Was The Last Ever Rover So Bad? Or Was BMW to Blame? 75 Road Test

[@gerardbooth40]

The 75 remains a beautifully styled car that, in my opinion, only keeps improving with age. I'm a serial Jaguar owner, but even I would have to admit that the looks knocked the S-type out of the park when the two were launched simultaneously and remains the better looking to this day.

[@matthewlewis2072]

The S-type was an embarrassing pastiche. The 75 was just a depressingly retro drear. Want to see retro done well? The first BMW mini.

[@malcolmlane-ley2044]

I think you're right, I remember seeing them both at launch and feeling the Jaguar was trying too hard to reignite long lost emotions from the Mk2.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I remember being at the NEC motor show when the S type and 75 were launched, and there’s no denying that the 75 stole the show. The S Type had too much Lincoln in it, the styling was too much of a 60s pastiche, and it looked a bit tacky compared with the Rover, and the also recently launched Alfa 156, with which both cars were compared at the time. However, I have driven an early S Type, and I have to say as a luxury sports saloon, it was fantastic! The engine (a V6?) was brilliant - smooth at cruising speeds, with a suitable growl and pick up of pace when the accelerator was booted - it could be hustled around very well indeed. Nice auto-box, and exceptionally comfy seats. I’ve also owned a 156, which to my eyes and ears at least felt special, sporting, and was a hoot to drive. I’ve not driven a 75 - but I’d love too, either that or an MG ZT V6.

[@nickc6882]

@gerardbooth40 I agree. The 75 is a very subtle and understated design on the outside. It doesn’t try too hard - very timeless. The inside less so, but the outside is timeless.

[@smorris12]

I had an S Type at 30-odd because i liked the looks and thought the 75 was styled equally well (loved the dash) but could see exactly where both had gone wrong. The average buyer wants new and exciting or to follow the current trend. They absolutely do not want the past. People might be nostalgic for the dim and distant but they don't want to pay for it.

[@TheManifattura]

For me as a Rover 75 driver, this report is completely incomprehensible. My Rover 75 1.8 has been driving for more than 275000 km without any problems. No starter, no alternator, nothing went wrong. The driving comfort is also excellent. My brother drives a 7 BMW from 2002. I don't have enough time to list the problems with this BMW. And believe me, at the age of 65, I have already driven a lot of cars and can judge it. Now I have become a lover of these Rover 75 vehicles and don't want to be without them. Greetings from Berlin Germany

[@kevinwhite981]

I have a MG 75, which I bought 14 years ago because it was about to be scrapped, it looks so beautiful in trophy blue, sadly family events got in the way of me ever putting it on the road, but next year I hope to resolve that problem, yes it's suffered a bit from standing without use, but the alternative was the crusher, so I think I did the right thing. 😊

[@GrumpyMunkyGameDesign]

A 65 year old driving a Rover, not doing the image of it being a 'wheeled wethers original' much good are ya

[@spotontheroad1]

Many years ago (20+), whilst visiting Germany I met with a very senior engineer BMW engineer, who rather surprisingly to me, drove a Rover 75. I asked about this and he said that in his opinion it was the best car made by BMW Group at that time, which surprised me even more. I've never liked them but he was a huge fan of the 75.

[@richardwilton722]

The Rover 75 was a great car. I had one. The company was already too small in terms of sales to be viable. The 75 was virtually unknown outside the UK. I would entertain business visitors, picking them up from the hotel to take them to the office. They would say “What’s this car? It’s beautiful.”

[@tooltool5824]

There were all over the place in Greece back in the days all of them ended up in scrapyards the first 5 years

[@jonmower3680]

@@tooltool5824 no they did not, you talk rubbish, utter UTTER rubbish, I have visited Greece many MANY times over the last 15 years, probably 40 times, and I see Rovers and MG's every visit, most of which are 75's and ZT's so stop lying.

[@hughwaddell5772]

Well said…the 75 was a fantastic car, there’s very little with wrong her! It was just that, BMW were absolute Bavarian bastards! And they were so stupid and selfish, they hadn’t a clue how to invest in Rover, they just bought her up thinking they could work wonders with her but, then realised what horrible mess they got themselves into and got of pretty lightly by asset stripping the company…🤬🤬🤬 They never gave the poor 75 a chance…

[@karstentopp]

Had a 75 Connaisseur with the wonderful 2.5l V6 and everying but the kitchen sink (and the TV) built in. Wonderful, wonderful car. Beautiful inside and out, quiet and fast. Better than the 3 series BMW and close to the 5 series. One of the best cars I ever had.

[@darrenrgill]

Hi Jack, the reason the window switch feels floppy is because it's broken, someone has been a bit heavy handed there, the "eyebrow" trim above the radio is missing the trim piece that hinds those screws etc. the plastic slave cylinder in the bell housing method was used by lots n lots of manufacturers of the time, including Ford and Vauxhall, yes the 75 has it's faults, like every other car out there, but they're still great cars,

[@mikebarrett1466]

Yes I agree, you have a piece of plastic missing from under the dash trim. Mine has done 140k miles and the switches don't wobble about like yours.

[@cjmillsnun]

@@notfiveo The 75 is very different to any 80s Rover.

[@lint8391]

The difference between Rover 75's and - for example - Volvos of that era is that things like the window switches are easily broken (or break themselves in the engine bay) on the Rover.

[@neilbaker1]

@lint8391 If you want to know why MG-Rover went bust, look no further than this comment. This is the sort of rubbish people came out with in the early 2000s and still go on about today. The electric window switches are manufactured by Alps, the same company that produce them for BMW and no doubt countless other manufacturers too. There's nothing 'weak' about the switches, someone has physically broken it, just like I could in a Volvo or any other make if I wanted to. Where do people come up with such crap.

[@neilbaker1]

Pleased that someone pointed this out!

[@nigelbond4056]

You didn’t mention Alchemy’s role in the demise of Rover. Their board stripped cash out of the business at an alarming rate leaving it broke.

[@mrdainase]

No, Alchemy were the VC operation that tried to buy Rover Group when BMW were selling the business and never had any control over the company. It was Phoenix Venture Holdings that became the new owners.

[@Kelveron]

Yes it was the Phoenix Group, but Nigel's point is still valid. When Phoenix took over Rover, BMW even gave them a half a billion pound loan (which it never asked for it to be paid back) to invest in the business. However, the Phoenix Board, under John Towers, simply fleeced the company to line their own pockets.

