1997 Rover - Austin 400 414 Si review from UK and Ireland

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.