4000 miles in a £375 car! Rover 45 V6 winning machine

Blimey. It seems I've already driven over 4000 miles in the Rover, but has it been like? I also uncover some of the history (not too much or it'd be three hours long). Also, V6 noises. Nice V6 noises. Plus an awful lot of me waffling on.
HubNut merchandise available at hubnut.org - calendars still a couple of weeks away.

[@jamierobertson8618]

I got a Rover 45 (1.4 litre petrol) (2001) that only had 34,000 miles on the clock as my first car in October and it's running great!

[@mihapejic4900]

Thats how good choice looks like👍 Congrats! I own two 75s now. One is kv6 too. Very good cars indeed

[@spainter1985]

Air conditioning AND a sunroof.... those were the days! A great sounding engine, 30mpg is alright all things considered.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

I think that mpg can be improved quite easily.

[@pierslindley]

Had a Rover 45 1600 S and that drove like a dream. Held the road like a limpet and cornered beautifully. Not slow either. sorry, couldn't help commenting; loved that car.

[@frazzleface753]

Loved this in-depth review, Ian! Especially the history of the car's development.

[@vikingraiders4138]

A fitting tribute to the Rover Legacy.

[@jameswarden9136]

One of my favorite channels :D I LOVE old cars.

[@johnb.9806]

It's not old.

[@HubNut]

18 years old is considered pretty old for a car for a lot of (misguided) people.

[@jayfo4950]

Lots of memories here for me, worked at Longbridge from 1990 right till the end in 2005. Good to see the old girl still going...👍

[@DISCO4able]

Great video mate, enjoying watching all the content with some exciting vehicles to work on on the fleet! Keep up the good work!

[@_Michal_Michal_]

I remember seeing the car and I was so surprised how great it looks inside. I was even more surprised when I checked the price. Seems like an amazing car!

[@stevenjones19-m8i]

What a cool review on this Rover 45 V6,what a great car,drinks petrol but the noises and drive makes it all worth while,and for£375 you cant go wrong.

[@steven478970]

I have a 75 V6 and it's great fun. Not the fastest car but wafts along the motorway with cruise control beautifully. It is rather thirsty but I love it!

[@Nikki_Holland]

At 375 quid that was a steal. I love that colour by the way.

[@mossy.48]

Brilliant engine sound from that v6, sound' s the part,another good little video hubnut, interesting facts I didn't no about the 45 ! 👍

[@rarevhsuploads4995]

I simply love this car & I've been awaiting this kind of video on it. It's the values of budget motoring quality used cars at its best. Plenty of Rover 45's & 75's still trundling around the East Midlands. In London I don't see any. The 75's enjoy a good reputation, quite possibly my favourite modern classic car.

[@rikgay857]

Brilliant video...I love the old rover 75 estates!

[@no1froggy]

I have been thriving on cheap Rovers, A £75 218 td that lasted me over 2 years & covered 600 miles each week. I am now on my Rover 75 connie diesel tourer (estate) with all the toys which i paid £180 for 3 1/2 years ago, & the only pig of a job I have had to do was a new clutch about 8 months ago due to the stupid slave cylinder/thrust bearing blowing out, Only bought it as a stop gap but now love it.

[@Thanos.m]

It's nice to see the rover back on the channel I have my 04 45 TD now for 3 weeks now and loving it it's such a brilliant car I've done 700 miles already but weirdly enough I don't have a lot of the problems you mentioned I actually think this would make a great comparison video a 2.0TD like mine with a 2.0V6

[@RichieRouge206]

I love the Rover. 30mpg is great in my world, I’m doing that in my T5. Surely the hammer down in any V6 is the whole point for the sound lol. Great video

[@CauliflowerMcPugg]

What a good buy for £375. I never really took to the look of that era of Rover but she sounds good..... looking forward to having a HubNut calendar to hang in my garage 👍

[@michaeldavidson4510]

Great video, I bought my wife a brand new car 18 months ago, in that time she has covered 3000 miles, I dare not tell how much that is costing me. You bought that Rover for £375 and have covered 4K in it to date. One of us has gone wrong somewhere, and it's not you! 👍

[@CortinasAndClassics]

I have always liked Rover. Would like drive a 75 one day. I almost bought a diesel but got frowned apon. Rather cheap these days for a lot of car for the money. And I do like the 45 more than the 25.

