MG F / MG TF

MG F and TF
Overview
Manufacturer	Rover Group (1995-2000) MG Rover (2000-2005) MG Motor (2007-2011)
Production	1995–2005 2007–2011
Assembly	Longbridge UK Nanjing, China
Body and chassis
Class	roadster
Body style	2-seat convertible
Layout	RMR
Powertrain
Engine	1.6 L K-Series Straight-4 1.8 L K-Series Straight-4 1.8 L VVC K-Series Straight-4
Chronology
Predecessor	MGB MG RV8

The MG F and later the MG TF are mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster cars produced from 1995 onwards. The MG F was the first all-new car to bear the MG marque since the MG MGB, produced from 1962 to 1980. Production of the MG TF stopped in 2005, when MG Rover went into receivership, only to resume production in 2007 under the company's new owners Nanjing Automobile of China.

History

MG F

MG had stopped producing sports cars in 1980 when British Leyland closed their Abingdon, Oxfordshire plant, although the MG badge was used on badge-engineered hatchbacks and saloons between 1982 and 1991. In 1992, the company (by this time Rover Group) restarted production of the classic MGB as the limited-edition RV8, and positive reaction led the company to develop the MG F. It was revised and renamed using the historic TF name in 2002, but production was halted following the collapse of the MG Rover Group in 2005. However, after Nanjing Automobile Group acquired the rights to the MG TF, the completion of the new MG factory in Nanjing saw production being restarted in March 2007.

MG F Mark I

MG F Mark I
Overview
Production	1995–1999

The MG F was launched in the autumn of 1995 by the Rover Group, making it the third all-new car to be launched in its first full year since the BMW takeover. It was powered by a 1.8 L K-Series 16-valve engine, the basic having 118 hp (87 kW) while the more powerful VVC (variable valve control) had 145 hp (107 kW). Rover Special Projects oversaw the development of the F's design and before finalising the styling bought-in outside contractors to determine the most appropriate mechanical configuration for the new car. Steve Harper of MGA Developments produced the initial design concept in January 1991 (inspired by the Jaguar XJR-15 and the Ferrari 250LM), before Rover's in house design team refined the concept under the leadership of Gerry McGovern. An interesting feature of the F was its Hydragas suspension, a system employing interconnected fluid and gas displacers which provided a surprisingly compliant ride but which could be tuned to provide excellent handling characteristics. The MG F quickly shot to the top of the affordable sports car charts in Britain and remained there until the introduction of the MG TF in 2002.

MG F Mark II

MG F Mark II
Overview
Production	1999–2002

The MG F underwent a facelift in Autumn of 1999 and gave the car a revised interior as well as styling tweaks and fresh alloy wheels designs. There was also the introduction of a base 1.6 version and a more powerful 160 hp (119 kW) variant called the Trophy 160, which had a 0-60 mph time of 6.9 seconds. It was only produced for a limited time. An automatic version with a CVT called the Steptronic was also introduced. The MG F continued to sell well in spite of the sale of the Rover Group, which was announced in March 2000. Land Rover was sold to Ford, while the MG and Rover marques were sold to the Phoenix consortium for £10. In spite of competition from the likes of Mazda MX-5, BMW Z3 and Audi TT, the MG F still proved fairly popular.

MG TF

MG TF Mark I
Overview
Production	2002–2005

MG TF Mark II
Overview
Production	2007–2011
Powertrain
Engine	1.8 L N-Series engine

In 2002 the MG TF was released, named after the MG TF Midget of the 1950s. Based upon the MG F platform but heavily redesigned and re-engineered, the most significant mechanical changes were the abandonment of Hydragas suspension in favour of conventional coil springs, the new design of the air-induction system that along with new camshafts produces more power than in MG F engines, and the torsional stiffness of the body increased by 20%. Various cosmetic changes include a revised grille, redesigned front headlights, bumpers, side air-intake grills, rear boot, etc. The MG TF was the first car of its class to be awarded a leading 4-star safety performance from Euro NCAP.

It held a decent amount of sales despite its listed problems, most common of which was the uneven shut lines on the drivers door on uk models. Production was suspended in 2005 when MG Rover collapsed.

Nanjing Automobile Group production

MG TF

In March 2007, Nanjing Automobile Group, which bought MG Rover's remaining assets during bankruptcy proceedings, restarted production of the MG TF at its Nanjing factory, with a capacity of 200,000 cars a year. Experts from the Longbridge factory were involved in building the new TFs in Nanjing.

In August 2008, more than three years after the facility had closed due to MG Rover's bankruptcy, assembly of a lightly revised MG TF model for the European market, from Chinese-built complete knock down (CKD) kits, was started by NAC MG UK at Longbridge.

