MG Metro Overview: Specs, Generations and Which One to Buy
Full mg metro specs guide: the 1982–1990 3-door hatchback with 73–253 hp, its single generation, manual gearboxes, FWD and 4x4 versions, and which one to buy.
The MG Metro is a 3-door hatchback built from 1982 to 1990, with outputs ranging from 73 to 253 hp across its manual-only lineup. If you are checking mg metro specs, the range is unusually wide for a small hatchback: it spans everyday front-wheel-drive versions and a 253 hp 4x4 flagship. It suits drivers who want a compact classic hatchback, from modest daily-style versions to a genuinely fast machine.
MG Metro generations
1 generation
The first and only generation of the MG Metro ran from 1982 to 1990, offered solely as a 3-door hatchback with 3 modifications. Power ranges from 73 to 253 hp, every version uses a manual gearbox, and the drivetrain is either front-wheel drive or 4x4. The MG Metro 1.3 MT (1 generation) is the mass-market version: a 1275 cc engine with 94 hp, front-wheel drive, and 0–100 km/h in 8.9 seconds. At the top sits the MG Metro 3.0 MT (1 generation): a 2991 cc engine producing 253 hp, 4x4 drive, and 0–100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds — a figure that puts it in a completely different performance league from the rest of the range.
Which MG Metro to buy
- 1.3 MT (94 hp) (1 generation): the mass version — 94 hp from a 1275 cc engine and 8.9 seconds to 100 km/h is brisk for a small front-wheel-drive hatchback, and its popularity when new means more examples to choose from.
- 3.0 MT (1 generation): the performance pick — 253 hp, 4x4 drive and 4.5 seconds to 100 km/h, nearly twice the acceleration of the 94 hp version.
Every MG Metro is now at least three and a half decades old, since production ended in 1990. With only one generation and three modifications, all with manual gearboxes, the lineup is simple to navigate: the main decision on a used example is between the common front-wheel-drive 1.3 and the rare 4x4 3.0.
Summary of MG Metro specs
The MG Metro (1982–1990) is a single-generation, 3-door hatchback line with three modifications, all manual. The core version is the 1.3 MT (1 generation) with 94 hp, 1275 cc, front-wheel drive and 8.9 seconds to 100 km/h. The flagship 3.0 MT (1 generation) delivers 253 hp from 2991 cc through a 4x4 drivetrain and reaches 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. Between these two extremes, the model's 73–253 hp spread makes checking the exact specification of any particular car essential before buying, since two MG Metro hatchbacks of the same years can differ by more than a factor of three in power.