[@zoranstojanovic4255]

I have 25 great car

[@thejamesieboy]

Very good video and nice review. I have a 45 on a Y reg bought it back in 2013 for £500, with the view of if it lasted till the MOT was due in 6 months I'd be happy. Couldn't hire a car of that size for that kind of money for that length of time, so figured if it lasted that long it wouldn't owe me anything. Now 7 yrs later it's still going strong for first MOT 3 new tyres and 2 rear suspension bushes, just had it's sixth MOT most expensive one yet. A couple of brake pipes, track rod end and cv gaiter, plus they replaced the rocker cover gasket. It is the 1.8 K series and had the uprated head gasket already fitted when I bought it. For the last 2/3 yrs my sister has been using it, I just MOT it, insure it and road tax it. Never lets you down and when she left her previous job (which involved a lot of driving) we were going on a family holiday ( two cars Glasgow to Nairn) she had to go around all the shops she managed (she was a divisional manager) then drive to Nairn. She did over 600 miles that day and it never missed a single beat. Sorry for long comment but just wanted to show what fantastic cars they really are and how underrated they are. Mine is also a saloon but I specifically wanted the saloon as prefer them to hatches or estates, just think they look nicer (in general not just 45's). So good my sister refers to it as her car!! 😠 lol

[@wildrover1048]

I've been looking at getting a 75 V6, test drove a 2.5 auto recently and it was glorious but remembering my old 45, nothing I have ever owned before or since had such a great blend of comfort and handling.Perhaps I should see if I can find a V6 45 instead.

[@twocvbloke]

Seems like it's serving you well, which is unusual for a rover... :P Thoroughly distracted by the Haynes manual 2CV cutaway t-shirt though, took me a while to realise where I'd seen that picture before!! :D

[@EdsPlasticCars]

My aunt- and uncle-in-law live near Aberaeron, it's a very pretty little place. Pleased to hear somebody is having a positive experience with a Rover, normally there's a lot of complaining and sarcasm about build quality and head problems with people I talk to. As with anything, look after it and it will look after you.

[@Danfazza-ey6mx]

My dad had the same 1 in that colour and it was a lovely car. Absolutely brilliant engine noise.

[@donlaight5943]

Danny Farrimond I've owned a silver one for 2 years (45V6 Connosieur), 95000kms, lovely car.

[@chrispenn715]

Had a great drive from Great Malvern to Aberaeron a couple of years ago in a rented Morgan - fantastic drive. My wife was most put out tho' when another women mistook the Morgan for a kit car......

[@councilglasses]

I've got a V6 dos'nt sound as nice as yours,well done Mr Hubnut a real gem

[@scabbycatcat4202]

I had one of these. A beautiful car- when it was not at the garage being fixed ! Just about EVERYTHING possible went wrong with mine and cost me thousands. Having said that a truly fantastic chassis. The most solid feeling and totally rattle free car I have ever owned. Also the suspension was very soft yet the handling was not bad at all. Overall would have been a great car except for the reliability issues

[@LeMagnum440]

Love my KV6, sounds great on or off throttle. 2.5 goes like stink bit not great on fuel, but we are not here for a long time. We are here for a good time.

[@mehrzahl2219]

I think the reason for the low price is partly because it is a saloon. I quite like it - looks a bit like a Lancia Lybra (tail lights). What is amazing is that you found a car that doesn't require new suspension bushings, brakes all around, exhaust, timing belt, lambda sond, etc. for that money. Oh and I really like the wheels.

[@kensherwood4866]

Entertaining and informative. Always respected the 400 it seemed to be getting on the right path for Rover/BL etc. then of course things went awry. You do wonder if only the links with Honda could have been maintained and cultivated, the Honda engineering coupled with the Rover styling what might have been...….

[@joaop.carvalho842]

What a shame we only got a few of those V6 here in Portugal and just by special order because of our taxes. Lovely car, and sounds amazing with the V6!

[@ruglund]

OOH i like that v6 noise, that is looovely, thank you for this video. a bargain of a car.

[@macgvrs]

That is a really nice looking little car and it has served you well. Here in the states you used to be able to pickup something cheap and run it a long time. That seems not to be the case any more. If you pay under two grand you are looking at a high mileage money pit. You can get lucky once in a while but those deals a few. People are hanging on to their cars much longer and when they part with them, they have a lot of miles on them. Back in the 70's and 80's, you could pick up a $200 beater to use for a winter car and then turn around and sell it for about what you paid for it. Those days are really long gone.

