The interior catalogue covers the cabin parts that sit closest to the owner, carpet mats, seat trim, dashboard plastics, door cards, headlining components and the small fittings that hold them in place. Most underlying interior structure is shared with the Rover 25, 45 or 75 donor (door card mouldings, carpet shapes, headliner pressing), but the seat trim materials, dashboard finishers and steering wheel are MG-specific in their colour, pattern and badging. The ZR specifically used a range of factory-trimmed seat materials including the Axis part-leather (standard on Trophy SE, distinctive grey and black inserts) and the Monaco part-leather (standard on the ZR 160, with grey inserts on Trophy Yellow cars). The ZS and ZT used their own seat trims with the ZS sharing significant material specifications with the Rover 45, and the ZT inheriting the Rover 75's higher-spec interior.
The catalogue is divided into three sub-sections covering Footwell Mats, Interior Fittings and Trim.
The 2004 Peter Stevens Facelift Cabin Changes
The January 2004 facelift introduced significant interior changes alongside the more visible exterior bodywork updates. New dashboards were fitted with soft-touch buttons on the centre console (a deliberate move to address criticism of the pre-facelift hard plastic switchgear), revised seat materials and (on the ZT specifically) the removal of the controversial wood veneer trim that had divided opinion since launch. The ZR Trophy and Trophy SE introduced new seat fabrics and trim panel finishes that distinguished them from the pre-facelift ZR range, and the wider use of body-coloured interior accents on Plus-pack ZTs gave the cabin a more cohesive sporting feel. As with the exterior, identifying pre or post-2004 facelift status is essential when ordering interior trim panels, dashboard sections or seat materials, the parts do not always interchange across the facelift point.
Rover Donor Sharing and MG-Specific Differences
The interior is the most heavily Rover-shared section of the Z-car catalogue. Carpet mat sets for the ZR are catalogued as the Rover 200 (later 25) pattern in left-hand and right-hand drive variants (EAH103070LNF and EAH103060LNF), reflecting the common floorpan shared across the Rover family. Many door card structures, instrument cluster bezels, switchgear and ventilation controls are shared with the wider Rover Group of the period. The MG-specific content lies in the seat upholstery (Axis, Monaco and other named patterns), the steering wheel, the dashboard finishers (silver mesh on early ZRs, brushed alloy on later ZTs), the gear knob and the door pulls.
This split matters for owners sourcing parts: a damaged carpet set can be sourced from a Rover 200 or 25 donor at lower cost, but a torn ZR Axis seat or a stained ZT brushed-alloy console must come from an MG donor or be remanufactured.
Ordering Considerations
The Interior section sits at the heart of cabin restoration work on these cars. UV degradation of dashboards, sun-fade of seat trim, wear on driver's-seat bolsters, broken plastic clips in door cards and torn carpets in the driver's footwell are all common 20-year-old issues.
When ordering, the priority information is the car (ZR, ZS, ZT, ZT-T or modern ZS SUV), the body style (3-door or 5-door on the ZR, saloon or hatch on the ZS, saloon or estate on the ZT), the year and the VIN cutover for pre/post-2004 facelift, the trim colour code (Axis, Monaco, Ash Grey, Granite, Mosaic) and the position of the part being replaced. The three sub-sections beneath this parent, Footwell Mats, Interior Fittings and Trim, each address their own scope in greater detail.