8 and a Turbo Dog Dogger...

Both were ace and handleded well.

If MGR hadnt gone beers up, I would have brought another one, perhaps even a new 180, however I was already in Neg. Equity with one, so didnt want to take the risk with another, so it had to go.

Miss it's looks though

Podman · Post by **Podman** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:59 pm

My m8 has one and I must say teh handling and feel of the car is excellent, my personal opinion is taht they shoudl have given it at least 200bhp. But thats just me.

Jonny 5 · Post by **Jonny 5** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 2:54 pm

Cue the factual info.... its actually based on a honda Civic. Hence why the new chinese owners cant make it. Honda have recalled all the copyright and blueprints back for the chassis design.

The face lift ones look brutal (in a good way) :twisted:

peteT16 · Post by **peteT16** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 4:22 pm

Good point Jonny, maybe Honda will build a vtec ZS :twisted:

Squaddiemodo · Post by **Squaddiemodo** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 4:40 pm

I had a ZS 120+ saloon, and even in the bog standard 1.8 form it was a great car to drive. Although i think the picnic table rear spoiler on the 180s spoit the lines(personal opinion).

BRADS/220TURBO · Post by **BRADS/220TURBO** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:07 pm

I had a ZS180 for about a year but I just couldn't resist another 220 turbo instead. ZS was a nice car but the power just wasn't enough for me but i wish i could put that sound in my car! With a good filter on it the sound was just awesome.

Neil F · Post by **Neil F** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:44 pm

Hi,

I've had a ZS180 for over 3 years, it's not bad at all, handles well and goes ok'ish. It's been a decent work horse and tow car as well.

Reliability has let it down on a couple of occasions, especially the crappy clutch slave cylinder :cry:

Overall, a decent and fun experience that could have been a lot better with another 50bhp.

Cheers

Neil

Post by **MarkCoupe** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 8:49 pm

Yeah i have to admit im also a huge ZSv6 fan. I worked on one at work t'other day and had a chat with the owner, she said "oh so you like it then? i probably shouldnt say this but i picked it up for Â£3200"

It was 51 plate with 38k miles!!!!!

Metromartin · Post by **Metromartin** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 7:41 pm

did around 600 miles in a 120+ zs when we went to france, handeling is superb, When I get a bit more cash I will proberly own one

Podman · Post by **Podman** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:07 pm

could be sooner than you think m8, the value is just dropping off em, garages are really taking advantage at teh moment. Nice cars very cheap at the moment

180 Boy · Post by **180 Boy** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 3:20 pm

I have the 180, had it from new (2001)
thought about getting rid of it a few times, just does everything I want it to do and well, so couldn't find a reason to sell.
Handling is good out of the box, seen many cars come off second best on track, couple of my friends can lap CC in 1.26, yep they have a few mods but all the same that is quick.

I know of 2 that are running 14.2 at POD, thats with manifolds and indcution mods only, one has just had 270 cams, should be very low 14's or now or maybe 13's.

Eddie

200SEI · Post by **200SEI** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:34 am

They are good cars granted. Honda won't be using the chassis again though, i think its probably too dated.

The car itself is too dated to keep up with todays models. That dosen't make it a bad car though. The KV6 is a good engine and the chassis is very competent. The ZS looks good but the market is unstable at the moment.

Im considering either a ZS or a Mondeo ST24 for my next motor. Leaning towards the monders because they really are great cars, underated with a V6 lump though

Gary · Post by **Gary** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:46 am

I hope you mean the new Mondeo ST, and not the slow old one :wink:

200SEI · Post by **200SEI** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 11:29 am

The old "slow" one is 167 Bhp with 220 Nm of torque, enough to pull the old mond to 140 Mph.

How fast do you want your everyday road car to be Gary?

I cover over 300 miles a week, the mondeo is reliable and smooth, with enough poke to entertain. Id challenge any Ti to take one down the twisties either.

Jonny 5 · Post by **Jonny 5** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:38 pm

Gary doesnt seem to like anything other than Rovers

and even then he keeps changing his cars

Theres the ST24, the ST200 and the ST220 as far as i was aware and all are pretty damn swift.

Bjorn · Post by **Bjorn** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:43 pm

The new ZS180 saloon....is

....I would definately consider one as my next car!

Gary · Post by **Gary** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:21 pm

Jonny 5 wrote:Gary doesnt seem to like anything other than Rovers and even then he keeps changing his cars

Theres the ST24, the ST200 and the ST220 as far as i was aware and all are pretty damn swift.

I am referring to the old (round shape) Mondeo ST24. Didn't know they made any other. I thought the newer shaped cars had the ST200/220 badges.

