2005 Rover - Austin 25 Si review from UK and Ireland

I get slow punctures, even after having 4 new tyres, as the alloys (standard Rover alloys) are very badly corroded after just 4 years. I have had this problem with every Rover I have had with alloys. A can of tyreweld always sorts it though.

Three times now I have been driving in very hard rain & the car has lost power. It won't allow the revs to build, so it can take up to 30 seconds just to get the revs up to 2000, after which point it revs freely. It is possible to get home like this, but it makes the car undriveable then for a couple of days, after which it goes back to normal?!?! I have googled this problem & it appears this happens if water gets into the air filter.

The top hose on the radiator split & the car lost all its coolant. Thankfully I noticed straightaway so no serious harm done, apart from a recovery truck ride home & a new hose fitted at the garage.

Minor quibbles as follows:

Glovebox lid rattles & is coming apart.

Door seal always coming off.

Sunroof trim doesn't fit.

CD player skips & ruins all my CDs.

Parcel shelf fell apart.

Lumbar support knob on side of seat keeps falling off.

Alarm has a mind of its own.

Windows very slow to go up.

Paint is noticeably very poor quality compared to previous Rovers & is flaking off on bumper & rubbing strips.

Front indicator surround fell off.

Side repeater keeps falling out.

This is the third diesel Rover I have owned (had a 620D before this & a 420D before that, & the 10th Rover in all). I am a huge Rover fan & will always buy them because they have character, look nice, & are nice to drive. But this has probably been the worst Rover I have had. The dashboard is very poor quality compared to the "pre-facelift" version up to 2004, & the paint finish is terrible on my solid paint car. Metallic ones I've seen seem to have better paint finish though.

I think generally they lost interest in putting them together in Rovers final year of production, as my friend has an early 25 which is much better finished. Apparently there was a lot of cost cutting, which is a shame as the thing I've always liked about Rovers is the attention to detail & quality finish.

Despite all the problems, I do really like this car. It's old fashioned compared to say a 2005 Fiesta or Clio, & the diesel engine is extremely noisy around town. But it is very economical & distinctive - you don't see many of the newer type around (probably because they only made them for a year).

It hasn't put me off & I will probably buy a 75 diesel next.