MG TF RANGE
Continual Detail Changes To MGs TF Have Kept It In The Limelight. Andy Enright Reports
Logic would seem to dictate that MGs TF roadster should have its work cut out. After all, roadsters are bought by the fashion conscious and whichever way you slice or dice it, the TF isnt the freshest face on the block. But hang on a minute. The
Mazda MX-5, the TFs chief rival, had one of its best sales years in 2004 despite having been on sale for six years.
Unlike the premium roadster market, dominated by the likes of the
BMW Z4,
Porsche Boxster and Mercedes SLK, those with more modest budgets seem perfectly satisfied with a roadster thats been continuously honed over a period of time into something that presses all the right buttons.
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Visual tweaks are important in this regard, so look closely at the latest TF and, for example, youll spot revised alloy wheel designs. The TF115 gets square spoke alloys, while the TF135 and TF130 Stepspeed get 15-inch V-spoke alloys. A 16-inch eleven-spoke wheel design is offered as an option. The crumple and crack-prone plastic rear window has also been replaced by a heated glass item.
Other detail changes include chromed badging and front fog lamps on some variants. The interiors have been smartened up a little with revised finishes on the dashboards and doors, plus this revised model line-up ushers in illuminated heater controls, alloy gear knobs and leather trimmed steering wheels. Youll also find a CD tuner (plus MP3 compatibility on the TF160) and Sebring leather seats for the TF120 and TF135 models. The cabin still looks a little clunky in execution compared to newer rivals but it ergonomically its not at all bad.
The high driving position may annoy the purist but other than that, theres little cause for complaint. The low angled dash gives the interior a pleasantly airy feel even when the hood is raised.
"The TF has now benefited from over a decade of continuous improvement"
There are also some less overt but more important changes made to the latest TF range. MGs chassis engineers have concentrated on improving the TFs suspension in both handling dynamics and ride compliance even though it was already pretty good to begin with. Spring rates have been lowered to give a more cosseting ride over uneven surfaces but damper settings have been revised to offer better body control. A beefier front anti roll bar also helps in this regard.
The best selling TF135 model also benefits from the fitment of Continentals Premium Contact tyre. With stiffer sidewalls, this promotes a more progressive and natural feel when cornering on the limits of adhesion important for a mid-engined car like the TF. Those looking to make their TF that little bit more extreme can specify Sports Pack 1 which will drop the ride height by another 109mm and add further uprated dampers. The TF has been on sale here since 2002, when it was introduced as essentially a warmed-over version of the existing MGF, which managed to be the best selling British sportscar of the late Nineties, despite being owned at the time by a parent company that wasnt over-keen to promote it.
The TF features sharper handling, much improved build quality and ditched its predecessors unloved (and unreliable) Hydrogas gas-filled suspension set-up for a more conventional and effective set-up. The whole idea was to create something sharper, more agile and more responsive. It was a theme that
MG carried forward to the engine department, where the line-up of powerplants covers something for most needs except for diesel fans. The 1.
6-litre TF115 variant heads up the range, just below the 1.8-litre TF135, which has a power hike of 15bhp over the core unit that most MGF owners used to choose. That makes the old VVC model redundant of course, but a Stepspeed CVT automatic model with F1-style fingertip gear controls (the TF120) does remain. At the top of the range the TF160 is seriously quick, with a 0-60mph capability of under seven seconds.
The engineers say that the core 1.8-litre TF135 variant now feels a lot more lively particularly when youre thrashing the thing along, following some tweaking in the cylinder head and around the cams. To compensate for this, the gearing ratios have been raised to match those of the TF160 version. As for pricing, well its much as before, ranging from £15,995 to £20,495.
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 on top of the engine bay. Not only have the designers managed this, 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. The nations favourite roadster just got better. Theres an honesty and likeability about the MG TF that seems to have strengthened over time. This one could run and run.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: MG TF range
PRICES: £15,995-£20,495 - on the road
CO2 EMISSIONS: 169-189g/km
INSURANCE GROUPS: 11-16
PERFORMANCE: [TF160] 0-60mph 6.9s / Max Speed 137mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [TF160] (combined) 36.3mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Drivers airbag, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 3910/1780/1270
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