Rover 75 TOURER 2.5 V6 RANGE
With A Creamy V6 Under Its Bonnet, Is The
Rover 75 Tourer Too Smooth For Its Own Good? Andy Enright Reports
Dipping out of the rat race has been a tempting proposition ever since Richard Briers decided that spending all day in the company of Felicity Kendal was his idea of a good time. Likewise when youre seated behind the wheel of a Rover 75 Tourer 2.5 V6, the concept of rival offerings and their claims on your attentions feel somehow peripheral. Youre on a different plane, so as to speak.
Thats not to say that the urbane tranquility of the 75s interior hasnt been through a rather turbulent mill. Originally earmarked for production by
BMW, the 75 Tourer project was scuttled when the Bavarians divested themselves of Rover and it was the first task for the Phoenix Consortium to cut their teeth on. Looking at the conversion, its difficult to see how they could have made a better job of it. Unlike many estate derivatives of existing saloon versions, the 75 Tourer looks well integrated rather than resembling something thats backed into a conservatory.
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The 2.5-litre V6 engine also suits the Tourers even more laid back personality, being a lazy engine that hauls well but responds with disappointing languor when the throttle pedal is used in anger. Having said that, the syrupy ride quality and agreeably clubby interior hardly make pedal-to-the-metal progress seem appropriate. The 175bhp KV6 engine is a pleasant enough unit, up to returning good fuel economy figures and with admirable refinement.
It seems as churlish to compare it with offerings from
Alfa Romeo,
BMW and Mercedes as it would be to complain that a block of Brie doesnt do a great job of writing on a blackboard, but for all those who appreciate objective comparison well do it anyway. BMWs 325i Touring develops 17bhp more whilst the Mercedes C240 estate falls slightly shy of the Rovers power output. If youve owned a 75 before, youll notice the facelift applied to the latest models. The changes arent especially fundemental, the latest design embracing a sharper-edged front and rear exterior appearance, a larger integrated radiator grille and halogen projector headlamps.
"The syrupy ride quality and agreeably clubby interior hardly make pedal-to-the-metal progress seem appropriate"
A five-speed automatic gearbox is fitted as standard, and whilst its an agreeably smooth number, slurring gears almost imperceptibly, it exacts a serious toll on performance. Compared to a manual
Rover 75 2.5 V6 saloon, which can accelerate to 60mph in a mere 8.6 seconds, we clocked the estate at over 12 seconds to trip 60, making a mockery of
MG Rovers 8.
7 second claim. This is due in part to a 60kg weight disadvantage and marginally inferior aerodynamics, but the chief perpetrator is the Jatco automatic box. Lacking any form of Tiptronic function, the gearbox is lazy to change gears, and theres a noticeable flywheel effect that makes brisk acceleration a finely judged balancing act between sudden wheelspin and lugging bog down. Another slight demerit in the Tourers book is the decidedly modest carrying capacity.
At first glance, the bulky lines promise a carrying capacity that knocks on Volvos door, but when the tailgate is flipped up a different story emerges. The floorspace is surprisingly shallow, and breaking out the tape measure and calculator shows that a BMW 3 Series Touring, never a model for the committed load-lugger, has the 75 Tourer licked in terms of interior space. Of the 75s class rivals, only the unapologetically impractical Alfa 156 Sportwagon offers less room. Nevertheless, MG Rover help you make the most of the available room.
The tailgate window opens separately and there are other thoughtful touches too, such as the warning kit being incorporated into the tailgate, thus preventing the need for a hard shoulder disgorge in the unlikely event of the 75 Tourer leaving you stranded. Theres also a beautifully executed valuables compartment located under the boot floor thats not only illuminated, but also rises up with a hiss on a gas strut. Elsewhere youll find chromed lashing eyes and a 60/40 rear
seat split. If you choose not to drop the rear seats, theres 400 litres of loadspace or 680 litres if you remove the standard retractable loadspace cover and fill the car up to the roof.
Black roof rails come as standard, a clever visual trick that lengthens the car; an optical illusion that disguises the 75 Tourers bluff dimensions. Clever electronics engage the rear wash/wipe whenever you select reverse in the rain. There are also bigger windows for back seat passengers that let in more light and free up more headroom. So how much does all of this cost? The Connoisseur SE retails at £24,895 and the range-topping Contemporary SE will cost £25,295.
Whichever of these you end up choosing, you should find yourself saving around at least £2,000 on equivalent BMW and Mercedes rivals though Alfa Romeo and
Volvo, it has to be said, provide much sterner opposition on this score. All these things apart, the 75 recipe is pretty much unchanged which means that you get one of the quietest and best-riding cars in the class, if not the absolute sharpest when it comes to handling. The Tourer has the same McPherson strut suspension at the front with a Z-axle at the rear but features slightly stiffer springs and dampers to compensate for heavy loads. The 2.
5-litre V6 will manage to return around 30mpg on the Combined cycle. As long as you dont mind the sluggish auto box and slightly limited loadspace, the Rover 75 2.5 V6 Tourer models are an attractive choice. In making the driver feel special, they elevate themselves above the norm and offer the sort of ambience that belies the aggressive pricing.
If the 75 was BMWs take on Britishness, it seems the Germans had a better idea of what we like than we ever did. Now that the Brits are back in charge, theyre making a decent fist of it. If the 75 Tourer 2.5 V6 is anything to go by, the future looks bright.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Rover 75 2.5 V6 Tourer range
PRICES: £24,895-£25,295 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 14
CO2 EMISSIONS: 225g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.7s / Max Speed 131mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 20.8mpg / (extra urban) 40.4mpg / (combined) 30.0mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4792/1778/1429
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