The 2022 Morgan Plus Four CX-T Officially Takes Morgan Off-Road
Morgan is going off-road in the most unabashedly Morgan way possible, by modifying one of its models, the Plus Four, just enough to get it trail worthy. Because Morgan doesn’t need an SUV. Morgan scoffs at suspension articulation, and it laughs at all-wheel drive.
The Plus Four CX-T doesn’t have either four- or all-wheel drive. It makes the most of its traction on the trail through a locking e-differential sourced from BMW, per Autocar. Just watch this thing hoon on the English countryside:
Sure, the CX-T might apparently lack the basic things many drivers want when hitting the trails, but that’s not to say it doesn’t have any off-road upgrades at all. Morgan asked the specialists at Rally Raid UK for help building the CX-T.
The model name comes from the CX monocoque chassis, which Morgan uses for its Plus Four and Plus Six models, and the “T” stands for trails. The CX-T takes a Plus Four chassis and powertrain and combines it with a reworked Plus Six suspension. The engine is a BMW-sourced 2.0-liter inline four, making about 255 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. It gets 39 miles per gallon.
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The suspension also gets a bit of modification to make the Plus Four more capable, and it gets coilovers. Even though the CX-T doesn’t look like it has good ground clearance, all the mods nearly double the ground clearance of the standard Plus Four, going from 4.7 to 9 inches. That’s not bad.
The CX-T also gets a hard-top and a roll cage, both inside and out. It gets plenty of underbody protection, including “an engine guard, rear chassis guard, mid-section shield and rear undertray,” according to Morgan.
Of course, it also has off-road wheels and beefy Maxxis tires. It gets additional lighting, and storage compartments in the rear. And it comes with two spare tires! Despite all of that, it still weighs less than 1,300 kilos or 2,866 pounds. Hence, the hooning.
This is a relatively lightweight sports car that can rip up a trail alongside most any sports car with a Safari treatment. Maybe the trials treatment? Except this one comes with saddlebags. Morgan says only eight of these will be made for now, but the company hasn’t confirmed it won’t make more. The CX-T will start at £170,000, or just under $237,000, before taxes.