MG (Morris Garages) was well-known for its sports cars and roadsters back in the 1920s, and returned to its roots in the 90s with the MG F. It was facelifted as the MG TF in the early 2000s. Sadly, this was the last true British-made roadster as MG Rover Company went down the drain due to a fail negotiation with SAIC in 2005.
Before reviewing the TF, I selected the most well-kept and spiritually-driven on any webpage. However, this example was selected after I looked at it in the recent Retro Havoc gathering. This particular MG TF is owned by a friend of mine named Dan, and his car is currently for sale with the price tag of RM 57,000.
The MG TF roadster was actually a revised version of the 90s mid-engined MG F roadster. Built since 2001, the TF did add additional benefits and kicked out some unwanted innovations. It rejected the Hydragas hydropneumatic suspension with the conventional coil springs, boast a revised design, and a semi-tuned Rover K-Series engine with 120 hp. This particular MG TF was an automatic, so it was paired with a 6-speed Steptronic CVT transmission. Coincidentally, the original Lotus Elise also shared a little number of parts from this MG roadster too with the modified powertrain and the side mirrors.
According to the owner himself, his TF's old engine was replaced by the one in the Lotus Elise S1 as the original 1.8 litre K-Series engine made a lot of problems like the bad head gasket and cooling. With the engine from Lotus, the TF became more reliable and powerful thanks to the revised thermostat and water pump. Meanwhile, the engine was also being fitted with an upgraded head gasket and a 52 mm racing-spec throttle body. A custom air intake system was also added to channel the air to the engine for better performance. Additionally, he also provided custom air vents on the side of the car to improve cooling. Both carbon air vents and the cold air intake system were fabricated by J-Craft Tuning and Performance.
To add an icing on the cake, the shock absorbers were also replaced with a fully-adjustable ones with polyurethane bushes to make the car even more firmer to handle any corners. When it comes to exhaust, it used a Lotus exhaust system with the F15 tips, and a custom-built 4-2-1 stainless steel intake manifold with a de-cat to improve air flow channeling.
With the fabric top up, the MG TF was still a looker. Apparently, the rear window was obviously faded due to wear and tear. But the good thing was the owner would provide a replacement soft top and a hard top for potential buyers.
Being a tuned car was not enough without some additional aesthetics. So, he also provided new MG badges from the TF LE500 for both exterior and interior. Not only that, the bulb for the head lights were exchanged with LEDs and the rear tail lamps were replaced with the Lexus-style lights.
One of the best things about the TF was it was a practical mid-engine car. Most mid-engine cars did not have a decent amount of boot space, but the TF did have a plenty amount of space at the back and some storages inside the car.
It is best to keep the spare tyre at the front trunk to balance the weight of the TF. If not, it might over-steer easily.
Moving to the interior department, the MG TF featured a two-tone interior with black and red combination on the seats and the door panels. It had a physical clock and oil pressure gauge at the center fascia. The audio system for this roadster was also upgraded with aftermarket speakers and a Pioneer head unit. Furthermore, the quirk part of it was the paddle shifters to play around with the transmission. The paddle itself looked like an analog stick from any video game controllers. Push for upshift, and pull for downshift, in both paddles.
Some parts of the leather like the right bolsters were off, but it can be fixed easily at any cushion repair shops.
So how was it feel to drive the MG TF
Driving the MG TF was a pleasant experience especially it was a mid-engine layout car. You may called it a low-end Porsche Boxster as a simple summary after driving the TF. Since this car was modified, the acceleration was somewhat similar to the Elise as the original TF was not really a powerful car to accelerate. Sitting on the driver's seat was kinda supportive, and it was not really that cramp compared to that in an Elise. Handling-wise was pretty adequate, as the chassis was pretty balanced and the fully-customizable suspension helped the car to handle any corners. The CVT itself was pretty smooth and it did not whine so much like other CVTs at that period, although it always high-rev at certain speed. The exhaust system made a wild noise but the acceleration was there thanks to the better airflow. Moreover, the MG TF was also a good roadster to cruise around the city with the top down, and a true player in a race track if prepared properly just like this.
Final Verdict
The MG TF was the most ideal choice for beginners to own their first roadsters. It was comfy, and responsive to drive with appropriate upgrades. But there's one thing that you need to look out before buying the TF. Most TFs were not in a good condition in Malaysia due to engine failure and leaks throughout the roof. Parts wise were not really that easy to get, but there's one place that could source them at Glenmarie. However, this particular MG TF was the most well-kept condition that I found and you might questioning yourselves whether you might take the all-rounder TF over the track-driven Elise as the ultimate daily car.
For those who are keen to own this MG TF, head over to Toycarz Malaysia in Glenmarie to know more about the car in first person, or you may text Dan himself to know about the car (+0149222791).
*Special thanks to Mr. Dan himself and Toycarz Malaysia for letting me review the MG TF!
Comments
Post a Comment