Post by Eff One on Jun 3, 2019 13:48:37 GMT
The overnight ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick is a civilised affair. You can get on 2 hours before departure, and linger over breakfast if you wish. And if you hire a car from one of the local agencies (Star or Bolts) one of their representatives meets you off the boat. No queuing, no bullshit, no hard sell. Bliss.
Even so, my sunny mood took a dip when the nice lady from Bolts revealed that we'd been saddled with an MG for the week. "It's bright yellow," she said. "You can't miss it."
She wasn't wrong.
I remembered that MG had been reincarnated under Chinese ownership, but knew nothing about the cars. Expectations, it's fair to say, were low. But the MG3 looked tidy and foursquare and very, very yellow on a grey Shetland morning. It swallowed three adults, a toddler and a week's worth of luggage without fuss. And although some parts of the interior were pretty low rent - the dials in particular - the major touch points were pleasantly tactile. The seats felt comfortable and well bolstered, the driving position was near-ideal, the centre screen was nicely integrated and reasonably intuitive... but still, I expected to be disappointed as soon as we got moving.
The engine is very old school - normally aspirated 1.5, 105bhp. With only 700 miles on the clock and four up, progress was stately and accompanied by a fair bit of thrum and thrash. But the five-speed 'box snicked cleanly between ratios, the pedals sensibly positioned and easy to modulate... and the steering, I was bemused to discover, didn't just have perfect weighting. There was actual feel.
The astonishment deepened once we reached the open road. I felt sure I must be imagining things but to me the damping felt almost Ford-esque in its sophistication - firm yet supple, with impeccable body control. And when I had to use the brakes in anger (to avoid a sheep) they performed above expectation too, with excellent stopping power and pedal feel.
Later in the week, with a lighter load, I had a chance to work it a little harder on some stunning roads. And it continued to impress: precise and surefooted, turning in keenly and gripping hard, its mass held well in check, refusing to be deflected by mid-corner ruts or bumps.
In other words, really bloody good.
It isn't perfect, of course. There's too much road noise (though wind is well insulated), economy is so-so (we averaged 42mpg) and the engine is short of grunt. But it's comfortable and practical, and if you show it a decent set of corners it'll do a fine impression of a warm hatch. I was sad to say goodbye to it and to Shetland - incredible place.
Even so, my sunny mood took a dip when the nice lady from Bolts revealed that we'd been saddled with an MG for the week. "It's bright yellow," she said. "You can't miss it."
She wasn't wrong.
I remembered that MG had been reincarnated under Chinese ownership, but knew nothing about the cars. Expectations, it's fair to say, were low. But the MG3 looked tidy and foursquare and very, very yellow on a grey Shetland morning. It swallowed three adults, a toddler and a week's worth of luggage without fuss. And although some parts of the interior were pretty low rent - the dials in particular - the major touch points were pleasantly tactile. The seats felt comfortable and well bolstered, the driving position was near-ideal, the centre screen was nicely integrated and reasonably intuitive... but still, I expected to be disappointed as soon as we got moving.
The engine is very old school - normally aspirated 1.5, 105bhp. With only 700 miles on the clock and four up, progress was stately and accompanied by a fair bit of thrum and thrash. But the five-speed 'box snicked cleanly between ratios, the pedals sensibly positioned and easy to modulate... and the steering, I was bemused to discover, didn't just have perfect weighting. There was actual feel.
The astonishment deepened once we reached the open road. I felt sure I must be imagining things but to me the damping felt almost Ford-esque in its sophistication - firm yet supple, with impeccable body control. And when I had to use the brakes in anger (to avoid a sheep) they performed above expectation too, with excellent stopping power and pedal feel.
Later in the week, with a lighter load, I had a chance to work it a little harder on some stunning roads. And it continued to impress: precise and surefooted, turning in keenly and gripping hard, its mass held well in check, refusing to be deflected by mid-corner ruts or bumps.
In other words, really bloody good.
It isn't perfect, of course. There's too much road noise (though wind is well insulated), economy is so-so (we averaged 42mpg) and the engine is short of grunt. But it's comfortable and practical, and if you show it a decent set of corners it'll do a fine impression of a warm hatch. I was sad to say goodbye to it and to Shetland - incredible place.
