2023 Morgan Super 3 First Look: New Three-Wheeler Coming To America
The first car the Morgan Motor Company built 113 years ago was a three-wheeler; two wheels up front for steering and stability, and a single drive wheel at the rear. In fact, until 1936 Morgan built nothing but three-wheelers. Over a century later, the all-new 2023 Morgan three-wheeler might be the most important yet.
Morgan ended three-wheeler production in 1952 as more affluent post-war customers switched to its four-wheeled sports cars. But the concept was revived in 2012 with the retro-styled 3 Wheeler, which was powered by an air-cooled, American-made S&S V-twin motorcycle engine mounted across the front end—just like the Morgan three-wheelers built until 1939.
That car is now being replaced by an all-new three-wheeler that is arguably the single most important new Morgan in history. Unlike the 3 Wheeler, the all-new Morgan Super 3 has been designed from its three wheels up to meet global crash and emissions standards. And the U.S. is one of the car's key target markets.
Old School Meets New School
Park your preconceptions: The Super 3 is not a Polaris Slingshot with a posh accent and debonair duds. Far from it. The Super 3 aims to capture the fun and free-wheeling spirit of the original Morgan Three Wheelers, light and sporty cars that frequently punched above their weight in motorsport events in the 1920s and '30s. It looks old school. But the clever and innovative engineering underneath is state-of-the-art.
The Morgan Super 3 is powered by a naturally aspirated version of Ford's light and compact 1.5-liter, three-cylinder "Dragon" engine, used in turbocharged form in the Ford Bronco Sport, as well as the European-spec Ford Focus and Fiesta hatchbacks. The decision to switch to a car engine was driven by the fact that the previous car's S&S V-twin would struggle to meet future emission standards, and other similar motorcycle engines all had integrated sequential-shift transmissions. Still, there's history here: The F-Series Morgan Three-Wheeler built between 1933 and 1952 was powered by Ford side-valve engines.
In the Super 3 the Ford Dragon engine, which drives the single rear wheel through a Mazda MX-5 sourced five-speed manual transmission connected to a bevel box and carbon-fiber reinforced drive belt, makes 118 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 110 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. That doesn't sound like much. But as the Super 3 is expected to weigh not much more than 1,400 pounds, Morgan says that's enough grunt to shoot it to 60 mph in less than 7.0 seconds on to a top speed of 130 mph. And with no roof, no doors, optional aero screens, and the road rushing past just under your elbows, that's going to feel very fast.
Monocoque Makes Its Morgan Debut
The core of the Super 3 chassis is a super-formed aluminum monocoque, making it the first monocoque Morgan in history. Bolted to the front of it is a large cast aluminum structure that cradles the engine and provides all the pickup points for the multi-link front suspension. The floorplan is a non-structural aluminum piece that's been designed to accommodate future powertrain upgrades, including full electric drive. The single rear wheel is located by a twin beam swingarm with coil-over shocks on either side, and the beetle-backed bodywork enveloping it is more super-formed aluminum.
Though modern in its detailing and execution, the Super 3's layout is pure vintage Morgan. Ensuring the engine and cooling system sat no further forward than the front axle centerline while providing enough legroom for occupants drove the entire design.
The vertical cast aluminum element at the center of the mesh grille is not for decoration: It connects to the top mount of the Dragon engine. "There's nothing on this car that doesn't need to be there," says Morgan design chief Jonathan Wells. The cast aluminum piece at the rear of the bodywork, for example, not only ties the body structure together, but also provides the hinge for the rear wheel cover, the lower mounting point for the optional CNC-machined luggage rack, a license plate mount, and the location for the fog and reversing lights.
The desire to keep the Super 3 as compact as possible—though it measures 72.4 inches across the front wheels, it's only 141.0-inches long overall, just 4.0-inches longer than the 3 Wheeler—meant locating the cooling radiators on either side of the engine. That, in turn, required placing large, rectangular "barge boards" along the side of the car to manage the air flow through them.
At first glance they are perhaps the most controversial elements of the design, but Morgan has embraced their presence. A patented clip system—Morgan's first ever patent—allows specially designed hard cases, waterproofed soft bags, or racks to be attached to the side of the car. The clips and the hardware that attaches to them can carry as much as 44 pounds.
