MG TF's fun factor remains intact

Motoring editor Peter Carroll takes the revived TF for an extended test and finds the LE500 remains fun to drive - in an 'old school' way.

In an age where every other firm seems to turn to China to reduce their manufacturing costs, there's almost a 'coals to Newcastle' feel about the way Nanjing has revived MG production at Longbridge.

I daresay the Chinese, who bought the rights to MG following the collapse of MG Rover in 2005, could quite easily churn out TFs by the thousand on home turf and export them wherever there was a market for them.

So it is heartening that they have established a presence in the brand's former West Midlands homeland - albeit a small one.

The first batch of 500 high spec TF LE500s has been assembled at Longbridge and most have found buyers. So what kind of car are these owners letting themselves in for?

In its day, the TF was more expensive than its chief rival, the Mazda MX-5, yet continued to outsell it in the UK. That was several years ago, however, and while development work has continued on the MX-5, the MG TF has the air of a car that has been frozen in time.

But improvements have been carried out, however, and under the skin the engine now complies with EC regulations. There's a new-style head gasket (a notorious issue with the old car) and better cooling.

A more traditional coil spring suspension set-up has been chosen which makes the car more stable and gives it a more comfortable ride.

While there have been styling tweaks to the front end to make it look more aggressive, the essential character of the car remains. Nanjing has deliberately tried to preserve the 'Britishness' of the car and it shows. Anyone who used to have an old TF will immediately feel at home in the new model.

As the new car is a special edition, the kit count is high. For £16,399 you get leather seats, both hard and soft tops, air conditioning, parking sensors and a smart piano black finish to the dashboard.

The interior lights are built into the bottom of the rear mirror and are a nice touch. The switchgear is so old it could conceivably claim to be 'retro' rather than merely dated.

You even get a cigar lighter in the centre console, as you'd expect from any traditional British sports car.

I initially found it difficult to get comfortable in the TF. The driving position initially seems too high, with insufficient seat adjustment.

The metal-finished pedals are off-set to the left and I was wearing leather-soled shoes, which kept slipping off them.

The next day (with trainers on) driving suddenly became more agreeable. The sun came out, which meant that the top of the car could come down.

This is a relatively straightforward process involving two catches, though women owners might need to watch their fingernails.

The folded hood rests somewhat untidily behind the front seats, though a tonneau cover with press studs can be fixed to tidy up the look - if you can be bothered.

The rival Mazda MX-5 scores in this department by offering a choice of a neatly-folding manual roof or electrically-retracting metal roof - at a price: an MX-5 with an electric roof can cost well over £20,000.

On the road, the TF remains great fun to drive: it is 'old school' rear-wheel drive with communicative, direct steering. You get ABS but no traction or stability controls.

The 1.8 litre engine offers brisk, rather than rapid performance but sounds eager and will rev right up to around 7,000rpm. The gearbox is not the slickest and you get five rather than six gears.

Visibility through the rear view mirror is an issue because of vibration, while the radio has tiny buttons which are a pain to operate - even with the remote control.

None of these gripes detract from the overall fun of driving the TF, however, particularly if you stick to B roads rather than motorways.

It offers a classic car driving experience - and where else are you going to get the traditional mid-engined rear wheel drive set up at such an affordable price?

Toyota has ceased production of the MR2, while a Porsche - even a Boxster - remains a distant dream for most people.

There will not be a new TF until 2010, though a cheaper standard TF is due to be rolled out any time now.

And while it may not ultimately match the MX-5, the TF is not without character and will start to make sense if the pricing of the standard model turns out to be attractively low.

By Peter Carroll

MG TF Fact File:

Model: LE500

Price: £16,399 on the road

Engine: 1,796cc, four cylinder, petrol

Power: 135PS

Transmission: Five speed manual gearbox, rear wheel drive

Performance: 0-60mph in 8.4 seconds

Top speed: 124mph

Economy: 35.8mpg

CO2 emissions: 185g/km

Length: 3,943mm

Weight: 1,180kg

Insurance group: 14

Servicing: 12 months/15,000 miles

Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles