Thank you ever so much indeed for watching! Yes, I do like the look of these later high specification Maestros, there is definitely something about them.
One of the most underrated cars of its time. I had a 1981 MG Montego 2.0 EFi. It was fast, comfortable, handled well and...................very reliable. Felt like it was carved out of a block of granite. Lovely car.
I do love Maestros and Montegos, and the Vanden Plas we filmed for No Budget Reviews last year was absolutely fantastic as it even had the digital dashboard. I was surprised how well it drove... Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!
These vehicles are so under the radar that I'm sure those who like modern classics would want this Maestro. A young man in the UK whose channel I watch just purchased an Austin Maestro 1.3 L. He loves it!
Yes, these Maestros are starting to get very popular amongst enthusiasts now. I prefer the upper end models like the Vanden Plas, MG and Mayfair variants, but there is a following for the 1.3Ls too.
Love a Maestro, they had lots of interior space for the size of car they were competing with. My Grandad had a Maestro van in royal mail red. He loved it and I have fond memories of it.
That is absolutely right, much more room than a Mark III Escort, for example. I really enjoyed driving the Maestro Vanden Plas last year for No Budget Reviews, and so this is far from the last Maestro you will see on the channel. Lots of shared family nostalgia, then.
I love Maestros as well, well most MG / Rovers actually, I guess its something to do with them always being the underdog, and many were actually really good cars.
Yes, I drove a 1985 Maestro Vanden Plas on the channel last year with a functioning talking dashboard. Amazing car, although without power steering, it was a bit of a handful. I do like Maestros and Montegos... If you like MGs and Rovers, then you are on the right channel, as I have reviewed a lot of them over the last three years. In fact, the second review on the channel was an MG.
It's amazing how much a Maestro stands out compared with more modern cars, and most certainly not to its detriment. A great example and not a Perkins Prima in sight :)
Can't get enough of that genius intro. I disagree that the Maestro was looking dated by 1991. I think that it looked unique as the the R8 managed to be unique among other very similar designs of the early 90s and both were better looking than the new Mk5 Escort of 1990. The MG was always special and seeing someone holding MG keys as opposed to Austin or Rover keys earned immediate respect. The wheels are gorgeous and fill the arches. The interior is lovely and the red MG Lettering on the steering wheel is very nice. Good engine too. Anyone would be proud to own an MG Maestro EFi.
As a former R8 owner, I do think that it made the Maestro look a bit old fashioned when it came out, and of course it was meant to do that. However, they just kept on selling and so they only finished production in 1994-5 and then had their afterlife until 2001 in this country/Bulgaria and then a few years later in China. Having an MG badge was lovely, I must say, along with those lovely wheels. These days, an MG Maestro is a properly sought after classic, especially the Turbo, of course. I couldn't drive this one, but I think I have some more Maestros and Montegos coming up on the channel soon! Thank you again, sir.
Cracking review and cracking car, I remember these style ashtrays in the rear doors were quite similar to the ones in 80 and 90's Fords. BRG is the best colour for the MG Maestro. Someone will get a cracking buy.
Glad you enjoyed it, Mr Watters! Yes, I did a Mark III Escort on Tweed Jacket Reviews about six months ago, and it also has rotating ashtrays... I do like British Racing Green, but then that is pretty obvious!
British racing green is such a good colour and certainly suits the MG Maestro. If it had red seat belts, that would be the icing on the cake. A late 80s, early 90s MG Metro and MG Maestro both in British Racing Green would be perfect
Great stuff again . Lovely old thing Joseph. Remember having an F plate just the same back in the day . Mine also had the "Rover 800 " dashboard lift . These were definitely from an era when you could tell a manufacturers sporty model from the rest of the range , unlike so many cars today
Yes, ever so many common parts back in the day! I do love the upper end of the Maestro range. These MGs looked very different from the rest of them, didn't they?
No problem at all, sir! As you can imagine, it was an absolute pleasure to film this, and I hope to have more Maestros on the channel later in the year.
I’ve always liked maestro and Montego cars and vans. I think by 1991 it looked pretty old compared with the mark 3 Astra GTE and the Citroen ZX Volcane which were fresh designs. I’ve seen that Maestro advertised on AutoTrader app, it looks a really good car, I remember a MG of the early 1990’s called the R V8 it sold well in Japan as the only ones I see as used cars are Japanese imports. I used to see loads of Montego estate cars as taxis driving around South Yorkshire, they seemed to disappear by the early 2000’s shame as they were spacious and comfortable.
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting, Richard! Yes, definitely an older looking shape even thirty years ago when it was new, but now a very classic look and a rather appealing one. It is a good car, they are very rare now in MG specification. My grandfather also lived in South Yorkshire, funnily enough, and he had five or six Maestros. You are right about the Maestros and Montegos, they did disappear very quickly about 20 years ago due to low secondhand values and rust.
