A proud Rover 75 owner here. This car is quite rare in The Netherlands and since mine is professionally polished and near perfection it looks quite regal and dignified. British racing green with green leather and tan piping. A classy underrated car that will one day be admired instead if laughed at.
Burleon for the price they are really good and the bodywork doesn’t rust unless you get an early one, try to look for a 2.0 or a 2.5 v6 as those engines literally go on forever. Also look for the MG ZT if you want something more sporty.
I was thinking more in terms of how it fits into each nation's car culture. In the US, Buick is seen as a car for old people - slow and boring, but very plush and comfortable. Buick could also be seen as a cheaper, less flashy alternative to Cadillac or Lincoln. Obviously the build quality isn't going to compare to European or Japanese cars (a few Buicks have survived quite a long time, but mostly because they don't get driven much) but what would be the equivalent in European terms? Maybe an older diesel Mercedes?
@@FirstLast-uz6eq Nahh the loaded versions had real wood very nice leather and its really well built (you can see that from the sound of the doors opening and closing f.e.) and it was up there with BMW and Merc believe it or not
They looked a bit dated at the time, but now that Rover is long gone, I miss them. I think they struggled to shake their poor quality image from the 70s, but by the end they were building some solid cars. 75s are robust, once you fix the head gaskets. 800s could be good too. Rover began to find itself again in the early 90s, but after BMW bought them they refused to replace any of the older Honda based models, just facelift them. By the early 2000s they were selling expensive, 10 year old Hondas, with a timebomb of an engine. The 75 was the only car launched in the BMW era on a new platform. Once BMW were gone, Rover had nothing in the pipeline, and no money to start on anything, so it was a downward spiral from there. I think if the Rover K series hadn't got its reputation for blowing head gaskets, which even children knew about at the time, and BMW had better funded future developments and not ran off with the Mini (and the 1 series, which was originally a Rover design for a new 25), Rover might well have still been around today.
That was just a complete rubbish last ditch attempt to bring in some cash short term, you get some cash from sales short term, but lose brand image over time, here they had literally no more money, so if some company wants the sell their car in the UK under your brand, I know i would have taken them up, this however, does NOT detract from the excellence of 25, 45, and especially the over looked 75. AutoTraders Verdict: "The 75's biggest problem was its image; potential buyers just assumed it was hopelessly outclassed by rivals. Nothing could be further from the truth though, as the car could compete on equal terms with some prestigious adversaries" P.S. I've been in that clarksonian position, please, if you have an interest in cars, PLEASE use a source outside of top gear, Watch some 'Men and Motors' reviews of cars, read some reviews online, Just as an example, The Peugeot 306 & 106 were considered best in class, despite, Clarkson's repeated rubbish reviews.His positive reviews usually are accurate but most bashing reviews are just nonsense, I still watch him, and if you ignore his pitiful jokes the appeal to non-car people, his opinions *often* make sense Early 2000s top gear episodes showed them in an honest sense, and James May and Clarkson Agreed that the Rover 75/MG ZT were very likeable good cars, especially at the bargain price of 17K after they went bust, I mean 17K for a V8 RWD car with a manual box and 5 seats!
Im not that much into Rover and their stuff. I kind of like the looks of the 75. However, I hear a lot of bad things about the reliability of this car. Do you have any opinion on that?
Ascender2306 I just bought one on Saturday, picking it up tomorrow. The rover 75 1.8 had a head gasket issue and had a reputation of blowing up, but the 2.0 was bulletproof and the 2.5V6 was also a very reliable engine.
And how about rust and electronics? I am from Germany, so I am very much into German cars. But the 75 has always fascinated me, because of its british understatement.
@@2thedudestdude Not true. There were headgasket troubles for a few years when they did some budget cutting but they were resolved. Generally they're very reliable.
Been waiting for this review, I love the 75. I'd just like to point out that the Rover 75 is not anywhere close to a 3 series. It shares some bits and even has a BMW diesel as one of its engine options, but it uses a Rover-made platform. It's also transverse engine, front wheel drive, while the 3 series is inline engine, rear wheel drive.
As a brit, I thought you did really well with this. Your view on car culture in the UK was pretty accurate. And yeah, manuals are ubiquitous here along with smaller engine sizes (generally).
@@captainevenslower4400 a long time ago yes. The song is reference to Range Rover though. Presumably the writers had no idea Rover existed. To this day the song lyric makes me laugh because of my associations though
I've secretly always wanted one of these. Well that secret's out... My dad had the previous model when I was a kid (620si). Rover made a lot of cool cars, it was a shame they bit the dust.
I love UK cars cause I love the UK car culture. When this car came out it was pretty cool, and it's a shame Rover ended like it did. MG ZT is the way to go if you like the 75 btw.
When I was like 17, I used to go to the Rover dealership and spend hours sitting in all the mg's... I think the ZT is still pretty nice and less of an old person car :P
"A dream car is whatever you are willing to put that label on" perfect way to put it. I learned long ago that my chances of owning one of my childhood dream cars (IE: Mclaren F1, Saleen S7, Carrera GT etc) but, I could have a shot at a C6 Z06 in the not terribly distant future.
I love the 75, used to have a V6 connoisseur and have missed it ever since, so much so, I've just bought another but a 2,litre diesel, it's a 2003, red, cream leather, needs a clutch and a mot soon, which is going to happen next week, but it's in great condition, paid £500 so worth doing👍
Only in the north part of Sweden known as Norrland. However the Same (pronounced as Sawmehh) people prefer raindear due to their lower driving position and the lower bodyroll ;)
only the poor drive a moose. regular people who are not lazy and can keep their jobs ride on polar bears. bears have better traction, can even climb into trees.
