1997 Rover - Austin 400 Reviews - Page 7 of 7

Drivers seat has not enough padding, but this may be because of the mileage (or a fat owner!).

Air con has expensive parts and exchange unit was damaged when I bought the car. Rover quoted me £420 for the part + £87 to fit! Got one from scrap yard at £40 the had a service engineer fit, at £60.

This car was a private hire car, but to say it had covered 70000 miles in the previous two years was in very good order.

Engine is mint, gives good performance and 50mpg.

Electric everything, luxuries in abundance!

Only had the car a month.

Only possible thing might be a slight misfire first thing in the morning, performance is not hindered at all and it only last for a few minutes, so perhaps I am just hearing things, will replace the plugs and leads just to be on the safe side.

What a lovely car to drive!

I wasn't really looking for a Rover when I was buying, but this car just stood out.

The 2.0 engine is the dogs dangley bits!

It has the most wonderful sound when pushed near the limit and it's pretty quick too, loads of torque (overtaking power). Lovely to drive sedately as well, very few gear changes needed because of the torquey engine.

Cabin, plenty of space in the front although a little cramped in the back, is quite adequate for a 2 adults, 2 children family with surprisingly a large"ish" boot.

Well laid out controls, a nice touch is the way the rear wiper comes on when reversing (if your front wipers are on).

The power steering is little on the light side for motorway speeds, but perfect in town.

Fuel, drinks it like it's going out of fashion around town, but on a run is pretty darn good for a 2.0.

The only bit about the car I don't like is the way the car "jerks" in first and second gear if slow moving in heavy traffic, I think another reviewer noted this as well, also reverse gear is sometimes a fight to get engaged, but that is apparently a "Rover thing".

Insurance is a bit steep, group 13 seems a bit high for a "warm" hatch.

I had the starter motor and battery replaced within 4 weeks. Also the driver's side window was vibrating, I hope all these problems have been resolved now.

This is a wonderful car to drive, it is very comfortable and I love being inside this car. It is a shame I have had problems with it, but I hope these have been rectified. I like this car enough to put the problems behind me and I would advise anyone to try this car before buying another make.

Car failed to start on occasions, normally under wet conditions.

Car does not idle smoothly and is jerky at low speeds.

Radio is difficult to tune and constantly loses its signal.

Strange rattle from the engine bay when decelerating.

Apart from the listed problems, the car performs extremely well for a 1400. The car is smooth to drive and the engine is quiet. Torque at low revs is good and you only know you are driving a 1400 when you hit a hill or carry passengers. At higher revs the power really kicks in and you feel a sudden ‘boost’ at 4000 revs. The engine keeps pulling up to the red-line and sounds sweet all the way.

The gearshift is smooth and positive, and the gear ratios are perfect. Steering is light but has good feedback. Handling is fair but with a little too much body roll for my liking. The soft suspension does offer an excellent ride. Under fast cornering the handling seems to improve, but it's still a far cry from the handling of my Jetta.

The radio has a poor tuner, but the overall sound quality is excellent. The head unit offers good low frequency response although the speakers are perhaps not perfectly matched.

Vibrating exhaust is the only thing that has gone wrong with it.

I am exceedingly happy with this car, it is many times better than the Escort I had. It is fuel efficient, it has a fast top speed though it gets a little noisy over 85, and is very quick to 60 for a 1.6, faster than a lot of 1.8s and 2.0 litres.

It has a lot of room in the front and rear, and handles like an executive car.

Only problem so far is a noisy exhaust which was replaced immediately by a Rover dealer, without any fuss.