RE: MG V8 Saloons
Discussion
huge said:
Good point.....Im just thinking Honda get 240 out of a 4 cyl 2 ltr for the S2000...no torque mind you. should MG Rover not be looking forward instead of back ,its hardly cutting edge
I think we have been rather spoilt from the big manufaturers lately, it the massive power hikes that mercedes etc have been undertaking lately.
Certainly i reckon MGR never reckoned on that when they commisioned this model car - back then 260HP was a pretty respectable figure!! Just goes to show what happens when things are delayed
However think of the difference in cars here - 2 seater sports car, 240hp but no torque and needs to be taken by the scruff of the neck to get any power out of it. This versus a 260hp slightly more lazy v8 with bags of torque.
You can't comapre the two engines purely on BHP output. On paper there apears to be little to seperate the s2000 and the ZT, but in real world driving i reckon there will be a big difference.
Should be interesting to see whats its capable of!
>> Edited by Buffalo on Wednesday 24th September 11:59
Thought it was lower tahn that. My mate had teh Skoda RS, which AFAIK had 180BHP - though Seat was same, but didn't check... Thought i read that torque nudged over 199lb/ft 
Take it you have one of those babies..? Nice car!Torque really does make all the difference. A good way to feel the difference is to get a standard S2000 and a standard '90s Rx7 and compare them. bhp not disimilar, torque around 100ftlb difference! I got in an S2000 then an Rx7 in one day and the difference in pulling away was unreal.
Also, the type of person looking at the 75 will be comparing it against 'hot kev cars' or against top power mercs/audis/bmws.
Also, the type of person looking at the 75 will be comparing it against 'hot kev cars' or against top power mercs/audis/bmws.
Oh dear, what a lot of moaners, not all, but some. Where does all this Grandad stuff come from for ANY British saloon whether it be Rover, MG or Jaguar? those who think this way are brainwashed, I on the other hand would have any of the marques Ive mentioned over any of the over-rated German cars.
The ZT260 is just the start, the 385 will be along soon, give them a chance.
The ZT260 is just the start, the 385 will be along soon, give them a chance.
The MG/Rover saloons do have an unfortunate image problem but look beyond that at what you can pick up cheaply and what a good basis they are for modification and you can have a very good sports saloon for very little money.
I'm rather taken by the 260 although I'd like to see an independent test before going overboard. I do hope it succeeds Rover seem to be trying to give a very wide range of motorists what they want from city Rover through to the SV and they are flying the flag, they deserve both support and a bit of good luck.
I'm rather taken by the 260 although I'd like to see an independent test before going overboard. I do hope it succeeds Rover seem to be trying to give a very wide range of motorists what they want from city Rover through to the SV and they are flying the flag, they deserve both support and a bit of good luck.
I bought an 827si manual in 94 and at that time there was no mention by anyone I knew that I was buying a "Grandad" car, why? because Rover didn't have that image then. This year I bought a 5 yr old 600Ti and it seems now I do drive a "Grandad" car, what's happened?
who's done this? who or what happened in this time period? for Rover I could blame BMW for de-sporting Rover, but what about Jaguar? why are we Brits allowing this to happen?
who's done this? who or what happened in this time period? for Rover I could blame BMW for de-sporting Rover, but what about Jaguar? why are we Brits allowing this to happen?
The term 'grandad' car is probably only gonna be used by the ill-informed mumbly or the max-muppet 'me lowered corsa iz well-well-wikkid innit' brigade.
let them think what they like, as their opinions count for jackshit.
(talking as a pipe-smoking, slipper wearing 29 yr old skoda driver
)
let them think what they like, as their opinions count for jackshit.
(talking as a pipe-smoking, slipper wearing 29 yr old skoda driver
) The 'grandad' car thing can be very damaging for you and your children's health.
My Dad's list of cars goes - Alegro, Alegro, Ambassador (rusted away), Montego, 820(cooked the engine), 820(cooked the engine), 827(cooked the engine), Dewoo thing, 825 (only had it a few months so not yet cooked) - throughout the years I have grown up. Then when I leave home, I go buy a 97 honda civic vtec-e (e for economy, nothing to do with power!) 5 door! What is wrong with me?! I have been brainwashed all my life into thinking grandpa cars are normal!
My Dad's list of cars goes - Alegro, Alegro, Ambassador (rusted away), Montego, 820(cooked the engine), 820(cooked the engine), 827(cooked the engine), Dewoo thing, 825 (only had it a few months so not yet cooked) - throughout the years I have grown up. Then when I leave home, I go buy a 97 honda civic vtec-e (e for economy, nothing to do with power!) 5 door! What is wrong with me?! I have been brainwashed all my life into thinking grandpa cars are normal!
cerbman said:
I bought an 827si manual in 94 and at that time there was no mention by anyone I knew that I was buying a "Grandad" car, why? because Rover didn't have that image then. This year I bought a 5 yr old 600Ti and it seems now I do drive a "Grandad" car, what's happened?