I have a Rover 75 tourer with the 2.0 Tdi bmw engine and it destroys and humiliates cars away from the lights because of the "silly old duffers" image. People don't expect them to be quick. And it's dam fine comfy. A wolf in a tweed jacket.
I've had two, a manual diesel and automatic V6. Aside from the manual eating clutch cylinders on a regular basis, both were absolutely lovely. Sold the V6 with nearly 300,000 miles on it ten years ago, drove like it was brand new and it's still going strong apparently as I still see it driving around the area. Both were pre-Project Drive cars, so had none of the cost cutting which spoiled the post-2001 cars a bit for me. A top-spec Connoisseur is still an incredibly nice place to sit.
This car was the swan song for Rover. Now they're gone. The rightful parent of Land Rover, the car of administrative class, the car that a Queen, a Prime Minister or a farmer could own and drive. Good bye Rover may your Viking ship find Valhalla.
1:03 Mr Regular Car Reviews says 'Hope Of Land And Glory', in the 2002 Game, The Getaway Charlie sings this before he dies, Charlie owned a red Rover 75, coincidence i think not.
The moment one finds oneself in a car such as the 75; one aquires the image of the intended demographic. You'll eventually catch yourself buying a suit or some tweed, then the flat cap comes, and suddenly you're a 65 year old man doing 40 in a national.
Dumb question I'm American and I wanted to know if I could find a rover 75 or a mg zt with the V8 and import one to America later on but I want to know if they are expensive or hard to find in the UK?
@@carboydorifutoparty3976 they're cheap as fuck and pretty common here, by the time they're 25 years old they'll be just as cheap but probably quite rare by then
I have always coveted these. Especially that crazy 4.6L V8 Mustang engined RWD one they made for a few years. It's such a graceful gentleman's car. I feel like it's the perfect antidote to todays cars with their OTT grilles, huge wheels, fake exhausts and LEDs stuck all over them. Charming, is the word I would use.
The styling originally made a lot of people think they were Jaguars at first glance, with the early 2000's Jaguar equivalent of this car also being considered an old man's car. Rover made many terrible cars before this around the same time but the 75 is their last real swan song before going bust. Rover's reputation was already too far gone for the 75 to halt their decline unfortunately.
Rover 75. Im truly #blessed to be released from back shift this morning in beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada. To come home, pop open my laptop on the deck and find this parked on my screen. Ive always had a thing for a Rover.
hi rcr im sorry but i worked for mg rover from 2003 until its demise and the wood on the dash was plastic sorry man. the 1st gen ones were but in late 2001 they all changed to plastic for cost saving :( and with this being a (54 plate) 2004 it would most certainly be plastic the one thing was the k series engine that was fitted was great but they had head gasket issues the issue was they used to fit plastic (for some stupid reason) dowels in the crank case to line the head up when it was put on (cost saving) but when the head warmed up there would be movement and the gasket used to suffer for this. there was a replacement to fit metal dowels which worked a lot better but the issue was still there great channel keep it up dude
Car Lover the last gen ones felt cheaper even the smallest things like the gear shift knob was cheaper the mg's were always slightly better but the build quality way alway good to be honest there was so many with 200000+ miles on them
Verliebt yes it did but there is also some older ones still waiting to be regestered so this car was technically on the change over from mk1 to mk2 both were available at the manufacturer. I loved the mustang v8 though the mk1 interior was better but the mk2 looked better
@@kristjanvendelin3566 nope, it’s it’s own platform. It only shares a rear axle with the BMW 3 series but the rest is different, including engines and gearboxes
I'm surprised no one has commented about the Shackleton High Seat chair from the Top Gear episode where they made a car for old people... And labeled it a Rover
5:30 Umm no that's wrong. There were 3 cars designed for market, a small family hatch, a small saloon and a large saloon, the large saloon was the 75, medium saloon was the 45 amd the hatch was the 25.
My guesses for the other 5 cars: Austin Mini Cooper Black Cab Land Rover Defender/Original land rover Reliant Robin And some type of compact sedan made by Ford.
8:01 Genuinely thought he was going to put that brick through the back window of the 75. Whether that says more about where I live in South-West London or the quality of the car is anyone's guess.
I remember seeing this type of Rover down in Argentina and I always wanted to know what it was. now I get to see the interior and must say it's a British car😊
Rover 75 is my absolute favourite car. It reminds me of one of the earliest Bentley Continental Flying Spurs. Such a smooth drive, its really a shame both the K-series motors and anti brit-built journalism at the time helped to sign the death certificate of the company.
The chinese finally fixed the head gasket issues with the N-series motors which are essentially the same. Its just a big disappointment that the fix couldn't come earlier in the MG Rover timeline.
Rover themselves fixed the head gasket issues (more specifically land rover did) by using an MLS head gasket and steel head locating dowels, as they were the things that caused head gasket failure.
I still think that the VVC K series found in the MGF is the best 4cyl engine I've driven from a drivers perspective. It has such a smooth rush of power at any speed. Distinctive sound too. I'm really surprised BMW didn't use it. It was so much better than their gutless 4cyls of the day, and even at its worst no more prone to HGF than what they were. They should have thrown money at it and used it themselves, but instead kept churning out a rubbish design with built with decent materials, when they had a design with some fabulous ideas that was so desperate for funding they cast it using prototype tooling!
