Spot the difference - there are quite a few, actually.
We compare a last of line TF135 from 2005 against the new TF LE500 to see whether genuine progress has been made in the intervening three years.
AROnline’s News Editor, Clive Goldthorp, brought his MG TF135 along to Longbridge and we put them through their paces in order to answer the question.
Words and pictures: Keith Adams
Chinese fake-out or the real deal?
Spot the difference - there are quite a few, actually.
HERE'S a lot
of talk about the Mazda MX-5 whenever the subject of the new MG TF LE500 is
raised. You know the sort of thing – the pundits say: 'Ah the TF will
need to be good to beat the Mazda.' They are, of course, right to do so. The
Mazda's a formidable benchmark to go up against, even if it's no longer the
biggest ticket in town in the USA and the chunky looks of the (soon-to-be facelifted)
current model haven't exactly gone down a storm. We're not, though, so sure
it's MG's target for the TF LE500 at all. You see, despite what NAC MG UK’s
Gary Hagen might tell us, MG enthusiasts know their car's an altogether different
proposition.
That's why we thought it would be more relevant to compare the TF LE500 with one of the last MY05 TFs off the line – to see if NAC MG UK's operation at Longbridge can produce a better car than MG Rover managed. Our 2005 TF135 belongs to AROnline's News Editor, Clive Goldthorp, who's story you can read elsewhere, and, with just over 7000 miles on the clock, his car's pretty much in the same condition as when it rolled out of Longbridge just over three years ago.
First introduced in 2002, the steel sprung development of the 1995 MGF had been good for MG Rover. A reasonable seller throughout the lean years of Phoenix, the TF established itself as the most popular two-seater roadster in the UK – a combination of good looks, a keen price, and that all-important MG badge ensuring that buyers kept flocking to Longbridge. It was a long way from perfect – but the light revisions for 2005 went a long way towards curing the ills and, if you're looking at a late model TF with that glass rear window, you can also expect more compliant suspension.
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The first thing that strikes me about the new car is the extent of the improvement in build quality - you open the door, climb in and the doors shut with more of a clunk than a clang! It's only a small thing but, in terms of perception, it makes all the difference. |  |
There's no doubt that anyone who frequents this website will, at some point, have been looking at TFs. For one, there's something about them that's hard to resist – they’re temptingly cheap and are the British choice through and through.
That's why we've brought these two cars together – to see if the new one has the same X-factor as the old one. Who better, then, to compare the two cars than Clive? "The first thing that strikes me about the new car is the extent of the improvement in build quality – you open the door, climb in and the doors shut with more of a clunk than a clang! It's only a small thing but, in terms of perception, it makes all the difference," he said. It's true enough – there’s a more homogenous feel to the way everything hangs together in the new car – and, although everything looks the same, NAC MG UK have somehow managed to make everything feel just that little bit more tightly screwed together.
We've already described the way the new car feels and sounds on the move in our road test, but Clive's observations underline the improvement in quality: "The TF LE500 felt more rigid and had fewer rattles over potholes and the like than mine." It's true enough – although our car was tight with less than 4000 miles on the odometer, there's a more distinct feeling of solidity compared with the older TF. How much that decreased interior noise is down to the tighter interior or the more compliant suspension is open to debate right now. However, as Clive noted, "The fine tuning which has been done to the TF LE500’s suspension settings in order to accommodate the 16in rims appears to have improved the ride quality."
Clive added: "The latest car’s clutch seems heavier but then NAC MG UK’s Press Car had done rather fewer miles than my own and, from the passenger seat, the air conditioning unit rather compromised leg room in the footwell but then, at 6ft 3in tall, my legs are probably longer than average. However, given the higher equipment level and the other improvements, these are relatively minor points.”
Externally, the new car's paintwork and overall levels of quality seem to be improved as well although, as Corporate Communications Manager, Eleanor De La Haye, told us, "A high standard of build is something we've worked very hard to achieve – we take that very seriously indeed."
We'll leave the final words to Clive. "The TF LE500 was, in short, a better and tighter package than my MGR-built version and that inspires confidence both in the driving experience and for the future of the marque."
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Thanks to NAC MG UK for lending us the car...