ALGEBRA was never my favourite subject in school, so when I saw the press pack emblazoned with MG ZT-T 160 1.8T, I panicked and had flashbacks of Mrs Henry and double maths.
Thankfully I composed myself enough to recognise the first two letters of this equation - who wouldn't? - and had high expectations for the coming week.
I was not disappointed, what was delivered to the door was a fully fitted, fully loaded, in your face MG . . . er . . . estate.
Ah, pipe and slippers I hear you say, but you would not get behind the wheel of this car with slippers or driving gloves, and pulling a caravan just wouldn't suit the image.
This is very much a younger, lifestyle estate. There is an undoubted degree of style and a dash of sportiness to the exterior, complemented by big alloys, Le Mans green colour with chrome overload and the legendary MG badges.
This look and feel of quality continues inside the roomy cabin, which is fitted with body hugging sports seats as standard to cosset driver and passengers in comfort, provided you are not shaped like Meatloaf. The boot is a good size, but space has been sacrificed for styling and it cannot compete with traditional estates.
Legroom is more than adequate all round, but headroom is at a premium for anyone above average height.
The feel, layout and look of all the equipment is both stylish and logical. It is very rare that these two words figure in the same sentence, but care and thought has obviously gone into the design. The chic look is further enhanced by the backlighting on the central dials and controls with impressive white backlights
The worry was, would the performance match the looks? This is a big chunk of metal for a 1.8 litre engine. But the turbo gives it that extra kick and there is pace aplenty.
The 0-60 dash takes only nine seconds and that leaves many boy-racers disappearing in the rear-view mirror. The performance does come at a price, however and the fuel gauge drops as quickly as the speedo rises and I got nowhere near the claimed 34.9 mpg.
Handling is excellent and possibly the best feature of the car. It takes corners like David Beckham, even though it carries that huge back-end.
What really confused me, even more than the name combinations, was the price and extras list, of which there are more combinations than a standard bank safe.
My car was simply outstanding in the show-off league and it was spilling over with tonnes of toys and trickery, but the cost extras will force a sharp intake of breath.
If you do want the fully fitted look, which crams in everything bar the kitchen sink, you will have to pay the fully fitted price. My posh version was loaded with TV/ colour satellite navigation, a six CD changer, Xenon lights pack, metallic paint, parking sensor pack, part-leather heated seats and the list could go on.
To get all of the above, and a bit more, expect to pay around an extra £6,000, with the ultra cool TV and advanced GPS setting you back nearly £2,500 on its own. At least the choice of options allows the buyer on a budget a degree of choice, with an already generous array of standard features fitted to the base model.
Anybody thinking MG expects big, bold, brash styling and the MG ZT-T maintains the reputation of the big badges it carries.
In styling and performance MG may have just dreamt up an equation which appeals across the age range, and the sub £20,000 list price - avoiding all the toys - will allow it to seriously compete with the higher priced Germans.
FAST FACTS
MG ZT-T 160 1.8T
Price: £20,195
Mechanical: 160bhp, 1,796cc turbocharged petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-spd manual transmission
Max speed: 132mph
0-62mph: 8.9secs
Combined mpg: 34.9
Insurance group: 15
CO2 emissions: 194g/km
BiK rating: 22%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 6yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint