Traditional looks and contemporary tech combine in updated six-cylinder roadster Price £90,390 Power 335bhp Torque 369lb ft 0-60mph 4.4sec 30-70mph in fourth 4.0sec Fuel economy 31.9mpg CO2 emissions 180g/km 70-0mph 47.9m
MODEL TESTEDPLUS SIX
All is not as it seems at the Morgan Motor Company. This quintessentially English car maker is largely owned by an Italian firm and has an Italian CEO, its cars are powered by German engines and the ash wood for its frames comes from… a forest in Leicestershire.
Well, some things aren’t so different after all. But in order to continue providing the slice of ye olde English motoring that Morgan specialises in, it has had to evolve with the times. As a result, current Morgans are much more modern than they might appear.
Although they didn’t look it (which was entirely the point), the Plus Four and Plus Six were totally new when they were introduced in 2020, with a new bonded aluminium spaceframe and a pair of emissions-friendly BMW engines.
While Morgan doesn’t follow the same new-model-facelift churn as mainstream car brands, it has in the past four years identified a number of areas for improvement, including some that we remarked on in our early tests of the cars.
We road tested the current Plus Four shortly after its launch (12 August 2020), but we’ve never strapped the timing gear to the 335bhp Plus Six, so let’s do that now and see if the updates hit the spot.
DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
Morgan calls its bonded and riveted aluminium spaceframe the CX platform, referring to the company’s 110th anniversary year in Roman numerals. And before you ask: no, the aluminium doesn’t come from a tree. Morgan does still employ ash wood to hold the aluminium body panels, because it says that wood is the best material to support the car’s distinctive curves. All the strength comes from the chassis, however.
The four-cylinder Plus Four and six-cylinder Plus Six look the same at a glance, but the Six is wider overall, with most of that width in the middle of the car, rather than just a wider track. That way it benefits interior space. You can also identify the Six by its larger wheels.
Power still comes from the familiar BMW 2.0-litre B48 inline four in the Plus Four and 3.0-litre B58 inline six in the Plus Six – the same as you might find in a BMW 230i and M240i, albeit slightly detuned in the case of the Morgan.
Over the past few years, the Plus cars hav