After watching the TJ miller special on HBO where his legs were randomly drenched with water, and the video was skipping , and water-bottles were appearing on the stool and then appearing on the floor, i thought it was just elaborate tom foolery. But then this video skips at 2:45 and now im scared that im being watched.
You make a fair & informed point about the Rover company, at the height of it's power it was the "English Mercedes" it gave us the Land Rover & Range Rover, it helped create the compact luxury saloon way before BMW or Mercedes ever got around to it with the Rover P6. Even the large rear number plate harks back to it's former glory days (it's a design cue taken straight from the Rover P5) In a way Rover's still around, i believe the name is now owned by Jaguar/ Land Rover. One is a former BL stable mate, the other still proudly wears it's Rover name plate. Hope the info is useful guys.
Ah, fond memories... We ran one of these as our family car from 2003-2009. Dark blue with cream leather, it had the BMW Diesel and an Auto Gearbox. Lovely lovely car and very much missed. The Audi we replaced it with never had the same charm or the sense of well-being the Rover gave. A great car, and one I will always remember fondly.
"The rest of the world"? I think you'll find that speakers of the most common language on Earth say it "hog-war". With a clipped "R" that kind of sounds like a "D".
I laughed when you said that towing trailers is a thing here. When I talk to Americans about trucks, they always go "you can't haul big game/wood/machinery in a sedan", and I'm like "...yes you can".
That was a really insightful piece, you really nailed the market positioning and graceful decline of Rover into Chinese ownership. You observed some interesting things about cars and their owners over here. It's really informative to see your perspective on us. I look forward to the rest of the UK. Car stuff. It helps me to know better how to I gauge some of your US stuff as I have sod all actual experience of the US car scene.
I saw this car today and he told me about this, as a big fan of the 75 and RCR I was surprised Id not seen it before, nice video (but its not got any shared parts or platform with the 3 Series). Now for an evening of Binge watching RCR UK specials!
We purchased a 2003 Rover 75 1.8 Classic last year with under 6,000 miles on the clock, due to our Nissan Figaro's cam belt snapped bending the valves due to both the cam and crank seals failing and DPF also failing again on our former everyday car, a 2006 2.7 litre Jaguar XJ6. The Rover 75 is a very enjoyable car to drive, a complete contrast to the Jaguar XJ6 and X-Type (that we should have kept), whilst both Jags made you feel special, the 75 makes me think of late 20th century Morris Oxford. I find it funny that you have radio remote switches on the steering wheel that don't do anything and a radio cassette in a car from 2003, even the Figaro has a radio, cassette and CD combo, not bad for a 1991 car. So there you are the 75 is a nice car, but the X-Type, especially the one we had with leather interior and a sun roof which I think is a rare option, is a much grander car, whilst the XJ6 enough said.
Those oval gauges and the Toyota centre instrument cluster are like the pitbulls and ariana grandes of cars: both should have never left the factory, yet they're still tolerated by many.
if ariana grande was a car she would be a Daihatsu Move Latte in white with candyfloss pink accents. this on the otherhand is your tweedy, oldy, moustache-y granpa, trying to be hip and cool for their grandsons, which are not interested.
Im korean and I remember this car on the news! Because both Rover and Ssangyong was under control of shanghai automotive group, rover 75 was considered as a new lineup for ssangyong in South Korea.
1:55 Those driving gloves... UGGHHHH SO BRITISH!!!! Also: Roman, if you're going to keep doing what you do you might want to get the chords and vocals right.
My dream car was a 2005 rover 75 with some facelift headlights (or aftermarket) and it was metallic black with tan leather steats and in perfect condition. It had 90km on it and only cost 3000€! I started saving for that beautiful car just to hear it got sold a week later😞
nearly everyone called it right.old guy had heart attack and crashed it. i bought it cause it was mostly fixable.then in a very uncool James Dean connection i crashed it several hours after i had gotten it back from the garage and ruined it totally
The 75 also had a 4.6 V8 model that was converted to rear wheel drive from the factory. The engine was basically the 2v 4.6 modular found in the SN-95 Mustang GT.
*Starts talking like a British auto show presenter without irony or an explanation, talking about "petrol" engines and "Pensioners'" cars, in case British people watch the show they'll be impressed... may as well have found an excuse to eat crisps in ur lorry :)
I had no idea you reviewed this car. I'm late to the party, but enthusiastic, for sure. In 2006 I found myself working in the defunct offices of the MG/Rover brand right after they had gone into administration and were, at the time owned by PricewaterhouseCoopers. A giant factory and office space for thousands with just one hundred people milling about, trying to find the rhythm of Staying Alive while we took turns with chest compressions and mouth to mouth. I moved from the USA to England for the job and I stayed in a Shakespear themed hotel when I first arrived, each room was named after a famous work from old Bill. Mine was called, Comedy of Errors. I could go on an on of what a delightful shit show it all was, but the best part was that I got to own a Rover 75 and drove it all over England, feeling like I had arrived in some way. I miss that car.
Chris´s Rover, and his suit reminds me as younger James May.
Rover James.
Or Alan Partridge. Especially with the gloves.
James may once did a review of the Rover 75 way back as well.
The string-backs just give you a bit of extra purchase.
But which tweed is best tweed?
A proud Rover 75 owner here. This car is quite rare in The Netherlands and since mine is professionally polished and near perfection it looks quite regal and dignified. British racing green with green leather and tan piping. A classy underrated car that will one day be admired instead if laughed at.
