It has 4 wheels
Broken clutch cable at 40000 miles.
It has 4 wheels, the running costs are reasonable due to the powerful yet economical diesel engine.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 13th September, 2001
Economy and reliability. Nothing else!
No faults.
Despite decent economy and a pleasant dealer, I really didn't like this car.
For starters, the thing is virtually undriveable. Under 2,000 RPM literally nothing happens if you try to accelerate. Then suddenly the turbo spools up, and the car slingshots forward for a second or so until it hits 3,500 RPM where the engine runs out of steam. By 4,000 it's completely dead again. So you have an effective useable rev range of 1,500 RPM, which is a joke in a modern car.
The result is a car which needs more gear changes, and is harder work to drive smoothly around town than your average sports car. Equally worryingly, the (allegedly Peugeot) engine also sounds agricultural and rattly, like diesels used to about 15 years ago. A steady 45-50 mpg was the only compensation!
The ride is comfortable but the car floats and wallows over uneven surfaces - almost like the dampers are shot, but not the case according to the (very polite and helpful) dealer. The car also ploughs straight on in the wet at frighteningly low speeds, and has no steering feel whatsoever.
Standard equipment is non existent. A tinny sounding stereo, power steering and that's your lot. No sunroof, manual windows and one electric mirror! Penny pinching in the extreme.
All I really liked about it was that it was economical, however it was driven. The dealer was pleasant too, but everything else was forgettable or just hopeless.
I'm not anti-diesel or anti-Rover. I loved the diesel Peugeot 306 (direct rival) and enjoyed the Rovers (214SLi, 623 Si and 820) that I've driven before. This car is really disappointing though.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 9th July, 2001
Poor build quality (help please!)
Irritating clonks coming from the rear, (any ideas?) even over the mildest bumps. Vibration cutting in around 2,500 rpm behind the dashboard near the speedos. Drivers seat squeaks like mad at every bump (I'm only 11 stone).
Rear windows settle in a slightly open position with accompanying wind roar at even slight speeds.
Very comfortable apart from the racket.
Mystery leak cured by radweld.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 26th March, 2001
A lovely built car
Air bag ECU was faulty (light remained on only).
Replaced the exhaust.
Reversing switch fault.
I love the car, having had it for over 4 years. It is reliable, comfortable, nippy, versatile and looks good!
A well built car inside and out. Hard to fault.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st February, 2001
Good looking, fun and reliable
The paint on the boot spoiler is bubbling for some reason and I have seen others similar to this.
Mechanically it has been 100% reliable.
The engine is very sweet and revs like mad up to its 7200 rpm limit. It is quite fast and sounds good unlike some other Rovers.
The handling is a little soft and can be rolly polly for a coupe, but it is adequate.
It has been extremely reliable and is great fun to drive and looks mean.
After driving all other Rover coupes it is the best balanced for handling and is the easiest to steer etc.
For a 1600 it is very fast as long as you are not going up a big hill, but when it's busy revving it's as quick as most 2.0 cars.
Interior is lovely (leather) and real wood. It is very comfortable, but there is a bit of wind noise through the T-bar roof.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th February, 2001
Your 216 Coupe is Honda powered, that's why it's so reliable. When BMW took over Rover, sadly they didn't use Honda engines anymore in the 200/400 models, except in some of the automatics.
Praise the Honda engine. the car I own is a 216 coupe with the Honda engine and it is sound. two previous rovers I owned were the 214 16v hatch and the 220 16v non turbo coupe. both of which where a nightmare for head gasket problems.
I own a 95 coupe with the Honda engine, and the head gaskets do let go after about 100k (I've just had mine fixed). Although it still goes well it has developed a thirst for oil so make sure you get the engines checked out well before you part with any cash. Looks like I need a full re-build to resolve this problem.
27th Mar 2001, 06:14
That vibration at 2500rpm could be the heat shield under the exhaust. I had exactly this problem fixed today. Runs great now and you don't actually need the lower half of the heat shield, the newer cars don't have them according to my mechanic.