So we have hit 500 miles in our first couple of weeks of a MY25 Plus Four. What an amazing vehicle. Simply incredible road handling and all-around fun, so far!
I thought it might be useful for other newcomers (especially those new-to-Morgan) to see some things we have learned. This includes tips for a few enhancements we bought after we received the car.
Technology: Morgans have very little of it, and that’s a good thing. But I do need navigation assistance so the first purchases were a MagSafe iPhone mount for the central console and a USB-A charging cable (because Morgan have not yet discovered USB-C, fast charging, or indeed where to put a socket so it can be accessed without an ugly cable squeezed out of the glove box :-) ).
B-Roads. The Morgan’s home is B-roads (or your national equivalent). There is absolutely nothing better than roaring along between the hedgerows and pottering through mostly-undiscovered villages. We have had such a fabulous time in our first 500 miles of Cotswolds back roads, despite a lot of pothole-dodging; many single-track roads where the big SUV approaching is too frightened to go into the mud and pushes you off the road; and at least one terrified horse who’d not seen anything like a Morgan on his road before (engine off, wait silently and patiently!).
B-Road navigation. Google Maps, Apple Maps etc are utterly useless - their sole function is to get directly from A to B. And as satnav is a primary marriage saver we needed an answer. We have been using Outdooractive, a richly-featured app designed for hiking and other sports. With Outdooractive we can prepare an exact route entirely on back roads, through interesting villages. It has reasonably good spoken navigation and a very clear map. It’s unlocked the potential for a lot more back-road exploring, while sustaining marital harmony..
Covers. We got an outdoor cover from the factory which is great for long rainy spells as we don’t have a garage. We also got a shower cap / storm cover and that has been a super useful purchase. We use it to discourage passers-by when leaving the car parked over lunch (with hood down) and of course it is there for any rainfall that we might predict. It is simple and light; and one of the few things that is small enough to live in the back of the car :-)
Clothing. We needed to assemble a range of warm clothing for Autumn drives with the side panels off. This includes hats which will stay in place in 70mph winds + cross winds; and driving gloves because one of the coldest places in the car is the steering wheel. Further shopping required before Winter sets in.
Music. We have the Sennheiser music option which is really very good for a little car. It is of course completely inaudible at speed, but in traffic it is a lovely distraction. Morgan have hidden a number of functions (volume, pause, skip etc) on the little knob under the dashboard — but for me at least (with long legs) I can’t reach the knob without leaning forward, which triggers the seat belt lock. So I stuck a set of Bluetooth control buttons on the dashboard by my right hand and that has worked very well.
Doors. The side panels have been (and will probably remain) a struggle. First attempts resulted in a 2cm gap between door and windscreen. We learned that on a new car you need to tighten the panels using the special tool, a lot more than expected. Over time this should, we hope, ease a bit.
Dust. We were surprised to find that the windscreen gets almost as dirty on the inside as on the outside. (I wonder how much dust we must be inhaling!) We keep a spray cleaner and cloth in the car. We also picked up a bottle of Meguilars Ultimate Quik Detailer which is great for taking off a few marks after a country drive.
Noise. It takes a while to train your passenger to speak (shout) facing you. If they face the view, they are completely inaudible. This training is important no matter how long it takes :-)
Smell. We weren’t quite prepared for the Morgan’s engine gases drifting into the cockpit - but after a day or two we began to love this; especially when combined with farm smells (fertiliser, animals, flowers) — you really feel much more connected to the countryside!
Smiles: passers-by smile, children smile, people at bus stops smile. (Even sometimes people in vast SUVs smile, but less often.) What a delight. Plenty of waves encourage it!