@Burleon Because they are unreliable !
@BurleonWhy are you so rude ? Romania ? Maybe that is a answer ! Gypsi country
That would probably be the dream car of my mom 15 years ago.
Burleon because they are fucking shit
Burleon for the price they are really good and the bodywork doesn’t rust unless you get an early one, try to look for a 2.0 or a 2.5 v6 as those engines literally go on forever. Also look for the MG ZT if you want something more sporty.
>for the guy that drinks bourbon in college
ah shit guess I know what my next car is
*W124*
You have to learn how to Dad-Click for that one.
You drive a Ford Mondeo in a posh frock, X types are actually worth less here in the UK than an identical aged Mk3 Mondeo, it's brother car
Same, but I started out with single malt Scotch... what should I buy next?
I thought bourbon was a chocolate biscuit.
3:15 chandelier? I'm getting an alien spaceship vibe...
An alien-chandelier?
I was literally thinking the same thing
Shin Chan I was thinking the same thing!
War of the worlds
Shin Chan yes!! The same here
So...Rover is basically British Buick?
Well, that was interesting No
What would be the American equivalent of Rover, then? Is there one?
Well, that was interesting There is none. No American cars can compare to European cars.
I was thinking more in terms of how it fits into each nation's car culture. In the US, Buick is seen as a car for old people - slow and boring, but very plush and comfortable. Buick could also be seen as a cheaper, less flashy alternative to Cadillac or Lincoln. Obviously the build quality isn't going to compare to European or Japanese cars (a few Buicks have survived quite a long time, but mostly because they don't get driven much) but what would be the equivalent in European terms? Maybe an older diesel Mercedes?
Well, that was interesting Oldsmobile. Preferably Oldsmobile Aurora.
One of most underrated cars ever made.
The interior is a timeless masterpiece.
Timeless as in "there never was nor will be a day in which it looked good"
Sincerely, an oval hater.
fake luxury sure is timeless
@@FirstLast-uz6eq Nahh the loaded versions had real wood very nice leather and its really well built (you can see that from the sound of the doors opening and closing f.e.) and it was up there with BMW and Merc believe it or not
They looked a bit dated at the time, but now that Rover is long gone, I miss them. I think they struggled to shake their poor quality image from the 70s, but by the end they were building some solid cars. 75s are robust, once you fix the head gaskets. 800s could be good too.
Rover began to find itself again in the early 90s, but after BMW bought them they refused to replace any of the older Honda based models, just facelift them. By the early 2000s they were selling expensive, 10 year old Hondas, with a timebomb of an engine. The 75 was the only car launched in the BMW era on a new platform. Once BMW were gone, Rover had nothing in the pipeline, and no money to start on anything, so it was a downward spiral from there.
I think if the Rover K series hadn't got its reputation for blowing head gaskets, which even children knew about at the time, and BMW had better funded future developments and not ran off with the Mini (and the 1 series, which was originally a Rover design for a new 25), Rover might well have still been around today.
A chandelier? That dome light looks like it was stolen off the set of Star Trek Voyager.
Ensign Kim, get that auxiliarymultidimensionaldiphaseinvertercouplingsenhancer from that vessel, on the double!
Rover, a car so sensitive they banned Jeremy Clarkson from reviewing it.
that's the City Rover, and it was James May who tried to review it. The company was dead within a year.
That was just a complete rubbish last ditch attempt to bring in some cash short term, you get some cash from sales short term, but lose brand image over time, here they had literally no more money, so if some company wants the sell their car in the UK under your brand, I know i would have taken them up, this however, does NOT detract from the excellence of 25, 45, and especially the over looked 75.
AutoTraders Verdict:
"The 75's biggest problem was its image; potential buyers just assumed it was hopelessly outclassed by rivals. Nothing could be further from the truth though, as the car could compete on equal terms with some prestigious adversaries"
P.S. I've been in that clarksonian position, please, if you have an interest in cars, PLEASE use a source outside of top gear, Watch some 'Men and Motors' reviews of cars, read some reviews online, Just as an example, The Peugeot 306 & 106 were considered best in class, despite, Clarkson's repeated rubbish reviews.His positive reviews usually are accurate but most bashing reviews are just nonsense, I still watch him, and if you ignore his pitiful jokes the appeal to non-car people, his opinions *often* make sense
Early 2000s top gear episodes showed them in an honest sense, and James May and Clarkson Agreed that the Rover 75/MG ZT were very likeable good cars, especially at the bargain price of 17K after they went bust, I mean 17K for a V8 RWD car with a manual box and 5 seats!
Im not that much into Rover and their stuff. I kind of like the looks of the 75. However, I hear a lot of bad things about the reliability of this car. Do you have any opinion on that?
Ascender2306 I just bought one on Saturday, picking it up tomorrow. The rover 75 1.8 had a head gasket issue and had a reputation of blowing up, but the 2.0 was bulletproof and the 2.5V6 was also a very reliable engine.
And how about rust and electronics? I am from Germany, so I am very much into German cars. But the 75 has always fascinated me, because of its british understatement.
The "Japanese" feel will have a lot to do with Rover's 15-year association with Honda in the run-up to the BMW buyout.
Too bad it doesn't have the Japanese reliability to go with it. Rovers are notorious for the opposite of that.
@@2thedudestdude Not true. There were headgasket troubles for a few years when they did some budget cutting but they were resolved. Generally they're very reliable.
