Surprise Package Carrier
by John Fife (28 Mar 03)

It looks like a van. There are no windows in the rear panels and there is a loadguard behind the front seats. The rear floor is flat and carpeted. It's even got tie-down hooks. Therefore it is a van.

It doesn't sound like a van, rev like a van, handle like a van or steer like a van. Yes, there are two seats up front beyond the loadguard, but they are deep and huggy bucket seats. The steering wheel is leather trimmed and the rev-counter certainly isn't connected to an oil-burner beyond the bulkhead - it's red lined at 7000 rpm!

So what is it? It must be the MG Express. A 130mph van based on the MG ZR, with the 1.8 VVC engine which punches out 158bhp. From parcels depot to High Street it'll do the 0-60 dash in just over seven seconds.

Like the saloon, the Express van has benefited from a variety of tweaks to cope with the power hike, and it handles like a kart. It darts about the road from pot-hole to cat's-eye as the 17" wheels and 205/45 low profile tyres constantly argue with the driver about the chosen direction of travel.

But that's half the fun, playing with the deliciously direct and light steering to keep it all under control. And that's the other half of the fun. This machine has enough power to get you into trouble pretty quickly, but the firmly sprung, well damped handling is there to get you out of it just as quickly.

It just feels so sure-footed that it tempts you to take liberties going into and coming out of corners, and what the hell, even in mid corner, but don't tell a proper racing driver!

The Brakes Are Somewhere

Just one quibble. The brakes. They are so progressive, they are positively lazy. Call it long pedal travel if you like, but it's far too long. You can just about feel the discs bite as you press, but nothing much happens, and it requires a firmer push before the Express starts scrubbing off speed. Even pumping the pedal doesn't make it any firmer. Maybe the test car just needed new pads. Whatever, I didn't like it, but I got used to it on the test drive.

MG Rover is serious about this vehicle; it's not just a gimmick. The company has spotted the car-derived van market potential, and the Rover models fill the gap nicely, but these MG versions make them desirable all-round machines for work, rest and play in their own right.

The rear floor is fairly flat and carpeted, and there is just over 900mm between the wheel arches. It won't take a Euro pallet, but it does provide almost a cubic metre of space behind the front seats. So it's ideal for overalls Monday to Friday and race suits at weekends.

Asking price is £14,160 for the "hot" one. There is also a 1.4-litre version (the Express 105) at £10,395, and a two-litre turbo diesel (the Express TD) at £10,995, but there is no comparison with the Express 160. This wee van would make you want to chuck a good job in the city and become a postman or parcels courier on traffic-free roads in the Highlands.

But it could be better. If I had one, I would paint it dull grey, swap the alloys for a set of steel wheels with plastic trims, and cut the twin chrome tipped tail pipes short - and then go looking for hot-hatches with bulging body kits. Van man cometh.

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