[@peterbrownless]

Yup, Towers and his fellow 3 feasted well. Whilst bleeding money they misstepped with bad decision after bad decision after bad decision.

[@andrewpreston4127]

@@Kelveron Mostly, that £500 Million was spent trying to stem the losses. And anyway, as I said above, £500 Million , even then was comparative chickenfeed when it comes to developing new models, new engines. The 'Phoenix Four' were easy scapegoats for the media. Alchemy were just a bunch of chancers who made their living from picking over the bones of dying companies. They had little to offer.

[@Kelveron]

@@andrewpreston4127 The £500m was spent on vanity projects like the MG XPower SV, the RWD v8 version of the 75 and the Board's pension fund, instead of investing in new volume models that could make money for the company. Towers awarded himself £9m whilst nearly all employees lost their jobs. He then - along with the other directors of Phoenix - were disqualified from holding any company office in the UK. They were no scapegoats.

[@carlwilliams3488]

A couple of things I noticed, when the sale to BMW was announced (I was working at BAE HQ in Farnborough at the time who owned Rover) it was said in the corridors that Honda were so peeved that they terminated the partnership and all support to Rover on the day the takeover went through. The 75 was supposed to be both front and rear drive and the plan was to use BMW's 6's and V8's but BMW veto'd this due to perceived competition with their 3 and 5 series, so it remained a FWD platform only until BMW sold Rover and then Phoenix fitted the Mustang V8's in about 800 75's and ZT's.

[@josephocallaghan3000]

Phoenix exec's / fraudsters should have been jailed -- yet again the public, and naive govt were conned.

[@AaronSmart.online]

This is what I had heard too - the Honda partnership was untenable after the BMW acquisition, I'm guessing due to the serious conflict of interests.

[@fmhb1]

We've got two in the fleet, well made, easy to work on, few real-world flaws and a refreshing alternative to the modern electric company car!! Love them.

[@palandi]

Jack, I'm nearly biting the bullet for a 75 and you're posting these things... PLEASE KEEP MAKING VIDEOS ABOUT IT!

[@nickhigginsonmusic]

Became a fan of rover / mg after inheriting one a few years back. Rather than scrap I thought I’d put it to use. After i spent a bit getting it back on the road after being sat years , it has been probably the most reliable car I’ve owned! Most days I will spot a few 90’s / early 2000’s rovers on the road. Probably more than any other cars of the same era.

[@johntate5050]

I think BMW just wanted the Mini and Land Rover brands.

[@steverushforth7009]

Very true, and the alloy pressure molding system.

[@GoldenCroc]

Why did they advertise the 75 so heavily in markets that had seen no Rover marketing for decades beforehand then? Doesnt make much sense to me...

[@marcushull12]

and the Rover 45 replacement that was close to being finished , they took it and made it the BMW one series . And when they sold Rover they were not allowed to make a small car (mini type ) or a 4x4. Working in a garage for 17 years the 75 was very well made and reliable compared to French or Italian cars its leagues ahead.

[@Life_Of_AL]

BMW were only after the 4WD technology from Land Rover for their X series cars. The R50/R53 was a Rover design even having a Rover code name and given the way it sold, I do feel it may well have played a key role in bringing in some much needed cash.

[@mel.3687]

If it wasn’t for the workers going on strike all the time Rover wouldn’t of needed BMW but it’s easy to blame them rather than the work force for simply not wanting to work

[@ulflarsson81]

I own a -00. Proberly the best car I ever owned. I use it as a veteran car in summers only here in Sweden . It`s a beautyful car and I love the designs of it. I have other cars as well but in the summer it`s Rover time.

[@margosdesarian]

I had two of these and i absolutely loved them. They had the BMW diesel and they were just great cars. Obviously the styling is like marmite, but most passengers (albeit over 50) loved the sophisticated styling of the interior. Yeah really. My second one had the MG front end and nice wheels which made it much better looking. The back end was rock solid. On a flat road - or even a slight incline i could put it in first, take my foot off the pedal and it would just crawl along on idle with no problems. My first one had a knackered MAF, so i disconnected it altogether and still got 50mpg on a run. My second one had a "Ron box", so i could dial in power or frugality as i wished. On the main Rover 75 forum you never see any posts about problems with the engine. Its bulletproof, at least in the Rover. My first one still had the original exhaust at 275k (15 years) when i scrapped it (i had an argument with a lamp post when reversing in the dark and trashed the n/s rear quarter). The rear silencer box had mostly lost its outer skin, but it did not blow and still passed the mot! Why did you not mention that the transmission tunnel is for the RWD 4.6 v8 version?

[@russfoggan4092]

Jack one thing you do to improve the looks is fitting a full size rear number plate that fills that whole space up back there, but that is just my opinion

[@wjekat]

My understanding from some of the BMW engineers at that time was that the development of the 75 was quite tortious. Rover, after the Honda years, were out of practice developing motor cars from the ground up. A lot what Rover came up with had to be reworked in Munich, which of course led to resentment and foot dragging in Rover‘s design office. Rover and BMW using incompatible CAD/CAM systems didn‘t help speeding things up. Given the circumstances and the external pressures the 75 was a very respectable car.

[@Number27]

Interesting info, thank you!

[@peterbrownless]

Worth adding a lot of senior BMW Executives were determined to sabotage the ambition of the 75 being a rival to the 3 Series. They blocked RWD. Years later in the dying days the transmission tunnel was finally utilised on the Ford V8 powered cars.

[@johnbriggs3916]

"tortuous". Tortious means something else, and not totally irrelevant!

[@EdgyNumber1]

​​@@peterbrownless It was never intended to be rear wheel drive. It was designed for FWD from the outset. As mentioned elsewhere the so-called transmission tunnel was Rover's attempt to put more torsional stiffness into the car. When Phoenix had to convert it to rear wheel drive for the V8 models, the rear floorpan and the rear axle needed a complete re-work. You can even casually see this with half the spare wheel well in the boot blocked out. The rear axle in the original car took cues from the BMW Z-axle design but again, they were not designed or engineered with any intention for rear wheel drive. Even BMW themselves had nothing to do with it. In fact, I do wonder if this design actually inspired the axle system that was put on the rear of the BMW Mini years later. Important to note that BMW came in much later on the project and added some input into the body construction (chiefly, the roof section) but that was about it. The project had progressed quite far before BMW came onboard.