The first TF model to be produced by NAC MG UK was the TF LE500. As the name suggests this was a limited edition of 500 cars each individually numbered. The better suspension set-up and the heated rear window from the 2005 model TF were carried over to the LE500, however, various changes were made including a restyled front grille and bumper. The LE500 specification includes leather seats, hard top and soft top, wind stop, CD tuner with MP3 compatibility, rear parking sensors, 16-inch 11-spoke alloy wheels, and front fog lights. It was priced higher than a modern Mazda MX5 despite its few changes from 1995, which had a large negative effect on sales.

The LE500 was followed by a TF 135 model and a further limited edition TF 85th Anniversary, of which only 50 were produced.

Production of the TF at Longbridge was suspended again in October 2009 due to low demand in face of the recession. Production resumed in the new year, but the end of production was finally announced in March 2011 due to lack of demand and component supply problems. A total of 906 TFs were produced at Longbridge under Chinese ownership. A new sports car to succeed the TF, however, is being planned for a possible 2013 launch. The last few of the production line MG TF body shells have been acquired by MG specialists Rimmer Bros Ltd of Lincoln, England.

Reception

Throughout its production, the MG sold fairly successfully. However, after Nanjiing took over and restarted production, the car's sales plummeted until production was eventually ceased in March 2011. Parkers gave the car 2.5/5 and said its pros were "Styling, handling and brand heritage" and cons were "Dated interior, patchy build quality and poor reliability." WhatCar? gave it 2/5 saying its pros were that it's "pretty and affordable" but its cons were "The driving position and steering are not what you'd expect in such a sporty car." AutoExpress reviewed it after Nanjiing took over and also had a 2/5 verdict, liking how it's "well equipped and compact" but disliking how it was priced more expensive than a basic Mazda MX5, has "barely changed since 1995 and can be mistaken for a much older vehicle" and also commenting on its cramped interior.

Head gasket failure

The K-Series engine used in the MG F has gained a reputation for head gasket trouble. This is due to a range of problems including build tolerances, block face stiffness, casting quality and material and cooling system layout. A number of changes were made over the years to improve the condition, but none were entirely successful. Because of this, the MGF and TF have a higher reliability index than their Toyota and Mazda rivals in the same class, which actually means that the car is less reliable.

Amongst the first of the changes was the introduction of steel head locating dowels. Early versions of the K Series engine had steel dowels, but these were loose fitting and used as an assembly aid. Plastic dowels were then introduced to prevent head face damage on the assembly line and also as a cost saving. This engine had wet liners and a solid block top deck and was not known for being prone to gasket failure. The plastic dowels were carried forward to the redesigned K series which was then available in 1600 and 1800 capacities by using damp liners and an open block design. However, it became apparent that this engine had an issue with head gasket failure which was partly due to lack of stiffness in the head/block interface. To help reduce this shuffling, steel dowels were reintroduced, but with a tight fit to fix the head securely to the block face. This reduced one mode of head gasket failure caused by movement between the block and head faces, but was only partly successful because the dowels only helped in their local areas. The gasket itself was also subject to minor improvements to the sealing bead design over the years.

During its later years, the cooling system was also modified by the introduction of a PRT (pressure release thermostat). This allowed increased coolant flow at high engine loads even before high temperatures were reached and reduced the thermal shock the engine saw when a conventional thermostat was first opened. This thermal shock would cause differential expansion across the gasket face causing relative movement between head and block. The design had already been used on Freelander applications with limited success.

A new design of head gasket has been available for several years from Land Rover which can be retro-fitted to all K-Series engines. This is of the MLS (multi layer steel) design. This has now been superseded by a new MLS design that is used in conjunction with higher tensile head bolts and strengthened oil rail (into which the bolts are screwed). A modified tightening method is also used with the new bolts. The effectiveness is yet to be proved.

In the 2005 model year updates, MG Rover added a low coolant sensor to the MG TF, which should virtually eradicate the problem from the car when coolant loss is at fault as the driver will be warned prior to any serious damage occurring. Destined to be introduced with the Euro IV emissions compliant engine in late 2005 was the MLS gasket and strengthened oil rail. The aim of the latter is to improve engine rigidity. But this was never introduced on the MG TF made by MG Rover Group as the company had gone bankrupt by the time of the planned launch. Retro fit kits of comprised MLS Gasket with strengthened Oil Rail and Bolts can be purchased from Rimmer Bros of Lincoln, England http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-ZUA000530

The N-Series engine (basically the aforementioned Euro IV-compliant K-Series) in the MG TF relaunched by Nanjing Automotive in September 2008, has these modifications as standard.

External links

• MG Motor UK
• MGF Register