{"id":4998,"date":"2023-03-18T02:13:01","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T21:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/?p=4998"},"modified":"2025-10-01T21:46:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:46:32","slug":"the-2023-morgan-plus-four-is-a-surprisingly-modern-mountaineer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/?p=4998","title":{"rendered":"The 2023 Morgan Plus Four is a surprisingly modern mountaineer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Photo: Barry Hayden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Original Source Nik Berg<\/a> Haggerty.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s barely six degrees Fahrenheit at the summit of the Julier Pass. Visibility is zero, a full-blown whiteout. The edges of the road are practically invisible with the blizzard sending horizontal sheets across the windscreen. Snow ceaselessly accumulates onto the asphalt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m the first person outside of the factory to be allowed behind the wheel of this updated 2023 Plus Four, and I briefly wonder whether perhaps we\u2019re both a little too far out of our comfort zones. It may well be the most extreme test the roadster has ever been through. At the very least I suspect it is a situation in which precious few owners of Morgan\u2019s latest Plus Four will find themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is, after all, a machine meant for pleasure drives and holidays. For meandering English country lanes, pausing for a pint and a ploughman\u2019s lunch, or perhaps an ice cream by the coast. At an elevation of 7500 feet, the ice isn\u2019t in a cone. It\u2019s everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the fifth and final Swiss high alpine pass that I\u2019ve driven in as many days. Once I\u2019m out of the mountains it will be a long haul across the autoroutes and routes nationale of neighboring France to the U.K., back home. But before we come to the end of this 2000-mile test drive, let\u2019s go back to the beginning.
2023 Morgan Plus 4 on Julier Pass 2
It\u2019s well below freezing at 7500 feet, thus the top is up. For now. Barry Hayden
Scaling new heights<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what has been the biggest shake-up in the boutique British sports car maker\u2019s 110-year history, Morgan redesigned its four-wheel sports cars from the ground up in 2019. The process breathed new life into the Plus Four and replaced the long-running Plus 8 with the Plus Six. Morgan\u2019s stalwart, steel ladder-frame chassis was retired in favor of a superformed aluminum structure dubbed \u201cCX.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The benefits of the CX chassis are extensive. Instead of having to measure, cut and fit Morgan\u2019s trademark ash wood frame and aluminum body panels to each one individually, the company can now produce identical chassis and pre-cut frames with incredible accuracy. The process streamlined production and created a significantly stiffer structure\u2014all while maintaining Morgan\u2019s hand-built traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morgan has always relied on external engine suppliers, including Ford, Fiat, Rover, Coventry Climax, and others. Continuing a relationship that began in the early 2000s with the V-8-powered Aero 8, Morgan turned to BMW for the Plus Four and Plus Six engines. The former uses a 2.0-liter, 255-hp turbocharged four-cylinder, while the latter uses a 335-hp 3.0-liter turbo straight-six. With BMW power came more sophisticated engine management, automatic transmissions, and even a digital dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 2023 those engines remain unchanged, but the power now comes with even better control. Suspension dampers and bushings have been finessed. There are AP Racing brakes, new calibrations for the automatic gearbox and, for the first time ever in a Morgan, electronic stability control and dual airbags. These significant updates mean that the Plus Four will meet U.S. federal regulations (under the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act) and join the Super 3 in America before the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the interior has been enhanced with a wider choice of fabrics, a single-piece aluminum dash, wonderful wooden marquetry for the center console, and a Sennheiser audio system which uses the uses the chassis structure to resonate bass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These changes, on paper, should make the modern Morgan quite the grand tourer. That\u2019s exactly what I plan to put to the test.
Road-trip ready<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My destination is the Swiss town St. Moritz, home of The ICE, a gathering of some of the world\u2019s most exotic classic cars on a frozen lake. The Plus Four may be a new car, but Morgan hasn\u2019t much changed its styling in 80 years. I reckon it will fit in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage space has never been a priority for Morgan. There\u2019s room behind the seats for a couple of soft bags and a box of snow chains, but everything else will have to go in waterproof duffels strapped to the Plus Four\u2019s chrome rear carrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One area where technology has noticeably progressed: paint. The Volcano Orange finish looks sensational. I\u2019m a sucker for bright colors, and the first time I set eyes on the Plus Four I adore how the orange accentuates the cars\u2019 classic curves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The run down to Folkestone through a still-sleeping London is easy and remarkably efficient, the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox maintaining an engine speed that\u2019s barely above idle for most of the journey. At the 70-mph motorway speed limit wind noise isn\u2019t too bad, but one issue rears its head that will plague the entire trip: winter chill seeps through the door seals. Naturally, it only gets worse as the temperature drops. Despite the heated seats and cranking heater, the next five days will be spent either too hot, too cold, or, somehow, both at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The car is a pre-production model, and Morgan assures me that customer cars won\u2019t suffer in this way. But the new Sennheiser audio system isn\u2019t quite behaving, either. In order to get it to pair with a phone via Bluetooth, the unit needs a complete reset only achievable by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. Again, Morgan says, a pre-production glitch.
