MGF Roadtest

[NightShadow]

Well,

I'm now the proud owner of a British Racing Green MG F and I Love it!


Now before I went to go buy it at a bargain price with hardtop and luggage rack included I posted here and got told it was a pile of carp purely because the MX-5 is a better car? Well heres what I have to say:


Build quality

I don't get it? people were saying they have bad build quality (due to it being made by rover??) but I cant fault it! sure the cabins a bit noisy but that’s beacause its a convertible, the only rattle i have is from the catches on the soft top!...ooh the adjuster for the passenger door mirror came off :S ill fix that though. Moving to the exterior, the paint has lots of stone chips in it but that is after 76000 of motorway miles, also the mesh in the front grill has gone grey from corrosion, that’s about all i can find so far. 7/10


Performance

Well as its the K series engine im sure the head gasket already went 10 times so i should be safe for 2 more miles before I need to fix it (joking of course!) I'm sticking to the guidelines of 3000rpm max until the oil is over 60 degrees and once it has... Its very quick, im sure that’s all helped along by the fact that you are sitting on the floor and that it feels different with RW drive, like your being pushed along rather than the blandness of front wheel drive I had learned to live with (first time in RW drive ). 0-60 in under 9 seconds, think its around 8.5 ish for those who are able to drive like the drivers that test these. When shifting up a gear and hammering down the throttle again its got loads of kick and you get a kick in the backside every time..up to 3rd that is..not reached the redline in 4th yet as I keep bottling it :S. 9/10


Handling

Well, the ride is very hard and is very similar to my mates mx-5 in that respect thought not quite as crashy (that could be due to me having the hardtop on). The steering wheel is fairly tick itself due to having an airbag but at the same time its nice and small and easy to handle. For such a small car I was surprised that the turning circle in that its not as small as you would expect for a small car..tho small enough to make 3 point turns easily (not that anybody cares about parking and the likes). The steering is quite weighty and feels a little bit springy if you want but then this could be where i'm used to really light steering like in my Leon, I’m not actually sure if mine has the EPAS (electric power assisted steering) but either way there is plenty of weight when going fast, would like it to be a bit lighter actually but I will be looking itno this. I can't actually comment of its road holding yet as I’ve not got down to B roads to really go for it. The rear end is fairly planted though, I have had it sideways only twice (not by accident ) though it wasn't as easy as in my mates MX-5 probably due to the weight being on top of the rear wheels where in the MX-5 it seems a little light (locked just the rear wheels a few times under hard braking in his :S) 7/10

That's it from me for know, if you have any questions for me you know where to leave them

NS

 

[tom_nieto]

Great little cars. I like the TF's looks better though. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about them to be honest. Road holding is superb, and after bouncing off the redline on B roads you can't fail to have a smile on your face.

For a friendlier attitude towards MGs head over to www.mg-rover.org.

 

[NightShadow]

Well, instead of starting a new thread I thought i'd put the piccys i took after giving her some TLC (AKA Meg's Tech Wax & glass cleaning stuff..smells soo good! )

Front

Back

Me = Happy!

NS

 

[agw_01]

Nice one Glad to see you weren't put off by all the bad comments.

I can't say much about the MGF/TF having never been in one, but I hope it gives you miles of problem free smiles

 

[Burned_Alive]

You dont notice the build quality on second hand MGFs because all the bits have already fallen off.

 

[NickXX]

Well,

Now before I went to go buy it at a bargain price with hardtop and luggage rack included I posted here and got told it was a pile of carp purely because the MX-5 is a better car?

Did you actually test drive the MX5 though? I've not driven the F, just the TF, but imo it felt like it had been built by a chimp. I guess it depends what you're used to.

Comparing a '54 reg TF against a '54 reg MX5 was laughable, the MX5 was better in every way. IMO of course.

 

[tom_nieto]

Oh god, here we go again! He's not going to sell the MGF for the sole reason that he hasn't bought an MX-5.

Looks lovely mate, looks like a real minter. Glad you're happy, hope you've been bouncing it off the red line on some B roads.

Get that hard top off though, you'll never look back after taking the roof down for the first time

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

Looks good, now get that hard top off and go have some fun with the roof down! If you are not smiling within 2 mins, I'll be surprised.

 

[D4VE]

Did you actually test drive the MX5 though? I've not driven the F, just the TF, but imo it felt like it had been built by a chimp. I guess it depends what you're used to.

Comparing a '54 reg TF against a '54 reg MX5 was laughable, the MX5 was better in every way. IMO of course.

He bought the MG because he drove it and liked it, its quite simple really.

NightShadow, glad you like it. If the HG has been fixed properly you shouldnt have any worries. Just keep an eye on the oil and coolant (like you should with any car anyway).

 

[NickXX]

He bought the MG because he drove it and liked it, its quite simple really.

NightShadow, glad you like it. If the HG has been fixed properly you shouldnt have any worries. Just keep an eye on the oil and coolant (like you should with any car anyway).

Just making my views clear to prospective buyers .


