Tweed Jacket Reviews: 1993 Rover (R8/Tomcat) 220 Coupe - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting

Подписаться 12 тыс.

Просмотров 5 тыс.

50% 1

PLEASE NOTE: We had problems with the audio when recording this episode, this has been adjusted to the best level possible, but we will try to improve in the future!
Visit Matt's furiousdriving RU-vid channel for much more exciting automotive content on his Rover Tomcat and various other wonderful old cars: / furiousdriving
In this review, suitably attired, we go for a drive out in the Surrey countryside to test a wonderful 1993 Rover 220 Coupe (also known as an R8 due to the internal design code of the platform or a Tomcat for this specific bodystyle) and see how practical it is, what it is like to drive and what it is like to own. Be prepared for more in-jokes for fans of 1970s British secret agent television series (as usual), references to Peter Serafinowicz's seminal spoof science series Look Around You, terribly hard suspension, worn gear selectors, lots of wood, plenty of push/pull steering, limited rear space, trim rattles, an in depth discussion on 1980s Honda switchgear and more cassette storage action. Nothing untoward, then...
Furiousdriving review of my lady wife's 2014 MG3 Style: • 2014 MG3 goes for a drive
As an independent vehicle consultant, I take potential buyers through the whole car buying process from choosing a make and model to a vehicle handover and road tax. In addition to information on this service, I also have a selection of written and video reviews of cars that I have owned, hired, borrowed or have somehow come into my possession. Please use the Contact Me page on my website to get in touch, visit my Facebook page for latest updates and share this video if you like it! Thank you for watching.
Website: www.lloydvehicleconsulting.co.uk
Facebook: / lloydvehicleconsulting
Cinematography by Matt Richardson of furiousdriving
Website: mattrichardson.smugmug.com/
Editing by Nicholas Franks
Website: www.nicholasfranks.com
Facebook: / nicholasfranksdigital
Theme Music "Here" by Laurence Callaghan and The Tin Cans Copyright 2013 Bezalel Records
Download the EP at www.completing.bandcamp.com

Авто/Мото

Опубликовано:

14 июн 2019

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 62

@anthonyduffy1278 6 месяцев назад

I worked at Longbridge and remember a body in white example of this car being worked on. Everyone was blown over by its looks. Absolutely stunning. Later. A mate of mine bought a 2.0L Tahiti Blue example. And wasn’t disappointed. The pair of us went on tour to Ireland with it and were actually stopped in traffic by a fellow motorist, who just wanted to let us know how beautiful it was!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 6 месяцев назад

Thank you very much indeed for watching this incredibly old video from 2019! I still remember driving this (and how broken the suspension was), and of course Mr Richardson from Furiousdriving still has it. They were a very stylish car for the time.

@HighPeakAutos 5 лет назад

What great looking cars these are. I’ve always liked them

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

Thanks ever so much indeed, Matt! Yes, the Tomcat is probably the most handsome of the R8 Rover variants, but I don't think that even the standard three and five door hatchbacks looked bad at all (I could be biased as I owned a 1995 216 SLI for a year). Hope that you enjoyed the video!

@terrificspokesman7416 4 года назад

Hello high peak autos

@terrificspokesman7416 4 года назад

I thought you did not like Rovers

@HighPeakAutos 4 года назад

Aaron Dsouza I don’t but I quite like the styling of this model

@terrificspokesman7416 4 года назад

@@HighPeakAutos Ok

@stanleyleopard6799 5 лет назад

Fabulous, a definite classic in the making. Well done to Matt for keeping that car on the road, love seeing that proud Viking longship. But I didn't realise they used cobble stones instead of tarmac down in Surrey, Joseph? Another great review!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

Oh yes, sir! The roads in Surrey are known for not being particularly good, but the ones near Godstone we experienced were especially rough for some reason.

@stanleyleopard6799 5 лет назад

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Would love to see you don your tweed jacket to review another car bearing the famous Viking longship badge - the extraordinary CityRover!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

Oh gosh, don't make me! I have driven one of those, it was not pleasant... Matt and I may get round to it at some point between us, but I don't think I am in a hurry to try one!

@thevirgintraveller 4 года назад

The Honda 1.6 was the engine to have, I remember them when I was a kid...absolute screamer engines!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 4 года назад

Thanks ever so much indeed for watching! I now have an R8 with the 1.6 Honda engine. If you search for No Budget Reviews Rover 216 on my channel, then you will be able to watch it if you like...

@seancooke7332 Год назад

This particular Rover Tomcat has the best engine and Matt keeps it great condition for its age. This is indeed one of the two best looking cars in the R8 range, the other being the Rover 400 Tourer. It was also the most Coupe looking of all of the coupes in the 1990s. Better looking even than the Vauxhall Calibra and the Mazda MX6. The icing on the R8 Gateau is the driving dynamics.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Год назад

It wasn't in the best condition when I drove it, as the coil springs were fractured and the gearbox is very worn (I think it has had or will have new bushes), but it was still a lot of fun, and the 2.0 non-turbo T-Series is a surprisingly good engine, and they do handle very well.

@Luckyjo21 5 лет назад

My favorite review yet!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

Thanks very much indeed, so glad that you enjoyed it, despite the audio issues.

@seancooke4127 3 года назад

"Sorry Matt, oh sorry Matt, sorry Matt." Sounds like Matt's Spax shocks are adjusted a little bit too extreme, Yo. Dash shelf is genius. The Metro and the Mk1 Fiesta got it right so possibly they were a reference point. Can feel power of the T Series.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 3 года назад

Yes, those shock absorbers were absolute toast when I drove the car, and the roads near Godstone were pretty bad as well. It has since had new suspension all round. The T-Series is definitely an impressive engine, lots of torque even in this normally aspirated version. Mr Richardson certainly loves the shelf on the dashboard....

