Austin Rover - An Introduction to the new Maestro City Diesel Van (1986)

[@simonabbott7323]

D330 BRW is SORN'd. I had a Monty Estate with a Perkies engine. Fantastic! It outlived the car (180K), and lives on in service in a narrowboat.

[@TheGingerzilla69]

I'm still driving a maestro van k reg around i love it

[@hjp1hjp22]

The replacement for the Morris Ital van, there are only about 110 Austin Maestro vans left in Britain. Many were in yellow British Telecom livery. I remember the engine sound of a diesel Maestro van, and was also later fitted to the Maestro car and Montego and was an embarrasment.

[@davidhayes4814]

The Maestro was a better van than it was a car. It was a very decent van.

[@lewis72]

Wow DI on a 1986 diesel van, that was quite something !

[@restojon1]

Its quite an eye-opener when you put it into context for the time period, isn't it? I'm a bit vulnerable to SD1's having owned every engine variant apart from the SD Turbo, the Diesel had a rather agricultural and non suited engine given the whole flagship status of the SD range of cars, the Maestro was a contemporary and was utilising far better tech and better connections to Perkins rather than the VM unit in the SD Turbo. Typically of BL, mismanagement ruled the day.

[@musmodtos]

DI was shunned at this period for being loud and unrefined, it wasn't an especially revolutionary technique per-se, most diesel engines at their genesis were DI. IDI offered greater refinement and lessened knock. Ford were using the York diesel at this time which was also 'DI' and certainly wasn't impressive.

[@RichieRouge206]

Funny how popular they were yet theres none left

[@cjmillsnun]

Considering the last Maestro vans were made in the early 90s. How many vans from that era survive at all from any make?

[@rovr]

Surprising it is possible to get late 90s/early 2000s registered maestro van. "In 1997, Parkway Services of Ledbury Herefordshire, purchased a batch of 621 Maestro cars and vans in CKD kit form. These had been stored at Cowley since their production in mid-1996, when they became surplus to requirements. The company built up the cars and converted the majority of them to RHD form using up Rover's supply of parts. The National Database for Motoring Insurance has records of models registered between "R" and "51" number plates, meaning the overall period of Maestro availability, new in the United Kingdom, was from 1983 to 2001"

[@craigybus1]

Refinement? ROFL, the Perkins Prima was loud enough to wake the dead when cold, and not much quieter on the move when warm

[@craigstaggs8597]

It was a tad loud !!! ......

[@lesreed7943]

But it was 100% reliable AND very economical. It's a commercial vehicle - not a car!

[@Droningonuk]

Rather hear an mdi than a Ferrari through the tunnels of Monaco.

[@scottirvine121]

Diesel fuel cheaper than petrol.....great days!

[@anthonyperkins7556]

The diesel Maestro vans were more economical than the petrol versions

[@MyManiacGamer]

"Diesel cheaper than petrol" laughs in 2018 😂

[@Droningonuk]

Still is per mile due to increased efficiency

[@scottirvine121]

alistair smith yes but he also said cheaper per litre which hasn’t been the case for a long long time

[@rayaspo4893]

Cry’s in 2023

[@jonathanstokes7332]

1 on my road as of 2021 telecom yellow I think, still the loudest thing on earth, think there is only 3 left on the road in the UK now

[@paddy1437]

fucking sad is how i feel watching this.....it was all in vain fella...doom and gloom was round the corner

[@RetroGamerVX]

Noisey, horrid, polluting piece of shit lol

[@restojon1]

MDI = Major Deafness Inbound ;)

[@petea7323]

😂

[@lesreed7943]

This guy's voice will give me nightmares!

[@nkt1]

He was painful to listen to. Thank goodness a trained narrator took over in the middle.

[@billy4072]

looks ok.

[@bletheringfool]

A nice trip to MFI killed off by Ikea!

[@stevegreen9460]

ar the go to van for uk painter and decorators...all vans back in the 80s were awful. school i went to in the 80s had acouple mk 2 transit mini buses. thay wer fucking awful to ride in. slow loud noises egaines, rock hard banging surpenshion, everything inside rattled and vibrated, had to spin the steering wheel countless times to turn the wheels even slightly. even the door handles one the back were a mistry to try and make work. why people want to own classic ones now i will never know.

[@andynixon2820]

I don't know exactly how good the maestro diesel engine was but the equivalent escort diesel engine was really bad .

[@darrensmith6999]

They were very good but noisy :)

[@robhines4537]

I had to drive a work Maestro van in 1992 - hated the thing, rusty and only 2years old, compared to an Escort van (much nicer and less embarrassing to drive) Have learnt my lesson with cars over the years so avoid Ford Fiat Nissan

[@grahamlamb5445]

Thanks rover for putting the brake disc the wrong side of the hub, and the injectors seized into the head when the seal leaked, the heater a bastard to replace, what a bag of crap thankfully a bad memory now....just like Ruster Rover

[@Droningonuk]

Are you mad or confused with another van? Discs come off after wheel and injectors never get stuck inthink tour thinking of vivaros buddy u got the wrong van

[@ab-jp8mf]

Everything bl did was shit put a peougeot engine in the body rots around it same with the honda engine better off buying a honda or Peugeot