Nightshadow - I'm not having a dig, just sharing my views. TBH, you do get a lot for your money with the MGF - the best bit is driving around with the roof down, so will be great fun with the top off.

 

[happytechie]

in fact I've got a better plan for the hard top, SELL IT!!! you'll get about £600 for it on the bay and you really don't need one at all, it just makes it slower to put the roof down.

Enjoy the car and rememebr that those back wheels that feel so planted and secure in the dry feel far from it in the wet I assume that the 60K cam belt change has been done, if not you need to get it done asap. It looks like a 1.8i to me so it's 120Bhp or thereabouts, it's not going to set the world on fire performance wise but you'll have a load of fun in it. The one item you will need is a wind deflector to go behind the headrests. they make a huge difference to the amount of wind blowing down the back of your neck.

Have fun with it

HT

 

[Firestar_3x]

Hope you enjoy the car, i was under the impression the MGF was quicker to 60 than the MX5 and thats the only thing it had going for it really but 8.5 is quite poor

Anyways hope it all works out for you

 

[Tesla]

The K series engine is the most fun engine I have ever driven with.

I wouldn't mind a go in the F, does the TF use the 1.8 K too?

As said just keep a closer eye on coolant and oil. I check mine weekly anyway as I'm sure most people here do.

 

[happytechie]

The K series engine is the most fun engine I have ever driven with.

I wouldn't mind a go in the F, does the TF use the 1.8 K too?

As said just keep a closer eye on coolant and oil. I check mine weekly anyway as I'm sure most people here do.

the TF is still a a K series lump. it has some modifications formt he one used in t e F, namely metal dowels to line up the head and the block and an uprated head gasget. The root cause of the issue still remains the same though (return from the rad V close to the temp sensor iirc)

HT

 

[Tesla]

the TF is still a a K series lump. it has some modifications formt he one used in t e F, namely metal dowels to line up the head and the block and an uprated head gasget. The root cause of the issue still remains the same though (return from the rad V close to the temp sensor iirc)

HT

There are several "flaws" in an otherwise incredible design. If you're in the mood for reading then: http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/thecar/engine/kingk.html

 

[tom_nieto]

The TF has slightly more powerful variants of the K, the 1.6 is 115bhp, the 1.8i is 135 and the 1.8vvc is 160, rather than the 120 and 143 (vvc) iirc of the 1.8 F. I think it's the 1.8vvc that is quicker to 60 than the MX-5. Thing is, neither of the two cars are particularly fast, it's the driving style which provides the entertainment... oh and the top down driving.

 

[NightShadow]

Well ive been checking the coolant and oil every time i open the boot more or less and its allways been spot on so far..though not sure what antifreeze i should add to top it up as its currently a greeny colour .

For those that asked yes i test drove an MX-5, a Mk1 (1.6 import so no Cat and better than the UK 1.6) that is as its in a similar price bracket. My views were that its got a more dated interior and vinyl roof as opposed to the mohair on the MGF which is meant to be better, the pop-ups are a great novalty though.
It was pretty quick..didn't have the same kick when changing gears as the MGF, probably because the 1.6 has less tourque, but it wasnt bad. I didnt like the brakes though, had to do some hard braking, nothing that should have locked the wheels but the rear wheels seemed to do a lil bit of screeching which wasn't a nice feeling and ive not had the same prob in the mgf..probably due to the mid engine adding weight over the rear. One thing i did like was the steering, it was lighter than the MGF with no springy feel to it but not so much better to make me want it over the F.

NS

 

[volospian]

http://www.turbotechnics.com/docs/cars/mgf.htm

You know you want to!

 

[Firestar_3x]

Ah, you tested the 1.6 Mk1, tbh i would have found it hard to decide between the two, the MG will represent better value for money but the mx is fundamentally a more reliable car, was reading something in Car Mechanics about the MGF and coolant pipes that run along the bottom of the car, these corrode quickly and leak coolant you can get uprated versions which don't might be worth checking out.

 

[ajgoodfellow]

Glad you like it!

Dad bought a TF about a month ago or so and he rather likes it. The TF has harder suspension than the F - you can definitely feel every single bump

It's meant to be more focussed too but Dad hasn't driven the F so he doesn't have first hand experience of the differences

I haven't driven it but it's great fun to be a passenger in. Dad's got the 135 version with Sport Pack 2 or something - basically it's got the brakes and wheels from the VVC and harder suspension

Dad's is an '04 reg and it's well put together. No sweaks or rattles at all, but then it's only two years old! He's got the wind deflector and it makes a HUGE difference. It makes the cabin comfortable to be in and to talk in at 70 mph

Check that all the tyres are the same and that you don't have mixed GSD3s and GSD2s on the same axel. These are rather sensitive to tyres (at least the TF is) and it's a deathtrap in that combination.

The Toyo Proxes TI-Rs are recommended as replacements. They're said to be equal to the GSD2s. Avoid the GSD3s. There's a Bridgestone tyre which is said to be better than all the rest - it's about double the price though and I can't remember what model it is!

Enjoy the car!