Yesterday I spent 30 min alone with Williams PlusSix.

I drove up to Williams in Tarka, my trusty Plus 8, so had an immediate back to back to comparison.

The first impression is getting in, it is easy, no more difficult than into my AMG A35. For the first time in a Morgan I didn’t have the steering column hard against the dash and in the highest position. With the seat adjusted, and the bladder lumbar support deflated, I had a good 4 to 5” between the seat back and the back of the cabin. Shoulder room is as the Plus 8.

Start up, all very modern and with first rate graphics. There is a photocell between the screen washer jets that turns the light on automatically, the DLR lights are always on. Into gear, drive off. Anyone who has driven to Williams will know the road across the common, with a cattle grid at each end. In Tarka you feel every bar, in the Six the sharpness is smoothed out. The Common road is anything but flat, in Tarka you know it is uneven, but the car tracks arrow straight whereas the Six is much smoother, but it tends to roll a bit and needs steering corrections. Talking of the steering it is precise, but a bit too light for me: I’d drop the tyre pressures to 22 and think of going up from 225 to 235 tyres at the front.

Through the town it is just like driving the A35, effortless, far, far more refined than any other Morgan I’ve driven or ridden in. It is as good as the A35 and far better than the M140i: it is incredibly easy to drive. And you can hear the indicator warning!!
Out onto the A46 I put the box into sport modem then Sport Plus. This is a VERY quick car, but as it had only run 300 miles, I didn’t exceed 4500 pm. I look forward to trying it when it has run 1000 or so. Overall it is best left in Sport Mode, which is how I drive the Plus 8. The standard exhaust sounds OK, far better than the one provided by BMW on the M140i, with the same engine. Williams has a sport exhaust to fit. It will never sound like the big V8, but it sounds better than most modern Turbo boxes.

I played with the paddles: honestly, they are pointless, the auto box is so good there is nothing to be gained on the road. On the track it will be different.

Back to Williams, trying to sum up the PlusSix.

Most importantly, the PlusSix is the nicest car to come out of the Morgan factory, ever.
Space, Grace and Pace (with apologies to Jaguar) in a small package: how have they achieved this in a car that is much the same size as the Plus 8? Amazingly there is foot room and the pedal positioning would make heel and toe work a cinch: I’m sure one of the models on this chassis will have a manual box.

It is a Morgan, without any doubt. All the visual and most of the sensations are what one would expect are there, some a bit muted. It makes my old Roadster look very old and not very nice and the Plus Six is, if ordered as a normal production model, not much more expensive. I expect the Roadster will fade out when MMC have used up their engine stock. Anyone considering a roadster should try the PlusSix.



Would I buy one? No.

Why? Because it doesn’t do anything the Plus 8 does better than the Plus 8, other than use less fuel. I prefer the Plus 8 seats, but I’m 5’8” and slim of hip. Taller, larger drivers will be far happier with the PlusSix. Some bemoan the lack of a manual box, but most modern performance cars don't have a manual box, especially in the target market MMC is aiming at.

I am slightly concerned that the ride/handling compromise has gone too far towards ride, talking with Henry Williams we both felt that a set of (expensive) sports shocks may be all that is needed. But as it is the car is far nicer than the M140i and more like my A35. Given that MMC developed this car for peanuts they have done an amazing job.

And finally, My Plus 8 is one of just 300, and possibly one of less than 100 in the UK. The PlusSix will be much more common! Also Tarka has further provenance as a MMC development/show car. I like to be different.

MotorPunk Magazine described the outgoing Plus 8 as a motoring incarnation of Raffles, the Gentleman Thug. The PlusSix is something else, more a John Steed: very refined, but capable of a surprising level of violence, but the iron fist will always be in a velvet glove.

Interesting to hear your direct comparison to a modern Plus8 Peter

Thanks for posting

Great post Peter!

Thank you.

+1. Nice to get your view.

