2000 Rover - Austin 75 Club SE 2.0 V6

Summary:

Forget the Vectra, buy one of these for 10 grand

Faults:

Exhaust rattle, paintwork finish not brilliant, that's it.

General Comments:

This is the car for anyone doing high miles, it's so cheap to buy & run for its class.

On the motorway it will do 40MPG, the annual Rover service is about £200, business class insurance £350.

Torquey rather than quick, will pull in 5th from 1000 RPM.

Very comfortable to drive, I'm 6'6" tall and have no problems.

This is how a Rover should be, it's like the 1976 V8 P6 Rover I used to have.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th January, 2003

4th Jan 2003, 09:43

I don't agree with you my friend. The Vectra is a very good car and it's much better than Rover 75. I can say this because before the Vauxhall I stayed 4 months with a 75, and the car gave a lot of problems.

4th Aug 2003, 06:01

The Vectra is a worthy enough car for those who just want to get from A to B. It's dull and dreary to drive, couldn't wait to see the back of mine, although to be fair, after some teething problems it was reliable.

2000 Rover - Austin 75 Connoisseur SE 2.0 CDT

Summary:

Better than flying a Learjet, pure comfort and class!

Faults:

Have had the car since new, and though fitted with a lot of electrical extras, have had absolutely no problems, right from day one. Just pure motoring pleasure.

General Comments:

What can I say to sum up this car? It's pure and simply heaven on wheels, and the best car I've ever owned. Admittedly we've done a low mileage so far, but if the last 14 months are anything to go by the build quality and attention to detail leave nothing to be desired. We've also taken the car abroad, and don't know if 75's are rarer in the rest of Europe, but people gather round the car when you park it up!

One word of warning, it isn't a racing car. If you want that buy the MG, but if you want refinement, tons of torque and a car that feels turbine smooth, buy the 2.0 CDT, you won't be disappointed. As an added bonus economy is excellent too, around 50mpg and at 70mph the rev counter is barely reading 2000rpm. You would not know this car was a diesel, but for the pleasant surprise each time you visit the filling station.

As for the cabin, it's better than a Bentley, and yes I have sat in one, simply stunning although admittedly the retro theme probably isn't to all tastes. it's terrifically well built and there's just so much thought put into everything. My only criticism here, the lack of a locking glove box. I can live with that though.

I really can't praise this car enough, the dealership also, though a smaller franchise, has been great as well.

All you German car buyers out there, one day you'll see the light. When I park my beautiful 75 next to bland, boring BMWs', Audis' and Mercs' I wonder why you bothered.

Take a tip from me, when you tire of your German machines, buy British and buy a Rover 75. You won't regret it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th February, 2002

11th Jun 2004, 09:03

Rover 75 owners should be made aware that the oil cooler feed hoses are "inadequately designed and not sufficiently robust enough for the work they were intended". This is the view of an independent engineer and the hydraulic hose company that made up the replacements.

My husbands car, 75 V6 2.5 connoisseur (V reg. 31500 miles) suffered serious damage as a result of the failure of one of these hoses, the AA man had to mop up oil from the road before he could attend to the car. There isn't any reinforcement in these hoses they are just plastic and bound to fail. Because we brought it privately, second hand, but still under warranty, we have no course of action to take against Rover, but other owners should be warned.

ST.

15th Feb 2005, 08:47

I have owned a 2.0 CDT for about the last 4 months and would have to agree that it is luxury motoring at its best. It was designed to glide up motorways and the diesel engine is very smooth. It is even self priming, as I discovered after stupidly running out of fuel soon after I bought it. Mine is a 2001 Connoisseur SE with Sat Nav and all the trimmings. I have never owned such an amazing set of wheels.

My previous car was an E280 Mercedes. Also very nice with a powerful and well built engine, but there is no comparison to the luxury of the 75. As long as I don't have any major mechanical faults, I will not be going back to Mercedes.

2000 Rover - Austin 75 Club 1.8

Summary:

An excellent car, if not flawed by reliability problems

Faults:

A large number of things have gone wrong with the car:

All 4 door latches have been replaced.

New clutch.

Two throttle body injectors.

Rear tweeters.

Miscellaneous door trim.

Engine misfire.

General Comments:

The Rover 75 is a magnificient car, let down by poor Customer Service by MG Rover and poor reliability. I bought by car on 1st September 2000 and only now has the car been returned to Rover for investigation.

Since writing to the Deputy Chairman, things have speeded up and have been excellent.

The comfort and drive of the car is excellent and it is the most complete car I have ever owned. I previously owned a Ford Mondeo ST24 and this is streets ahead of that, even with the reliability problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th May, 2001