Seven years ago (blimey!) the MGF established itself as the cutest sports car on the British market, and did not relinquish that title until it went out of production. On the whole, it wasn't very sporty - the fact that it had Hydragas suspension suggested it was never meant to be - but it was fun and attracted admiring glances if you drove it through city streets.Now we have the MG TF, visibly related to the F but looking just that little bit more aggressive. The redesigned front end and the side air intakes in particular give it an air of greater purpose. And MG Rover's decision to ditch the Hydragas and go back to good old springs and shock absorbers reveals an intention to make the TF a more serious sports car than its predecessor.The TF 160 tested here is more of a beast than any F, with the exception of the short-lived (because it was introduced not much more than a year ago) Trophy 160 SE. Because it is the most powerful car in the range, it's the one most likely to benefit from a plethora of suspension and bodyshell improvements carried over from the Trophy to all the TFs.Like the Trophy, the 160 feels like a serious piece of kit from the moment you start driving it. Or even from the moment you fire it up - the 1.8-litre K-series engine transmits a lot of noise through to the cabin, which is no doubt part of the plan. The suspension is very stiff, to the point where not only can you feel which side up a 10p piece is as you run over it, you can also tell who held it last if you happen to have a fingerprint chart with you. Subtle? I don't think so.With around 160bhp (hence the name), this TF is pretty quick, and a smart overtaker, by which I mean that it makes short work of getting past whatever happens to be in front, not just that it's good at overtaking smarts. But although the performance is more than adequate, the TF sounds quicker than it feels. The considerable racket from the engine compartment is not matched by a really urgent sense of acceleration. This is still not a sports car the way other two-seaters on the market unquestionably are.That would be fair enough if the chassis could cope with everything the engine threw at it. But from even modest cornering speeds you're very conscious of the weight of the engine, which is odd considering the K-Series isn't unduly heavy. When you're pressing on there is a definite feeling that the rest of the car is deciding which way the engine wants to go and then following it. I didn't push the car to extremes, but I felt that if I did the rear tyres might be overwhelmed by the lump of metal between them and the car would go into a spin. So now you know why I didn't push the car to extremes.Considering all this, MG's claim that the TF has a lower centre of gravity than the F did is very strange, because a high centre of gravity seems to be the basic problem. Higher-spec TFs (in other words everything except the 115 entry model) can be fitted with something called Sports Pack I, which lowers the ride height by an extra 10mm. The test car didn't have this, but I'd like to try one that did, because I think it would make a substantial difference.The best part of the whole package is the brakes. They're easily visible through the multi-spoke wheels, and they're obviously serious kit (AP Racing fronts with 304mm discs and four-pot calipers, to be exact). But you don't have to stare at them or read the spec to realise this - it's immediately obvious from the first time you use them that they work very well.On the whole, the TF is quite an advance on the F, but it is still a fun car like the Mazda MX-5 rather than a serious roadster like the Toyota MR2. With its relatively high power output the 160 is straying into territory where it doesn't really belong. If I wanted a car like this for fun I'd look further down the TF price range. If I wanted a driver's car I'd go elsewhere.Second opinion: Owning (as opposed to just driving) a convertible sports car in Britain is a bit like picking up a girl (or a bloke) at a hedonistic, noisy, drink-fuelled party and then waking up the next morning almost dreading looking over your shoulder. Most sports cars in this country are bought during a sudden rush of sun-stroke and sun-shock to those who have only experienced it abroad. The MG TF 160 is like that. It seemed like a good idea at the time, then winter set in. Poor visibility, rain drumming on the roof, cramped accommodation and skittishness on wet roads detracts from the summer holiday memories. Is this the same car that you remember so fondly? Yes it is, but reality has set in. This is a fun car for fun times, not all-season transport. John Fife.