[@Gloomendoom]

Their insistence on the zed axle wasn’t that popular at Rover because they already completed the design of the rear suspension. Integrating the zed axle meant more work and and resulting delays.

[@julesviolin]

The window switches are normally good there will be some pins broken on the switches. They can be replaced in seconds without dismantling anything ! The little hood you mentioned above the radio ........ There is a plastic shield missing so that's careless reassembly by someone fiddling with the stereo. The doors should close superbly, again that must be misadjusted or been in smash? Re the Jatco 506e gearbox selector feel: There's a nylon bush slips down on the selector shaft at the box end. If it's not that then it is poor workmanship again not lining the detent of the selector with the detent of the box if someone's been medaling and not adjusted the cable properly. The shifter normally feels very positive. Re the handling..... You'll be driving one of the project drives ie The rear Anti-roll bar was deleted completely ruining the fast cornering properties the pre 2003 cars had ⚠️ You need to drive an early low mileage pre 2001 model. They really are night & day 👍 Good review. Wonder how long you'll keep it.? 😃 @Jules75ZT Specialist in North Wales

[@redlineste4283]

Lots of issues. Greed mainly. British government shouldn't have let it be sold to BMW with such a good partnership with Honda already in place. BMW was a terrible marriage. They basically wanted the brands Mini, Land Rover etc. People have short memories. I remember the backlash to BMW. Graffiti sprayed at showrooms etc. Sadly i think if Honda took over we might still have Rover cars today.

[@nicnak4475]

Should never have split with Honda ! They would have still be going if they hadn't.

[@peterbrownless]

British Government tried to sell it to Honda. Honda point blank refused, even refusing to see a delegation that travelled to Japan. All well documented. When BMW appeared on the horizon they were embraced... and then screwed over when they asked for investment from the Govt. The same idiots that always paid up when Nissan came calling.

[@johnmoran1537]

You are correct

[@Life_Of_AL]

I doubt the masses would be flocking to buy a Rover Jazz

[@DaleSteel]

Rover 75 situation reminds me so much of jaguar x type situation. Both got reasonable reviews but press didnt help. Anyone whose driven or owned either car will know they are excellent Car's

[@richsackett3423]

Very similar levels of boring dowdiness as well.

[@paultasker7788]

Rover 75 a bit too retro and ride too soft/floaty. Meanwhile we test drove an early X type 2.5 automatic and that just would not stop charging gears all the time. Every 2mph would result in another gear change or 1 percent extra or lift off the accelerator. Must surely have been faulty.

[@DaleSteel]

@@paultasker7788 I've actually just bought a 2009 facelifted x type estate with the 2 2d transit engine 6 speed Automatic and its a cracking car. Cheap to run doesn't cost much to run and it drives like a e39 bmw 5 series which as bigger compliment as one can give

[@DaleSteel]

@@richsackett3423 yes agree but the x type was quite a quick car in its day if you had the 3.0 v6 was nippy.

[@Рашка-у8й]

The X were turds. A mondeo of the same period felt And drove better and had more cabin space, subjectively.

[@ianbeale2527]

I'm a "dyed in the wool" Land Rover owner. However, there's always been a Rover 75 itch I've been dying to scratch. The guy up the road had an MG ZT V8 that was just a beast. I had my Freelander 1 V6 at the time which I turned in to a full blown rally car. I also had a Td4 Freelander which I also eventually turned in to a rally car. But, at the time, I really did covet that ZT ! A guy I knew well who broke Freelanders got me to follow him in my Freelander to the scrap yard where he was taking a Rover 75 estate . He paid peanuts for it and was offered what he'd paid for it by the scrapyard - and they'd remove the Td4 engine for him and deliver it back, which he'd then sell on to someone needing it for their Freelander. It was a fully loaded car in dark blue and drove beautifully. It's only faults being the aircon needed regassing and a full length scratch down it where some scrote had keyed it ! I did manage to get the chrome mirrors off of it at the scrap yard because I had some mad idea they'd look good on my Freelander. I just couldn't believe such a well presented vehicle was only worth scrap money at the time. Strangely enough, I did spend a while looking at 75's and ZT's on Ebay a couple of weeks ago.

[@sammyt3514]

That was indeed one good looking car; I wish Toyota or Honda could've made a car that looked this good and was also high quality/reliable. I would buy a car like that in a flash.

[@746laurie]

A Rover 75 came through the village in central Romania where I've lived since 2010 a few days ago. Possibly belongs to a hotel owner who has a house in the next village 6kms away and has a large collection of cars from 1950s to modern supercars.

[@johnphaceas7434]

As a long time owner of Alfa 156s - I think still the most beautiful and still contemporary sedan of the last 30 years - I've always really liked the look of the 75. It's a really very stylish and timeless design. Not that you ever see many in Australia.

[@Nthstar]

@johnphaceas7434 I love the shape. So stylish. Own one myself and have for the past 7 years Am in Australia here too.

[@berwhaletheavenger]

The 75 was a fine car - Rover design with some BMW input and money. It looked fabulous and rode like a dream. Time and the hordes of rusty E46's has shown that the 75 was a much better built car. What killed it? BMW made an almighty balls up of Rover, New Labour dithering did huge damage but really, the Rover name was dying by 1999. However, Bernd Pischetsrieder's launch day tirade - an act of industrial suicide - finished it off. If he'd kept his mouth shut, Rover would likely have pulled through and in 2023 we'd see two factories working flat out making a range of Mini, MG, Rover and Triumph cars. What a lost opportunity. There were very few - if any - quality dramas with the original Cowley built 75. The odd niggle perhaps. BMW didn't want the K Series as they were developing the N42 Valvetronic engine and building a big engine plant at Hams Hall to supply engines for BMW and Rover. BMW wanted all of Rover Group and it's sub brands to increase it's overall volume. Land Rover's 4x4 experience? Not really. BMW immediately set to and green lighted the L322 that used a lot of BMW hardware.

