Rover 75 TOURER RANGE
Rovers 75 Tourer Is A Car You Can Feel Good About, Thinks Jonathan Crouch
Something about the
Rover 75 Tourer reminds you of a bygone age. Its not an executive estate that sits easily in a carpark full of BMWs, Audis and Mercedes models. Theres a class and a presence that sets it apart.
Of course, if you happen to be target market material for some of these rivals, then class and presence may be about of as much interest to you as the Radio 2 programming schedule for a Sunday evening. Sure, you like to have a
smart shape and a prestigious badge on the bonnet but what really matters are harder-edged virtues: things like sharp on-the-limit handling, strong residuals and build quality you could mortgage your house on. Lets be fair: these are not the reasons why people buy the Rover 75, creditably though it performs in all these areas. They go for this car not only because its British from badge to bootlid but because it makes them feel good about themselves, a quality even more evident in the stylish 75 Tourer than in its saloon stablemate. Just look at one and you can imagine the Queens corgis in the back or an antique welsh dresser come to that. And you can imagine doing a longish journey in one: its the kind of car that really does make you want to visit far-flung relatives. Like the four-door version, the 75 Tourer looks a class bigger than it really is which gives the car some driveway stature over rivals like BMWs 3 Series Touring, the Mercedes C-class estate and Alfa Romeos 156 Sportwagon. It should even swallow a little more luggage, thanks to boxy dimensions that disguise a slightly smaller 1222-litre capacity with the seats folded down. Dont go expecting to transport a grandfather clock mind you: theres only 45mm of extra rear overhang which means that the loadbay is restricted to 2060mm in length. Those who really need the space will prefer a big
Volvo estate which is probably why self-levelling suspension costs extra.
| Build |
 |
| Comfort |
 |
| Depreciation |
|
| Economy |
|
| Equipment |
|
| Handling |
|
| Insurance |
 |
| Performance |
|
| Styling |
|
| Value |
|
"Like the four-door version, the 75 Tourer looks a class bigger than it really is"
No
Volvo estate ever looked as good as this however or made such good use of the space available. The tailgate houses a separately-opening rear window, so that you can get at small items say a sportsbag without actually having to lift the whole of the rear hatch. The tailgate also houses the emergency triangle so that you can get at it easily should you break down fully loaded (why has no one else thought of that?). Another nice touch should disaster strike is the illumination of a spare wheel compartment, the cover for which rises up and supports itself on a gas strut.
Lovely little touches are everywhere chrome lashing eyes, retractable curry hooks and a really rather clever (though sadly optional) combined luggage cover/restraint net which you can move forward when you have the rear seats folded. The newly designed 60/40 spliit-folding seats can be dropped with one hand and there are a variety of useful storage cubby holes around the estate compartment for storing valuables built into the sides and the underfloor. 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 roofrails are fitted to all models, as is a nice feature that engages 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. Only a retractable load bay floor which slides out proud of the rear of the car to get luggage out and for tailgate picnics is missing. This may be because
BMW (who originally developed this car) wanted to restrict use of this feature to their own 5 Series Touring estate. So how much does all of this cost? Well the short answer is £1,000 on top of the cost of a standard 75 saloon.
Which means, given that most of the saloons engines and trim levels are covered, a price span between £17,395 for the base 1.8-litre Classic to £33,395 for the leather-lined V8 Contemporary SE. 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 range topping V8 looks suitably more sporting than the conventionally powered 75 models. Velour seats, ABS, twin front and side airbags, power steering, a leather-covered steering wheel with audio controls, a leather gearknob, electric windows and a perimetric alarm are included across the board. Still, if thats not enough, you can also select from Connoisseur and Connoisseur SE trim levels or make the step up to the Contemporary which has its own SE counterpart. Various engines are offered with various trim levels but the petrol units available comprise a 1.
8-litre four cylinder, a 1.8-litre turbocharged four cylinder, a 2.5-litre six cylinder or a 4.6-litre V8, plus theres a pair of 2.
0-litre CDT turbo diesels. 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 MacPherson strut suspension at the front with a Z-axle at the rear but features slightly stiffer springs and dampers to compensate for heavy loads.
Its also 60kg heavier, though that shouldnt be enough to hurt either performance or fuel consumption too much. The 2.5-litre V6 that many customers will choose for example, manages rest to sixty in 10.2s on the way to 131mph and should return around 30mpg on the Combined cycle.
If you want something more up-front, go for the even sportier 75-based
MG ZT-T model with its aggressive, bespoilered look or the aforementioned V8. In summary then, a
smart new addition to the ranks of compact executive estate cars. The first model that MG
Rover has produced under British ownership is a good one, as it had to be in the face of the kind of tough competition that the company will have to learn to live with. Buying British was never more pleasurable than this.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Rover 75 Tourer range
PRICES: £17,395-£33,395 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 8E-18
CO2 EMISSIONS: 163-319g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.5 V6] 0-60mph 8.2s / Max Speed 131mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.5 V6] (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
<< Back to Rover car reviews
<< Back to car reviews homepage
Find New & Used Cars in the UK |
New & Used Rover Cars For Sale UK