@@2thedudestdude ironic you say that as during the Honda years they considerably improved in that regard.
3:20 you can lower your headlights if you have passengers in the rear or something in the trunk, so you won't dazzle oncomming traffic
I think you'll find it's called a "boot".
I think you'll find a boot in your plums
Britain also has car boot sales instead of flea markets.
You get the idea... I'm not from UK, neither from US, so my english is not excellent.
Been waiting for this review, I love the 75. I'd just like to point out that the Rover 75 is not anywhere close to a 3 series. It shares some bits and even has a BMW diesel as one of its engine options, but it uses a Rover-made platform. It's also transverse engine, front wheel drive, while the 3 series is inline engine, rear wheel drive.
Adoring Fan i stopped the video at 1:18 and searched for this comment, thanks !
Adoring Fan it's better than the 3 series of the same age. Safety and ride comfort lower insurance. The 3 series does not close.
Adoring Fan It's a rebadged Honda Accord..
Member Berry You're thinking of the 600. The 75 was a new design.
The 75 was available with a V8 and RWD too.
As a brit, I thought you did really well with this. Your view on car culture in the UK was pretty accurate.
And yeah, manuals are ubiquitous here along with smaller engine sizes (generally).
I've got English exam in 3 hours, but RCR is more important.
So fancy!
Fawn-seh
SEW FFAAHNSEUH...
With RCR's excellent writing I would argue watching RCR before English exam actually helps.
Leto Atreides SEEWWW FAHUNSEEEHHH
RCR>OCR
(English Joke)
Whenever i hear that "baby pull me closer in the backseat of your rover" song, I always imagine an old guy in his rover 75
That song is American right? Was Rover ever present in the US?
@@captainevenslower4400 a long time ago yes. The song is reference to Range Rover though. Presumably the writers had no idea Rover existed.
To this day the song lyric makes me laugh because of my associations though
I my dad used to own a subaru/british leyland dealership. The 75 was the last Rover our family owned. I really liked it back then.
falagarius the two extremes of reliability.
I've been waiting for this for so long. Not too much content for the 75. I love em!
those gloves
SEEEEEEEWWWW FAAAAANCAAAAAAAI!
alidaraie took me a few seconds but I got it haha
+10hp
Hi, the Rover 75 is not a BMW 3-series, it was built from the ground up as a completely new car. They did use a de-tuned BMW diesel in one.
I've secretly always wanted one of these. Well that secret's out... My dad had the previous model when I was a kid (620si). Rover made a lot of cool cars, it was a shame they bit the dust.
620ti... 2.0.turbo T series and Torsen diff. Must be rare now.
I had 2x 220 non turbo coupes, loved them.
If "Keeping Up Appearances" was still on air today, this is the car Richard Bucket would be driving while enduring Hyacinth's rants about Bremoaners.
Ahem......Bouquet.
Leto Atreides He'd rather have some leased more-or-less base spec German car. A BMW 318d or Mercedes C200 CDI or something.
HA! Yes, considering he drove a Rover 200 series in the show. I wonder what Onslow would have drove today?
General Cabbagehead A Mk3 Ford Mondeo. They're basically a moving vibe of lower-classness.
Leto my man you missed the whole point of Mrs Hyacinth Bouquet/Bucket...she would never have voted leave!.....Thatwas her brother Onslow!
I love UK cars cause I love the UK car culture. When this car came out it was pretty cool, and it's a shame Rover ended like it did. MG ZT is the way to go if you like the 75 btw.
75 if you want the executiveness, the zt if you red-blooded driver
When I was like 17, I used to go to the Rover dealership and spend hours sitting in all the mg's... I think the ZT is still pretty nice and less of an old person car :P
so you like chavs?
I thought chavs drove saxo's, 106's and the occasional corsa tho!
I've seen top gear review that car. From what I heard it's a damn fine machine with V8.
"A dream car is whatever you are willing to put that label on" perfect way to put it. I learned long ago that my chances of owning one of my childhood dream cars (IE: Mclaren F1, Saleen S7, Carrera GT etc) but, I could have a shot at a C6 Z06 in the not terribly distant future.
Always rather liked the Rover 75... Specially the MG ZT version with the Ford 4.6 Modular V8
I love the 75, used to have a V6 connoisseur and have missed it ever since, so much so, I've just bought another but a 2,litre diesel, it's a 2003, red, cream leather, needs a clutch and a mot soon, which is going to happen next week, but it's in great condition, paid £500 so worth doing👍
NoT rEgULAr In AmEriCa.
Life id be able to comment this every video, but for sweden, if you dont have a volvo v70 your not regular
I thought everyone in Sweden drove moose?
Only in the north part of Sweden known as Norrland. However the Same (pronounced as Sawmehh) people prefer raindear due to their lower driving position and the lower bodyroll ;)
"koenigsegg language"
only the poor drive a moose. regular people who are not lazy and can keep their jobs ride on polar bears. bears have better traction, can even climb into trees.
The Rover 75 was not based on the BMW 3-Series. The former was FWD transverse, the latter RWD longitudinal.
Jude Thaddaeus They also made a longitudinal RWD V8 version. You know you can change a drivetrain while keeping the same base/chassis right?
I have a Rover 75 tourer with the 2.0 Tdi bmw engine and it destroys and humiliates cars away from the lights because of the "silly old duffers" image. People don't expect them to be quick. And it's dam fine comfy. A wolf in a tweed jacket.
