Morgan Plus Four
REPORT 7
£62,995 OTR/£71,245 as tested/£279pcm (Morgan finance scheme)
WHY IT’S HERE
They claim the Plus Four is a modern Morgan. Time to see if it’s true
DRIVER
Stephen Dobie
DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE’S A 60 PENCE TOLL FOR CROSSING THE Thames? I didn’t, until the Morgan prompted a stark change to how I get places: I’ve fixed my nav app settings to ‘no motorways’ and never looked back. Should you ever have the pleasure of dropping a couple of coins into a small fishing net dangled sweetly out of Whitchurch Bridge’s cabin – in lieu of the 50mph speed camera monotony of the M4 – neither will you.
The Mog simply feels happiest away from the grind and gridlock. Where it also feels a humongous step on from the old, numerical Plus 4. On paper, the Four’s big jump was from 154bhp Ford to 255bhp BMW power (with one of those newfangled turbochargers attached). But in reality, it’s the new architecture beneath the panels that’s really altered how it drives.
Power steering that’s quick, accurate and which doesn’t attempt to sprain your wrist with kickback over potholes is the first thing you notice compared with the old Four, while relatively sophisticated suspension – save for the odd THUNK as it unceremoniously hits the end of its travel on more oddly cambered roads – ensures you’ll carry so much more speed through corners. The 205-section Avon tyres are wide enough to manage the torque well, even though the turbo spools into life with no traction control keeping watch. The incongruity of the various chuffs and whistles emanating from its hand-stamped bonnet vents never fails to amuse me, too.
It’s not as quick as a Boxster, nor anywhere near as finessed. But that doesn’t stop it putting at least as big a grin on my face – and an even bigger one on the faces of others. People love it. Whether it’s motorcyclists behind me in the drive-thru queue, hyperventilating toddlers being dragged over desperate for a closer look or ladies chuckling inside antiquated bridge toll booths, it brightens up days and invites a litany of questions. For bringing much-needed cheer to gloomy times, it’s proving perfect.