Although the Rover 400 - as it was called then - was launched in early 1995, it was actually based on the Honda Civic five-door. And the Civic was, in turn, based on the 1991 Domani, a lacklustre Japanese-market saloon. Yet there is a benefit to using a Honda platform, however ancient. The double wishbone front suspension is still a sophisticated solution and well suited to an outright sporting car.

What really makes the ZS stand out is its V6 engine in a class of four-pot rivals. The 2.5-litre KV6 is exceptionally smooth and has real verve in the higher rev ranges. The ZS's comparatively low weight also means that it doesn't feel too bogged down in the lower arc of the rev counter (a problem in the heavier ZT). And with revs it really does fly, seeming to come alive at 4000rpm. There's real joy to be had extending it to its 6750rpm limit. There's serenity about the ZS under full-bore running.

Overall, the ZS180 is a very neat and tidy handler. The body is kept well in check and bumps smothered with some aplomb at fast B-road speeds. It feels very quick on the motorway and on fast A-roads; even at high speed the whole car feels very steady and assured. Bizarrely, the ZS also manages to feel genuinely fast at just 70mph, sadly often not the case in many more modern cars. At low speeds and on broken urban roads, there's a fair amount of chop-chop-bang from the 17in alloys. But overall the ride and handling compromise is impressive and MG has managed to keep the tyre noise down.

The steering is very nicely weighted and geared and seems especially intuitive at very low speeds in tight bends. The front end bites into corners with some enthusiasm (and has a particularly satisfying turn-in on flying corners) and the whole car responds especially well to the classic front-drive technique of using acceleration to pull the car through and around bends.

Overall, the balance of the ZS is not exactly 'snappy' but has a more mature, steady gait even when pushing quite hard. Even so, the ZS is very satisfying for back-country dashes, as I discovered on the northern Hertfordshire lanes - the same demanding roads used by Ford's chassis development teams.

Downsides? The brakes could use more bite and feedback through the pedal. Although the car will stop perfectly well (the ZS 180 has larger discs - 282mm at the front and 260mm at the rear) it's quite hard for the driver to tell exactly at what point the maximum retardation is about to cut in. The gearchange is confident and swift enough, but it needs a determined hand and a fully depressed clutch for a clean shift. The ZS180 also gets a stack of sports gear ratios and the gearshift has modified linkages for a shorter throw.

Decent driving position too, with impressive part-leather sports seats from the MG ZT. As part of the recent facelift of the range, MGR modified the ancient dash with modish circular vents and a new centre console and switchgear. I was surprised how acceptable the interior was. It's low-key, it didn't rattle and it's of perfectly decent build quality.
Incidentally, I'd recommend the saloon version of the ZS for a keen driver. An appreciably stiffer body means crisper handling and a better ride. It also looks better and has much greater carrying capacity than the hatchback.

The new body kit (standard on the 180 and a good value ΂£895 option on the smaller-engined ZS models) really lifts the familiar 45/ZS shape. Perhaps the new headlamps look a bit too 3-series derived and the grille surround a bit 'stuck-on', but to my eyes this is quite a crisp, even modern-looking car. The cherry on the styling cake has to be those distinctive front wing vents: what a pity that they're blanked-off fakes.

Contrary to expectation, this really is an impressive and satisfying driver's car. But ΂£17,295 makes it more expensive than a Focus ST170, costlier than a Civic Type-R and the thick-end of ΂£2K more expensive than a Seat Leon Cupra 180. Even with a V6 engine as its USP, the ZS is too expensive - but with a hefty discount it is genuinely worthy of consideration. Try it.