Rover earned the Auntie/Grandad image in the 1940s, carried it through the 50s but it faded a bit during the 60s 70s. When you think of the advanced nature of their cars, gas turbines, etc, etc the image is a bit hard to justify but put it down to closed minds.
Anybody remember the mid engined Rover/Alvis BS sports car, a stonking machine stiffled by politics or how about the P6 racer that put half a lap on the field at the Ring or Tony Ponds Vitesse lap of the Island or the SD1s in Saloon Car Racing, all very grandad (NOT)!
>> Edited by gnomesmith on Thursday 2nd October 13:47
Yeah in today's world of intercooled, forced induction and turbo-chargers, 260Ps doesn't sound like a lot.
Remember this is a car that has none of these 'features' it's raw, viceral V8 power, if you've ever heard a P6 3500 V8 or an SD1 V8 on song, that's is what you will get. They growl at you with a very deep engine tone.
A P6 V8 only has 150Bhp but 220 lbft of torque and 'only' does 0-60 in 9 secs. But the punch of the engine from the rear wheels makes it an awesome ride. It delivers all that at 2500 rpm! If MGR have stuck to this formula, then it's a reasonable assumption for the ZT260. All the rice 4-pots do not, they work much, much harder for their power, that's the nature of the Japanese beast, you always have to rev the nuts off the engine to get to the power.
Anyone that's experienced the same engine Rover V8 in a TVR albeit rebored and tuned knows that the Rover V8 is the king of the torque curve delivering peak torque very low down in the rev band and it delivers right up to the red line.
With the ZT260 you 'only' get 260Ps but an very useful 410Nm of torque and peaks and plateaus at low revs. You won't need to trash the knackers off it to make maximum progress. The figures are also very encouraging 0-60 in 6.4 seconds and limited to 155mph with 11 secs 1/4 mile.
For £28,000!!!! There's nothing in that price range similar.
The list of racing goodies reads like a who-who's in the performance world. If you ever sat in a 75 or ZT you get oodles of presence, it's a beautiful car. Dechromed and subdued in looks it doesn't need any 'hey look at me' badges or trim. The soundtrack and presence on the road does all the talking.
It's a winner, I'm glad MGR spend much longer than planned getting this right.
As for depreciation, well, volumes are planned at a 1,000 a year and not all these are for the domestic market. I don't think these cars will depreciate quite as quickly as some are hoping, I think these will be sought after cars for many years to come.
Old man's car? Hmm, yeah, all old's mens cars do a 6 secs 0-60 and top out at 155mph.
Remember this is a car that has none of these 'features' it's raw, viceral V8 power, if you've ever heard a P6 3500 V8 or an SD1 V8 on song, that's is what you will get. They growl at you with a very deep engine tone.
A P6 V8 only has 150Bhp but 220 lbft of torque and 'only' does 0-60 in 9 secs. But the punch of the engine from the rear wheels makes it an awesome ride. It delivers all that at 2500 rpm! If MGR have stuck to this formula, then it's a reasonable assumption for the ZT260. All the rice 4-pots do not, they work much, much harder for their power, that's the nature of the Japanese beast, you always have to rev the nuts off the engine to get to the power.
Anyone that's experienced the same engine Rover V8 in a TVR albeit rebored and tuned knows that the Rover V8 is the king of the torque curve delivering peak torque very low down in the rev band and it delivers right up to the red line.
With the ZT260 you 'only' get 260Ps but an very useful 410Nm of torque and peaks and plateaus at low revs. You won't need to trash the knackers off it to make maximum progress. The figures are also very encouraging 0-60 in 6.4 seconds and limited to 155mph with 11 secs 1/4 mile.
For £28,000!!!! There's nothing in that price range similar.
The list of racing goodies reads like a who-who's in the performance world. If you ever sat in a 75 or ZT you get oodles of presence, it's a beautiful car. Dechromed and subdued in looks it doesn't need any 'hey look at me' badges or trim. The soundtrack and presence on the road does all the talking.
It's a winner, I'm glad MGR spend much longer than planned getting this right.
As for depreciation, well, volumes are planned at a 1,000 a year and not all these are for the domestic market. I don't think these cars will depreciate quite as quickly as some are hoping, I think these will be sought after cars for many years to come.
Old man's car? Hmm, yeah, all old's mens cars do a 6 secs 0-60 and top out at 155mph.
Gassing Station | Motoring News | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff