Real Road Test: Rover battle! 800 vs SD1 

The SD1 was my dream car. I owned one for a short while. I loved it, spent many weekends reattaching trim, tracing water leaks and fixing electrical problems. Once everything was fixed it was a real joy to drive. The best part was the long legged manual gearbox.

I was brought up on SD1 after SD1 all V8's that seated 5 kids, could tow a huge caravan and with a boot full of stuff. My father used to play Barbara Dickson 'caravan' as we burbled our way to wales on holiday. No Contest, in spite of it's flakey build quality the SD1 was a robust car, only let my dad down once when the Borg Warner box spewed its torque convertor and his green V8-S saved my life when I fell asleep at the wheel and hit an electricity pole which sheared and shunted the rover into a ditch across the road which was as deep as the car was long. It caught fire and I managed to put the fire out with water from the ditch. So no contest for me. Beautiful design, classic engine, comfortable (too comfortable) and a robust chassis. Sorry for going on, but I have a lot of respect for these cars.

“Let’s go right here” as hubnut turns left 😂😂😂😂 Classic Ian

Styling .. it's the SD1. Definitely the best looking police car in the old "jam sandwich" days.

David from Tasmania here, Love Hubnet. I had a 1978 SD1 SE from 1985 to 1990. Absolutely loved it. I was living in Sydney then, and a friend who owned a Rover service centre advised me to avoid the fuel injected version and buy a carburetted one. I had plans. After about 6 months of ownership, I took the car to a Rover conversion company in North Sydney and had the 3.5 litre V8 swapped for a 4.4 litre engine from the Australian Leyland P76. Put the 3.5 litre cylinder heads back on, (ups the compression) a new intake manifold from the UK, bigger carbies, and a full flow 2 inch exhaust system. Sounded glorious. It was a beautiful long distance touring car. Drove many times from Sydney to Adelaide, 1430 klms, sometimes in one day. and the SD1 would average about 28mpg. My late wife absolutely loved it. My only major problem was water ingress in to the back hatch. Spent a couple of hours matching the shape of the plastic taillights to the shape of the steel body, presto, no more water leaks. About 18 months after I sold it, we passed the Rover on the road on the way back from an Adelaide F1 Grand Prix. Just about every panel had a ding in it, and it looked like it hadn't been washed since I sold it. I nearly cried. Would love another one. Keep up the good work, Cheers, David

Little update on the cars now. I still have both! The 800 interior has had a lot of tlc. The wood was relaquered, the leather on the wheel and front seats recoloured and the headlining redone. There was a little rust on the sun roof that was properly repaired and the roof resprayed. Also, the wheels were restored. The SD1 has had a lot more tlc. Dashboard was replaced by a like new one, so the shine is gone and all the wood was replaced and relaquered. Looks a million bucks now. Fog lights installed, horn repaired, wheels restored and an Edelbrock carburetor fitted. Last but not least, there were some rust spots in the floor and boot area. Everything is welded and good now. Both cars are being pampered as good o can do!

Head says 800, heart says SD1. Got to be the SD1 though, on looks alone.

The 800 is a nice looking car but the SD1 is one of my favourite all time cars.

Back in the 1980s i owned both cars, absolutely loved them! Unfortunately i was 10 and the cars were in 1:43 and made by Corgi. ;)

That 800 is absolutely gorgeous. Would love to own one one day.

What a nostalgia! Thanks for sharing. I had the SD1 (2600) in white. Beautiful car but he was very sensitive to rust. After that the 800 Fastback in gray, the 820Si black and 820Si in red. The most beautiful and best cars I have ever had.

That's got to be the finest example of an SD1 I've ever seen, truly fabulous machine!! Loved these back in the day :D

Our neighbours when I was growing up had a blue SD1. I must have only been about 6 years old, but I remember the plush seats, smooth ride and that wonderful engine noise, even being so young!

Love the early SD1s. If I could find a really good one it would be VERY tempting.

One of the best reviews you have done Ian. Exactly how it should have been done, I watched every second of this one. Spot on, even had indicator flashing differences at the end. Thank You!

This is one of those videos that I watch over and over and over again. I love hearing you talk about cars I love. Thanks for all your effort

I’ve always wanted a SD1 VDP after watching Rita Sue and Bob too 😂

Great video, brought back great memories for me having done my apprenticeship with British Leyland from 1978 and worked with Rover and Land Rover until 1989, continued with Rover V8's in TVR's for 10 years after that.

The SD1 was a truly beautiful looking car. That example looks like it was just wheeled out of the showroom.

