MG TF 120 STEPSPEED
In Stepspeed Form, The Latest
MG TF Lets You Play At Driving F1-Style. Jonathan Crouch Gets Behind The Wheel
In normal motoring folklore, the terms 'automatic' and 'roadster' are mutually exclusive. After all, a conventional auto 'box saps performance and reduces driveability, the two things you probably buy a car like this for in the first place. Enter the MG TF 120 Stepspeed.
The MG's Stepspeed system claims to be different, mainly because it's built around a rubber belt-driven CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) system that's light, flexible and responsive. Gear changes can either be automatically made or manually operated via two steering wheel switches. There are two choices of 'automatic' mode: around town, you leave the alloy gearknob in Drive for relaxed and economical progress at engine speeds programmed to stay below 4,500rpm. Once out on the open road, tapping the lever to the left selects the 'Sport' mode, which raises the peak engine power speed to 5,500rpm. Here you can also access the six speeds manually, either by flicking the gearknob back and forth or by using the steering wheel flick switches. The usual electronic over-rides are in place to stop you abusing the system. It won't let you over-rev the engine (so don't bother trying to change down to second at 60mph) and if you haven't changed up by the red line-point, CVT will do it for you. Plus it will also change down automatically if you forget to do so while slowing down to what would normally be stalling speed. On the move, MG
Rover says the Stepspeed system is particularly good on surfaces like compacted snow where the possibility of wheelspin is reduced. It works pretty well on more ordinary surfaces too, once you've got used to the concept. Most of the time, it's difficult to tell what gear you're actually in, so it's just as well that a digital display is carried on the instrument panel.
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"This is a car you just have to get in and really drive..."
You do however, have to accept some reduction in performance: rest to sixty (9.7s) is slower even (by half a second) than the entry-level TF115 model and a second and a half slower than the slightly more powerful equivalent manual 1.8-litre model, the TF135 (which also costs £800 less). There's a similar penalty as you accelerate through the gears. In other words, to put up with all this and a £18,595 asking price, youve really got to want an auto box. Still, the Stepspeed model remains central to a
MG TF range that was a big improvement over the MGF line-up it replaced and has been incrementally refined since it hit the market. How so? Well theres a different suspension set-up (replacing the old Hydrogas system), which at the back end is a completely fresh multi-link affair and is mounted on solid sub-frames (rather than wishy-washy rubber bushes).
This set up has been tuned on the latest cars in order to maximise ride comfort and sharpen the handling. The more direct steering rack helps here too and there are uprated brakes, all TF models also fitted with improved standard ABS. The whole idea has been to create something sharper, more agile and more responsive. Moving to the sheet metal, stylist Peter Stevens dictated that the whole side of the TF should be new, with contoured curves that give a more aggressive feel to the profile and a lowered look to the whole car.
There are also bigger air intakes to allow the mid-mounted engines to gulp in more oxygen. The rear deck, which sits above two chromed tailpipes that displace the foglamps, also has a curvy look, now on all variants including the small lip spoiler originally developed for the MGF Trophy 160SE. High speed stability is said to be better as a result. The latest cars can be identified by their chrome finished badging.
However, its the front youll notice first, with projector-style headlamp units that also incorporate the indicators. Between them, theres the latest MG sportscar two-bar grille and below that, a deeper front bumper incorporating a mesh air intake and twin fog lamps. The latest cars can be identified by their chrome finished badging. It all looks mean enough to frighten off the hairdresser types though given that these people bought the majority of the 40,000 MGFs sold here, that might not necessarily be something of which MGs shareholders would approve.
With all this effort having gone into making the TF its own car, its a little disappointing to climb inside and find a sense of deja vu. True, the
seat cloths and the instrument graphics are different but thats about it. To be fair, the Longbridge budget probably only stretched so far and in any case, the cabin did get a bit of a re-work at the turn of the century. Some minor tweaks were also made more recently as illuminated controls for the ventilation system were introduced along with an alloy gear knob.
Still, we could have done without keeping the narrow, rather highly-mounted seats and the rather clunky minor controls. The Fisher Price-style controls for this Stepspeed models gearshift could have been consigned to history too. Distinctive features on this 120 Stepspeed model include 15" V-spoke alloy wheels and Sebring/leather seats. This is a car you just have to get in and drive - an addictive experience on narrow twisty roads, thanks to the near-perfect mid-engined balance. The rigid steel bodyshell helps here too as well as creating one of the safest cars in the class. That the MG TF is a soft-top makes it extremely unusual amongst the ranks of mid-engined cars, due to the difficulty of packing the folded hood (which now has a heated rear screen) on top of the engine bay.
Not only have the designers managed this (albeit with the drawback of a perspex rear screen), they've also created so much boot space that there's still no need to carry luggage under the bonnet, where it could interfere with safety. You'll still need to specify the optional boot-mounted luggage rack if you want to take more than a couple of soft bags however. Whether the Stepspeed model really fits the bill as a roadster for real drivers is something enthusiasts will argue over long and hard. For those who have to drive in traffic, however, it's likely to be a tempting option.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: MG TF 120 Stepspeed
PRICE: £18,595 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 12
CO2 EMISSIONS: 194g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 9.7s / Max Speed 118mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 24.4mpg / (extra urban) 43.9mpg / (combined) 34.0mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Drivers airbag, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 3910/1780/1270
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