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Auto Car
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
M3 who? The MG ZT is a spicy sports saloon for just £2000
A few years back, the classic car interior trimmers occupying the shed opposite the one where a mate and I store our old cars, had an MG ZT in for repairs. It was a simple job for them – replacing the worn bolsters of the driver's seat, the cheap leather MG Rover used by the time this 2002 car was made apparently sourced from rather thin-skinned cattle. The trimmers were doing the job for a local secondhand car dealer, and when I showed an interest in the car suggested a quick test drive. It was a ZT 160 rather than the more potent 190, but it looked good in metallic black, had only done 70,000 miles and would likely have cost no more than £1200 from the dealer. The worn leather was dubiously complemented with a rather bilious patterned cloth, the ZT's interior a starker place than the sumptuous cabin of its Rover 75 stablemate. But none of this disguised the fundamental quality of this car, its exceptionally robust bodyshell, high quality cabin mouldings and well developed suspension serving a sophistication that 70,000 miles had done little to diminish. The V6 issued a smooth, light growl, the wheels rode bumps with well-damped authority and the steering had the right kind of heft to encourage entertainingly hurried attacks of bends. Exiting them wouldn't have been quite so brisk with only 158bhp, but the MG's mix of enthusiasm-firing agility and composed deportment were of a higher standard than I'd remembered. This was another car I didn't need however, and it wasn't even of the ideal specification (you can have a ZT with upholstery less offensive, and most of the V6s are the more potent 190s) but this was a car it was easy to like. A good thing, then, that when I got back, the trimmers had discovered that it was already sold. Oops. Still, it rekindled an interest in these machines, whose launch was held at windswept Welsh racetrack back in 2001. MG Rover's management was more bullishly optimistic back then, partly because it was launching not one but three cars simultaneously. Admittedly the trio were conversions of existing models rather than the fabled new medium-sized car that this dying company so desperately needed, but by the end of that day there were plenty of cautiously impressed journalists who thought this hollowed out company might be in with a fighting chance. That was because the ZR, ZS and ZT were surprisingly good, their verve, handling and manners entirely good enough to earn them a sporting badge, the ageing ZS especially so. Based on the Rover 45 – aka the Honda Domani – it sported double wishbones all round, these tuneable to great effect. The 25-based ZR was cruder, but turned out to be a big hit because it could be had with quite low-powered engines, enabling young guns to actually insure it. For a while, this was Britain's best-selling hot hatch.
IOL News
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Mini Aceman SE Review: It's really funky, but an ICE version would have widened its appeal
Like it or not, the Aceman does add a unique flavour to the EV segment. Image: Supplied The Mini 'reincarnation' at the turn of the millennium was a stroke of genius on the part of BMW, even if it was really the fruit of a messy separation with MG Rover after years of fruitless investment from the Bavarian automaker. Trouble is, there are only so many times one can reinvent the Mini concept before it becomes a little tired and hence it comes as no surprise that BMW has introduced numerous variations over the years. The latest one could be something of an ace up the brand's sleeve. The new Mini Aceman capitalises on the market's obsession with SUVs and crossover-type products while also expanding its electric vehicle range in line with the brand's ambition to become electric-only by the early 2030s. The concept is well executed in my opinion, being smaller than the not-so-mini Countryman, thereby providing a fashionable alternative to those who would previously have considered the Mini hatch. It's also instantly recognisable as a Mini, although its frontal resemblance to Kermit the Frog might not be to everyone's liking. The new model is available in some funky colours. Image: Supplied Nonetheless, I can't help but feel they have limited its appeal by making it available in fully electric guise only, particularly given how slowly many markets are warming to EVs. The Aceman E, with a 135kW motor and 310km claimed range, is priced at R800,000 on the dot, while the 160kW Aceman SE, with 406km of claimed coverage, is yours for R892,000. That puts it into direct contention with the lower parts of the Volvo EX30 range, which starts at R835,500, and the upper end of the GWM Ora 03 line-up, which tops out at R835,950. What's the interior like? At 4,079mm in length it has a relatively compact footprint, and it's not exactly family-sized, with rear legroom being fairly limited and the boot only coping with about 300 litres of luggage. But the Aceman is more about being funky than practical and that shows up in one of the most stylish interiors that I've seen in ages. Everything about it shouts high-end boutique store, from the knitted material on the dashboard, through which the lower colour shines through the upper one, to the slim, circular OLED touchscreen display that's shaped like a record. And let's not forget the small but spunky details like the decorative straps on the driver's side of the dashboard and on the central storage compartment. Big ups to the interior stylists. Image: Supplied Mini's stylists get top marks in my book for making the interior look and feel really unique as well as special. But is it functional? The