[@TimonNetherlands]

Hi from the Netherlands. My sister has the hatchback, very practical indeed.

[@MauriceNL1]

That engine sound :O Sounds sooo good!

[@b.2221]

I feel so sad at the demise of Rover, and the 45 and 75 were the best looking Rovers in years, also the bickering and the greedy shareholders and directors starved the company of funding for research and development of new models. Anyway you deserve to get your money's worth out of it because you do care about the cars when you by them. Thank you so much for another classic Hub Nut video Sir 👍 Tam.

[@HubNut]

Not sure there were any shareholders. Rover was owned by BAe, then BMW, who spent a TON of money, then a private consortium that largely feathered its own next...

[@b.2221]

@@HubNut You have put me deservedly in my place Sir, and I totally agree with you on the latter part of your reply about them feathering there own nest which was a shame. Much obliged for your nice reply Mr Hub 👍 Tam.

[@ClotEastwood]

I don't want a V6 for perfomance. . . . I want it for the noise ! ! ! ! ! . . . . absolutely 1st class that HubNut . . . I did chuckle

[@nigelcharlton-wright1747]

We have just brought a Rover 75 1.8 Classic with under 6,000 thousand miles on the clock. Yes, 6,000 miles. We had to get another car because the cam belt broke on the Nissan Figaro and the Humber was leaking petrol out of the carb due to one off the threads on the body was worn and the 'O' ring was not so good. The 75 has one the best gearboxes I have ever used, just jumped in the car got to like it straight away. Also drove a 2007 1.8 Honda Civic with a semi-automatic box, I found the car great, but did not like the semi-auto box and the view out the rear window was a bit restricted, but I do like them. Dam good engineers those Japanese. Pity I didn't think of changing that cam belt! Doah!

[@rarevhsuploads4995]

Now that is a classic. Look after it, they are very comfy cars. Even the base model Classic is well enough appointed.

[@philkfoto]

Now watching this posting. I own a 45 1.8 for 10 years now and your mention of tramlining. Mine did this when I first bought the car then 6 years old. I put 2 new tyres on the front and had wheel alignment done and tramlining went out the window. Now on my second set of front tyres and never has tramlined. Getting 30mpg is good on the V6, but my 1.8 has better acceleration and gives me 45mpg when booting it.

[@crashbox7130]

I spent over £450 on parts alone for the 2CV at ECAS last month! Two Michelin ZX tyres and new exhaust (swan neck, torpedo, and tail pipe) were the two biggest items (size and cost).

[@skibumirl]

I like your style !!keep up the good work

[@BlueXonar]

I like the subtle dig at that Micra story in the title.

[@mrb6094]

I had a hhr 420 sli saloon in flame red 2, 5 speed manual. Rover 2.0 T series petrol. 1997 P plate. I'm sure it had a tilt slide sunroof but no ac. They like to rust where the rear arch meets the rear bumper and also on the arch down at the rear door corner.

[@johnsmith-uv7zp]

My mum has a Rover 45 TD IXL. Paid £600 5 yrs ago. 40,000 miles later still running it. Excellent car, with an excellent spec. Does 40mpg most of the time & will achieve in the 50,s on a run.

[@Spac8]

I do hope that wasn't a flat out 30-60. ;) Hahaha. I love my ZS. The ergonomics were done like that to only have two switches rather than 3 I believe. The 45 full leathers are lovely though! The tramlining is a problem on my ZS too, not sure if it's partly a front driven, double wishbone trait. I'd love to see you at a car meet one day and let you drive my ZS180. It honestly feels like a totally different car to drive, it's a credit to Rover's engineers because it's the best handling FWD I have ever driven, the steering is precise to the millimetre and it's almost devoid of any roll. We did get the V6 hatch, kind of. There's a guy on the groups with one. We think it was a special order, not sure how many there were. Great video as usual!

[@HubNut]

That really was foot to the floor. Slightly uphill...

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I think the fuel consumption for a spirited driven V6 automatic is very good. As I calculate it, it is a bit more than 10 litre/100 kilometers. That is expensive, but not bad.