[@GoldenCroc]

I dont believe it would have pulled through at all really, even without the comments, sadly. Seems very unlikely to me. Its just that its too expensive to develop a modern car to be sold at a mainstream price. No real platform sharing to speak of for the 75 either. You got to have really big sales volume to make it work. Volume that just wasnt there. They advertised it pretty heavily in the abroad market where I am at, the first ever Rover ads I saw in my liftetime, let alone a respectable campaign. So it wasnt for lack of trying in that department. Though they did sell a few because of it, since I saw a few 75 around and I never saw a single larger Rover in traffic in years before, it surely wasnt enough. The market was just too small to recoup the costs when sales margins are that comparatively low. The Rover brand had also ran its course even in the UK, seemingly.

[@repairupdaterepeat5815]

I love my 75. On yours theres a piece of trim missing above the radio and them window swirches are broken. However one thing that does bug me is the clutch on my cdt. Its the heaviest clutch ive used. Sometimes it does start to make my knee ache

[@lapisredux]

the old Defender clutch is really heavy......i wonder.

[@hallo4135]

I remember a press release from Honda at the time. Rover and Honda did indeed have a successful partnership. Honda was a 20% co-owner of Rover. Rover's owner was British Aerospace (BAe) and at some point it had lost confidence in Rover. Without consultation with Rover and Honda, BAe sold Rover to BMW, according to Honda's press release. I remember that Honda was a bit panicky that BMW could now look into Honda's kitchen. After all, many Rover models had Honda technology on board.

[@stuartvorster4911]

My Wife went out to buy an MG & came back with one of these in metallic British Racing green with cream upholstery. I could have strangled her but i would have been wrong! Of all the cars she has owned (& there have been many...🤐) This one stood out! Beautifully made... Aesthetically amazing... Timeless (look at one today!) Reliable... Smooth as butter... Comfortable in the extreme... Amazing to drive ... Excellent to be a passenger front or rear... BMW killed this period! It would have annihilated all their crap 3 series on which they were financially obligated at the time to make a success of. I still see that car on the road occassionally. Its IMMACULATE......... Someone loves it & no wonder. There is nothing like it on the road anymore other than the Jag XJ. My Wife now drives a Jag. There are no emoji's rude enough to provide you with my thoughts!

[@stevedawkins8139]

In the early 2000s I recall trying to replace a 214 (nice car) with the incoming 200 (that later became the “zr” i think) but it was a smaller car and was priced as if it were in the bigger car sector. Even interested customers couldn’t justify the cost. So i doubt it was one model, rather a bad business plan

[@RodrigoOliveira-tb7zf]

Jack makes the best car reviews by far! And he's such a nice bloke too. Thank you!

[@bobmcl2406]

Funny, I was not aware of the Rover 75 until your first video about yours. Then earlier this week I was watching an old episode of "Midsomer Murders" on PBS, and there was D.I. Barnaby rolling up in his personal car, a Rover 75! So, you are in good company Jack. Just stay away from bucolic little English villages. Very dangerous places, so it appears..... 😂

[@drs1969]

I got my diesel connie with 30k on the clock and put another 110k on it. Lovely car. I reckon your window buttons arent connie ones - mine were chrome plastic and nice - after a good clean up. Steering - tyres and tracking - sort it and it makes a big difference. Drop links are a 'service item...' check them. And the front springs. Put some flexible curtain rod down the drains in the sun roof and the scuttle to save the ecu. And then go buy a plugin android unit and get gps, DAB etc as well as reversing cameras. Loved mine. Long distance comfort and hilarious to chuck down a country road on the heels of something much more thrashable. Oh and there's 170bhp in that engine for very little work indeed.

[@15bit62]

I remember my neighbour had a 75 (2.5l) as a company car back in the day. I drove it once or twice and i thought it was a really nice car, especially if you were driving a lot of motorway miles.

[@timbullough3513]

I like it and since I have never seen a Rover of any sort in Texas ... I can appreciate the throwback or DNA attempt at styling even without understanding any of the detail. But as something of an enthusiast I enjoy that sort of thing. For example I have loved the styling queues of a 1st generation Lincoln MKZ, appreciating its real wood and 'Bridge of Weir' leather. While most people will simply dismiss it as an old man car ... and buy whatever society deems 'cool' at the second with less than zero appreciation for the marque/history/styling queues. But if one sees a car as a toaster ... I understand their indifference - even if I find it lazy and lemming like.

[@robertschlemmer5039]

A Texan might remember the Rover 800 series as a Sterling 825 & 827. Sterlings were sold in Houston from 1987 - 1991 along side Acura Legends by Honda dealers. They were touted to be English flavoured Acuras but too many of the British flavourful bits failed too quickly in the Texas sun.

[@timbullough3513]

@robertschlemmer5039 I recall 'Sterling' in print advertisements only. Body lines and mechanicals were pure Honda. Little chrome grill (perhaps with available British Racing Green) with little Union Jack logo ... and perhaps a bit of wood glued to the dash ... all for notably more money than a Honda. Struck me as about as truly British as a bucket of Vindaloo would seem to my Brit ancestors of 1600s Leeds. And that XJ6 Series III was pretty much concurrent and the real deal.

[@MrCarrera28]

I can remember doing a post graduate study course where Rover in the early days of BMW ownership was being held out as an example of strong EQ management. The thesis was that they bought the company they did not impose all the BMW systems and processes (and rigour) and they wanted to respect Rover's heritage and wanted them to be more than simply rebadged BMWs. Ultimately though this meant that BMW made assumptions about Rover that may have been better diagnosed through the adoption of their more of their systems and processes. In particular the lack of engineering and design capability which had been lost through the era of using Honda underpinnings and a lack of a consistent brand identity across the company's workforce that meant they struggled to design a car that would attract new customers as their current customer base aged. While it was a sanguine lesson for BMW it was offset by the fact that they made money selling engines to Land Rover for an extended period, they spun Mini off into a successful brand albeit one built using entirely German systems and processes and ultimately it was no where near as big a hit to BMW AG as the subsequent Chrysler deal was for their main competitor Mercedes AG.