Clever Design Abounds
The Super 3 has no roof. But the interior has been designed to cope with the elements. The seats can be trimmed in water-resistant leather, or a new vegan technical fabric that is 100 percent waterproof and can be cleaned with bleach. The digital instruments, located in cast aluminum pods at the center of the dash, and all the switchgear are not just waterproof, but will withstand a quick blast from a jetwash.
The seats are fixed, both to reduce weight and complexity, but also to ensure the mass of the occupants remains in the same place in the chassis, critical in a three-wheeler. The steering column is reach and rake adjustable, and the floor-hinged pedals can be moved fore-and-aft to accommodate drivers of different sizes, however. The steering wheel is by Moto-Lita, the boutique British manufacturer that supplied everyone from Aston Martin and Austin Healey to Carroll Shelby and Saab in the 1960s and '70s and is still doing business today.
The closer you look at the Super 3, the cleverer it is. The two round headlights and horseshoe cowl are vintage Morgan design cues; the cowl's radius is the same as on Morgan's four-wheeled models. But the air intakes at its trailing edge are functional, feeding air into the engine intake. The small structures protruding from each headlight—nicknamed "snail's eyes" by Wells' team—enable the lights to meet global standards for height and side visibility while retaining their vintage-era location low and close to the front axle centerline.
The front wheels are flush-face 20-inch alloys shod with 130/90 Avon Speedmaster tires specially developed for the Super 3 by the British specialist tiremaker. Though vintage in appearance right down to the tread pattern, they are radials with a modern rubber compound and are speed rated to 130 mph. The single rear wheel is a 15-inch steel car rim, shod with a 195/65 winter tire to deliver slightly more initial compliance on turn in, and less overall grip to reduce understeer.
How Much Is the Custom Built Super 3?
As you'd expect of a Morgan, the hand-built Super 3 will be highly customizable, with more than 200 available options. To make life easier for buyers, the company will offer three "character" themes at launch: Contemporary, which combines brighter exterior colors with the dark finish on the wheels and other cast aluminum parts, plus the textile interior; Classic, which has silver wheels and aluminum bits and leather trim in the cockpit; and Touring, which comes with the aero screens, rear luggage rack. and side panniers.
Super 3 production is scheduled to start at Morgan's factory on Pickersleigh Road in Malvern, England, in April, and will ramp up to a maximum of 15 cars per week within four to six weeks. The first cars will arrive in the U.S. in the third quarter of this year, priced at about $70,000 to start.
You may also like
volvo c40-recharge Full OverviewProsFabulous design and detailingProvocatively quick accelerationMakes brake pedal almost obsolete ConsSupercar-esque rear visibilitySoftware needs polishingMediocre range and chargingLaunching to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge electric SUV vaulted itself into a tie for the title of quickest Volvo ever. And this fastback crossover EV's acceleration never ceases to amuse. It reacts instantly to pressure on the go pedal, angling its grilleless front end slightly skyward as the motors hum happily along.But the C40 Recharge isn't the only electric SUV with sports-car-rivaling speed. The Tesla Model Y outperforms it in each of our testing criteria—and in criteria that matter greatly to everyday living. So why would the C40 Recharge be worth consideration in an expanding field of electric luxury SUVs? Simple: Because it's cool.Volvo's Second Electric SUV (Sort Of)What is the C40, anyway? Begin with the Volvo XC40, which went on sale in the United States for 2019 and quickly climbed to the top of our subcompact luxury SUV rankings. For 2021, Volvo revealed the XC40 Recharge, a battery-powered version of the XC40 and the first of many all-electric vehicles due from the Swedish brand. Then, following fashionable trends, Volvo reworked its conventional SUV to wear a sleek fastback roofline. The result is the C40 Recharge.Fundamentally, the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge are the same machine. Both are based on Volvo's CMA architecture and feature a battery pack with 75 kWh of usable capacity beneath the floor. In each, a dual-motor AWD powertrain spins out an impressive 402 hp and 487 lb-ft of torque. Although both recharge at a maximum of 150 kW, the C40 ekes out a slight range advantage, scoring 226 miles instead of 223 in EPA certification. The XC40 Recharge has a lower starting price, at $52,795, but equipping it in high-end Ultimate trim (the only trim offered on the C40 for 2022) brings it to within $600 of the C40. Both are currently eligible for $7,500 in federal tax incentives.Think of it this way: The C40 Recharge is to the XC40 Recharge what the BMW X4 is to the X3 or the Audi E-Tron Sportback