[@johnclarke2997]

I had a Rover 416 whch had the K series 4 cylinder engine. The car was fine for me and was nice practical car and reliable for a 12 year old car, started and run OK on a wet winters morning. Only obvious downside I can think of was the battery can go flat if the car is not run for a couple of weeks and the K series engine was always a little worry as many of those engines did have gasket problems and I had heard of some horror stories of valves dropping inside the cylinder at high revs. Only two non-engine faults I can think of which I dealt with were. 1. On the 416 the heater fan speed control had a resistor block which was air cooled and mounted partly inside the fan unit. I recall replacing that at one stage. 2. The display for the radio used a bulb backlight and to replace that required large amounts of the dash removing and hands shoving into places which are too small for hands. I suggest buying or making a LED replacement bulb so you can avoid the misery of replacing the bulb again. On my 416 the Air conditioning was working fine and the gearbox was working fine. The brake lines are fully insulated except a small section near the rear which always corroded, that is a MOT failure from what I can remember.. Some local low life decided it would be fun to jump on the roof and at around the same time I was told the car needed a little work underneath and new brake lines. It was cheaper to scrap it and buy another car. The corrosion underneath on my car was under the passenger/driver seat areas and would have required some welding and possibly bits of panel welding into place. Whilst the damage to the roof would have required a new skin and part of the chassis pulled back into position. Advice. Replace heater filter as that can stink at times.

[@HubNut]

Cabin filter was MINGING on this!

[@willswheels283]

That’s impressive, and no HG issues yet! My MGF was a great fun little car, did about 5000 in it when the bottom end of the engine starting knocking, couldn’t afford a replacement motor so she was sold to an ex Rover employee as a project!

[@Spac8]

Fortunately the KV6 is pretty bulletproof and doesn't tend to suffer with HGF. :)

[@willswheels283]

Well that’s good news! Mind you I’ve had 2 cars with the K series engine in in 1.8 form and both cars were reliable, nippy and good on the fuel, the MGF did overheat once after a long motorway journey but luckily it didn’t damage the engine, I think I spotted it in time. Would I have another:- Absolutely! 😊

[@gosportjamie]

That shape of 400 and 45 saloons were very pretty cars, to my taste easily the best looking of the range, but surprisingly for a car that was, largely, seen as an older person's car for private buyers they're very uncommon. It's more than a bit of a rarity to see one, I suppose partly because Rover were selling a lot to fleets at the time but I've always fancied one having had and loved (apart from hideous fuel consumption) a Rover 620SLi auto so it might be interesting to experience its effective replacement in more depth that I had the chance to when I was in and out of company cars all the time. If I could find one with the Rover turbo diesel I could be tempted to put my hand in my pocket if it's sensibly priced but I doubt that will happen. I seem to recall that these, and the generation of Honda Civic that it was related to, could be a little prone to tram-lining and they could be a bit fussy about front wheel alignment but if it's more than an irritation then it could suggest it needs a good alignment and a check over of the front suspension as that heavy V6 is probably murder on the front end and I seem to recall that early 25s and 45s did have a bit of an issue with poor suspension bushes so there could be some that are getting soggy and letting things get a bit more flexible than they should be...

[@admiralalcatraz6080]

I know alot of people knocked the Rovers of this era, But I have had numerous, 89 214 SI, 98 214, 02 25 1.4, 99 220 SDI, and my last one a 97 420 SLDI Saloon called Ella, while I like the K Series engine, the L Series diesel (which was where the name Ella came from, and is often mistakenly thought to be a BMW unit.) was a very underrated engine, loads or torque and surprisingly quick for 104 BHP, sadly though behind the sill covers she was slowly breaking in half -so much so it was starting to affect the handling- so it passed on, I prefer the saloon to the hatchback, while the boot access is more limited, I think it suits the lines of the car better...... Looking forward to this staying with you for a while! Also very interested when you do sell, Admiral Murphy on facebook ;p

[@Rob-H]

Previous to my MX6 days, I had a 220 coupé ( non turbo sadly ), good looking car and a joy to drive! Always respected Rover.