Not sure why you would think I don't like anything else other than Rover's. In fact there are many, many more cars I would prefer rather than a Rover. In fact soon as I have the coin the Rover's going

The new Mondeo ST's are very nice, noticeably faster than the old shape. However both old and new they handle very well (as do most recent fords) however if your expecting performance from the old ST24 look else where. It might appear to have a decent amount of power however to drive in the car seems flat and doesnt feel all that special (for the amount of fuel it is supping). Though I suppose everyone is different. Its not a bad car in any respect the old ST24 it is just not as fast as the figures would suggest. Get yourself a ride in one and see for yourself. I here the old engines are good for 220bhp on throttle bodies so if you were planning to modify it would be a different story. Have you drove the old ST24 Jonny?

Jonny 5 · Post by **Jonny 5** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:44 pm

Yes and it did the job well as a refined cruiser for not much money, which fits the intended purpose i imagine :idea:

Gary · Post by **Gary** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:48 pm

Indeed it makes a good motorway cruiser. Has a long 5th gear and the engine is quite muted.

If this is what your looking for you carnt go wrong. However I assumed if he was thinking of a ZS180 he was looking for a fun car.

Gary · Post by **Gary** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:51 pm

200SEI wrote: Id challenge any Ti to take one down the twisties either.

I had not noticed this

ME TOO!

:D Mondeo would win any day of the week. Far superior handling as standard.

216si · Post by **216si** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 4:34 pm

a ZS180 WILL be my next car, i am determind :twisted:

, as soon as i get this years ncb the vi will be up for sale and the zs will be mine MWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA

200SEI · Post by **200SEI** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:23 am

As Jonny said, intended purpose:

A quickish fun car that has decent room in the boot and sounds good, the note of a duratec V6 at full chat with decent induction / exhaust mods is quite tasty. :twisted:

Performance is relative, my current fiesta, nowhere near as quick as my Coupe was, but the handling and braking mean as a point to point car, its quicker. The mondeo is quicker than the coupe was, and the fiesta, in my experience handle well. plus, i get massive discounts on Ford parts and Rover parts prices aren't even funny.

200SEI · Post by **200SEI** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:36 am

Think iv already made my mind up.. :roll:

Inearly bought a ti at the weekend tho....so Rovers are still on the brain! :roll:

ti or not ti · Post by **ti or not ti** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:22 pm

Again seconeded having owned one for over a year, the noise and power were superb.

The interior was dated and that is where it apparantly fell down (why i the Impreza so popular then - the interior is Sh1te)

The handeling and chassis were second to none, please all keep your eyes on these cars as i bet they become a future classic.

BlueRover · Post by **BlueRover** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:26 pm

Agreement in full. A future classic it will be. Oh, and the Chinese could easily base a new car on the chassis without infringing copyright. After all, what modern car isn't based on a previous design. I do hope the eastern gentlemen will maintain a development base in the UK, they would be stupid not to. All that expertise...

Post by **agw_01** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 12:53 am

Si wrote:The new ones look absolutely awesome too IMO.

I'll agree with that! I saw a lovely facelift black ZS180 with the 18" MG Multispokes. It had no boot spoiler and looked awesome! So subtle, yet so mean!

Saw a similar one at my local dealer today. Might go in and arrange a test drive on my way home from work next week

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 12:51 pm

agw_01 wrote:
Si wrote:The new ones look absolutely awesome too IMO.

I'll agree with that! I saw a lovely facelift black ZS180 with the 18" MG Multispokes. It had no boot spoiler and looked awesome! So subtle, yet so mean!

Saw a similar one at my local dealer today. Might go in and arrange a test drive on my way home from work next week

17's my good man :wink:

I was seriouslt considering one myself, but because of the situation, I couldent take the risk with depreciation, which is why the old ZS Diesel had to go...

If you can find a MkII for around 6-7K, then well worth it.

Post by **agw_01** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:01 pm

Steve wrote:17's my good man

I'm not talking about the MG Straights. I mean these ones...

Always thought they were 18's :oops:

Hmm, they would look mighty fine on a Mk2 200 wouldn't they

Steve220 · Post by **Steve220** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:36 pm

they're 17's too. 18's weren't put on the ZS as standard.

i love the mk2 ZS shape

would be awesome with a supercharger on the KV6
Steve

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 2:33 pm

The new front looks great, but I hate the backs of the both the new ZR and ZS.

The whole flushed tailgate and bumper mounted numberplate just looks like it's been attacked by a nova owner.

Perfect would be Mk2 front and Mk1 rear, and those 17s in that picture. On a 5dr hatch.

Rovertech 2.0

ZS180 what a motor

ZS180 what a motor

Re: ZS180 what a motor