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The MG Metro boasted some quite positive features for the day including the standard use of powerful servo assisted brakes using four pot (piston) calipers up front, very competitive performance and superb economy courtesy of the responsive and well proven A+ series engine. The spec and performance of the cars was generally good and competitive for the day, although even then the limitations of the A series engine mounted on top of the only four speed gearbox (Mini powertrain remember) was seen as a disadvantage to the then common end on 5 speed gearboxes that most competitors had. It is debatable whether this would have impacted much on the sales of the car, but as enthusiasts are responsible for the survival of many cars over the very long term it is obvious that a better accepted car would have meant many more would be around today.īack to reality though and history shows that the build quality of the cars was quite variable, unfortunately this went from very bad to only acceptable in the first few years and really only after around 1986 were there more consistent and better results. Had the MG Metro been supported by a continuing MGB, with the planned and developed O series engine, it is clear that the perception of this model and the follow on MG Maestro and Montego models would have been considerably different. The reality was that the development and re-engineering that the car was given was significant and it was a model in its own right, with performance and handling to easily beat the recently demised MGB it must be said! However, adding a spoiler, different graphics, wheels and tyres to the outside, with different seats and interior trims inside didn’t change the body shape and it remained a three door Metro, which for the entrenched enthusiast was not enough compensation for the demise of the two seat open top sports MG. Mainstream MG enthusiast view though remained tainted and the model was unfairly tarred with the ‘badge engineering’ label that was rightly created to describe the BMC saloon ranges of the 1960’s. Indeed the modest sales expectations for the MG version of the Metro range was expected to be no more than 10%, yet in a short period of time sales were running in excess of 25%.
#Mg mini metro full#
This tainted many MG enthusiasts reception for this car in a negative way as it was somewhat different to the traditional sports car market, although at this time the then new ‘hot hatch’ era heralded by the Golf GTi was in full swing, and as far as manufacturers and most car buyers were concerned open top two seat sports cars were something from the past. The MG Metro was introduced in May 1982 some 18 months after the pain of the closure of the MG factory at Abingdon.
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