[@thetreadtrader7565]

Pal of mine had a promotion in the early 2000’s. This meant an “executive” car upgrade. He wanted a 75 but was told it wasn’t upmarket enough and ended up with BMW 520. They did suggest a Jaguar S type, but he wasn’t having that.😂

[@free_gold4467]

Very interesting to hear your thoughts on the Rover 75! I'm probably going to buy a car in the next year and this is one that I've been considering, they seem quite cheap. I was considering Jaguar X-type as well. It's weird because I never gave the 75 much attention or really noticed them but now I'm looking I think they are very attractive, much better than the Jag in fact, more classy in my opinion (pre-facelift particularly). It has a very 'Bentley' look especially at the back but the whole shape is very unified and 'smooth', looks like a luxury car. I'd probably go for a diesel as well, running costs are very important for me and honestly I'm not bothered about 'performance'. I want something that will waft me between Scotland and Sussex in style and comfort. Or maybe I'll go mad and get an MGBGT! Any suggestions?

[@markhealey3831]

Maybe consider a Volvo S80. . . Luxury, reliability and 60+ mpg

[@paulhenson169]

75 great car

[@micksroversmg558]

Get a auto diesel Tourer! They are the bomb!

[@Norfolkbiker50]

@@micksroversmg558 except they rot like hell and have a calendar instead of a Speedo.

[@micksroversmg558]

@@Norfolkbiker50 Ha ha no worse than cars of same era all cars rot like hell if not looked after most have fared well and many still survive!

[@davejohnston5158]

I had a fairly standard 1.8 petrol which was comfortable and quiet without being a heavy lump. Unfortunately the 1.8 was bad for blown head gaskets, mine had one with little provocation. I think the shape could have been transformed into a very nice 2 door coupe with a soft top option.

[@mairenared]

Great video Jack. I bought a Rover 75 new in 2003 and always thought it was a great looking car both outside and in. It had leather seats and was a comfortable car to drive even though it had a rather heavy clutch. Mine had the BMW 2.0 litre diesel engine in it with a manual gearbox which gave it more than adequate performance and decent fuel economy. I ran it for 300,000 kms over 17 years and it never gave me any trouble. I only sold it because it was getting difficult to find parts for it in my part of the world (southern Spain) though I understand it has a good support group in the UK. As to the demise of the company, it was pretty obvious that BMW was only interested in Land Rover and the Mini brand and never put much into the company to develop new models and the Phoenix Four stripped all the assets of the company to boost their pension plans. A great shame as there was a great heritage behind it (I also owned a 3.5 litre V8 P6) and with a bit of interest from the UK government, could probably have been saved.

[@realnutteruk1]

To be accurate, the Tritec (new Mini) engine wasn't really a Chrysler engine... it was made in Brazil as a joint venture with Chrysler, originally set up with Rover, before BMW came along.

[@welz2002]

Not entirely true. BMW also had a stake in it. Hence the “tri” name (between the 3 different countries) Rover originally wanted to use the K series, but BMW put a stop to that (probably future proofing themselves before the asset stripping started 😂)

[@dolomitefan]

It had the advantage of being federalized though and could be sold in the USA whereas the K Series was not and it's expensive to go through.

[@MrHammyHunter]

I bought a 75 years around 2007. Was warned about head gasket issues. Still bought one. It was beautiful. Head gasket went. Twice. Still loved having that car. Got an S-Type after that.

[@gotthefeelin]

Very few people know this, but a 75 was supposed to be included in the boat chase at the beginning of the Bond movie ‘The World is not Enough’. An Odyssey Blue launch 75 was in the pool of cars at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Kent that doubled for London for the on-land portion of the chase. However, sadly, the car never made it to screen. How do I know this? Well I was there for a couple of days watching filming in April 1999. Later on I found a “making of” book on the movie with a Rover logo on the front presumably given out to employees. So the car missed out on some much needed publicity from the Bond franchise too!

[@micksroversmg558]

Without a doubt a BMW Company executives idea too cut it!!

[@mark261166]

I had a 623Gsi and yearned to have a 75, until I sat in one. As you said, it felt a bit cramped. A work mate purchased one of the ZT 75's which was like a mad bull. He described it as a wrestling match every time he drove it.

[@micksroversmg558]

I was a 820 Vitesse Turbo man or 620ti man and drove a diesel 75 I got cheap off my pal and sold it too my brother as felt cramped and not as good as 800 Vitesse! The rover and Honda partnership was best one by far BMW never intended too save rover was always a sabotage job!

[@jamesdonald7485]

The story of Rover is tragic - a combination of bad management, government restrictions and trade union confrontation. I always liked the look of the 75 (and many previous Rovers) and feel very sorry that the Rover story is over.

[@richbrown8174]

Ford had issues with the trade union at Jaguar I believe that's why they have up and sold Jaguar on

[@peterj5751]

It is interesting you highlight the gauges as a good design. I agree they look great but like pretty much all cars built after the early 80’s, I hate the fact that the gauges are so small that there is little resolution to the speedometer. Nowadays you always get a digital readout for precision but I miss the days when you got nice big finely calibrated gauges like the series 1 - 3 XJ6 for example. Maybe it’s just me.

[@rickbear7249]

As mentioned in my comment, I still own a Rover 618si. The one thing I always find is that people come over to ask me, "what's that car", because although not as superbly styled as the 75 the 600 still stands out for sheer beauty in any car park, even in 2023.

[@rogerking7258]

The styling was aimed right at the pipe and slippers market whereas other makers were appealing to younger buyers who were the future. Personally, I loved the styling, but then I'm now in my mid sixties. Unfortunately, I then got to drive one (1800 petrol) and was surprised by its lack of refinement and heavy fuel consumption; it was also obvious that a lot of the "upmarket" trim was actually cheap and nasty plastic (but you've already said all that). Throw in the British Government, Pischetsrieder's speech and the Phoenix 4 and the inevitable happened, although the problem probably had its roots way back in the formation of BMC.

[@Number27]

Ok.. but the Mini was also retro styled and that was a huge hit… as was the FIAT 500.. ?

[@GoldenCroc]

I agree, but I do believe the main thing is in your first sentence: I believe in the end the other factors werent that important, its just that its too expensive to develop a modern car to be sold at a mainstream price. No real platform sharing to speak of for the 75 either. The market was just too small to recoup the costs when sales margins are that comparatively low.

[@matthewlewis2072]

​@@Number27they LOOK GOOD and appeal to YOUNG PEOPLE

[@rogerking7258]

Agreed, but I don't think it's retro styling per se that is the problem, but rather the type of retro image it is trying to portray. As I said, I personally liked the look of it, but there probably weren't enough sad old gits like me to make it viable. Oops! I've just realised I've been very rude to you - sorry!@@Number27

[@jonathanbywater2063]

Thanks Jack for a very fair and objective view of the Rover 75.

