MG ZT260

I agree! Despite never seeing one. Thats what i'm paid to do :)

Yeah they are my dream car in that price-range.. not driven one though. I note reading the other day that MG/Rover are still posting losses.. given that they make some of the best looking cars in their class, and seem to have much improved build quality & reliability to a decent level in the past

Bigus

"Bigus" wrote

Same reason Jag are posting losses. Same reason Lancia are posting losses.

Retro styling and granddad image - limits your market. Aston Martin are making thoroughly modern and cutting edge looking cars that still carry over styling cues from Astons of old, whereas Rover, Jaguar and Lancia just have cars that just look old. It's as if they think that the solution to modern characterless styling is to make old fashioned looking cars. Old people love it, but they don't buy enough cars on their own.

Funny, Rover Jag and Lancia all have a past reputation for rust as well :)

Hmmm, personally I don't look at a car and consider whether it looks old fashioned or not, just whether it looks good. Then again, there's lots of new car designs, like the BMW 1 & 5-series, most French cars (except possibly the Pug 407), most Toyota, etc that really don't appeal to me at all, so I must be showing my 36 years ;-)

"Bigus" wrote

And there are many people like yourself who also like the styling. But not enough of them go and buy one of the cars, meaning MG Rover post losses, Jag close Browns lane and so on.

You're joking right? Plastic stick-on 'exhaust heatshields' that would melt if the exhaust generated enough heat to warrant a proper heatshield? And that awful 'Streetwise' thing? I've yet to see a nice looking Rover/MG...

Dan

agreed. they make some horrible looking cars...

and as for the big V8? not worth bothering with by all accounts. i can think of plenty cars for the money i'd rather have.

Well, the TF looked alright until someone decided to change the bootlid, the ZT tourer looks pretty good, the ZT saloon is very well proportioned, the ZS 180 is quite dramatic with those vents on the side...

Of the modern cars I could buy new, I reckon the ZT is only knocked off the top spot by the Chrysler 300C, and that's on visual drama and interior; the ZT is still more pleasing. It's more comforting than an Audi, better proportioned than any Jaguar besides the considerably more expensive XJ, less sterile than the Saab or Volvo, simply better looking than the 407/607, less bland than the Mondeo and C5, and the fact that I forgot the Vectra/Signum even existed until this point speaks volumes.

And as for the BMW 5 series... I feel nauseous enough in the morning. I don't want to see that when I'm making my earl grey.

And this is all before you actually fire up the ZT. I would still veer for the Rover branded model, but I'd want the ZT exhaust system. Who cares if the 'heatshields' are plastic; the doorhandles feel like they're heavily plated or are metal; most car makers would do it the other way around. I know which part of the car I'm going to touch ;)

Richard

For £25,000 new? (I know list is £30,000, but if this one was £25,000, they'll be more for that). Or a projected £8,000 used when they're three years old?

I can't. Really. That V8 is lovely, it's no Northstar, it's no 500ci GM lump, but it's a tough engine and mated to what feels like a sensible tranny; it's a car built to last.

I have a very, very eclectic taste in cars, and that ZT is right up there.

Richard

The engine in the 75 V8 is actually a nice motor to drive behind, even in 3+ tons of stretch limo with 8 passengers.

Doesn't sound as nice as a BMW V8, or as Richard stated a 500 cube lump, but they are a good engine.

The quad cam one in the top spec Mustangs is a /really/ nice motor.

I think the heatshields on the ZT are real. I melted the bumper on my 75 on an autobahn run...

I looked at a few on autotrader a couple of weeks ago - at 20 grand ish for a 6 mth old one I can't think of a family car I'd rather have for the money - maybe an S60T5 but that's gonna be 18 mths old to hit 20 grand and not have a V8...

I have fond memories of my 75 - as you can mix and match specs if your dealer is helpful I'd go for the medium suspension (there's three, the rover soft, mg std and mg sport) with 17" rims, V8, manual, leather and satnav. Oh and the electric rear sunblind....

Oooh. Not that I have the money, but I wonder if they'd make me an MG ZT-T260 with auto transmission... I could live with the suspension, if I wasn't also trying to find somewhere to put my left leg ;)

Richard

Certainly when I looked at buying another (wanted a 75 with 190 engine, manual and MG suspension on 17" rims) they were willing to accomodate.

The Streetwise is a bit of an exception - no idea wtf it's supposed to be, and looks well ugly.. and that Tatu thing is a bit of am embarassment but all the MG/Rover ZR/ZS/ZT (and Rover 25/45/75) shapes and styling details are tastefully done IMO, especially the new refinements to the front. Everything is well proportioned, ie: none of this wedge shape angular kind of kak you get from various French and Jap makers now.

A ZS in a decent colour, for example, is right up there with the Focus ST in the looks dept for me. I mean tell me

The ZT is my real fave though.. definitely my next car, though I'm not near being able to afford one yet!

Bigus

"By all accounts"? Every review i have read of it, says its great. Even Clarkson likes it, and he /HATES/ Rovers. So, by all accounts, you meant, "in my uninformed opinion i'd guess that its crap."

Dan

Producing cars some 5-15 years out of date?

Define out of date? If they have decent ride and handling (which they do, by all accounts), decent equipment and are well made (certainly the ZT seems to be), then what exactly is out of date. Other than gadgetry, what has been rendered outdated in the car world since, say, the 1960s (ABS, active headlights, fuel injection, 4x4). Driving a good 70s car is little different to driving a modern car; likewise, my Supra (for example) is very closely related to the 2000GT of 1968 - 4 wheel discs etc - nothing much in it besides some trim.

Everything else is just fashion. I must admit I find the ZR a little unappealing, but the ZS is a very pleasing small saloon, a bit like a Viva GT, and my views on the 75 have been stated.

Richard