central screen impresses with its crisp graphics and comprehensive menu layout, and in a nod to the past, the console also has mechanical toggle switches for the gear selector, stop-start process, parking brake, volume control and Experience Mode selector. The Experience Modes are quite an interesting feature, offering eight 'immersive' experiences that change everything from the ambient lighting to the graphics, driving sounds and driving characteristics. Go-Kart Mode, for instance, paints the town red, while also sharpening the throttle response and stiffens the steering. A digital voice also shouts 'Woo Hoo' when you activate this mode. Most often I slotted it into 'Green' mode in order to maximise my driving range, but apart from the obvious colour scheme employed here, it annoyed me on numerous occasions by changing the radio station whenever I activated the mode. Besides those two, drivers can also select from: Vivid, Core, Timeless, Balance and Trail modes, and there's a Personal Mode that allows you to mix things up and upload a personal photo for the display background. While all this may have seemed rather hip when it was being pushed through the development process by that eager young design consultant with blue or pink hair, some normal and easily accessible driving settings would have made this car a bit more practical. For instance, activating the one-pedal driving mode, which is not quite that even in the most aggressive brake regeneration mode, requires extensive menu digging on the screen, and you have to do it a few times at start up before the vehicle learns that you actually want it on a regular basis. The climate system is also operated through the screen, activated via a small short-cut icon, but this set-up is less than ideal and can be distracting. What's it like to drive? Producing 160kW and 330Nm, the Aceman SE is brisk enough in town and holds its own on the highway. While its 7.1-second 0-100km/h sprint time is respectable enough, it doesn't push you back in your seat like a performance EV. It's not slow by any means. But for what's essentially trying to be the electric equivalent of a Cooper S, it could have been a bit more exciting. With a 54.2 kWh battery under its floor, the Aceman SE has a WLTP range of 406km. These claimed range figures are always a bit on the optimistic side, but I didn't feel too much range anxiety in the Aceman and the mileage correlated fairly well with what the on-board range prediction was telling me. A slight drawback though is the maximum charging speed of 95kW, which means it doesn't juice up at DC fast chargers quite as quickly as some other EVs. The driving characteristics are more or less what you'd expect from a Mini crossover vehicle with an electric twist. The ride can feel a little firm on harsher surfaces, as with most European cars with sporty pretenses, but the handling is certainly neat enough. VERDICT We can't help but feel Mini has missed an opportunity by making the Aceman electric only, but it does present an interesting alternative to lower-end EVs such as the Volvo EX30 and GWM Ora 03. The cabin is extremely funky, and built with many recycled materials, and there are plenty of fun experience modes to play around with. It's a vehicle that can entertain, but perhaps not in the same way as Minis of old. It has certainly kept with the times though. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel IOL
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
'It was devastating' - Longbridge MG Rover closure 20 years on
"For a woman 20 years ago, a young woman, to stand up for your community against people in suits, was quite a challenge, but I knew if we didn't do it we wouldn't have what we've got today."April 2005 was a life-altering month for thousands of people living and working around Longbridge in carmaker MG Rover collapsed, and as a major part of the local economy underpinning some 18,000 jobs in the area, the impact was enormous. Gemma Cartwright, whose husband worked at the plant, became the face of a campaign to try and save 6,000 factory jobs. Now, 20 years on, Mrs Cartwright, 48, has been reflecting on the long-term effects of the closure on the area, and how resilient her community was. "It was devastating all of a sudden to find out the gates were shutting, it was ripped out of the heart," she husband added that he had other jobs after Rover's demise, but "it wasn't the same".At the time of the closure, the Cartwrights had four young children aged between four and 11 to support. Mrs Cartwright told the BBC in 2005 that her fight was about protecting manufacturing in the UK, and creating a future that children could look forward to. Her campaign went national, and she even took her children to a meeting with then prime minister Tony Blair in the hope of a government bailout. Ultimately, the company did go into administration and has never existed in the same way since. In 2007, new Chinese owners opened a production line at the factory with most of the components being manufactured in announced it would stop making cars at the site in Lowhill Lane in 2016. But, Mrs Cartwright's efforts ensured the surrounding area was redeveloped, employing local residents along the way. "We all of a sudden had to think, we can't go on the past, we have got to move forward," she said."This is where we live, this is where I choose to live, I want to live here, I am proud of everything that's been achieved."The Cartwrights say they learnt a huge amount from what happened in 2005, one of the main things being the importance of education."Get an education and get the qualifications so you can grab the world to what you can do. That's what we learnt from the collapse," she said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