is to the E-Tron. However, the XC40 can be had with either gasoline or electric power. The C40 Recharge is exclusively an EV—if you want its good looks, you have to go electric.Statement- (and Sale-) Making StyleIndeed, design is a primary selling point for the C40, and starting with the XC40 could only mean great things for its vogueish adaptation. The sleek greenhouse contrasts against chunky lower body panels, all hunkered down on aero-emphasizing 20-inch wheels. Its unique headlights and taillights perform an LED animation whenever it's locked or unlocked. Aerodynamic elements at the top and bottom of that raked rear glass add a touch of sportiness.Aesthetic allure persists inside the C40, which alters the XC40's attractive and functional cabin with a few key enhancements. That's not leather on the steering wheel or suede on the seats; the C40's materials are entirely animal-free, but they look and feel convincingly upscale. Our test car's cosmopolitan blue carpeting perfectly matched its exterior paint. An especially stylish detail is the trim panels, which are formed to resemble the topography of Sweden's Abisko National Park. At night, backlighting shines through them at varied brightnesses, creating an ambiance quite unlike any other car's.As an artistic exercise, the C40 succeeds, standing out with its sculptural stance and delightful flourishes. Even better, it's really fun to drive.A Very Unassuming DragsterAs stated above, the C40 is rapid. In acceleration testing it's essentially even with XC40 Recharge, hitting 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, 100 mph in 10.6 seconds, and the quarter mile in 12.8 seconds at 109.0 mph. It whooshes from 45 to 65 mph in just 1.9 seconds. These results are shockingly similar to certain V-8-powered muscle cars.Out and about, the C40's driver has a sensation of imperious power that belies the SUV's style-centric image. Its accelerator pedal is ultraprecise, letting you zip ahead instantly with just a few millimeters of foot movement. Some EVs dampen accelerator response for smoothness, but the C40 seemingly doesn't, giving it an extremely linear, almost raw feel. Don't take this to mean that it's difficult to drive the C40 normally, though. Any challenge to that lies with your self-discipline, not the pedal's programming.Accelerator is perhaps a misnomer for the right-side pedal, as it so effectively controls deceleration, too. When one-pedal drive mode is engaged, you can subtract speed with exactitude by relaxing your ankle. Doing so activates the motors' regenerative braking effect, converting kinetic energy into deceleration while sending charge back to the battery. With how intuitive it becomes, and that it can bring the C40 to a complete stop, pushing the brake pedal becomes a rarity. If you do, you'll find it firm and strong. Even so, we recorded a 125-foot stop from 60 mph, longer than the 118-foot distance posted by the XC40 Recharge.Given that both Volvos roll on identical EV-spec Pirelli tires, high track temperatures that test day were a likely culprit in those and other performance discrepancies.The C40 averaged 0.78 g on the skidpad, while the XC40 Recharge held on to 0.84 g. Both went around the figure eight in 26.3 seconds, at 0.72 and 0.70 g average, respectively. On the road, the C40's handling is dialed more toward simplicity than involvement; its steering is light and a bit dull. Despite suspension tuning on the firmer side, it's generally comfortable and retains a solid, planted feel, aided by its low, heavy battery pack.Here's the thing, though: The Tesla Model Y—in many ways, still the EV SUV benchmark—outperforms the C40 across the board. However it's configured, it's quicker to 60, stops shorter, and holds the road better. Comparing their battery capabilities further dims the value of the Volvo.Looks Only Go So FarEven if you have the ability to charge at home, the C40's 226-mile range rating isn't competitive when you consider the Model Y Long Range can cover more than 100 additional miles. Its 150-kW charge rate is slow, too, now that rivals like the Genesis GV60 can absorb electrons at 235 kW. These factors shouldn't deter you entirely, but carefully consider how you'll use this EV. Last year, Volvo was able to boost the XC40 Recharge's range from 208 miles to 223 using only a software update, so it's possible that eventually even more miles could be coded in.Hopefully, other over-the-air updates will address the software bugs we experienced on our C40 test car. At different times, a tire pressure warning wouldn't reset, the backup camera wouldn't come on, and only the rear doors would unlock. There's also the matter of its Google-designed infotainment, which has useful functionality and voice-recognition capabilities but doesn't react as quickly as other automakers' systems or your smartphone.The C40's hardware—that is to say its very shape—creates compromises, too. Maximum cargo capacity is 49.0 cubic feet, down from the XC40 Recharge's 57.5-cubic-foot measurement. Visibility through the raked rear window is