Brilliant comparison video. I watched it in two separate viewings to be able to understand the full differences and take in the history information of the SD1 and 800. Very enjoyable.☺

I remember the first time I saw that car. in my area on that date, there were only Renault 4 and Citroen 2cv. Well, one autumn afternoon in '83 I saw that car for the first time. To this day I have not seen a car as beautiful as that. Love at first sight

WOW what an amazing video !!!!,,,,,,, will watch it later ,,,,,,,,, the cars are so interesting !!!!!! When the SD1 was launched in 1975 the style was out of this world !!!!!!!

Hearing “Buy the two cars” is not nice for my wife’s ears... But it is a good piece of advice: do not choose, take both. Love it! ❤️

Your love for wipers is amazing it’s now making me look at wipers ,thank you for the great reviews 👍

I just love the plain instrument panel on the SD1, it's so plain it's beautiful!

Great review and a very close run thing, but it would be the SD1 for me. That wonderful sound-track. Lovely. Thanks Ian.

I remember as a kid, we visited the Cowley plant and watched the 800’s being built! Was awesome seeing the big rolls of steel at one end and then seeing the finished cars being driven off the production line.

You've done a lot of astonishing videos during your road trip, but this one may be the best yet

My word wasn't the SD1 a beautiful designed car

I think the pre-facelift 800 is such a good looking car. It looks modern even today. Beautiful car.

Oh my goodness, who could choose. I have always, always loved the Rover 3.5V8 and the SD1 styling is wonderful...but I do also love Honda engines and Honda mechanicals in general. What a great head-to-head Ian, thank you so much.

What an amazing video! Always wanted to see these two together 😍 thank you 😎👌🏼

"Styled to look like a Ferrari Daytona and it does", Jeremy Clarkson

Both cars are soooo fantastic and look so destinguished! GREAT video! Thanks. Still waiting for a Leyland Princess 2200HLS video ;-)

Always lovely to see well looked after old cars still being driven & enjoyed 👌

Sd1 for styling, 800 for everything else! I had 3 800s, two 820i and one vitesse. Absolutely loved them. Once again a good review for people who like cars and are bored by the stupid antics of top gear, thank you.

I owned an SD1 Vitesse, which was awesome. 5 speed manual gearbox and 190bhp. 150mph and animal acceleration. Loved it!

The 800 fastback all day long. I’ve owned 2, the 820 and 827 lovely cars wish I still had the 827. Great vids by the way, really enjoyed your Croatia road trip. Keep up the great work 👍

B966 PHA 1984 VDP V8 owned when I was 20 back in '93, mine had the GM 180 auto box which I'm told was a big upgrade in 1982 from the old Borg-Warner unit. Must have gone through at least 3 fuel pumps in the 2 years I owned it! Great memories Ian thanks...

A "plush wafting barge" this has to be the most apt description ever! Love it.

Interesting on the gearing. I drive a 3800 V6 Buick Regal (the block design is 90 degrees and is based on the V8 engine). It has a 4 speed auto with torque converter lock up in top resulting in around 37mph/1000. It pulls it easily and has done 260k miles and is showing little if any signs of being tired.

The car you did not recognize was an Oldsmobile Alero. Built on GM’s N platform shared with the Pontiac Grand Am and Buick Skylark. An OK cheap point A to B used car but as underwhelming and unexceptional as it gets. I would imagine it was sold as a new car over there. I can’t imagine someone going to the trouble to actually import one. I’m surprised by how many Dodge/RAM pick ups I have seen in the background. Ford and Chevrolet are seen far more often in the US. The SD1 just looks classier and more exotic somehow. The 800 is clearly a more refined version of the same styling.....but somehow it looses some of the slightly sinister excitement of the older car. Fortunately or unfortunately, looks count for quite a lot. I’d have the SD1. Great content. Like you, I’ve always wanted to see a comparison of the two. Thank you.

Hi Ian,what a review on these two Rovers,both nice cars,I remember the SD1,back in the day,the Vitesse is a nice car, awesome video.

Great head to head. Having owned two V8s - one an auto with carb, the other a manual Vitesse Twin Plenum - and driven the Sterling, it's the SD1 for me every time! A fuel-injection manual gets around the power and gearing issues and makes the SD1 just feel more special...

