Rover 75 1.8 Turbo Goes for a Drive 

I'm on my fourth. Still in love. ❤

@@troo_story why you keep selling and buying? that dont make sense at all, unless you have all 4's

The facelift versions, updated wheels and revised interiors were bad steps which marred the elegance. I also preferred the badged 75 to the MG versions for the same reason. The non turbo 1.8 was, however, hopelessly underpowered.

These are so underrated. My dad has a P5B and this is a fantastic nod to that. It bought the P5 to the newer generation, like the 800 did with the SD1. 👍

@@freddieparrydrums I fully agree with you, as a boy my dad had a 3500 SD1 and I have had the 800, 45 , even a Rover badged Montego and the Ronda (!) 600. I fell in love with the P5B as a boy, there was a specialist dealer down the road from me and, of course, it always looked magnificent on TV as ministerial transport and indeed that film with hammy Roger Moore, The Man Who Killed Himself (or something like that). Oddly, I prefer the standard model to the so called Coupé, I think it suits the lines better and is probably slightly more practical. Oh, that majestic grille and V8 burble! I'm sure that the Chrysler 300C took design cues from the P5B but it doesn't, in my opinion, really work in a modern context.

@@thomasgray5406 Thanks for your response Thomas! I’ve always been a Rover lover. I think it was my dads P5 that brought me into it as I’m only 14 so I never had a chance to see them back in the day unfortunately. My dads is an admiralty blue Saloon, and I’ve always thought the same; I prefer the saloon because I think it suits it better. They’re rarer but not worth as much (which doesn’t bother me because we’ll never sell it!) My dads friend (who owned it before us) had it for 27 years and bought it when he was 20. Unfortunately he died at 47, but I’m glad we got the car as we’re looking after it for him forever. He also agreed with us, that the 300C shared cues from the P5, however we always thought it was too boxy. The grille is the signature piece of the P5 (as well as the rear, much like the 75) and I think it looks like the Routemaster bus slightly. :)

@@freddieparrydrums I must say that you're incredibly literate at just fourteen! That particular blue was a popular P5 and P6 colour and it suits both very well. I agree that the 300C is too boxy and looks incongruous in modern traffic. The film I was referring to is The Man Who Haunted Himself, the car is the star in many respects. The P5B was still widely used by politicians in the 80s. The interiors are so beautifully appointed although the carpeting is difficult to maintain. For decades, Rovers had headlinings that were notorious for eventually sagging.

Isis is also the name of the upper Thames in Oxford before the Cherwell merges. It was also the name of a 50's Morris and the University 2nd rowing eight.

@@tonys1636 that’s is not an good name

@@louisbeerreviews8964 Only because of the recent terrorist group, the River Isis has been that name since the Romans.

I've had one of those for 6 years. Nice car but there is no real wood in there whatsoever.

@@gustavmeyrink_2.0 The series 1 had real wood up to about 2003 and after that a plastic veneer was used in the series 2 .

@@PhilipKerry mine was a pre-facelift Connoisseur CDTi Tourer. Definitely no wood in there but it looked exactly like the one in the vid here except of course leather seats and chromed mirrors.

It annoys me when Americans call Land Rovers “Rovers” this is a Rover. 😂

These are so underrated. My dad has a P5B and this is a fantastic nod to that. It bought the P5 to the newer generation, like the 800 did with the SD1. 👍

You and me both. BMW needed small cars in their otherwise "gas guzzler" range to address that imbalance or run the real risk of punitive EU financial penalties. A punitive scenario JLR currently face with their model line up apparently. The two small Rovers; the Bini and 25/45 replacement off set that imbalance. Those were asset strip retained and the rest cast aside. Other cherry picked components of the once massively asset rich Rover Group were retained or sold off. With a bonus of setting the huge R&D development costings of the two small new cars against the Rover Group Balance Sheet. Cue their description .. "English Patient" and other niceties like the 75 launch. Not too "clever" accounting there and a mug Nation yet again got ... mugged. Unless News of the all too frequent FAKE variety, BMW sold off the JLR asset to FOMOCO for more than they paid for the whole asset rich Rover Group. Many Brits saw the Rover Group uber-cheap sell off to the Bavarian outfit as the answer to UK's indigenous Automotive Industrial problem. "Foreign Investment" indeed. Others saw those entrusted to the longer term well being of UK's assets as failing miserably to protect indigenous UK industry. Mugs will get mugged. The Rover debacle is just one of many National assets allowed to slip into foreign ownership and control for peanuts. Cue asset stripping and run ... still ongoing. All very sad. It means I can never again have the pleasure of buying a new MG or Rover as I have done in the past thus sustaining good careers and jobs to the good folks of the UK Midlands. I can of course buy a new MG ZS EV or HS tomorrow like two of my close neighbours have done. I have no problem with that except those MGs should have been built in the UK Midlands. Not the Peoples' Republic of China. Only in the UK .. :sigh: Meantime I shall continue to creep about in my aged MG ZT 1.8Ts and MG ZS. OK hold my hands up. I lied... about the creeping about bit!