[@ribtickler]

My dad had a 1989 200 series which he said was one of the best cars he ever had (it got written off by the next owner by him rolling into our croft late night a year after my dad sold strangely). His retirement present to himself was a new 1994 416SLi - the Honda engine was fantastic! My official first car was a 3dr 214i......great car with a fast if troublesome k-series. I sold it once the engine started giving me trouble - its last job was to have its roof chopped off, painted pink and used as a 'Sheila's Wheels' car at our local carnival. I really hope at some time Land Rover reestablish Rover as a brand

[@klwthe3rd]

I just love this 45 Rover V6. I do admit 2.0 liters is the smallest V6 I ever heard of being produced and the car could probably use a little more grunt from what you described in the video. But the facelift with the quad headlights and the elegant rear end treatment really sets this car apart. The power window switches look like afterthoughts but can be overlooked because the velour interior is very posh in my opinion. I like driving cars that look different than anything else on the road and the Rover 45 fits that bill. I do appreciate you giving us some history on the Rover lineup as some people on the channel are not from the UK know very little about the Rover Group. Great informative video. Let me go watch it again!

[@HubNut]

Actually, Mazda went one better and installed a 1.8-litre V6 in the MX-3. Now that's pretty small.

[@klwthe3rd]

@@HubNut why are they doing that? Just put in a 4 cylinder then. What's the benefit of having a super small V6? Must be missing something.

[@colinhicks4174]

Didn't the Triumph Vitesse (based on the Herald) in the 60s have a 1.6 V6 before expanding it to a 2L. I may be mis-remembering.

[@jbz2079]

No, the Triumph had the straight six fitted, the 2000 ex-petrol/paraffin tractor engine.

[@HubNut]

The only benefits are the noise and a smoother power delivery.

[@simonrawle7885]

now id love a rover 75

[@ferrumignis]

I had a very tidy pre-face lift ZS180 saloon for a couple of years. Really nice car to drive, excellent handing and lovely sounding engine but I was constantly disappointed by the performance/economy ratio despite fixing the VIS motors and changing all the timing belts (big job!). I got 26-27mpg, about the same as my MR2 Turbo and Fiat Coupe 20VT both of which were in a different performance league.

[@jamesbraithwaite478]

From what I've seen, the Dutch LOVED their Rovers. If you were to go to Holland, I expect it's crawling with 75's.

[@jeff4362]

How come?

[@keithpearson8355]

I loved my 75 fantastic car😀😁

[@iangrice329]

Loved the acclaim, learnt to drive in a 213s

[@paulillingworth1242]

The interior Reminds me a lot of my 620 Rover, looks a nice characterful car. Underrated cars fate nailed prior to their good vehicles unfortunately.

[@marklewis5984]

Wish you could pick me up an old cars at the prices you seem to pay, and ship it to Canada. Have been watching you for ages and subbed for years. Keep up the good work (fun).

[@B8zey155]

I agree about the w124 seats, sooo comfy

[@apassionfortangling3671]

Wide tyres and quite often the tread pattern will cause tramlining. My X Type was quite bad until I had laser tracking done!

[@jackrussel853]

Ooh hubnut calendar! good Rover!

[@earnestbunbury2103]

I hope it's a swimsuit edition... ;-)

[@curiouscrandall1]

You lucky dog. You have the Vale of Rheidol railway at the bottom of your garden!

[@Witheredgoogie]

Is the calendar going to be all about wipers ie.covered in flies in July, ice in December etc ? LOL

[@jackrush838]

Just bought a 2005 jaguar x type 2.1 V6 sport auto gorgeous car very well looked after

[@madhatters1966]

What an absolute bargain at 375 quid and that V6 sounds lovely so who cares how much fuel it uses when it makes beautiful noise like that

[@buggs9950]

That's what I thought when I bought a V8 Discovery. Yeah 10k miles at 17mpg is hell of a price to pay even for that wonderful, wonderful noise.

[@IOWPCV]

You seem to like it more sound wise than the LS Lexus you had ! Everyone i know who’ve had a Kv6 Rover/MG seem to love them

[@HubNut]

Oh I don't know. I do like a V8 burble. The noise on the Rover feels more accessible though, simply because it isn't that fast...

[@dawid8844]

The E36 320i was the same, made a great noise but didn't go that quick and drank fuel! I still love the Rover, I love that shape, well Honda civic really. Brakes always were rubbish.

[@sim6699]

the 320 had shorter gearing than 325 although they're thirsty too

[@nigelbryanmee]

While not quite in the same league, we had a couple as pool cars in the day. FIrst a '97 400 auto with the 1.6 SOHC Honda engine. That was replaced with a 45 TD which was not only more gutsy, but great economy & a better motorway cruiser.

