1997 Rover - Austin 600 620ti review from Greece

Transmission

Generator (3 times)

Coolant leaks several times

Radiator

Water/Coolant pump

Clutch pump (3 times)

Hydraulic Steering pump (2 times)

Pillow blocks (2 times)

Electric windows mechanism (both front doors)

When I bought this car the one I didn't look at all was the guarantee (1 year). Almost everything was perfect up to the point where the car hit the 50.000km After this point everything started to fall apart one after the other at unbelievable speeds!

The 620ti is a very nice car to watch and fun to drive. Due to its turbo (Garett T25) it is very fast in all conditions. Its power is available on the full revs spectrum. Of course as a turbo car you get the most after the 4000rpm (starts at 2900) where the turbo over boosts (0,7bar over-boost and 0,45 normal).

Handling is very good especially due to the torsen limited differential slip system. The car of course is not a hatchback so don't expect too much. I've changed the shock absorbers to Bilstein sport and show a huge increase in handling.

The brakes are good, but not excellent. Although they are quite big (266mm front) they don't stop the car well enough basically due to its weight. A big problem, especially if you are a fast driver, is the brake fade effect. After hitting the brakes 2-3 times at high speeds (160km+) the brakes fade and if you continue hitting them... they don't respond after a while and the situation becomes very dangerous.

The interior of the Rover 620ti is excellent. Although not very big as you might expect for the car's dimensions. The leather interior is of high quality.

It's a shame that the engine although very good in delivering the power, it's not reliable at all. I haven't yet seen one 620ti owner who's is happy with the car's engine reliability. The bad thing is that the car wasn't a huge success and so there are almost no improved alternative engine parts except the Rover/Unipart ones.