Martin Pope Clutch sqwark. ✅
I've had two, a manual diesel and automatic V6. Aside from the manual eating clutch cylinders on a regular basis, both were absolutely lovely. Sold the V6 with nearly 300,000 miles on it ten years ago, drove like it was brand new and it's still going strong apparently as I still see it driving around the area. Both were pre-Project Drive cars, so had none of the cost cutting which spoiled the post-2001 cars a bit for me. A top-spec Connoisseur is still an incredibly nice place to sit.
This car was the swan song for Rover. Now they're gone. The rightful parent of Land Rover, the car of administrative class, the car that a Queen, a Prime Minister or a farmer could own and drive. Good bye Rover may your Viking ship find Valhalla.
Maybe one day Tata will bring Rover back
They don't own the name, they had to call their version 'Roewe'.
C I T Y R O V E R pmsl
@@mescko You're thinking of SAIC, they created Roewe because they couldn't get Rover. Rover is owned by JLR/Tata.
1:03 Mr Regular Car Reviews says 'Hope Of Land And Glory', in the 2002 Game, The Getaway Charlie sings this before he dies, Charlie owned a red Rover 75, coincidence i think not.
FUN FACT: the Rover 75 was still in production in China until 2016 as the Roewe 750 and was sold in South America as an MG.
China bought out MG and took the rights to make 75s with them. Luckily they never got Rover themselves though.
would love to see JLR buy the Rover brand and create a nice Jag-based range £30-45k that sits below Jaguar.
they could then resurrect Daimler as a super-lux £100k plus brand, possibly rivalling Bentley :)
I'm not sure Tata has the marketing cachet to sell a "super-lux £100k plus" car. Not much need for cars like that in India. :-P
yeah they'll have to rip out the interior and put a two-stroke engine in it before it would sell in India.
The moment one finds oneself in a car such as the 75; one aquires the image of the intended demographic. You'll eventually catch yourself buying a suit or some tweed, then the flat cap comes, and suddenly you're a 65 year old man doing 40 in a national.
Same with Volvos from the period. You end up permanently fixed to Radio 4.
40 in a national. 40 in a 30. 40 in a 20. 40 in a 50, it’s just 40 all the time. ALL. THE. TIME. Unless you’re in a 40, and then you drop to 30.
The Rover 75 always looked good and the V8 RWD version of it is amazing!
Dumb question I'm American and I wanted to know if I could find a rover 75 or a mg zt with the V8 and import one to America later on but I want to know if they are expensive or hard to find in the UK?
@@carboydorifutoparty3976 they're cheap as fuck and pretty common here, by the time they're 25 years old they'll be just as cheap but probably quite rare by then
The string-back gloves for extra purchase in a Rover, Alan Partridge would be proud.
the 75 is in no way a 3 series underneath! lol
THANKS SO MUCH!! I've been wanting to see you review a rover for ages! LOVE IT!!
Why do I feel like James May would buy this car for his kid as a present
Shahaab Sherwani james may hated the rover 75
I have always coveted these. Especially that crazy 4.6L V8 Mustang engined RWD one they made for a few years. It's such a graceful gentleman's car. I feel like it's the perfect antidote to todays cars with their OTT grilles, huge wheels, fake exhausts and LEDs stuck all over them. Charming, is the word I would use.
The styling originally made a lot of people think they were Jaguars at first glance, with the early 2000's Jaguar equivalent of this car also being considered an old man's car. Rover made many terrible cars before this around the same time but the 75 is their last real swan song before going bust. Rover's reputation was already too far gone for the 75 to halt their decline unfortunately.
I've got one of these with a 2.0 CDT, it's my first car and I love it!
Rover 75. Im truly #blessed to be released from back shift this morning in beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada. To come home, pop open my laptop on the deck and find this parked on my screen. Ive always had a thing for a Rover.
hahahah a 1.8!
and oh my god hahahah the oval
and real wood?! you're killin me Mister R.
imagine how often you might slap those 4ways on down on the center console.
And oh my god the matching outfits buddy has for the car.
holy cow those are some low miles! I was thinking that interior looked incredibly clean inside. Neat story. Im sorry im comment bombing this thing
Holy shit, those compact trunk (boot) lid hinges. You can actually fill it up without big bendy hinges smashing any groceries. Feels good.
hi rcr im sorry but i worked for mg rover from 2003 until its demise and the wood on the dash was plastic sorry man.
the 1st gen ones were but in late 2001 they all changed to plastic for cost saving :( and with this being a (54 plate) 2004 it would most certainly be plastic
the one thing was the k series engine that was fitted was great but they had head gasket issues
the issue was they used to fit plastic (for some stupid reason) dowels in the crank case to line the head up when it was put on (cost saving) but when the head warmed up there would be movement and the gasket used to suffer for this. there was a replacement to fit metal dowels which worked a lot better but the issue was still there
great channel keep it up dude
James Hale IIRC the Rover 75 was cheapened a lot during production. Sometimes even every week would bring a revision.
Car Lover the last gen ones felt cheaper even the smallest things like the gear shift knob was cheaper the mg's were always slightly better but the build quality way alway good to be honest there was so many with 200000+ miles on them
aaah, the project drive
shouldn't it have the facelift if it is the 2004 model? I remember something about a facelift for the 2004 model.
Verliebt yes it did but there is also some older ones still waiting to be regestered so this car was technically on the change over from mk1 to mk2 both were available at the manufacturer. I loved the mustang v8 though the mk1 interior was better but the mk2 looked better
At 7:50 the gauges look like they're facing the passenger, weird af.