[@jusb1066]

just found out my 93 fiesta i PX'd a couple months ago is back on the road somwhere, its taxed, i did wonder if it would end up being PXed for a new car (are the still offering the 2k off a new car?) it had a fresh MOT , did need a little brake work though, but i shall keep my eye on mot/tax website to see if it can hang on a few years to reach classic status.

[@jon-paulgrainger1303]

'Aerodynamics of a wardrobe' quality.

[@taketimeout2share]

Been reading up about MG/Rovers from this era. Seems the workers were really motivated about Rover because I have read many former owners saying how reliable they were. They were really well put together and I have had a look at a few which confirms this. I have found one of these and a complete and almost perfect 190 ZT in local scrapyard. The ZT is there because the owner is too old to drive it and the V6 45 has a problem with the keycode. Both looked after and known to the local MG Specialist Garage who will look after whichever of the two I buy. If any of your subbers are interested I will put them in touch. The 45 was specced to the nines when bought new, it and the ZT both having FSH. Dorset area.

[@troysanchez776]

Britain has such a young car fleet, especially when you consider how much more expensive and base model averse people are.

[@michelod.i.y.5202]

Who manufactured the engine in your car? Just caught the end of the video, explains the engine. Thanks.

[@dannyhtheretrogamingmaster9548]

The KV6 in the 45, 75, ZS and ZT was proof that MG Rover could create some good cars with sound engines. Its just a shame that the k series 1.4 and 1.8 had head gasket problems because they were otherwise good engines.

[@roddenshaw]

Proof also that Kia weren't bad at developing engines.

[@HubNut]

Eh? Kia had nothing to do with these engines. They later used the KV6, but it wasn't kind to them.

[@roddenshaw]

HubNut the KV6 was a joint development with Kia, so they had quite a lot to do with it. www.aronline.co.uk/engines/engines-powertrain-in-the-1990s/

[@HubNut]

But if you read that, the engine was pretty much developed by the time Kia got on board (I'll concede I'd forgotten that they were involved before production was achieved).

[@roddenshaw]

HubNut indeed. My comment was slightly tongue in cheek.

[@RaceJan]

Too much fun hooning the 45 around :-)

[@Joshua-cb3hv]

Hello, I’m 14 and I have fallen in love with these cars. (Rover 25) and (rover 45) would these be a good first car. I would like to have one of these instead of the the usual Ford Focus , be golf...??

[@woooster71]

I had a maroon coloured MG ZS180 hatch a few years ago.. given all the negativity aimed at it, I liked it, never went wrong, went well..

[@roverpowerHI]

Hey HubNut I've following your channel for a while and always enjoy your videos. Regarding the fuel consumption on your R45 KV6, have you checked if the VIS balance and power valves are working correctly? When not they can have a significant impact on the performance in low RPMs and also increasing the fuel consumption. Keep going with your 45 :) Cheers

[@HubNut]

I think the VIS flaps are working. At least one of them is as it barks very pleasantly at 3000rpm.

[@abcognito]

Love you man i really like your channel!

[@stephenshippam9374]

Hi Ian good video looks like you got a good one ther.

[@MalcOfLincoln]

You do rack a few miles up Ian. Good car so far except for mpg, but to be expected. At least you've a choice of car, if you fancy a change that is 😊

[@oilburner225]

My father in law had an identical Rover to this one, very low mileage, garage serviced. He passed away 18 months ago (at the age of 92) and the car became the property of my wife. Unfortunately one of the 'outlaws' decided my wife wouldn't be having it and disposed of the keys. The cost of reprogramming and the keys was £380 + vat, sadly it was taken to the scrapyard and crushed. A great shame as it was in pretty much immaculate condition, we just didn't have the space to store it nor the will to spend a fortune on keys. Hopefully Hubnut will ensure a better future for this Rover!

[@HubNut]

That's a shame. Family feuds eh?

[@robinwells8879]

Keep an eye on the operation of the thermostat! Could also try Uniroyal rain experts for better straight line stability. They really work well for me.

[@HubNut]

I've used Rain Sports before. Great tyre.

