Morgan Plus Six Review

First impressions, on pulling out of Morgan's car park, are of how easy the Plus Six is to drive. Sure, its big turning circle and long bonnet mean you're very aware that it's not a Ford Fiesta, but its light, power-assisted steering and automatic gearbox make it a doddle to manoeuvre. It's much more pleasant than the last Morgan we drove, a Duratec-powered AR Plus 4 with motorsport aspirations.

Even getting in and out is relatively easy. The cabin's more spacious than the Plus 8 it replaces, although you might still find yourself hanging your arm out of the window for comfort. The steering wheel adjusts for reach and height, while there's loads of legroom. It's comfortable enough to spend a few hours of cross-country touring in, but this is all relative.

Back to how it drives. There are no traction or stability control systems. And 340PS through the rear wheels is plenty to overcome grip if you're ham-fisted with the throttle when setting off, even in the dry. But, once accelerating in a straight line, it feels really very quick. While 0-62mph in a smidge over four seconds is fast in any car, it's especially so in a car as back-to-basics as the Plus Six.

The eight-speed torque-converter ZF automatic gearbox works beautifully with the straight-six engine. There's certainly an argument for a car like this having a manual gearbox, but Morgan tells us the majority of buyers would prefer an auto. And it really does suit it well, changing gears at appropriate points depending on which drive mode you've selected. 

Plus, if you wish, you can slide the lever across into manual mode, giving you control via the column-mounted paddles. We'd prefer wheel-mounted paddles to make gear changes easier when turning, but that's a minor thing.

Talking of which, the Morgan Plus Six handles bends surprisingly well. If you're looking for a sports car to grab by the scruff of its neck and chuck down a B-road at speed, you'd probably be better with an Alpine A110 or Lotus Elise, but it's impressive how composed the Plus Six remains during twisty sections of roads. 

You'll need a bit of time to build confidence - the steering isn't the most communicative and you're very aware that it's been developed in a shed in Malvern (not to mention its lack of stability control), but the steering is quick to respond and the suspension does an excellent job of soaking up bumpy roads.

If you're used to modern cars, the brakes may not feel as responsive in the first instance. But there's plenty of bite, once you're in the habit of going on them hard when necessary. In fact, it will come to a stop surprisingly quickly - helped by its anti-lock braking system, one of its very few driver aids.

As a First Edition model, our test car featured the sports exhaust system (£1495 on the standard car). While not the option to look for if you're the shy and retiring type (a Morgan probably isn't the car for you if you're the shy and retiring type), it's worth speccing as it really does the straight-six justice. Without it, you'd hear more of the turbocharged whoosh, but less of the burble you'd expect from a car like this.

The Morgan Plus Six Touring adds a hardtop, luggage rack and spotlights.

While our test car was fitted with heated seats (£645 on all but the First Edition models), there's no infotainment screen or even a radio - simply an auxiliary-in socket and a set of speakers. Less is more, they say...

It's only available with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, while drivers can flick between normal, sport and sport plus modes - as well as a manual shift mode.