Ok so underneath it's a BMW 3 Series...
It isn't. Not even slightly.
Isnt it ford?
@@kristjanvendelin3566 nope, it’s it’s own platform. It only shares a rear axle with the BMW 3 series but the rest is different, including engines and gearboxes
I'm surprised no one has commented about the Shackleton High Seat chair from the Top Gear episode where they made a car for old people... And labeled it a Rover
I AM EXCITED FOR THIS SEASON
5:30 Umm no that's wrong. There were 3 cars designed for market, a small family hatch, a small saloon and a large saloon, the large saloon was the 75, medium saloon was the 45 amd the hatch was the 25.
My guesses for the other 5 cars:
Austin Mini Cooper
Black Cab
Land Rover Defender/Original land rover
Reliant Robin
And some type of compact sedan made by Ford.
8:01 Genuinely thought he was going to put that brick through the back window of the 75. Whether that says more about where I live in South-West London or the quality of the car is anyone's guess.
I remember seeing this type of Rover down in Argentina and I always wanted to know what it was. now I get to see the interior and must say it's a British car😊
93 miles?????? Dude found a brand new Rover on a car lot, damn he got lucky
Those driving gloves... Could've been made by Rover.
0:22 who else thought that was the Beatles Hello Goodbye?
Rover 75 is my absolute favourite car. It reminds me of one of the earliest Bentley Continental Flying Spurs. Such a smooth drive, its really a shame both the K-series motors and anti brit-built journalism at the time helped to sign the death certificate of the company.
The k series was a great engine, just a victim of cutbacks. The issues it has are not hard to fix either.
The chinese finally fixed the head gasket issues with the N-series motors which are essentially the same. Its just a big disappointment that the fix couldn't come earlier in the MG Rover timeline.
Rover themselves fixed the head gasket issues (more specifically land rover did) by using an MLS head gasket and steel head locating dowels, as they were the things that caused head gasket failure.
MrJustapersn Actually, it's simply a quite mediocre car, built at a point while the large family car segment saw a lot of innovation.
I still think that the VVC K series found in the MGF is the best 4cyl engine I've driven from a drivers perspective. It has such a smooth rush of power at any speed. Distinctive sound too.
I'm really surprised BMW didn't use it. It was so much better than their gutless 4cyls of the day, and even at its worst no more prone to HGF than what they were. They should have thrown money at it and used it themselves, but instead kept churning out a rubbish design with built with decent materials, when they had a design with some fabulous ideas that was so desperate for funding they cast it using prototype tooling!
After watching the TJ miller special on HBO where his legs were randomly drenched with water, and the video was skipping , and water-bottles were appearing on the stool and then appearing on the floor, i thought it was just elaborate tom foolery. But then this video skips at 2:45 and now im scared that im being watched.
You make a fair & informed point about the Rover company, at the height of it's power it was the "English Mercedes" it gave us the Land Rover & Range Rover, it helped create the compact luxury saloon way before BMW or Mercedes ever got around to it with the Rover P6. Even the large rear number plate harks back to it's former glory days (it's a design cue taken straight from the Rover P5) In a way Rover's still around, i believe the name is now owned by Jaguar/ Land Rover. One is a former BL stable mate, the other still proudly wears it's Rover name plate. Hope the info is useful guys.
Ah, fond memories... We ran one of these as our family car from 2003-2009. Dark blue with cream leather, it had the BMW Diesel and an Auto Gearbox. Lovely lovely car and very much missed. The Audi we replaced it with never had the same charm or the sense of well-being the Rover gave. A great car, and one I will always remember fondly.
JagWowawawawawawa
Stingray wawa > sheetz
spm204 absolutely not. sheetz > wawawawawa
Why can't British people say Jagwar correctly?
Kevin Smith why can't Americans say jagyouare correctly? The rest of the world says it that way.
"The rest of the world"? I think you'll find that speakers of the most common language on Earth say it "hog-war". With a clipped "R" that kind of sounds like a "D".
I laughed when you said that towing trailers is a thing here.
When I talk to Americans about trucks, they always go "you can't haul big game/wood/machinery in a sedan", and I'm like "...yes you can".
Your absolutely right. But over here you would probably get quite a few looks of disgust. Lol.
The interior looks as if the starship enterprise was fitted with wood grain.
hi, yes, hello, that crowded house rendition is one of romans' best yet!
If i don't see a twingo this season, i will hon the shit out of you.
They never sold Twingos in the UK, not the meme generation anyway
I know, which sucks. They thought it fine to inflict the Fiat Cinquecento on us though.
Vidya4Dank twingos are badass!
citroen bx
high five
I loved that musical intro, sounded like the Beatles Hello Goodbye
I prefer the Rover James
Logan T ha ha
Where can I get one?
That was a really insightful piece, you really nailed the market positioning and graceful decline of Rover into Chinese ownership. You observed some interesting things about cars and their owners over here. It's really informative to see your perspective on us. I look forward to the rest of the UK. Car stuff. It helps me to know better how to I gauge some of your US stuff as I have sod all actual experience of the US car scene.
Uuuggghhh so regular! Love it!
harris3693 In the UK nobody gives a toss what a Rover 75 could smoke.
Its not the X-Type is a ford Mondeo with a different body
Cory Brayshaw so if he drove the Jaguar X-Type would he get a Ford Contour vibe?
