Rover 25 1.6-LITRE RANGE
Rover Has Turned The 25 Range Into An Increasingly Competitive Contender, Especially In 1.6-Litre Guise. Graeme Roberts Reports
In the 25, Rover has a car priced tightly against supermini rivals yet with a class and quality that makes it seem more appealing.
This is, after all, a small car that's British through and through. A car with a sense of class and style that's missing elsewhere in the sector. Yes, it's that little bit more expensive than a Punto or a Clio, but line the three alongside each other and you know which you'd choose to drive home. At least, Rover hope youd know. The
MG Rover Group has ensured that prices are kept competitive, with the entry-level manual 1.6 5-door model, the 25 Si retailing at £11,895 including an ABS with EBD, drivers airbag, electric sunroof, remote control central locking, electric front windows, drivers
seat height and lumbar adjustment and an RDS CD stereo with steering wheel controls.
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Theres also a GXi model with extra leather and wood costing £11,995. Alternatively, you could opt for SEi specification, now priced from £12,795. This has a far more upmarket feel with air-conditioning, leather steering wheel, front fog lamps, 15" alloy wheels and electric door mirrors. The top spec SXi chips in with full leather trim, metallic paint, rear parking sensors and wood finish door pulls for that special
Rover ambience. Select any of the 1.6-litre models and you can select either the three or five-door bodystyle.
"More importantly, the little 25 feels good to drive..."
All 1.6-litre variants are powered by the same 109bhp 1.6-litre 16 valve engine offering willing performance. Rest to sixty takes just 8.
9 seconds on the way to 113mph. At the pumps, you'd achieve over 50mpg were you able to drive at a steady 56mph. The Stepspeed CVT transmission first featured on the MGF sports model is also available with the 1.6-litre engine but for a £930 premium over the standard price. More importantly, the little 25 feels good to drive.
True performance after all, doesn't really have very much to do with speed. Rather, it's about two things; handling and ability. To put it another way, the dynamic response of the car when you apply the throttle and the manner in which it transmits the power onto the tarmac. In this 25, you feel that every inch of the engine's cubic capability is being used to its ultimate. As importantly, unlike many more performance-orientated small cars, you never feel that the car is in danger of being swamped by the power of its engine. Inside, the 25 features a TrafficMaster traffic congestion warning device built into the digital fascia clock. This uses signals from the Trafficmaster network to provide live traffic information, warning of congestion on motorways and trunk roads in three zones three motorway junctions or up to 5, 10 or 15 miles on trunk roads from the cars current position.
A Becker Satellite Navigation unit is an optional extra and incorporates a high-spec CD tuner capable of playing music at the same time as guiding you to a destination anywhere in the UK or Europe. The latest round of styling changes have done much to modernise the 25s appearance. The headlamps have been revised to offer a more integrated family look while the front bumper and grille have also been altered. Moving around the car youll pick out the body coloured side rubbing strips and alloy wheel designs before getting to the back where the changes are rather more obvious.
The bumper has been revised to take a lower mounting for the number plate. This frees up the tailgate so that it now features bold ROVER lettering in chrome and a 25 badge. The interior has been spruced up a little as well. The fascia design now includes four circular air vents finished in chrome and the centre console now includes additional storage space under the stereo and theres even a pair of cup holders.
The locking and alarm system has been thoroughly overhauled so that the 25 now features a remotely operable boot release and a master-locking switch. A rolling code on the plipper means that thieves cant grab your code and the 25 also incorporates a panic alarm, drive away locking to prevent carjacking and auto relocking after 30 seconds should you accidentally leave your vehicle unlocked. Mechanically, things are much as they were but Rover have made tweaks to a few key areas. Brake feel has been revised to offer more responsive feedback.
A lower positioned clutch pedal helps ergonomics and the throttle pedal has been altered. The steering geometry has been revised for a more direct feel and new bushes for the rear suspension again offer better driver feedback. Interior space isnt huge: to travel five-up, you'd need to be pretty friendly with your companions. Still, this is a supermini. Not that you'd know that from lifting the tailgate. The 25's 10.7cuft with the split-folding rear seats up is close to class-leading, though access to the boot area is slightly hindered by a rather narrow opening. Not that it's such practical issues you'll remember after taking a test drive. Class and quality, as we suggested at the beginning, are what this car is about. Criticisms (if you discount the intentional diminutive size, which makes travelling four-up something of a friendly experience) are few. The driving position is rather high and boot space is, as you might imagine, at something of a premium.
Still, the class out-weighs the carping. All of which will means useful residual values too, particularly as Rover now has a philosophy of avoiding constant-turnover rental-fleet sales. Many rivals promise a big car feel in a small package but its the latest 25 that truly delivers it. If youre spending your own money on a supermini, the 1.
6-litre models, especially, are cars you cant afford to ignore.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Rover 25 1.6-litre range
PRICES: £11,895-£14,095 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 7
CO2 EMISSIONS: 164g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.9s / 0-60mph 113mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 33.0mpg/ (constant 56mph) 53.9mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver's Airbag, ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 156/66/56"
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