A Civic 2008 Mk8 1.8 iVTEC was my previous car. I never imagined a Rover 75 with the amazing VTEC engine, until now. Coupled with a good automatic, it would have been sublime!

Oh I suspect the Phoenix Consortium think they managed things pretty well if you think about it.

bmw made sure rover failed when they sold it by withholding all the new product designs. disgraceful.

Rover failed long before Phoenix.

Better than a Mondeo in a nice skirt.

@@Steve-gc5nt Hmmm.... At least the X-Type looks like a Jag, as opposed to the new Jag's that look like Mondeo's..... 🤣🤣🤣

can you still get parts easily for them there?

@@furiousdriving Not really and the prices for 75's remain strong here, much, much, higher than the UK.

These are so underrated. My dad has a P5B and this is a fantastic nod to that. It bought the P5 to the newer generation, like the 800 did with the SD1. 👍

Hes a top chap, glad to have finally driven this car, and thanks, will keep an eye on the post!

As soon as I saw those gloves I knew it had to be! Perfect for keeping that steering wheel light. Glad to see that owner still has it, was it his first car or am I imagining that?

@@edithclement5973 yes something like that, I know he has no plans to sell it ever

I agree

Some cow in Bovril as Jasper Carrot used to say! Ill save that for the next one

@@furiousdriving ‘Urry up an’ finish yer cowin’ Bovril.......!’

What does a southerner know about food, they don't even put gravy on chips 😂😂

@@neilwalsh4058 Add cheese curds to the chips with gravy and you poutine, a French-Canadian delicacy.

@@michaeltutty1540 loving the sound of that 👍

Top Gear didnt like the dials but the les entertainment, more actual car review motoring press liked it, Top Gear always had it in for Rover so we never expected a positive review from them!

It was erroneously compared the much more expensive S-Type, when it was really a car to compete with the higher end Vectras, Mondeos and mid-range Omegas and at the price point, nothing could beat it quality and finish wise. I think if they had marketed the turbo as a sporty version with mesh grille, bigger wheels and stiffer suspension and as somewhat of a halo car they might've had a chance making the car more aspirational rather than the grandpa image it got.

I remember hating it when it was launched. Although I suspect it wasn't aimed at the younger driver. Strictly boomers.

@@KarlHamilton When the car was launched, the younger boomers (like me, from the mid-sixties, when births actually peaked) were still in their mid-thirties. The average buyer was way, way older than that - many of whom were old geezers who had bought new Rover P6s back when they were around 40 themselves and were glad to find a decent new Rover again. Those initial buyers created a slightly geriatric image. I think the 75 was too large to address a youthful audience, anyway. Could you ever figure a 20ish guy wearing a base cap backwards lusting after one? If Rover had landed a solid hit among people in their forties (like the E-class or BMW 5-Series), it would have been just fine. Intentionally or not - they missed those....

It's strange though, James May really had a turnaround on the 75. Towards the end of its life he was singing it's praise.

You are right. Rover is too close to BMW for the people at BMW to keep the brand alive. M.

These are so underrated. My dad has a P5B and this is a fantastic nod to that. It bought the P5 to the newer generation, like the 800 did with the SD1. The design is just perfection and I’m very surprised it couldn’t get them going again

my change coming right up. can t wait.

If you are ever in the north east of England I’ll take you for a spin in mine. I’ll also take you for a spin in my 1960 Sprite. Tea too. M.