The French connection<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I meet photographer Barry Hayden near the Channel Tunnel to France. We play a short game of packing Tetris, filling the meager available space with luggage, photo equipment, and other road trip odds and ends. \u201cIt could be worse,\u201d says Barry. \u201cYou could have got a Super 3.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon enough we pass through the Chunnel and under the sea that separates Britain and its nearest European neighbor. We reach France and waste no time, motoring south at 80 mph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The extra 10 mph that France permits on its autoroutes brings a rush of wind noise into the cabin, despite the closed soft top. Dialing up the volume on the stereo, with the bass vibrating through the bulkhead, just about overpowers the drone but reduces in-car communication between Barry and me to hand gestures. Sennheiser\u2019s Calmo noise-cancellation system would be a welcome addition (and may come later, says Morgan).
Morgan Plus 4 on autoroute
Making rapid progress through France. Barry Hayden
2023 Morgan Plus 4 filling up
At the pump, people ask questions. Barry Hayden
2023 Morgan Plus 4 driving
A fine driving position and comfy seats help the hours fly by. Barry Hayden<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The run down to Lucerne is forgettable\u2014around 500 miles whisking us past Reims, Metz, and Strasbourg. This is not the most picturesque part of France, being largely flat, and the grey winter sky is doing nothing to enhance the aesthetics. Fortunately, the cabin of the Plus Four is surprisingly comfortable. The seats are excellent and even after four hours or so behind the wheel Barry and I experience no back twinge or muscle ache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toll booths prove a challenge in a car this low and uncommonly shaped. It takes a few runs to accurately assess where the front corner of the car is, but by the time we reach the Swiss border we\u2019ve just about perfected the teamwork required to collect or pay for a ticket without the passenger having to unbuckle and stretch out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the sustained high speed, we\u2019re covering around 250 miles on a tank of fuel and averaging around 33 mpg.
Into the Alps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We overnight at a cheap pub\/hotel on the banks of Lake Lucerne, slightly bemused by its English football theme, and the next morning make an early start for a day in the mountains. It\u2019s still dark as we make our way out of the city through a series of tunnels, one of which is so long that the sun has actually risen by the time we reach the exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon we\u2019re climbing up and over the Br\u00fcnig Pass, which as far as alpine views does not quite reflect the spectacle it appears to be on the map. One section looks like a toddler\u2019s scribble on paper, and is indeed a delightfully dizzying series of hairpins, but rises to only 3000 feet or so. Staying below the treeline means views aren\u2019t of the Swiss postcard variety I\u2019d hoped for. We drop down to lake level, running parallel with the frosty blue waters of Brienzersee and Thunersee before cutting due south for our approach to Alps.
2023 Morgan Plus 4 on Julier Pass
When the blizzard clears, the Julier Pass is pure joy. Barry Hayden<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driving in Switzerland during the winter takes a little pre-planning, as many of the country\u2019s most famous mountain passes are closed for the season. The handy AlpenPasse website will tell which are open at any time. Right now the Grimsel Pass I had been hoping to take is \u2026 unpassable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alpine anticipation is building as we head toward the base of the Bermese Alps. Abruptly, in the village of Kandersteg, the road simply stops. In its place is the rickety L\u00f6tcschberg tunnel railway that takes us through the belly of the mountain. It\u2019s only a 15-minute ride, at the price of 27 Swiss Francs, but it takes place in pitch darkness; the only illumination comes from my fellow travelers\u2019 cell phones which, as a testament to Swiss efficiency, retain a strong 5G signal throughout.
Morgan Plus 4 in Switzerland
Entering the L\u00f6tcschberg tunnel as if the Morgan is on rails. Barry Hayden<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emerging into the light, we unload and immediately begin to ascend. The road is sufficiently twisty to begin experimenting the Plus Four\u2019s various engine and transmission modes. Nudge the slightly incongruous BMW shifter over to Sport and gears can be selected manually by pushing and pulling the lever or using the steering column-mounted paddles. Keeping both hands on wheel seems prudent as the curves come thick and fast, so it\u2019s paddles for me here and, although the shifts are rapid I do feel the lack of a physical connection. The paddles themselves would certainly feel nicer in aluminum instead of plastic, and if they had just a bit more movement the whole shifting experience would be elevated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re the ones rising rapidly, as we discover ourselves quickly getting above the trees and into proper snow for the first time. The beginning of the Simplon Pass is marked by the grand Hotel K\u00fclm-Bellevue, which majestically overlooks the route. It\u2019s also home to one of the most strikingly designed public toilet buildings I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s here that we drop our roadster\u2019s roof for the first time. It\u2019s not quite a Miata mechanism, as you need to release a couple of external poppers before unlatching it and carefully folding the fabric as you stow the top behind the front seats, but with practice it only takes a minute or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBrace yourself,\u201d I warn Barry, but we soon find that with hat and gloves in place and heat on full it does not really feel much colder than with the roof up. It helps that by now the sun has burned through the clouds, and we\u2019re also some 6000 feet closer to it. The cozy, slightly claustrophobic feeling of the Plus Four\u2019s cabin is replaced with a wonderfully open sensation: that elemental