My description of the Plus 8 as a touring car is, of course, relative to other cars I've owed, in particular the 2009 Roadster, but also to the 2011 Mercedes E350 Coupe AMG Sport we have and a Mercedes SLK I had about 5 years ago.
When in "Drive" mode the Plus 8 is more like the Merck E350 in Sport mode, quick, but very smooth and restrained, unless you really mash the throttle. The Merc is a V6 Turbo diesel, it has more torque (just) than the Morgan but less power.
The ride is similar, cockpit comfort isn't much different, although the Merck is quieter above 70mph...it is a tin top after all.
Another comparison can be made with the Mercedes SLK 300, the previous model to the one available today. It also had AMG suspension and overall the ride was significantly more harsh and uncomfortable than the Plus 8. We go rid of it because it really wasn't nice over long distances, but it was also overweight and a bit dull to drive, though very attractive to look at!
In sport Mode the +8 Morgan is as you describe. It is alive (well the back end is), wants to go and will overtake most things as quickly as a motorbike. If kept in 3rd and 4th is is loud!
I was interested in the comment about the "wonderfully pointless" radio. I have standard rear exhausts. In drive mode at 80 on the motorway, top down, there is no exhaust noise, no inlet noise, some tyre noise, it depends on the surface, and a reasonable amount of wind noise. The only changes from stock are the upholstered side screen inner faces, from Williams, plus upgraded rear speakers and a better, DAB, head unit with 80w per channel.
So listening to test match special yesterday was easy, if not not really enjoyable....
Why is the car so quiet? In sport mode 6th, very much a super overdrive is locked out, unless you use the padle shift. In 5th, which is about the same ratio as 6th on the manual, there is significant exhaust noise, I can imagine with side pipes it is loud.
So, the gear box ratio difference between manual and automatic transmission appear, to me, to have a significant impact on the nature of the car. I feel that the auto is almost 2 cars in one!
