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Mx5 vs MGF vvc

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Mgf Vvc Vs Mx5

19K views 137 replies 50 participants last post by  cjmillsnun 
#1 ·
hi guys and gals,

im new to this part of the forum and i have an interesting question.

my current car is a bag of spanners, although she's great to drive and i love the car, she's got to go as there some serious work (i think) on the way. I quite had my heart set on a MGFvvc, but was talking to a mate of mine about my concerns about owning a rwd car, he assured me that i would be fine and its probably easyer to drive, but he raised a this question

If your serious about cars why a MGF, and not an mx5.

So i see it as this

MGF = cool car
MX5 = drivers car

any ex mx5 drivers i would love your opinon, and of couse mgf/tf drivers i want your opion to.
 
#3 ·
In turkey, many mx5 's, any rare MGF's :)
and I mgf is much more confortable that an MX-5 (I couldn't fit into a MX-5)
Forward engine- RWD ... power loss is more, MGF is more efficient..

I believe MGF's road holding is much better

MX-5 is a cool Drift car.. but who drifts 24/7 right?
 
#4 ·
In standard trim, the VVC will outrun the MX-5, but the 5 will outhandle the TF.

Driving position is totally different between the two, but neither good for very tall drivers.

5 is ultimately more tuneable as it will take a turbo without any internal mods.

I certainly prefer the looks and interior on the TF and you won't really push it to it's handling limits day to day.
 
#10 ·
Go for the fiver... with a nickname like that ('Puma_Pimp') :lol:

Both good cars I guess, especially when the F is setup right. Don't know if you get something like the MG friendship/fellowship from Mazda. As IMHO this is one (!) of the strongest points of owning an MG.

Cheers,

--- most of the friends renewed for MG-owning friends :lol: :lol: ---
 
#11 ·
Cheers stu that helped loads :)
oh and guys i wasnt having a dig at your cars i was genuinly asking your opinion. i was going to pose this question on other manufacture. but thought it would probable for the best asking the guys who own the car.

another question guys

ive never drove a rwd before mostly fwd. is there much difference do i have to learn to drive all over again?????
 
#15 ·
not to try putting you off, but i know a women who had zr then sold it to get a tf. she span it 3 times in the first few months of ownership so took it back and swapped it for a new zr again. and she was a police officer with good driving abilities.

again, the thought popped into my mind, why ask a bunch of mg owners if they prefer the mx5??
but honestly, the mx5 isnt in the guiness book of records for ebing the most popular roadster for no reason, they are a very good little car.
but when out and about i notice, when i see people in mgf's they look like they are enveloped in the car, in mx5's they look like they are sticking out the top.

i constantly drive my tf as hard as possible, but a few times i have come close to losing it. but i cant help it cos the car is so much fun to drive.
u do need to change your driving style too, i have found myself paying more attention to road conditions and driving lines, and also which gear to use. but the benefits are amazing when u get it all right.

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#16 ·
Right. I was faced with this decision in june of this year. My advice is to test the mx5, mgtf and mr2 roadster. Ive ended up with a TF and heres why.

The MX5 has a MASSIVE following and in some respects much more so than MG. It is highly tunable with bolt on turbos available. All good fun. It also has a wicked gear change. However the car (out of the box) isnt as fast as the VVC however its the driving style that will get you. The MX5 is front engined RWD this means that the rear wheels are able to drift out a lot under hard driving (think sideways skid) no problem in its self because the chassis is so good that you can easily bring it back into line. This is where it differs from the MR2 and the TF. Both of these are mid engined cars and as the name suggests the engine is just behind your head. This gives the cars massive amounts of grip and allows them to corner very well. However once they do break away at the rear it happens much faster and so you need to be ontop of your driving to catch it. The MR2 is a bit of a handfull in the wet and you can easily find yourself swapping ends. The TF less so.

The driving charicteristics are what sells each car. The TF is very much a drivers car and needs to be driven. The MX5 while it is a drivers car can be a more relaxing drive if required. The thing that put me off about the MX5 though was the constant overstear (even in the dry) and if ur bombing down country roads as i do i feel it could be dangerous. The TF sticks to its guns and tries to keep you on the same side of the road.

Test drive each one and make your own mind up. Its the only way. However if you get a MX5 people will say youve got a girls car. A shame really because its a very capable little motor.

Both are good and both have a good following. There are more things to consider if looking at an older F though than the more robust MX5 imo
 
#17 ·
cheers that is excatly what i was looking for AndyBrad.

i have to look at both really carefully and the image of the mx5 doesnt bother me one bit, people see the puma as a girls car and i love it, im not that confident that i could handle a rwd but then ive never drivin one.

i do alot of motorway work plus theres a lot of country lanes on my cummute. so im really looking at the cars very closly. if what you say is true about the mx5 i wont get one. my main problem is that although i am a safe driver most of the time, theres always that point were im driving the car hard. in a fwd i know that i aint going in a bush. but with rwd drive although the best setup in a car i cant be that confident.
 
#19 ·
Puma Pimp said:
cheers that is excatly what i was looking for AndyBrad.

i have to look at both really carefully and the image of the mx5 doesnt bother me one bit, people see the puma as a girls car and i love it, im not that confident that i could handle a rwd but then ive never drivin one.

i do alot of motorway work plus theres a lot of country lanes on my cummute. so im really looking at the cars very closly. if what you say is true about the mx5 i wont get one. my main problem is that although i am a safe driver most of the time, theres always that point were im driving the car hard. in a fwd i know that i aint going in a bush. but with rwd drive although the best setup in a car i cant be that confident.

RWD is less of an issue than you think.

The key to the handling of the TF is that it is mid engined.

It sounds strange but if you put your left elbow on the arm rest, thats where the centre of the weight of the car is. So if you start power sliding the car, your reference is right next to you.

In a FWD car, you are behind the weight of the car. So its feels like you are on a pendulum of where the weight is. So as you go round a corner - you follow that weight in front, if you slide, then the motion is that of a pendulum.

The advantage of the mid engined layout is that the car is better balanced, and you get far more grip on each corner of the car. The disadvantage of the mid engined car is that when you lose grip on all four corners - things go very wrong - VERY quickly.

The advantage of the FWD car is that although you have less grip as its all at the front, when you lose grip on the front wheels you still have the rears doing something. And thats the bit that saves you from the hedge.

However, to lose control of a TF you are either being very very stupid, eg fast cornering in the wet, or you hit something in the road like ice or grease. But again, you got to be going some to fall foul.

Its worth noting what engine layout all the great super cars have. You'll find the MG is in great company.

Tin
 
#23 ·
The MX5 is very tunable indeed, but not in NASP form, as there is far more tuning parts and conversions for the 1.8K to take it to over 200bhp, where as without a blower of somekind, i dont think you'd get 200bhp from the MX5 1.8 so easily? Of course with a turbo or supercharger, you can run 250bhp+ on std internals, and some MX5's have around 320bhp!
 
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