connection with the environment that makes driving a roadster so invigorating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road, too, is exciting, with plenty of fast third or fourth gear corners and more than a handful of hairpins thrown in. By the time we reach the end of it we\u2019ve crossed into Italy, passing through a seemingly unmanned border crossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next few hours we follow the valley and battle through poorly-surfaced Piedmontese autostrada, diving in and out of tunnel after tunnel, with local drivers seemingly glued to our rear bumper. It\u2019s a relief to escape and get back onto less busy roads, skirting the glamour of Lake Como and heading north again to Chiavenna and the mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the border the Swiss guards stop us, check our papers, and then seem to get bored. They send us on our way to the simply marvelous Maloja Pass. In the space of just a couple of miles the pass climbs over 2600 feet in a spectacular sequence of switchbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Plus Four doesn\u2019t have the best turning circle, but there\u2019s another, altogether more entertaining way to steer it: on the throttle. I press the Sport Plus switch, disengage the ESC, and find I can adjust the attitude of the car with a lift to tighten my line or stab the throttle to slide the rear a little. Shifting rapidly back and forth between second and third gears, the Morgan reveals its previously-hidden hooligan side, with pops, crackles and bangs from the exhaust and a screech of the Avon winter tires singing through every corner. It\u2019s the sort of behavior one might expect of a Caterham 7 more than a mature Morgan, and it\u2019s wonderful. While Barry flies his drone overhead I make repeated and progressively swifter and noisier runs up and down. Oh how I must suffer for the photographer\u2019s art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pass spits us out just a few miles from St. Moritz where The ICE concours is taking place over the next two days and, as we pass through the town, we get a sense of the kind of clientele it attracts. We see an Aston Martin DBX 707, a Lamborghini Urus, numerous 911s, even a Ferrari 296. We attract just as much, if not more attention, from the sea of camera phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staying in St. Moritz is way beyond our budget, and our hotel in Poschiavo just happens to be over the Bernina Pass. It\u2019s getting dark by the time we reach it and the clouds have also rolled in. Visibility is near zero, so Barry is calling out upcoming curves like a proper rally co-driver from what he can see on Google Maps. Behind me all I can see is a blaze of headlights and, at the merest sign of a straight, a scrappy VW Passat powers past. For a couple of corners I try to keep up, but there\u2019s no beating local knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next two days we travel back and forth to St. Moritz, and I get to know the road pretty well amid ever-changing conditions. There\u2019s fog, snow, sunshine, and showers sometimes all within the space of the same trip. It\u2019s a brilliant road, a good 30 minutes of full-concentration driving through tight hairpins and speedy sweepers, never knowing exactly how much grip will be available on any of them. As such, the ESC stays on and, without being aggressively intrusive, it adds a welcome layer of safety. In the one instance we switch it off on an open, snowy section it elicits a lurid third-gear slide, proving just how effective the system is. \u201cPlease don\u2019t do that again,\u201d quips Barry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I set out I wasn\u2019t quite sure how I\u2019d take to a modern Morgan. Could it really offer a 21st century sports car experience with such old-school styling, and would that combination actually be appealing anyway? Would it be up to such an extreme cold-weather task on harrowing mountain passes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, yes, and yes. The Plus Four is both capable and entertaining beyond expectation. It wouldn\u2019t be a match for a modern Porsche Boxster in objective terms, but it edges much closer than one would think given the vintage aesthetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the media tent at The ICE I hear people talking about the \u201ccrazy Brits\u201d who drove all the way in a Morgan mid-winter. I turn my head and have one more look at the orange Plus Four cooling its heels on the snow. Somehow it all seems perfectly sane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specs: 2023 Morgan Plus Four<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price: \u00a370,195 (U.S. price TBD)\nPowertrain: 2.0-liter turbo I-4; eight-speed automatic (six-speed manual available)\nOutput: 255 hp @ 5500 rpm, 295 lb-ft @ 1000\u20134300 rpm\nLayout: Rear-wheel-drive, two-seat roadster\nSuspension: Double wishbone front\/rear\nWeight (dry): 2224 lbs\n0\u201362 mph: 4.7 seconds\nTop speed: 149 mph<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"\/<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\"\"Photo: Barry Hayden <\/p>\n
Original Source Nik Berg Haggerty.com<\/p>\n
It\u2019s barely six degrees Fahrenheit at the summit of the Julier Pass. Visibility is zero, a full-blown whiteout. The edges of the road are practically invisible with the blizzard sending horizontal sheets across the windscreen. Snow ceaselessly accumulates onto the asphalt.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m the first person outside of the factory to be allowed behind the wheel of this updated 2023 Plus Four, and I briefly wonder whether perhaps we\u2019re both a little too far out of our comfort zones. It may well be the most extreme test the roadster has ever been through. At the very least I suspect it is a situation in which precious few owners of Morgan\u2019s latest Plus Four will find themselves.<\/p>\n
This is, after all, a machine meant for pleasure […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4998"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4998"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6917,"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4998\/revisions\/6917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/morganwest.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}