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V8
- a passion to perform In fact one of the marketing challenges for MG Rover will be product recognition because very few people will recognise the 260 V8s as anything other than an ordinary MG ZT. Yet it is a car which will have a broad appeal from middle management as a comfortable car for commuting and moving between appointments, to more senior drivers in both management and lifestyle senses! Yes if you are a moderately well-heeled person at or nearing retirment and you enjoy driving, this car will have an enormous appeal! Why? - simply it moves with a subtle but understated purpose, surging a little when required to make journeys an effortless pleasure where the miles just drift by. But although this car is so flexible it is uncanny, make no mistake it is no contender for a funeral procession. Hit the throttle in third and it is a rocket! In 6.2 seconds from rest you pass 60mph and pick up mid range in any gear is faultless. No this is not a car for auto-animals like Clarkson, this is a car for people with a great deal more subtlety and a feeling for the marque which is MG! The braking is impressive as the balance is set to minimise front end dive so you feel a very progressive deceleration from the reassuringly fast-acting 4-channel ABS as standard through massive ventilated discs front and rear. The ride and handling are precise and, even on the flat side roads between the vast arable fields around Bury St Edmunds, the 260 V8 soaked up the bumps and surged along without a hint of roll or rear end hop. "Comfort without compromise" is MG Rover's claim - it's certainly that and a most reassuring driving feel. However with all V8s, driving in the wet does need a very sensitive right foot with hard acceleration. But frankly after a few furious bursts you very soon realise that there is far more driving pleasure in using the power with care and letting the eight cylinders of the Mustang derived power unit and gearbox just ease the car along with pace and not a little grace. |
 Just simple V8 logos are the only outward signs of the MG ZT 260 V8. (Photo: MG Rover) a little sad.
With the bellhousing well back, there is no space to the left of
the clutch pedal to rest your foot, so you will need a crash course
in ankle flexing to develop a conditioned reflex which will park
your foot under the pedal. But frankly unless you feel you are a
prospective Touring Car Championship contender, gearchanges are
not that frequent! Under the bonnet
the powerhouse still sports a Mustang emblem and packs the bay
in all directions. But it's reassuring that such a well proven power
unit and gearbox have been chosen for this remarkable model. The
gearbox in the test car was still quite stiff but I was reassured
"it was getting better by the day!". The other interesting
feature with this car is it needs to be run in with care, particularly
the back axle, which is something prospective secondhand buyers
of this model will have to watch very carefully indeed. Drivers
with an inbuilt feeling for good quality performance machinery will
find that second nature of course, but I know Ames MG will be stressing
this to their new 260 V8 customers as they really do care about
both the cars and their customers' enjoyment of them. Yes definitely
an MGV8 that has character and style which can be driven in
an understated manner that just gobbles up the miles with enormous
reserves of torque and power to ease by situations and breeze up
hills. Now that's what MGV8 motoring is all about - not door handle
grinding, gearbox stirring, Clarkson shoot from the lip macho glibness,
or tyre burning ..…. Yes it's a car for driving enthusiasts
with a mature mentality. |