If anyone's interested I've posted some 'tech detail' photos in the Demonstrator Drive thread, enjoy

+2 , answers any questions I would have asked , and no doubt would agree with the outcome , its difficult once you've had a new plus 8 to change to a non v8 !

Cant wait to get my Plus 6, thats it, too much wine!

Well I tried wine - even though the Plus6 is a pile of cash cheaper than a ( new) Plus8 - the bank account still says no. The consumption of more bottles didn't help but happy to drive my 4/4 ( once the claret effects have worn off obviously officer). Oh but isn't it just stunning - every time I see a picture i start thinking how i'd afford one. Truth is i can't so happy to dream...……….Please excuse a trad owner who may get quite excited at the sight of a plus6 up close.

Interesting Review - thanks Peter.

Excellent Peter, I think a lot of the Aero owners are keen to understand how they compare. Do you feel an aftermarket spring/damper kit for the Aero 8 would be a clever thing for the factory/dealers to offer now as shooter has talked about would be good ? Soften the springs and stiffen the damping to smooth out the ride.



Well that is one of the key bits, will it take from existing Aero owners, probably less likely. Will it pull some of the Roadster and Trad owners who would like a slightly larger interior/comfort/pace.
Best of all will it bring new owners. Also will it be a better glitch free experience. If they fix the last bit through the new design and assembly as they seem to have been working on it's great news.

I won't give up a V8 for quite a bit, also the sidepipes option is probably going to be regulated out of existence in the future so those will be golden.

I hope it brings hundreds of new people to the company and expands the pool going into pre-owned as well.

I think Plus 6’s much improved ride over Plus 8 is due primarily to the chassis, which is twice as stiff as Plus 8

There's a danger here of shifting the very essence of why Morgan is appealing.

The Plus Six buyers will still have the same dealers, and the same relationship with the factory. By this I mean the sometimes slow delivery of parts and so on.

They will also face the "character" of the easy up hood and sidescreens. Very much part of Morgan, but not what buyers of £80 grand cars are used to. So this group will willingly buy into the performance, and the auto box, but if they venture beyond a sunny sunday down to the pub, their experience may tarnish. We'll see.

Performance cars seem to have autos, because joe public couldn't manage a manual box with so much power and I get that. But not having a manual will reduce appeal. Maybe not by much, but there are people out there who enjoy the full experience, and for me, autos take that away.

Alaistair,

I'm certain that the suspension can be improved by making small changes, it is so close to perfection that I feel that nothing is really wrong with it.

Here is a useless but interesting bit of information. The PlusSix has 2 radiator header tanks, because there are two cooling circuits! One for the turbo and one for the engine. It has 2 intercoolers, one for the intake air and one for the gearbox oil. Both ensure the engine operates at a constant temperature. There are no conventional thermostats, instead there are computer controlled valves that manage coolant temperature.

This is NOT a car for the DIY home mechanic: it requires much specialist knowledge and equipment and as the CPU is Morgans, not BMW's.

The future of motoring is managing data!!

Thanks for comparisons and update above Peter. No one including KH have been able to tell me what the radiator behind the left hand wheel arch is for. It receives cool air from clearly visible louvres in the side of same with air exiting via louvres in floor pan. There are matching vents in right hand wing but assume they are for cosmetic symmetry.

Can you enlighten me?

Richard,

it could be for the A/C, if one is not visible in front of the main radiator. There isn't much spare space in the engine bay!
On the Plus 8 the vents in the RH lower wing are for the air intake and filter. I have no idea if the PlusSix is the same.

Peter

On aeros it is for the A/C

On the Aero V8 I understand that there are three rads all stacked front to back rather than sides.

Engine Coolant
Air Con
Gearbox cooler

So with the fourth on the CX being Turbo cooler ?

Actually 4, you forgot the power steering fluid cooler.
Well, 5, the other one at the front is the oil, under the N'S wing is an intercooler that adjusts the temperature of the gearbox oil to the same as the engine coolant.

Really interesting perspective Peter, properly appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for posting
HB

Thoughts...