[@lint8391]

I had a diesel manual 75. It was let down by unreliability. Fuel leaks from the filter housing and engine bay fuel hose. Compare and contrast that to the Volvo 850's, V70's and XC90 diesels I've owned that have all been relatively reliable and dependable.

[@gloriousradio]

My Dad had a 75, it was gorgeous and the design and interior both hold up well to this day. It's still a good looking car and a future affordable classic.

[@dave1w41]

I see some very classic British car styling here. The tailights and rear evoque Bentley. The sharp trouser-crease in the hood and individual round headlights are also classic British cues. I also thought the add-on chrome bits that you removed were excessive. I agree with you on the window switches. Homely. The leather looks surprisingly good. Probably also a nod there, British cars always had better leather. A truly competent car, but not enough to right the business. I'm interested to see how it is put together underneath!

[@free_gold4467]

I agree with the rear looking very 'Bentley', very nice.

[@TIMMEH19991]

I had an 2003 MG ZS which was without doubt the best car I've ever owned. Had it for 11 years and did 140k miles in it and other than service items and a clutch I never had to change a thing. Still on its original suspension, even the rear discs were the originals! Never had any electrical issues, it never missed a beat. I've regretted selling ever since the day I did. It was such a fun car to drive. BTW I had a 2003 BMW M3 at the same time which was a much faster car, but it wasn't as well built, reliable or as much fun to drive. Everything I've had since has been utter dead pants since. Seems to me that the day MG Rover was ripped away from Honda, it was doomed. Rover had an amazing knack of taking Honda products and really giving them sparkle.

[@Andrew-mv5zt]

I'm afraid there's lots of after market items in that car, such as the auto-gear knob, and the fake plastic wood trim around the HVAC and electric windows. The electric window switches are BMW units with remoulded plastic - I think the previous owner broke it by fitting that fake wood. Also, it's missing the trim underneath the 'brow' that is above the head unit.

[@1171karl]

In my opinion the Rover 75 was a bit odd looking, and I could never really make my mind up whether I liked it or not. I think some of the problem I had was the motoring press and tv shows all seemed to label it an old man's car. By the time I could have afforded one I was driving an (albeit older) BMW 5 series, but decided I preferred to stick with that. As I recall the MG version looked a bit nicer externally, but I like a bit of wood and leather!

[@gar6446]

Don't care what anybody says, I like them. I've had a few cars that everyone says are good and they've been rubbish ! People just repeat what they read

[@Franz_giblet]

I remember when I worked at a rover dealership they sent out a memo asking if any of the technicians had any suggestions for cost cutting on the rover 75

[@nigelhiggins2851]

It was always an old man's car to drive to the golf course, when we all wanted a BMW/Merc/Audi I had one as a temporary company car for a few months, it was well built and comfortable, also a diesel auto, felt very heavy and slow. I look forward to seeing you in a blazer & crevat as the car's personality takes over!

[@dougiebrimson]

The Rover 75 was, and remains, an awesome car. I had a 75 diesel and it was probably the most comfortable car I ever owned.

[@samuel96100]

Enjoyed your video. I bought a 1995 facelift 414 in 2007 for 550 quid with 80k, It was so reliable and cheap to run. I always wanted an 827 fastback but they were out of my price range. Sad Rover are gone now.

[@SimonLandmine]

Had one as a hire car for a trip years back - one of the passengers complained about the lack of interior space (having been the one who had upgraded from a 'basic' hire saloon), but I found that it was fine for a six-hundred-mile round trip, and I liked the design touches like the dial shape and colour, and the body style. Also agree that the 'facelift' headlamps were a mistake - the original was better. I recall a journalist's review when they got a pre-launch test drive, in which he said he was often asked if it was a new Jag, from the appearance.

[@OverDriveOnline7921]

Despite the diesel being a BMW unit, BMW did not have any front wheel drive gearboxes at the time, so these were sourced from other manufacturers. Having owned a diesel manual, which shows up from time to time on our channels videos and competed against a Mondeo of the same vintage. You make many valid point throughout on the car, but the lip above the stereo should have a clip on cover, which was either broken or just not bothered with when the stereo was replaced and the aftermarket stereo panel was put in place (I did the same thing on mine, two points to put a flat blade screwdriver underneath and just unclipped, push back to clip back into place, simple), so had that been there, you would have had a smooth undersurface. Many blame BMW for the failure of Rover, however it was BAE who were the guilty ones. They never invested and when it came to releasing the later Rover 200, they had Rover designing and building it from the previous R8 Rover 200 chassis with a modified Maestro rear setup. Adjusting for inflation, its development budget was just over half that of the MiniMetro in the mid 70’s and wasn’t an adequate budget to develop a totally new quality car. That said, it was still selling up to Rovers demise, despite being based on 80’s platforms. The 75 was made as a rear wheel drive and a Mustang V8, an absolute monster of a car and stupidly rare, I believe Retro Lifestyle have one on their page that they built themselves, so at least one extra from the ones officially made. There is also a tourer, BMW didn’t want this in the range and as it turned out, for good reason. In launch after the buyout, it stole market share from BMWs own estate range! A handy tip for anyone with one of these and the front right ABS sensor fails, this stops the speedo working but if you have an android phone and a cheap Bluetooth OBD2 reader, you can get a more accurate speed using something like Torque Pro (I believe the free version will also do this). Pre-project drive cars also had real wood in them on the paneling, plus a few other things as well. Most of the 75 stuff is well documented on AROnline

[@chrisl7902]

For me, one of the biggest problems for Rover was branding. It had been all over the place for years since all the great British marques were rolled up into BL. A 3 series was seen as a cheap luxury car, whereas I always thought of Rover as a top end budget car (if that makes sense). And there was always the aura of ‘old man’s car’ attached to the brand, which even the 75 (IMO) didn’t really dispel.

[@ogisgarage9721]

Rover did make a RWD 75, with a Ford's 4.6 engine mated to a Ford's transmission. It was a limited run, some 880 total.

