Zotye Z300: which version to buy — 1.5 MT vs 1.6 AT
Between January 2012 and August 2018 the Zotye Z300 existed as one generation and two versions: 1.5 MT and 1.6 AT. Both are Sedan, Gasoline, FWD, Euro 4, with the same 1350 kg kerb weight, the same 55 L tank, and the same 150 mm ground clearance.
Between January 2012 and August 2018 the Zotye Z300 existed as one generation and two versions: 1.5 MT and 1.6 AT. Both are Sedan, Gasoline, FWD, Euro 4, with the same 1350 kg kerb weight, the same 55 L tank, and the same 150 mm ground clearance. The buying question is therefore not “which generation” — there is only 1 generation — but which of those two named versions actually changes the numbers that matter: power, torque, gearbox, payload, and the one measured top speed.
Which Zotye Z300 version to choose
1.5 MT is the lighter-payload, measured-speed, five-speed Manual car: 112 hp (82 kW) at 6000 rpm, 143 Nm at 4000 rpm, 1499 cm³, top speed 172 km/h. 1.6 AT is the higher-output, four-speed Automatic car: 122 hp (90 kW) at 6000 rpm, 151 Nm at 4000 rpm, 1590 cm³, top speed not measured.
Arithmetic on those figures:
| Comparison | 1.5 MT | 1.6 AT | Difference (1.6 AT minus 1.5 MT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 112 hp / 82 kW | 122 hp / 90 kW | +10 hp / +8 kW |
| Torque | 143 Nm | 151 Nm | +8 Nm |
| Displacement | 1499 cm³ | 1590 cm³ | +91 cm³ |
| hp per litre | 112 ÷ 1.499 ≈ 74.7 hp/L | 122 ÷ 1.590 ≈ 76.7 hp/L | +2.0 hp/L |
| Nm per litre | 143 ÷ 1.499 ≈ 95.4 Nm/L | 151 ÷ 1.590 ≈ 95.0 Nm/L | −0.4 Nm/L |
| kg per hp (kerb) | 1350 ÷ 112 ≈ 12.05 kg/hp | 1350 ÷ 122 ≈ 11.07 kg/hp | −0.98 kg/hp |
| Gross weight | 1650 kg | 1700 kg | +50 kg |
| Payload (gross − kerb) | 1650 − 1350 = 300 kg | 1700 − 1350 = 350 kg | +50 kg |
| Gears | 5, Manual | 4, Automatic | −1 gear, gearbox type changes |
| Top speed | 172 km/h | not measured | no second figure to subtract |
| 0–100 | not measured | not measured | neither version has a timed sprint |
| Combined / city / highway mpg | not measured | not measured | economy cannot decide the purchase |
What the extra displacement and extra 10 hp buy, on this dataset only: 1.6 AT is about 8.9% more powerful (10 ÷ 112) at the same kerb mass, so specific mass falls from 12.05 to 11.07 kg per horsepower. It is not a denser engine in torque terms: specific torque is slightly lower (95.0 vs 95.4 Nm/L). The Automatic side also carries a 50 kg higher gross rating and therefore 50 kg more payload (350 kg vs 300 kg). There is no price field in the data, so “extra money” cannot be stated as a currency; the extra hardware that is in the data is +91 cm³, +10 hp, +8 Nm, Automatic instead of Manual, 4 gears instead of 5, and +50 kg gross.
Choose 1.5 MT if you want the only measured top speed (172 km/h), a 5-speed Manual, and the lower 1650 kg gross. Choose 1.6 AT if you want 122 hp, 151 Nm, Automatic, and 350 kg payload. Do not choose on 0–100 or mpg: both versions list those as not measured.
Generations: what changed (and what did not)
1 generation ran from 2012-01-01 to 2018-08-31 as a Sedan with 2 versions. There is no second generation and no restyling generation in the data, so there is nothing to compare as “later years added power” or “the facelift cut weight.” Both 1.5 MT and 1.6 AT share the same start and stop dates. A buyer who wants a later generation cannot get one: the catalogue stops at this single window.
What stayed identical across both versions of 1 generation: Gasoline; 4 cylinders, Inline; 4 valves per cylinder; boost No; Front, transverse; Distributed injection (multi-point); compression 10.5; fuel 95; FWD; Euro 4; tank 55 L; kerb 1350 kg; ground clearance 150 mm; Independent, spring front and Independent, spring rear; Ventilated disc front and Disc rear; wheel sizes not measured.