1: What is the warrantee period for the Plus 6?

2: Are Morgan having all their dealer mechanics trained on the complexities of the plus 6

3: If something goes wrong a few years down the line it could be a tad expensive to fix!

Cpu by Morgan. That gives a warm and fuzzy feeling!!!

Peter,

Loved reading the review, thank you. Interested in your comment that the six is NOT for the DIY mechanic, will that not be a problem for long distance drivers like me or for people who live a long way from a Morgan Dealer (1300 miles in my case). On the recent MOA VII which was 8000 miles, I was able to carry out routine maintenance on my +8 and repairs to other Roadsters, could be an issue on the Plus 6.

I think the comments about it being a non DIY serviceable car should be tempered with the outstandingly long service intervals cars have nowadays. Our (BMW) Mini is going in for a service on Monday. Coming up to 30,000 miles from new this will be only its third service and second oil change as advised by onboard computer. Never put any oil in it either between services, at least it hasn't asked for any since no dipstick

I agree...
the M140i I owned used BMW's variable service system and when it went at 9 months old the first service was shown as being due when the car would have been 2.5 years old. Given the CPU monitors a myriad of variables I think this made sense. But MMC probably don't use brake wear indicators and so on, so I guess it will be an annual service or 15,000 miles, whichever is soonest.

The Plus 8 is little different, likewise the two AMGs. Modern cars don't need servicing, in the way even 1990s cars did. All the wear items that we used to check self check: the A35 even shows tyre pressure and temperature all the time whilst driving!

So, the PlusSix offers the DIY mechanic little or no opportunity, and at the annual service a diagnostic computer is needed that can talk to Morgan Motor Company, not BMW.

Answers....

1. Warranty is 3 years, as all modern Morgans.

2. The Plus Six is little more complex than the Plus8. Some dealers struggle with these cars, but the bigger ones don't. There will be many more Plus 6 cars than Aeros. All the dealer needs to do is hire a BMW trained technician....

3. Yes, as is the case with all modern computer managed cars.

Modern engines, unless something catastrophic has happened, are essentially sealed units. I have a V8 in one car that I've done over 130,000 miles in with fluid changes only - which I could do myself if I could be bothered.

So there's nothing that really requires servicing in the traditional sense as far as the engine is concerned. I feel sure the 6 is the same.

Morgan's being the way they are, will always need 'something' attending to, but it would be moderately rare to be within the engine.... I know Peter had a vacuum thing come off on his 8 which was quite involved, but I suspect that's unusual.

So for someone like me who lives 1300 miles from the nearest Morgan dealer the Plus Six would be a non starter unless I factored in the cost of getting it to and back from the dealer for routine servicing into the ownership costs.

take it to local BMW for routine servicing

Sorry Peter the warranty is clearly stated in handbook as 30 months or 30,000 miles (2016 M3W and 2018 Roadster). Have not heard of any reports on it changing in the last year unless Aero's were different

Mine was 30 months on my Trad.....................

So I checked.
Yes, I was wrong.
The handbook and service log states Tarka had 2 year's Warranty or 24,000 miles.....

It would seem that they increased it to 30 months 0r 30,000 miles.

Whilst my pal was at BMW today collecting his new 330e, I asked the sales Mgr to pop the bonnet on a brand new Z4, from an engine packaging view the PlusSix almost has a much space to work on it

Strangely, the auto gearstick was different to the Mog one and much shorter

Just happened upon ths post and thought I'd throw my two penneth in...

After a year with my +8 Speedster and battling with the weather (and a poor choice of weekends for long trips over the summer) we finally decied that the Speedster was not for us.

We vsited Krazy Horse and Dan kindy let us take out the Plus 6. I must say that I didn't treat it with kid gloves or spare the horses (Dan was sat next to me so it wasn't that bad) and I found the Plus 6 a ferociously fast. Very significantly faster than the Plus 8.