I once met a bloke who had worked at Rover with David Bache. I was pronouncing his name as if it had to rhyme with the French word for: "cow". The bloke told me that it was actually pronounced: "Baish". Unfortunately, I never owned an SD1. But I did own a Rover 800 Vitesse in exactly the same colour as the one in your video. It was called: "Storm Grey". At the time, I was working in Belgium, and had a Belgian girlfriend. Naturally I impressed upon my girlfriend the importance of driving ONLY British cars. One day she came upon me with the bonnet raised. She cast her eye over the engine. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at the air-cleaner. "And that?", she asked, pointing elsewhere. In fact she was pointing at the labels inside the engine compartment - all of which were in Japanese. She was coming to the conclusion that in spite of my rhetoric, I appeared to have bought a Japanese car. To my shame, there was more Japanese graffiti on my "British car", than you would expect to find in the average Shinto shithouse. Eventually, of course, we were rescued from the Japanese ... ... ... by the Germans!.

I miss my 800. Although I think I miss looking at my neighbour's SD1 even more

WOW! This is the best head to head comparison EVA brilliant 👍 thanks

When I worked in car bodywork we turned a V8 SD1 in to a roofless buggy , the side swooped down like the fiberglass VW beach buggy shape , down at the side and up over the haunches , and for stiffness no doors and a welded boot lid and bracing with a seam welded frame , you just stepped in , fun project it got attention on the road.

OMG that SD1 is one of the most beautiful things in the world. It looks amazing in that colour. What a luckily man the owner is. He clearly adores it, and rightly so.

Wow, this takes me back. I had customers with SD1s in the 1980s and drove a few of them - beautiful design inside and out but so badly made. The interiors fell to bits very quickly - in one I went over a speed hump at a slowish pace (a Ford Granada would have not been upset) and the instrument pod actually detached itself from the dashboard - the plastic fastenings were so brittle they had snapped. Performance was good, the ride was OK, the steering was lifeless and over-sensitive and horrible. In the 1990s British Gas loaned me their natural gas powered prototype 800 (I was on all sorts of alternative energy committees) for assessment and it didn't look as good as the SD1, inside or out. It drove really well, steered beautifully, had a good ride and adequate performance. It was still not a 'quality' car in terms of finish - interior plastics were cheap-looking and it had a very plasticky smell too. Switching from petrol over to gas resulted in a slight drop in performance, but not significant. The air-con was hopeless - either too hot or way too cold and the screen kept misting up regardless of the settings. The 800 was the better car by a large margin but the SD1 for all it faults was a more pleasant vehicle to be in - light and airy and more comfortable too.

Interesting video. Thanks Hubnut! It’s refreshing to have intelligent reviews of cars that are typically ridiculed for cheap laughs by certain motoring journalists out there. In my college days I worked for a Austin Rover garage in the holidays. One of my jobs was a bit of car collecting and dropping off, picking up customers etc. I drove most things BL or AR at the time, including a few SD1s. I think I drove the 2300 and I definitely drove both the 2600 straight six and the 3500 V8. The V8 was certainly rarer and more special, but both were lovely as I remember, apart from the very light and no feel power steering, as you mention. Some were auto, some manual I drove. The autos were my first taste of such luxury and seemed amazing at the time. In the V8 manual you could put it in 5th (top) at 40mph and it just (so) smoothly pulled away. Having a 5th gear was fairly novel too in those days. It was the best car I’d ever driven by a long way. Still have a soft spot for them now. I mean, just look at it! A Vitesse with the fuel injected 190 bhp (if I remember correctly) V8 would be a very pleasant thing to own I’m sure. Next stop Autotrader!

now that sound from the sd1 takes me back to me youth when me dad had one loved the car the styling is just stunning ..

Had an SD1 2300S back in the day, with a straight six engine and a five speed manual box it was great fun to drive. Despite it's faults I absolutely loved that car and really enjoyed this video.

The SD1 dashboard looks like a forerunner of the new Mercedes A Class....

Back in 1977 when I had a Toolmaking apprenticeship at a local factory all the top bosses, directors etc had SD1's. Can still see them now parked up in a line. I used to look out the Toolroom window and dream of owning one, longing to dump my own rotting 850 Mini for one of theirs. It never happened...lol

Back in the day I had a 1983 3.5 SD1. I really loved that car. It was red and looks very much like the one in your review but the steering wheel was on the correct side. Great content please keep it coming.

That sd1 sounds lovely. Always had a soft spot for these. Remember the police using them when I was a kid

I always liked the Sd1. I remember when I was at primary school a police Sd1 was shown to us and we were allowed to get in the car. The siren was blaring and everything. The 800 is very nice too and would like the chance to drive one of them one day.

The lines, the styling. My first car and still first love, the SD1 had the style and practicality. Every time I drove I felt king of the road. Wish I could find someone to restore her, as she's been in storage since 2000.