more problematic, in that it's terrible. We're surprised that a company as safety-focused as Volvo would sign off on letting its customers drive with such a limited view of what's behind; the C40 is a perfect candidate for a digital rearview mirror. At least the C40's standard blind-spot monitoring works well, as do its other driver assist systems.Too Cool to CareFinite differences in specs or our test data aren't what'll sell a person on the C40. The reason to choose this EV over any other—ones that go farther, carry more, or perform better—is because of the experience it delivers. Unlike some of its competitors, C40 is not a prosaic zero-emissions mobility appliance. With its great looks, funky interior, and frisky road manners, there's no getting bored of the C40. This small electric SUV is too cool for that.Looks good! More details?2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Twin Specifications BASE PRICE $59,845 PRICE AS TESTED $60,540 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front- and rear-motor, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV MOTOR TYPE Permanent-magnet electric POWER (SAE NET) 201 hp (fr), 202 hp (rr); 402 hp (comb) TORQUE (SAE NET) 243 lb-ft (fr), 243 lb-ft (rr); 486 lb-ft (comb) TRANSMISSIONS 1-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,742 lb (52/48%) WHEELBASE 106.4 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 174.8 x 73.7 x 62.8 in 0-60 MPH 4.2 sec QUARTER MILE 12.8 sec @ 109.0 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 125 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.78 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.3 sec @ 0.72 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 94/80/87 mpg-e EPA RANGE, COMB 226 miles ON SALE Now Show All
Most people wouldn't associate the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive Subaru WRX with extraordinary fuel economy, though the four-door sedan caters to young buyers who care about fun driving dynamics as well as saving their money. That may soon change—albeit not because its fuel economy is extraordinarily good. The new 2022 Subaru WRX has just been rated by the EPA and its fuel economy numbers slide past mediocre and fall below those of the outgoing model, landing weirdly close those of a full-size, four-wheel-drive Ford F-150 pickup truck powered by the midrange 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine.Yep, you read that right. The WRX has been rated at 19/25/21 mpg on city/highway/combined with the CVT transmission, while Ford's much larger, heavier, and larger-engined truck delivers 19/24/21 mpg—just 1 mpg short of the Subaru on the highway. Even if you opt for the manual transmission (like you should), the Subie's EPA figures only improve to 19/26/22 mpg. There's no other way to put it—those numbers are pretty bad for a car of the WRX's size and power output.The 2022 WRX gets a new 2.4-liter turbo-four engine that makes 271 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. That's just three extra ponies and no more torque than the old WRX's 2.0-liter boxer engine. That extra displacement means fuel economy drops by 1 mpg across the board (except for the automatic's combined rating) compared to the previous model, which itself was no model for efficiency.Looking at the Subaru's direct competition, the story stays pretty bleak. A Honda Civic Type R makes more power and carries EPA estimates of 22/28/25 mpg; the also more powerful Hyundai Elantra N sedan with the manual is rated for 22/31/25 mpg; and the (you guessed it, also more powerful) Volkswagen Golf R six-speed gets 20/28/23 mpg (it also has AWD like the Subaru, while the Honda and Hyundai are front-drive). While some of those are hatchbacks, they still play in the same sporty compact segment, and all three at least deliver something close to or above 30 mpg on the highway. If you can deal with a little less power and front-drive, the 200-hp 2022 Honda Civic Si delivers 27 mpg city, 37 mpg highway, and 31 mpg combined.Subaru said the EPA tested the WRX in Sport mode, its most performance-oriented set up as default, which obviously doesn't maximize fuel efficiency. While the WRX has never been a fuel efficient car, the fact the competition is much more efficient is uneasy.We are very pleased with the way the 2022 Subaru WRX drives, which again is largely the point of a car like this. It's fun, sticky, and practical. It has all the right ingredients to stand out in the sport compact world—except wallet-friendly fuel economy. Although the WRX's pricing hasn't been announced, we don't think it will deviate much from the outgoing model, which starts at $28,420, when it arrives at dealerships this spring.We do not believe that customers view the WRX as an economy car. The WRX is designed as a performance vehicle first and foremost and does sacrifice some economy as a result. The automatic WRX did improve over the previous generation, even though it is EPA tested in Sport mode, its most performance oriented set up as a default, which doesn't maximize economy.
0 Comments