Did we buy one? Well, no actually. As with most of us I wasn't looking for ultimate engine performance and after a further test drive in a Raodster we traded the Plus 8 in for a nearly new Roadster. Objectively not a patch on the Plus 6 but a car we formed an instant attachment to. As my wife said after 10 minutes in the Roadster - 'This is a car we could love'..

We've now got the Roadster and done a few good trips alraedy. Nohwere near as fast as the Plus 6 (although not massively slower than the Plus 8) but certainly fast enough. The only slight gripe is the rev hang but I'll drive around that until a solution can be found (might be too optimistic here).

Frankly the Plus 6 test drive was put into context by having had a new Boxster on loan just the day before. We spent a happy day in the Derbyshire Peak District with that and were really impressed. And it was about £35k cheaper than the Morgan. Net result of this was the Plus 8 was changed for a Roadster (as already explained above) and my wifes MX5 is now being changed for a Boxster.

Nothing above means I don't like the Plus 6 and I well understand Morgan's motivation to improve and modernise. I just hope they keep what is the essence of the car. We found the Boxster (yes a turbo as well) to be a massively competent and fun car and thats why it got our vote over the Plus 6. But the Roadster gives us the emotional satisfaction.

I am sure others will disagree but for us its a Roadster...

Good to hear some more views on the Plus Six!

Great perspective Almond :>)

Nice one.

Almond...I would have put money on you getting the +6 !!!

I could sense you had had your time with the Speedster..

Good luck with the Roadster...have you ever considered a P4SS I wonder !!!!! (hee hee)


Regards

Kevin

For MSCC Members, my Plus Six review has been published in the latest Miscellany.

I'm going up to Williams again in late October, it will be interesting to try the Plus Six again.

Indeed Kev. I have only admiration for the likes of John Wynn and co who churn out the miles in their Speedsters. Clearly I was born too far south!

I also was sure I was going to buy the Plus 6 and was a bit puzzled that I came home without one. Puzzled but not displeased....

Now. An Almond P4SS - there is a car to love!.

Ian, interesting perspective & glad you enjoy the Roadster

On the subject of rev-hang, when I spoke to KH they are hoping to develop a software cure for this, but Dan said it's initial cost to then will he quite high - so perhaps if we could find a way of 3.7 owners letting KH know they are interested, it may help Dan to commit

(apologies for the thread drift)

A question from an Aero man,

Are MMC still producing the Roadster now they have the Plus 6 ?

Would seem silly to me keeping the 2 models going, and am i correct in thinking the Roadster has a V6 Mustang engine as apposed to the
BMW Plus 6.

Yes. There are a number of Ford V6 engines in the chassis shop awaiting builds.

The Roadster is a completely different car, of course, but surely it's days must be numbered. In some countries the on-road cost of a new Roadster is already higher than that of a PlusSix.

You have to say the Roadster, cannot continue alongside the PlusSix.

The models are in a similar price band and are both are chasing a similar customer?

Just fourteen Mustang V6 engines left at MMC I heard. Krazy Horse have arranged to have six of the last Roadsters to be built with them.

is not the case the Roadster will be bought up by the Grandad and the Plus 6 will be for the Grandson

Why not a Roadster with a EcoBoost 4 cyl?. Looks like to Me that similar performance to the V6 Ford is available.

Is it not then a Plus 4??

No reason why an Ecoboost engined Morgan could not be called a Roadster to distinguish it from the Plus 4. I would bet, however, as I speculated in another thread, that it is more likely to use a BMW turbo 4 and not a Ford engine and that it will be in the CX platform.

From looking at the Build Quality of a 2019 Roadster Kit Car as being sold in the U.S. it looks to Me that even I could assemble one of these Roadsters. Morgan has spent some time and money to make these Roadster a lot more precise than previous Classic Morgans. Just removing and replacing the scuttle is very easy because they used captured nuts. Same with the innerfender, wings etc. I was impressed. The top is a joy rather than a struggle. I would not be surprised to see roll up windows soon if they decide to keep making the Roadster.