Brings back memories of my old 827si. Can relate to that thump when you put it into drive, mine done that. Plus hearing the trim rattles reminds me of my first month of 827si ownership where i tracked down each and everyone of those rattles. And yes, i did tend to boot it around a fair bit (younger days), so can confirm she was no slouch. Can remember getting from Combe Martin in North Devon to the Reigate turn off on the M25 in two and a half hours on one occasion. Same trip today takes an hour or two longer - probably not a bad thing ;-)

I would have to buy both because I like both of them. Another good video mate. 👍👍

The Honda C27A is so smooth and in general it seems an excellent engine, I am impressed.

Takes me back to 80’s childhood when I was taken for a trip in a SD Vitesse, changed my view on cars :) Still loved my dad’s 2cv though!

Great road test video, thanks Mr HubNut! Which one to choose.........? I think the SD1 has more classic lines and SO much velour and it's always exciting to know whether your car will actually start and get where it's going..! On the other hand, I agree with the sentiment "just buy both"!

SD1 was a absolutely awesome design such a fantastic looking car, the 800 is somewhat more ordinary in comparison.

Had a V8 SD1 many moons ago, have very good memories of it and as so...the SD1 wins for me personally. Very much enjoyed this head to head Ian 👍

Brilliant video Ian . I’ve had both sd1 and 800 2 of each . I had a v8 efi sd1 in 1994 on the a plate that I hit a Ford Fiesta up the rear at an angle of 45 degrees and caused significant damage to it and the only damage to my rover was a broken headlamp washer . The second sd1 was in 97 a 2.6 manual in the same red as the v8 here . In 98 I bought an early 820 saloon with a slightly hesitant auto gearbox I bought this as my cousin had an 825 sterling that put a smile on my face every time I got to drive it my 820 however didn’t. In 2004 a friend of mine was selling his rover sterling complete with dashboard lift for very little money at the time I had a ford escort ghia x that my brother really wanted to get his hands on so I let him have it and become yet again a rover 800 driver . A year later I quit my job and set up as a motor trader mostly selling the Range Rover classic and jags of the same age (early 90s ) and I can honestly say the jags of that ear-a felt the same to drive as a rover 800 .

Aah, nothing quite like an SD1, gorgeous. I owned one for several years, late model V8 VdP auto, retrofitted with an Edelbrock inlet manifold and Holley 4bbl carburettor. This in Africa, original owner was the MD of Leyland Zimbabwe. Loved it, although it did tend to leak steering and transmission fluid..a lot! Delighted to hear ItchyBoots make nention of HubNut on her most recent video!

That SD1 is beautiful!

I love the 800 design. Something about the proportions, the wheelbase and ride height is perfection to my eyes. Dad had a 95 saloon. SD1 is good too.

Hi Ian, good vid. I worked at Rover when the SD1 was being made and a 3.5 was always the choice to use when driving between locations (then a Dolly Sprint, TR7 and if really stuck there was one of the last MGB GT's known as "The Ashtray" but better than a Marina or Allegro). Many years later I was working in the IT industry where they gave me a car allowance and more importantly a petrol card. This allowed me to buy a used but serviceable Rover 800 Sterling, fully loaded with electic everything included front and rear leather seats, the kids loved those. Fantastic car and the Honda 2.7 was very sweet and fast. The car fell to bits around me but everyone loved it while it was here. You pose the dilemma of which to choose. No contest really, either of the V8 P6's I owned would be my choice, up with the mini and E type as the best designed British car in my opinion.

I drove an 827 Vitesse well before I could afford to drive one, absolutely loved it.

I loved my SD1 - cost me a fortune in 1986/87 as it was only two years old when I got it. Comin home from Blackpool to South Manchester in 25 mins once. D179 MOK.....rest in peace.

The SD 1 is a beautiful car, the British Citroen CX.

What a lovely way to spend half an hour or so. Blimey I love both those cars. I had an A reg vdp in silver and loved that car tons. Only got rid as it was starting to show rust and being silver. I've also had a 2.5 Sterling and the 2.7 vitesse. Oh those 3 cars were manual gearboxes. My vdp was quite quick and fully laden with four friends in it I hit 140mph according to the speedo lol. However the 800 series sterling was sublime compared to the SD1 but of the 3 it was the 2.7 vitesse fastback. What a car. Great sound handled more than well enough. I'd love another but I doubt I'd find a good enough one. Great video loved every bit of it. Great review.

Classic HubNut - "- - - - better quality plastic !" Well done Ian, we love you.

I'd like to see you assess the Rover 75 V6, which I always enjoyed very much. A very elegant and refined car, IMHO, and severely underrated.