[@lauriecooper8194]

A very nice car, always fancied the estate car personally.👍👍

[@tz6414]

I had a ZT as a company car, lovely thing with the most excellent seats, very well made creak free interior, nice chunky controls, a really class car. The original shape was the best, the facelifted version looked horrible and a crisp boxy makeover. When that came out I lost interest in them.

[@carlyoung5035]

I had an MG ZT (essentially a tarted up 75) which I bought as a daily mule, and I was very pleasantly surprised.

[@davidcooks5265]

I've driven one of these and it was very smooth and refined!

[@robredz]

I love the look of the Rover 75 a mobile lounge to travel in and the MG version with sharper handling.

[@stevenharrison9257]

I had an extended test drive in the 75 when it first launched. Despite the car feeling like a good car, it didn't impress me enough to make me switch from my Passat, which was something of a shame as I wanted to go back to driving a British car again.

[@a0r0a7]

I had two Passats and my father had a 75 v6 2.0. The Rover felt special, had better steering, the ride was superb and the car looked beautiful. The Passats were just typical Germanic efficiency, did the job but rather boring. The press did the 75 no favours at all. The press promote German cars and we have our roads full of German cars for that very reason, press has sold German to the British as the best.

[@micksroversmg558]

@@a0r0a7 Totally agree with you there about press! German build quality is a myth and as much as a love the 75 the Honda rover cars are best for reliability and robustness of suspension component's by far as my year 2000 420 diesel is still on all factory shockers date stamped November 99 and was a January 2000 registered! All springs look factory and car has covered over 250k miles and still starts and stops and drives fine! The car has better body than most cars half its age! It has been best £300 car I have bought in a long time!!

[@a0r0a7]

What a great car. I had the pleasure of having a 420i as a loan car while my company car was in the garage. Very solid, upmarket feeling car and boy did that car fly.

[@micksroversmg558]

@@a0r0a7 My brother got 420 Gsi with turbo engine in it that's one fast old car!

[@a0r0a7]

​@@micksroversmg558that was the model, 420gsi. It went like stink.

[@gordonhughes4603]

I haven't had a 75, but ive owned 2 MGZT 190's. The first was a 53 plate in silver with rhe mk1 front end with twin headlights, the 2nd one was a face-lift on a 55 plate. That was a black ZT 190 SE. I removed the facelift bumper and headlights, replacing it all with a mk1 bumper and twin xenon healights with a seat FR splitter. I loved both of those cars and loved the sound and performance of the 2.5 v6's. The 55 plate, i owned twice. And to this day regret selling it. Brilliant cars!

[@paultasker7788]

My experience of these as a rear seat passenger is that in town and motorways very quiet and comfortable. However, on a country road they wallow badly and made me very travel sick. A shame as the interior is nice. Agree that switch gear lets it down a bit. Lack of practicality is solved partly by the estate. I think had they made the ride slightly firmer it would have been a better driver's car. Not tried the MG version. That might work better on British country roads. Roll/wallow is not good for travel sickness. I chose to go in my own families car for return journey, instead of this family friends car. As teenagers we used to swap cars to try something different. Think we had a 3 series touring at the time and that was fine on the same road.

[@googoogjoobgoogoogjoob]

I hear ya Jack, it happened to me too - if only the British government had given me a bit more money maybe I wouldn’t be in this situation today.

[@matthewlewis2072]

Rubbish. Rover had been on life support for years, incompetence from top to bottom killed it.

[@googoogjoobgoogoogjoob]

@@matthewlewis2072 oh dear

[@chucky2316]

I had a 114gsi it was rubbish I mean total rubbish

[@Tacko14]

There was that one version with rwd and a Mustang engine. I remember it got serious press praise. Now, if you can get a drive in that one…

[@timhancock6626]

BMW delayed the 75 by a year by demanding roof panel changes that were not strictly necessary. That destroyed any chance of profitability for the 75. They would also not sanction MG versions presumably because they represented a threat to BMW sales. Either way I've always felt the BMW ownership of Rover had one aim only, and that was to get the Mini brand before the Chinese did. Do not forget that Berndt Piechtesrieder of BMW was related to Alec Issigonis the designer of the original mini.

[@ThomasDoubting5]

No BMW Needed rover dead once and for all

[@f.k.3762]

why?

[@stephenrose1343]

I came on this by accident, I'm not a car enthusiast. But I think I have a small contribution to make . I met the Head of BMW UK, at a barbecue in Oxford. The host was a German friend who lived in the same street in West Oxford as the BMW guy . This must have been around the very late 90s. We talked about his job overseeing Rover, it became clear that he ascribed Rover's difficulties to a perception problem in the UK. He told me that in Germany, Rover had a good reputation and sold well. They had been impressed with the standard of engineering at the UK works and were excited at the prospect, but admitted it would take a great deal of money to get the plant up to scratch. To paraphrase him "The Rover is a bank manager car, and the English don't want to look like bank managers, so we couldn't sell that look here,it surprised us "

[@peterbrownless]

Technically not the last... The Streetwise (jacked up plastic body kitted R25) was several years later and let's not forget the City Rover, although that was a rebadged Tata so not made by Rover. There's also the ghastly MG X-Power SV, one of the first prototypes of which I was riding shotgun when a Rover Director demoing it to me managed to demolish a bus shelter and put us in a ditch at a jaunty angle 😂

[@HowardMessias-e8z]

At the time I also heard about the Mini and L/Rover tech. I owned 2 X 6 cyl. petrol 75's Tourer and Saloon, Fabulous ride, cylinder head gasket failure, even on the V6, loads of electrical failures, locks, window regulators etc. (Thank goodness I'm a retired sparks),

[@oathy03]

This was the first car I bought with dad, and truly this car was amazing. the ride was incredible and it went from Wales to London weekly. this glided up the M4 like a Rolls Royce. The comfort level in this car was amazing

[@MrWrob32]

Had a few Rovers, including one of those, never had a problem with them and loved the 75. I thought it was a good looking car and comfortable to drive

[@peterrenn6341]

Jaguar S type isn’t to everyone’s taste BUT when you’re in it you can’t see the styling. The build quality is much better (all the wood is on beautifully shaped aluminium panels, not plastic to give one example) and they handle very well if driven with spirit. The XJs are of course another league up...

[@stevewells-nx8nx]

I had one as a Company Car in 2003,it was the most comfortable vehicle I have ever driven ! I have been looking at them recently in view of purchasing a low mileage BMW diesel ! I came very close to buying one !