I think that Rover is now no longer there is a mix of every thing. When you look, that the target group of Rover was pretty simmular to BMW. Before the BWM takeover, rover had a 200 hp coupe and an estate car. Both disapeared with BWM. Why the Rover 400 didn't have an turbo in it with the T-Series or even light tuned K-Series? Sure if they wantet to keep with the other brands they would had need to overhaul the engines that they are more tuneable with turbos and the general thing witch the Chines did. Don't get me wrong, I realy like these engines. BMW wanted Honda to get out more from europe. Especially in Germany, I don't often see Hondas anymore. BWM split the Rover Group, so Rover manly had 4 cars left. And thats it. No Landrover, no Mini. BWM kept some realy nice arts of the next generation cars from rover, which look a bit like the Golf 6/7 from the side and also the 1-Series from BMW. But you just cant only blame BMW. Take the Mini redesign, they just didn't come to an end, like they did in the Layland days. They should have made more aggressive cars to get a sporti image in some cars and not just adding vvc. There should have been more to come to the youth market to stay allife in my oppinion. As I said, don't get me wrong I realy like these cars even they just have an 1.6 with 111hp in it. Sometimes I just dream with chances and configurations there could have been now...

yes, I went for the 156 with my own money when it was a toss up between that or an MG ZT/75, I don regret the Alfa at all, should have bought both..

I always loved Rovers too. Had a 620, 420 and a 75. The 75 was in a different league to the others. Even compared to my Dad's 825.

Incidentally as the story goes the transmission tunnel is due to Rover wanting the car be RWD in all forms. The usual BMW meddling supposedly put an end to it under the "we don't want it to be sporty" stuff.

These are so underrated. My dad has a P5B and this is a fantastic nod to that. It bought the P5 to the newer generation, like the 800 did with the SD1. 👍

Im looking forward to seeing some video of your new toy soon, Ill probably be a bit jealous!

Useful consumer advice there!

Sorry the rover 75was never built as well as the Jaguar s type to me the rover 75 was a poor mans Jaguar s type and it was fwd which it should of been rwd

@@bmwman1981 Who cares about that? Not the women I drove, they just smiling in my car.

@@bmwman1981 Well I think you’re forgetting that the V8 is RWD, plus the 75/ZT is the better car in general, even people admit after owning a 75 and S-Type that the 75 is a better built car and has a better design that’s has aged better, to me and many other people the S-Type will never be as great as the 75 is. The S-Type maybe be a great car but the 75 is a perfect car. The XF serves more of a 75/ZT successor than a S-Type Successor as it was originally on Rovers Board by 2002. I’m sorry but the S-Type will never be a match to the 75/ZT for me, it maybe much better than the awful German cars. But never a match for the 75/ZT and blame the idiots at BMW for making it FWD except for the V8, as Rover wanted the 75/ZT to be a RWD and even AWD as seen in the 2002 MG ZT-T AWD Concept, The Swines at BMW did this because they wanted to make Rover look inferior even though they knew they were superior to BMW in every way. That’s why Rover and Jaguar are the best, but Rover was a truly Wonderful and Amazing Pioneering prestige brand, what they were going to be capable of, the Rover 55 is a fine example of that. They were always ahead of time, similar to Volvo in Sweden, Land Rover wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Rover, also cars like the L322, Freelander 1, Discovery 3 wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for Rover Group and also I’d personally say Rover lives on in Jaguar more than Jaguar does especially Post S-Type and it lives on in Land Rover too.

@@Rover75ConnoisseurSE the s type drove and felt like a more expensive car the rover always felt cheap and compromised

@@bmwman1981 I don’t agree the Rover drives better than the Jaguar, the 75 is the better car, the S-Type may be great but it’s no match for the 75, I don’t honestly know how you can say the S-Type is better, when the 75 feels higher quality and that tacky dashboard on the Pre-Facelift S-Type if you think that’s good quality then I honestly don’t know, because that reminds me of the horrors of the Focus MK1 ugly dash. Plus the 75 is one of the highest cars on ride quality and JD Power Satisfaction Survey and how the S-Type is lower, the S-Type looks the cheaper car to me and the one with the design that looks much older and doesn’t pull off the perfect style of the 75, Retro yet very modern.

Drivers cupholder was an option.