1998 Rover - Austin 200 review from UK and Ireland

Rocker head gasket was loose when the car was bought, spilling oil onto the alloy area around the spark plugs. This was easy to fix, however, requiring just a socket set.

Apart from this the car is faultless.

The 1.1 litre K series engine is ultra-quiet and smooth. Indeed it seems more refined than many bigger engined cars that I have driven. Although ultimately it lacks power, and hence strong acceleration, it is more than happy to cruise all day at 80mph on the motor way (in countries where such a speed is legal). Just don't try to dominate the third lane.

Gear change and steering are high class. Both are smooth and accurate. The steering wheel - in common with most Rovers - is excellent and very comfortable to operate.

In terms of appearance the car (in metallic black) outshines most other small cars on the road - although the new Seats and Peugeots are very good too.

The inside of the car is plush and a class above most other small cars on the road. The seats are particularly impressive and support the driver nicely (I can testify to this as I regularly drive 400+ miles to Edinburgh).

Reasonable economy can be achieved with this car - around 35 urban, and 38-40 on a run. This seems a little disappointing...

Rear space is short - and this car is not recommended for transporting 3+ adult passengers regularly. The relative rear space is dependent on the class that the car is judged in: it lacks space for a 'small-family car', but it has a lot of space for a 'supermini'.

The standard stereo is poor and deserves immediate replacement - also the 200 1.1i comes without tweeter units, so if you object to listening to muffled music you will probably have to fit some yourself.

Still, an all round stunner of a car which is highly recommended.