[@powerballminep67]

I had a used mint green 75, with a 1.9cc petrol engine in lovely condition overall. Gorgeous looks but it was woefully under powered; and I was no speed demon. There just seemed no power reserve when you needed it, compared to the Ford Scorpio I had owned previously. It had a chronic brake problem too. The dealer I purchased it from couldn't resolve it and eventually he agreed to take it back, saying he would auction it. Pity, it had so much character.

[@yettsoman4364]

I've got the same car, except it's silver. Connoisseur CDT with BMW engine. Bought it new and now it's 130k miles. Had some ups and downs with it but I still love the looks. It has an easy life these days but I'll keep it while I can still afford to and have garage space

[@afoolandhismoneychannel]

Governments should NEVER bail out corporations. No one is too big to fail.

[@micheallastname5772]

I think the wanting Mini and Land Rover is the answer, do you remember the 80's BMW ad "We've never made an off road vehicle" was the tagline....suddenly we get the X5 and New Mini

[@mauricestanley5763]

Owned diesel estate for 7yrs through the naughty’s my daily commute was 90 miles it never let me down once, excluding consumables the only thing I spent money on was the injectors. Great great car looked forward to driving it everyday. I will add some years earlier I had bought myself 6month old BMW 635csi good looking motor drove it for 4months and couldn’t get rid of it quickly enough.

[@malcolmlindley4465]

Pity you have the ash steering wheel, which doesn’t match the rest of the ‘wood’. We sold my Moonstone Green 2002 reg 75 diesel Connie on 285000 miles, still looked lovely. Such an underrated car. My thought on why it didn’t sell as well as it should have was because it had a Rover badge, with all the BL/Austin-Morris/BMC baggage it was carrying. If it had had say a Ford or Mercedes badge it would have been a different story. I also believe BMW didn’t want it to take sales from their range - was the diesel de-tuned for the Rover, as rumour alleges, for instance?

[@ziggy6848]

Loved my 75, no problems until one night driving home from work , the underneath engine plate fell off I couldn’t move the car until the AA came, they had a task to get the plate put back on.

[@stevesales4263]

I liked the S Type styling and it was a "smile on your face" car to drive. It is a shame about the corrosion problems and a shame about the perpetual safe mode episodes, often without a DTC. The 75 on the other hand is comfortable and reliable, especially the diesel autos.

[@gazzafloss]

Cheap plastic stuff... yep, that sounds like the BMWs of today! Good stuff Jack.

[@andrewb2475]

Rover was dead and 'soon to be buried' years before, firstly the Rover 75 wasn't a BMW project they just had to make the best of a car that looked out of date on launch. I visited the Rover 800 assembly plant at Cowley Oxford in the 80s and most of the sprawlling works was unchanged since the second world war, looking at the dated assembly lines I knew back then it's days were numbered...............it took BMWs millions to flatten the place and build the high tech Mini plant.

[@malcolmabram2957]

I had one of these, a second hand low mileage 2 litre diesel. Sold it as I needed an estate (kids). It was the best car I ever had. Very comfortable. Unpretentious compared to a BMW, but I am not that sort and just dont care. Handled well, gave 55 mpg (not bad foe the day, and diesel was cheaper than petrol. It had good mid-range acceleration for overtaking. Went to Scotland from Norfolk more than once (hill walking). Never had issues during the 40 odd thousand miles I had it.

[@terrymackenzie6784]

Your assessment about why BMW brought MG Rover is correct, I was working there at that time and that seemed as clear as mud to me although I was actually sub-contracted in from Motorola.

[@Lemma01]

Elegant is the word I'd use. Enjoy it, mate - it may become a classic before we're done! 😊

[@kevingreen8581]

Interesting story of the last days of Rover under BMW. I agree that it is such a pity the Chairman of Rover basically shot himself in the foot by slating Rover as he did in his speech at the launch of the 75.

[@Tuberuser187]

I think they look good, I have long held a fantasy build project of getting the MG version with the V8 and rear wheel drive and finding a cosmetically sound but mechanically doomed Rover 75 to use as a donor car, then use as many of the bumpers, grill, interior from the 75 and install them on the MG. Try to make it look as close to the 75 as possible inside and out but with a V8 and rear wheel drive, maybe have some mild engine work done.

[@reyrob]

In the early cars, the wood was real wood. After it became plastic. The car in the video has plastic and you can tell by the airbag logo on the passenger side that on “wood cars” is embossed and not a little label stack on

[@bobmcl2406]

It sounds like Jack needs to find a breaker's yard, and rescue a variety of bit from earlier cars. Honestly, I would watch videos on that hunt. Jack, how about it?

[@skyll4141]

try the mg zt 4.6 litre rear wheel drive v8 mustang engined variant.

[@skyll4141]

No I'm not joking jack they made one. the 260 and I've driven it. pretty awesome, I drove the pre production test car at rover group, it's interesting to say the least

[@odl21]

@@skyll4141I owned one for a while. Sounded great but was actually pretty shit.

[@johnbrereton5229]

Rovers equal tie up with Honda was very benificial to both companies. Rover owned 20% of Honda and visa versa. The first cars were joint designs and both Rovers and Honda models were built at Rovers factory and did very well, so well that BMW started to take an interest and bought the company behind Hondas back. When BMW owned them they would not allow Lotus to develope Rovers award winning K series engine, and stopped Rover exporting models to America because they were competition with their own BMW models. Surely as they now owned Rover they would want to sell as many as they could, if they were really interested in Rovers future. In the end they broke Rover in two, selling Land Rover for more money than they paid for the whole of Rover. They then kept the Oxford plant where the 75 were made forcing the Pheonix consortium to move production to Longbridge. They also kept the R30 Mini which was intended to have Rovers K series engine fitted. As well as the R50 Rovers new mid range car which later resurfaced as the new BMW 1 series. After all this asset stripping Rover could never survive, they were condemned to a slow and painfull death. So yes, added to what you have repeated about BMWs chairman's speach at the 75s launch , BMW wilfully intended to kill Rover.

[@rodrigoantunes8502]

Shame rover went out the market i loved rover here in Portugal there were rovers everywear, i had a 96 820 coupe wich was as beautiful as a xjs... and inside... so pretty and such a good car...