Generation Cyb

Source: Motor

ALTHOUGH NEARLY 10,000 miles have passed since the last running report there has been surprisingly little to complain about in the general day-to-day running of our long-term MG Maestro as the mileageapproaches the 30,000 mark. The throttle hesitation reported in August was investigated by Kingswood Garage, in Surrey, and with their usual efficiency they diagnosed the problem to be a gremlin in the accelerator pump linkage causing the pedal to stick at all the wrong moments. Result: at last, a smooth-revving engine that is, I think, as close as it will ever be to Austin Rover’s claim (when this sporty hatchback was introduced in March 1983) of a “smooth and tractable ‘R’ series engine” with “two twin-choke Weber carburetters to gladen enthusiasts’ hearts”. And yet it appears that Austin Rover has thrown in the towel and replaced the R-series with the 2-litre fuel-injection version now fitted to the MG Montego. No more strain on dealers throughout the country attempting to cure the incurable; no more hefty bills for the customer trying to get what he thought he’d paid for, only to find that it is obsolete anyway!Eighteen months and 28,000 miles is an awful long time to wait to be satisfiedby the expenditure of £6000-plus. So, let us hope that the similarly priced replacement lives up to expectations…

Returning to the plus factors, the car is now running smoothly and a recent trip to visit my parents in Plymouth recorded a fuel consumption of 32.2mpg, slightly down on the overall figure in August but still as good as any in its class. There is plenty of room in the boot for all the needs of the family, including the entire contents of our 3-year old daughter’s toybox. This then leaves the passenger compartment clutter free for relaxed cruising at 70-80mph with no apparent effort. The suspension, although firm, causes no problems, especially on motorways, and the feeling of relative freshness at the end of a long journey is much appreciated.

The Clarion E950 Mk II radio cassette player further enhanced this trip – and my regular 102-mile return journeys to and from the office, although I have been a little dissapointed with the performance of the four SE422 speakers, which appear to be rather small for this size car. The clarity is excellent but there is very little bass being transmitted to the listener. Hopefully, four larger speakers are soon to be fitted in the front doors and rear parcel shelf, instead of in the current positions which utilise existing Austin Rover speaker positions.

The squeaking gnomes in the facia, unfortunately, seem to have returned – some equipped with hammers! But this aside, I can say that it has been a fairly uneventful few months which, of course, I welcome. If only it hadn’t taken so long to achieve and had not been rendered obsolete within sight of the tape…