I had a 2.3 straight 6 cylinder SD1and though people said the engines were rubbish, mine was great. It was so smooth I often tried to start it when it was already running. The handling was also very comfortable and springy like a cheater crouching to pounce. Driving down to Cornwall on the A303 late at night ( to miss the traffic) it just ate up the miles in comfort and effortless speed. It was also so beautiful to look at even when I saw it parked, I would often just savour the moment, even though it was my own car.

Its awesome that you found ones that run.

I loved the mk1 827, I had the 827SL it was in british racing green, the engine sound was lovely and great fun to drive on the motorway

Rita and sue and Bob 2 had plenty of room in the back :)

Oh thank you, thank you ...THANK YOU. SD1s are lovely, also Rover should have used the footage of Tony Pond "doing" the Isle of Man challenge and they could well have sold many more 800's.

I had a white Vitesse auto and a silver Vanden Plas. Love them both ❤ had the Vitesse from 5 months old! Kept it 17 years then sold it to a film company! It was still in fabulous condition! ❤️

The SD1 was not seen in my part of the world. (Idaho, USA). I met a graphic designer with one , and it was like a spaceship. And still seemed absolutely British (or at least my American idea of what that meant) And the noise was amazing. They made that 3.5 sound a lot better than it did in my 1962 Buick. Well done, Rover. It's a bucket list car for me.

The SD1 is definitely the more iconic car but you seemed to speak more positively about the 800.

Hope u enjoyed the cars from Marc!! And enjoyed the Dutchroads WITHOUT puttholes!!!

SD1 ownership a rare thing here in the west of Ireland. Automotive equivalent of 'The Snowman'. Great video Ian, very interesting to see how well the SD1 was engineered considering the shoestring budget. On a side note, bit ironic that you test drove that car in Holland considering Spen King died of complications related to a cycling accident.

A fun comparison to watch! I recall seeing an article (in Popular Mechanics, maybe?) in the States, ca. 1980, about the SD1; I thought it was a fantastic-looking car. I cannot recall if these ever came to the States? The Rover 825/827 we got here, as Saloon only (I think), as the (mentioned) Sterling. Closest experience I had w/ that model was the then-new (ca. 1986) Acura Legend (test-drove one). I was impressed w/ the smoothness of the 2.5 liter V-6, the 5-speed gearbox, and its relatively good handling. Wanted one, but couldn't justify the 20-grand they were new. I'm continually amazed at the cars you find to test, Mr. HubNut; here in northern Ohio, most pre-2000-anythings are looking "very shonky" (rusting out badly), unless they are garaged during the Winter season. Otherwise, it's mostly Fords, Chevys and Kias, or almost any sort of SUV...

13:10 Yes that gear box gives about 22mph/1000 the manual about 26 so(auto) a bit revvy on the motorway?

SD1 every time just because I can still remember as a kid going WOW when I first clapped my eyes on one when they came out. The 800 always looked good as a fastback though, both cars far outshone the anonymous boxes that shared the road with you that day.

SD1 everyday of the week. Either a late series 1 V8S in green with gold wheels, or a late VDP in the same colour as your test car. Just beautiful!

When it worked, I loved my SD1 v8 ... re-bored engine rebuild ... The soundtrack was excellent and you could get it to kickdown ... At speed (ahem, not saying I was exceeding the National Speed Limit !) the aerodynamics kicked in and the car 'sat down' onto the road making it feel very secure ... I miss it, but not the continuous failures ...

Always had a softspot for the SD 1

Now you need to find a nice 75 to compare Cheers Chris

You're a walking encyclopedia on cars! I had an 820i saloon, to replace a SDi VP. The 820 was amazingly quick - 140 bhp with manual gearbox, very aerodynamic. I didn't do 130 mph shortly after buying it, on an empty motorway.

Both cars are stunning and I’m finding it difficult to choose my favourite......so I’ll have both please!! (I do prefer the hidden rear wiper of the 800 though!......but the V8 of the SD1......aaarrgggghhh😂) I really enjoyed the back to back comparison format! 👍👍👍

SD1 every time but make it a Twin plenum Vitesse with Manual

Cassette Player In the SD1 is the same that can be found in Early K11 Nissan Micras and the 800 Centre Air vents are the Same that can be found in an LDV Convoy! I need to get out more 🤣

Back in the day hard shoulders were littered with sd 1's usually in lemon yellow. My nephew has a homogolation vittesse. Lovely thing. I had a V6 like yours. Nice thing but hydraulic tappet problems and rust. Once drive though.

I love both of em, there really nicely designed. It would be nice to see a head to head of the diesel variants of them, even if it meant a little bit of editing magic, from two separate videos. And and test of the later 800's to see how much if any better they got.