I saw this car today and he told me about this, as a big fan of the 75 and RCR I was surprised Id not seen it before, nice video (but its not got any shared parts or platform with the 3 Series). Now for an evening of Binge watching RCR UK specials!
ah I wish I still had my 2002 Skoda fabia estate 1.2 I would of loved to have taken you in that pulling machine 😉
8:58 that polarizing filter goodness
These had the option of the Mustang modular V8, didn't they?
We purchased a 2003 Rover 75 1.8 Classic last year with under 6,000 miles on the clock, due to our Nissan Figaro's cam belt snapped bending the valves due to both the cam and crank seals failing and DPF also failing again on our former everyday car, a 2006 2.7 litre Jaguar XJ6. The Rover 75 is a very enjoyable car to drive, a complete contrast to the Jaguar XJ6 and X-Type (that we should have kept), whilst both Jags made you feel special, the 75 makes me think of late 20th century Morris Oxford. I find it funny that you have radio remote switches on the steering wheel that don't do anything and a radio cassette in a car from 2003, even the Figaro has a radio, cassette and CD combo, not bad for a 1991 car. So there you are the 75 is a nice car, but the X-Type, especially the one we had with leather interior and a sun roof which I think is a rare option, is a much grander car, whilst the XJ6 enough said.
You inspired me to do a video on something British today.... Webley.
Great review as usual. I freakin love the Rover 75! I wish you where able to review the Rover 600 and the MG 6 also.
looks like a cheap jaguar, which can be a compliment for sure
It kinda look like Buick from the same time for me
My mum had one when I was a kid this car will forever make me smile when I see it
Those oval gauges and the Toyota centre instrument cluster are like the pitbulls and ariana grandes of cars: both should have never left the factory, yet they're still tolerated by many.
Ariana Grande does sound like a Japanese-market exclusive Toyota.
if ariana grande was a car she would be a Daihatsu Move Latte in white with candyfloss pink accents.
this on the otherhand is your tweedy, oldy, moustache-y granpa, trying to be hip and cool for their grandsons, which are not interested.
I'm the owner of the Rover 75 2.0 Turbo Diesel (yeah, BMW engine ;) ) , beautiful car :) I'm glad to see that it's still popular
its 4 AM and you posted a video. Go to bed.
not 4 AM in the UK! hawhaw!
yellowsubie you're clearly new here
Im korean and I remember this car on the news! Because both Rover and Ssangyong was under control of shanghai automotive group, rover 75 was considered as a new lineup for ssangyong in South Korea.
Driving gloves lol
what's so funny? you don't enjoy them on your mobility scooter?
it's a meme, go watch "Drive"
Awesome to see the UK series start. Can't wait for the future episodes.
ROVER!
54 plate is 2004/2005 though
InvadeTheAirwaves This must be a very late 03/04 then, as this is pre face lift
InvadeTheAirwaves that would only be when it's registered though
1:55 Those driving gloves... UGGHHHH SO BRITISH!!!!
Also: Roman, if you're going to keep doing what you do you might want to get the chords and vocals right.
This is my kind of ASMR.
My dream car was a 2005 rover 75 with some facelift headlights (or aftermarket) and it was metallic black with tan leather steats and in perfect condition. It had 90km on it and only cost 3000€! I started saving for that beautiful car just to hear it got sold a week later😞
SEW FAUNSEHHH
Smashing review and very entertaining with it! Cheers !
150ps at 550 rpm...
Lefteris Nalbantis I think he meant 5500 rpm
Still got my MG ZT 54 plate, had it from new, 2.0 cdti, never had any trouble with it, Love it to bits.
my neighbour got one just before he died.
Johnny Boyle my neighbor got one after he died
Johnny Boyle my neighbour died in one
My name is Jeff
Car crash?
nearly everyone called it right.old guy had heart attack and crashed it. i bought it cause it was mostly fixable.then in a very uncool James Dean connection i crashed it several hours after i had gotten it back from the garage and ruined it totally
I owned a v6 one of these, super smooth and quiet, awesome cars!
So easy to get in and out of you know.
A friend has one of these and it spends more time in the mechanic shop than on the road. But riding in it is very pleasing.
4:09 - I think you mean United States, not UK
The Jazz is called the Fit in the us.
The 75 also had a 4.6 V8 model that was converted to rear wheel drive from the factory. The engine was basically the 2v 4.6 modular found in the SN-95 Mustang GT.
*Starts talking like a British auto show presenter without irony or an explanation, talking about "petrol" engines and "Pensioners'" cars, in case British people watch the show they'll be impressed... may as well have found an excuse to eat crisps in ur lorry :)
Mr Regular is definitely the best man for the job to review a ROVER 75
So this is a British car, but why is the MPH the main unit of measure instead of KMH?
because we're half arsed and didn't fully go metric
Because Brexit?
I had no idea you reviewed this car. I'm late to the party, but enthusiastic, for sure. In 2006 I found myself working in the defunct offices of the MG/Rover brand right after they had gone into administration and were, at the time owned by PricewaterhouseCoopers. A giant factory and office space for thousands with just one hundred people milling about, trying to find the rhythm of Staying Alive while we took turns with chest compressions and mouth to mouth. I moved from the USA to England for the job and I stayed in a Shakespear themed hotel when I first arrived, each room was named after a famous work from old Bill. Mine was called, Comedy of Errors. I could go on an on of what a delightful shit show it all was, but the best part was that I got to own a Rover 75 and drove it all over England, feeling like I had arrived in some way. I miss that car.