I had a 1989 in white, and absolutely loved it. I can’t remember the window controls being on the centre console, or whether I had manual windows(if that was even an option). Rather than having EFI on the back, mine had 2.0i there.
You could certainly get manual windows on a Maestro, but I don't know if electric windows were standard on one of these 2.0 EFis or not.... If it had been fitted with them, the switches would have been in the middle (like in this car), cars before early 1986 had a different dashboard with electric window switches on the doors. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!
I had two, one had electric front windows switches in the centre console near the radio, the other identical car but had manual windows all round, they could also be specced with or without power steering although 90% had it, one of mine did not (it was the one without e/w,) original owner I guess wanted to save a few quid. But I preferred it too as it went a little better without the weight of window motors, steering fluid, hoses, pump belts pullets etc all made it lighter and punchier.
I know sir, I was really, really looking forward to driving it, but it doesn't belong to Summit Garage, so I had to just film this walkaround. Never mind, more Maestros and Montegos coming up soon.
I had a "E" registration MG Maestro as a company vehicle. I drove it to more than 100,000 miles and the only significant failure was of the engine cooling fan motor. Mine certainly did have red (front only) seatbelts to match the piping. Rear belts were not an option at the time. In addition to the better rear seat space, the boot was also more spacious (our first child had just arrived.) I managed to get the upgraded radio / cassette unit that could skip tape tracks by detecting the quiet separation points. Happy memories of the car in general. The lack of power steering was a small drawback, although it did keep some decent feel through the steering. No front electric windows, but that was not a big thing. No central locking either, let alone remote. My next company car was the Vauxhall Cavalier SRi. I should have stuck with the MG!
I think rear seat belts were compulsory equipment from 1986, although wearing them was not mandatory until 1991 in the UK. If your car was an E-registration (1987-88), then it must have them or the car was perhaps a little earlier. The Vanden Plas Automatic I drove on No Budget Reviews last year (link in the description) had no power steering either, and that was really, really heavy. I was able to get the boot open, though, and as you say, it was huge! Certainly these Maestros drive surprisingly well, although I wasn't a fan of the automatic gearbox as it sapped so much power. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!
Had two 2.0i in this colour, A g reg one and a very late k reg one of the last made. The k reg one was a right Rot box but the g reg one was pretty solid and went better. They did do a later third style dash which had heater controls moved to under the middle vents and the push switches moved to whare the ashtray is. The cigarette lighter was where the heater controls are on this. And the gearshifter and some other parts where grey rather than black. To me the incarnation in the video is the nicest looking. Inside and out. They have Bags of torque the 0 series in these.
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting! Yes, the last Maestro dashboard came in soon after this one, and was the one which came into the facelifted Montego in 1988. I have a couple of episodes of No Budget Reviews coming up on the channel with a late Montego and a late Maestro showing it. The MG and Vanden Plas Maestros are my favourites.
I very nearly bought this off John who has it on a sale or return basis. It also featured on Flipping Bangers in 2018. Nice car just a couple of grand over the top for me, really enjoyed this walk around
Yes, I have seen the episode. There are very few of these MG Maestros left, and I love the colour. So many people have said the same thing to me about this car! They also have really want to buy it, but just have not quite... I am more of the Vanden Plas/Mayfair persuasion, but I still think that it is a special car. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!
I really like this MR Lloyd, especially front end styling and although the roof is a touch to high in my opinion, I do have a soft spot for Maestros especially the MGs and Vanden Plas.
Yes, probably a consequence of the Maestro first being designed in the late 1970s with the higher than usual roof, but it does make getting in and out really easy. Oh yes, we love the front and rear styling of this later Maestro. The Vanden Plas is very, very tasty indeed...
@@lloydvehicleconsulting The lack of rear head rests to fill out the rear screen too and rear electric windows. Always the case with BL cars, so close yet so far away. The Montego was a very handsome car in EFI Vanden Plas flavour.
The roof and the glass area of the Peugeot 205 also looked a bit high for the design from the side but once you were seated inside the headroom and airiness were very welcome. Also viewed from the front and behind the roof line fitted the design perfectly.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. , yes, no electric rear windows or rear head rests on a Maestro, as far as I know... We may have a Montego coming up on the channel soon, sir...
@@seancooke4127 , having had a 205 on the channel recently, I agree. A very light and airy cabin, although the seating position is higher than I would have liked. The Maestro is more comfortable, but it was a more expensive car, so that is to be expected.
Wonderful, thank you! I have a lot of Maestros and Montegos now on the No Budget Reviews playlist on the channel if you wish to see more, and I do look forward to driving an MG Maestro 2.0 EFi in 2022.
wow my 1st car 1986 Austin Maestro mayfair my stepdad crashed it into a milkfloat (milkman pulled out on him) had 1.6 but came back 2.0 EFI engine had fun racing back from raves with golf GTI and Ford XR2 back in 1990-92 I was gutted when we sold it on which by then I had drove it all over the uk for 10 years it was good on fuel until you floored it
That's very interesting! I drove a 1.3 Mayfair on the channel last year and have driven several 1.6 Maestros, but never a 2.0 EFi (although I have driven a Montego 2.0 EFi). Maestros and Montegos are actually surprisingly good cards to drive!