[@mrdoofa9357]

Where the fuel economy is concerned, I do have a few theories as to why it may appear to be consuming fuel at such a rapid rate. Firstly, when comparing it to the Honda S-MX, it has two extra cylinders meaning greater friction which results more energy is wasted as heat. Secondly, as with all engines there is a displacement sweet spot where maximum power can be extracted with minimum power penalty. In the KV6’s case, it would appear that the 2.5 mark would represent this point. I’ve read numerous posts from people who have found that (at least in the case of the Rover 75) there is little economy difference between the 2.0 and the 2.5, in fact many people have said that the 2.5 can achieve better fuel economy than the 2.5 as the latter does not require the same thrashing the 2.0 does.

[@retr0naut823]

30 mpg, might be due to your liking that wonderful noise it makes ;)

[@brucemay5409]

Great stuff a Rover 45 V6 club in wedgewood with Neptune Blue Arbor interior,pretty rare like my Rover 45 Connisiour in British Racing Green with Catkin Green leather!Enjoy great value motoring mate.Just look after it and it,ll look after you!

[@HubNut]

Sadly I sold it on. Next owner ran it for a couple of years, but the owner after that broke it for spares. Sad times.

[@brucemay5409]

@@HubNutShame, Sorry to hear that.All the best to you anyway!

[@micheltebraake7915]

The same with my Ford Sierra, 650 euro paid and driven 90000Km in 4 years on LPG, and he still goes.

[@bodieofci5418]

I like Rovers a lot. Had a 200 and a 400. My grandad had an SD1. I always fancied an MG ZS but ended up with a Focus instead. More fool me.

[@ssadonnelly]

Actually on a more specific note. It’s interesting about your tramlining. I recall my 98 Rover 400 had awful handling very understeery and constant poor front tyre wear (yes alignment camber and castor checked ) I put it down to the front heavy L series Diesel engine

[@jezmun]

30 mpg, I had the 75 with 2.0l V6 and I don't think it would do that with the engine off! Frequently took it from S.Wales to London and got about 25 mpg in the manual. Still one lovely car to own - one oddity was the ability to be able to lock the keys in the boot.

[@philabrahams383]

I had a Laguna 1 1.8 and if I was lucky I would get 21 MPG around town and I couldn't get a deisel car fast enough. You may need to do a fluid and filter change on your gearbox. Just have a look at the colour and smell of the auto box fluid if it looks like cherryade then it should be ok but if it's all black and smells like burnt orange then it's time for a change and at this time of year it could be a good thing. I wish I could find a car like that in reasonably good condition and little to no rust.

[@sirmugman]

WE HAD ONE OF THOSE! the 3rd pic you showed, brought 2nd hand in the 90's i think, we called it tigerlilly n idea why, it was a great car, the first car i ever had a crash in, some doult in a japan car going to fast round the bend up by the black pig pub near mildenhall side swiped our car, his was then crashed into the wall, ours? kept on going slight bit of err damage but nothing too bad, it is also why i don't like sitting behind the driver in cars, sadly she was destroyed when some garage arse left her running and the head gasket cooked/destroyed itself, kinda wish it was still around great cars, in fact all the cars we've had have been cheap lil runners going until they either died or rust took there lifes,

[@notmanynamesleft]

Maybe a worn track rod end would cause the tramlining,my 1986 Escort RS Turbo was terrible for that even off boost,plus an old calibra I had did that and it was worn bushings

[@alastairward2774]

Drove a 45 1.4/1.6 for ages, very reliable. Only thing was the uncomfortable steering wheel and front seats that seemed to nudge away at my calves.

[@HubNut]

The steering wheel rim is just a bit too thick, I must admit.

[@alastairward2774]

@@HubNut it's a bit chunky. If it was slimmer but kept the shape it would have been nice.

[@g.uu.]

Really lke these Rovers but ended up with the Honda version...I liked that too.

[@mrclucker1969]

V6 engines always seem to be thirsty, especially through an auto box. But you do get the benefit of the singing engine.

[@klwthe3rd]

That's not completely true. In the United States, GM made one of the best V6 engines ever. Not only is it powerful but even when installed in a full-size platform it gets 30 to 31 MPG. It's the world renown "3800" V6 produced from 1988 to 2007. I've owned several full-size cars with this motor and one the highway you can take your foot off the accelerator pedal and still just sails along so effortlessly. It gets better fuel economy than a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder Honda. I can't say enough praise of this motor.