What did not stay identical is listed in the table above. That is the entire generation-to-generation story: there are no generations to stack, only two versions inside one generation.
Specs: engine, gearbox, drive (both versions named as in the database)
| Version | hp | Nm | Displacement (cm³) | Fuel | Cylinders / layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 MT | 112 at 6000 rpm | 143 at 4000 rpm | 1499 | Gasoline | 4, Inline | No | Manual, 5 | FWD |
| 1.6 AT | 122 at 6000 rpm | 151 at 4000 rpm | 1590 | Gasoline | 4, Inline | No | Automatic, 4 | FWD |
Both engines peak at the same 6000 rpm for power and the same 4000 rpm for torque. Bore × stroke is 75 × 84.8 on 1.5 MT and 75 × 90 on 1.6 AT: same bore, 5.2 mm longer stroke, which accounts for the 91 cm³ gap (1590 − 1499). Neither version has boost. Neither is anything other than FWD. If the search is “Z300 AWD” or a turbo catalogue page, this dataset does not contain that car.
Power share of the range: 1.6 AT at 122 hp is the peak of the two; 1.5 MT at 112 hp is 91.8% of that peak (112 ÷ 122). Torque share: 143 ÷ 151 ≈ 94.7%. The Automatic car is not a large step in twist; it is a 10 hp / 8 Nm step plus a gearbox type change.
Performance and economy: what is measured, what is not
1.5 MT top speed is 172 km/h. 1.6 AT top speed is not measured — so a buyer cannot claim the Automatic is faster in a straight line from this catalogue. 0–100 km/h is not measured for 1.5 MT and not measured for 1.6 AT. City, highway, and combined consumption are not measured for either version. CO2 is not measured for either version.
That means mpg, litres per 100 km, and sprint times cannot be used as a tie-breaker. The only performance number that exists for one version and not the other is 172 km/h on 1.5 MT. Weight-to-power, which can be computed, favours 1.6 AT (11.07 vs 12.05 kg/hp) because kerb mass is the same 1350 kg while power is 10 hp higher. That is a mass-over-power ratio, not a timed acceleration figure.
Dimensions, weight, tank, wheels
Kerb weight is 1350 kg on both 1.5 MT and 1.6 AT. Gross weight is 1650 kg on 1.5 MT and 1700 kg on 1.6 AT. Payload is therefore 300 kg versus 350 kg. Ground clearance is 150 mm on both. Tank is 55 L on both. Wheel sizes are not measured on both.
A buyer shopping for load capacity should take 1.6 AT for the extra 50 kg gross. A buyer shopping for a listed wheel size cannot decide from this data: both versions leave kolyosa empty (not measured). Clearance does not separate them. Fuel range cannot be estimated from consumption because consumption is not measured; only tank volume is known (55 L).
Reliability and problems: what this catalogue can and cannot say
There is no failure-rate, warranty, or known-fault field in the data. Reliability and “Z300 problems” cannot be scored from these numbers. What can be said without inventing faults: both versions are naturally aspirated (boost No), both use Distributed injection (multi-point), both are Euro 4, both use the same Independent, spring suspension layout front and rear, and both use Ventilated disc / Disc brakes. Those are specification equalities, not durability tests.
The mechanical split that does exist for a workshop conversation is Manual 5 versus Automatic 4, 1499 cm³ versus 1590 cm³, and 112 hp versus 122 hp. If a shop asks which engine and box you have, the exact names to give are 1.5 MT and 1.6 AT.
Which version to buy, in one pass
- Need a measured 172 km/h figure and a 5-speed Manual: 1.5 MT (112 hp, 143 Nm, 1499 cm³, FWD, Gasoline, kerb 1350 kg, gross 1650 kg, payload 300 kg).
- Need 122 hp, 151 Nm, Automatic, and 350 kg payload: 1.6 AT (1590 cm³, 4 gears, FWD, Gasoline, kerb 1350 kg, gross 1700 kg). Top speed not measured.
- Need a later generation, AWD, boost, a timed 0–100, or mpg: none of those exist in this model’s data.
- Need to separate two versions that share a name: they do not share a name — 1.5 MT and 1.6 AT are already distinct; no horsepower suffix is required.
Production of both versions of 1 generation is the same interval: 2012-01-01 to 2018-08-31, Sedan, 2 modifications. The purchase is a choice inside that pair, not a choice of year-by-year restyles.