At the time this one was sold, my parents owned an early MG 1600 with the R series engine in silver with of course the digital dashboard and voice synthesiser. Quality issues aside, it was a great car for them. The turbo version used to do 0-60 in 6.7 seconds! The 2.0i around 8.5 seconds I think.
Oh wow! The R-Series engine... I thought that all of those would have been recalled by 1991. I showed the voice synthesiser on No Budget Reviews last year when we filmed the Vanden Plas. The later dashboards were not as fun, but they were better quality (even if they hid those heater controls). That Turbo version was crazy, wasn't it?
Can you please do a review of the Montego Vanden Plas 2litre ? My dad's favourite ever car 👌👌..We had for 12 years was amazing in Metallic Light Blue 🙏🙏...Cheers
Gosh, it really depends if I can find one. The Vanden Plas Montego models are really rare now. I did a Vanden Plas Maestro Automatic on No Budget Reviews last year, though (link is in the description). The viewer whom I mentioned in the video does have a couple of Montegos as well as Maestros, though, so I can always ask if I can do both...
Great vid Mr Lloyd, shame you weren’t able to start the car. That one looks in great condition, they usually suffered from rotten wheel arches and sills. Maestros apparently weren’t a good seller for AR which is surprising to learn since they were everywhere at one time. Looking forward to seeing more Maestros, Montegos and even Metro’s being featured in the future.
I think the sales performance of the Maestro was a bit disappointing given initial projections, but it did have an amazingly long production life, and as you say, this one is remarkably rust free and complete. I would have loved to have gone for a drive but, you know the rest! Yes, more Metros, Maestros and Montegos to follow, I believe...
My dad had that same radio cassette head unit which he bought second hand that had been originally factory equipment in a Vauxhall. Philips made head units for Rover Group, Vauxhall and Renault to my knowledge and probably more besides. It was a very good head unit. It's a shame they didn't place those heater controls higher up like on later Metros. Lattice alloys are cool and definitely the best look on the River R8. Never really took to the Miestro but I think they were in some ways very forward thinking. After all, they are a larger hatchback of the time when cars like the Escort and Astra were a fastback design. The colour coded bumpers were also a novelty at the time. I'm sure I heard somewhere that they were the first mass production car to offer this.
Yes, Philips supplied a lot of stereos for Austin Rover/Rover Group/MG Rover and I have seen a few of them on No Budget Reviews now, for example. I would have liked the heater controls in a slightly different place, but never mind, it was the 1980s when they designed the dashboard. I have had two R8s as you probably know, so I am hoping to get a couple more of those on the channel soon too. The Maestro was much more spacious than an Escort or Astra of the time, but did look quite different. Yes, they were the first car to have the plastic colour coded bumpers like this MG version, but not all of them were so equipped.
Now that’s a proper retro MG, love it - I fail to see any hammering it into a bend to demonstrate its dynamic driving characteristics - will that follow? *B
I think that we will see another Maestro being put through its paces on the channel relatively soon, Mr Quirk! Sadly, I wasn't able to drive this fantastic example...
Very interesting review. It's a shame that these are a very rare sight on UK roads now. I like the solid feel of these older/elderly cars unlike today's cars that aren't built with the same quality.
Yes, they are quite rare now, I think about 30 2.0 EFis are left on the road now, although there are probably more in storage. Some of the controls of a Maestro are a bit flimsy in feel, but they have lasted thirty years, so they can't be that bad... Thank you again for watching and commenting.
How does this works? Are you surging for cars to film yourself? Or do people contact you to review their car? So it’s not that you drive to used car dealers and ask of you can review their cars a sort of free advertising for them?
I made a video at the beginning of the year which talked about the methods I have for getting cars for filming in quite some detail. I do have a few dealer contacts (like Summit Garage) whom I can ask to film certain cars if they have them in stock. I also have a couple of manufacturer contacts from whom I can request some press cars. The majority of cars you see on the channel, however, belong to friends or viewers who have offered them to me for review. That's about it, really.
The MG Maestros are very rare now. There are only around 30 2.0 EFIs left taxed and even fewer Turbos, so prices of nice ones are starting to climb. I loved the colour of this one...
1.3 and 1.6 Maestros and Montegos had the Volkswagen manual gearboxes. I have driven several, and they aren't the best. I have since driven three 2.0 Montegos and a different 2.0 MG Maestro, all with the PG1 gearboxes, and they are vastly superior.
I am really sorry, I don't have any control over which adverts are shown to viewers at the beginning of my videos... That wouldn't exactly be my first choice either. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting nevertheless.
@@leearmstrong9763 , yes, in excess of £10,000 for any Turbo, to be honest. I finally drove a 1991 MG 2.0i like this one in January, and it was absolutely brilliant.