@henryhol8538 5 лет назад

Brilliant review! Did Matt know you had planned to film this video at the MIRA proving grounds? I remember Rover claiming that these cars were a rival for the three series. Do you prefer the look pre-facelift (without the grill) or post-facelift (with the grill)?

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

Thanks very much indeed! Yes, given that the car has lowered suspension, I should have stayed away from the Belgian Pavé... It was probably priced in a vaguely similar way to the E36 3-series coupé, wasn't it? You may have seen the picture of the Nightfire Red 216 SLi towards the beginning of the review, which used to be mine. It was registered in October 1996, although I am pretty sure it was made in 1995 as production of the hatchback R8s did not continue into 1996... That car had the standard airbag and the colour-keyed bumpers, which I think is the best look of all for the standard R8s, so I am going to say post-facelift, with the 214 SEi special edition made right at the end being the best looking of all. Mind you, there is something to be said for an early 216 GSI with that wonderful two tone paint scheme! I have plenty more reviews in the Tweed Jacket Reviews series including a 1982 Ford Granada and lots more to come, so please feel free to have a look if you are interested.

@mattsbeamer 5 лет назад

I love these cars along with the tourer. They are beautiful and classy. Another great review Joseph. Thank you

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

No problem at all, sir! They are brilliant cars, especially given how little the standard models are worth these days, and there is usually plenty of choice too.

@mattsbeamer 5 лет назад

If I had a tourer it would need to be in that lovely dark metallic red they do, with cream leather. Or a very dark blue or green :) the coupe is best in blue or that purple blue two tone

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

Oh, I love the Tourer! My old 216 SLi was Nightfire Red, which is exactly the colour you mention, although leather trim was only available on the very rare GSI models. I would have British Racing Green myself, completely agree about the light coloured leather interior!

@mattsbeamer 5 лет назад

Lloyd Vehicle Consulting we have a similar taste when it comes specking cars :)

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

@@mattsbeamer, yes, indeed, sir!

@Maestroaustin 4 года назад

I have the 216 version of the honda rednightfire engine from 1996 ..... 76000km still with the original labels on the engine, one of the few circulating in Italy ..... beautiful car I wouldn't change it with any other

@lloydvehicleconsulting 4 года назад

Thank you very much indeed, Roberto! What a blessing to have a viewer in Italy. It's such a beautiful country, I have been a couple of times. Yes, that Honda engine is wonderful. I used to have an R8 in Nightfire Red, which you may have seen in a picture in the review. Just bought another 216 with the Honda engine, and I will start uploading more videos about it on my channel tomorrow. Thank you very much indeed again for watching!

@bodieofci5418 3 года назад

They used these in the Rover Turbo Challenge which supported the BTCC in the 90s. Oh the memories.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 3 года назад

Yes, the good old T Series Turbo! Pretty good engines, really. They just suffer from problems due to the difficulty of changing the internal water pump and that is about it, they tend to just need regular cambelt changes and normal servicing.

@bodieofci5418 3 года назад

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I found an SD3 for you. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6--NF2EC33w.html. Enjoy.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 3 года назад

@@bodieofci5418 , I do like a bit of SD3 action. I have been offered one, but now we are in national lockdown, I don't think that I will be able to travel and see it for a while.

@timbutton4990 5 лет назад

These 1989 through to 95 car's don't have a bad reputation for rust; they were dipped during manufacture and were marketed with an anti-corrosion warranty. Wheel arches and the rear of the sill is where they tend to rust. Subframes need to be inspected before purchase because excessively rusted ones and or poorly welded ones are likely to fail the MOT. Both the R8 & Honda Concerto's rolled off the same production line at Longbridge to begin with and thus shared the Rover preferred Macpherson Strut f/suspension. The original Honda design was double f/wishbones but I believe that was JDM only. I've always really liked the switch gear along with the heating/ventilation & general cockpit ergonomics, it's positive well engineered & doesn't go wrong!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

Thanks Tim! I can only speak from experience of my 216 SLi that I had (there is a picture of it in the review near the beginning), and the subframes on that were fine. There was a bit of rust towards the bottom of one of the doors and also on one of the sills, but that did not even flag as an advisory on the final MOT I had done in 2016, so it definitely would not have been killed off by rust. I suspect the car had been garaged for most of its life before I got it, because the Nightfire Red paintwork was in excellent condition and the arches were solid. Yes, I knew the Concerto and the R8 were made in the same place, it must have been before Swindon got going in earnest! The Coupe certainly had much better handling than my 216 SLI, and the steering in both is very positive, but the one I had did not have the best driving position, it always seemed too high for me, even if the seat was on its lowest setting. The seats themselves were comfortable, though, and did have adjustable lumbar support. The heating and ventilation controls in the R8 are an absolute model of clarity and simplicity, I wish modern cars were as simple as that... Matt has done a very comprehensive video on his channel of some recent rust treatment which has been done to the Tomcat, it is worth looking at if you have not already seen it. Thank you for watching and commenting, I hope you enjoyed it!

@TheGreatestPlayerInTheWorld 3 года назад

It’s a beautiful little car

@lloydvehicleconsulting 3 года назад

Yes, we still use shots in this review for the new 2021 title sequence you should see tomorrow. It was a pretty seminal review for the channel two years ago!

@lewis72 4 года назад

I don't get these "coil-over" suspension references. nearly ALL cars have coil-over-spring front suspension as standard and many do rear.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 4 года назад

Matt has recently had the suspension in the Tomcat rebuilt, and he always refers to it as coilovers, so I assume that is what the type he has fitted is called. There are some videos on the furiousdriving RU-vid channel which give more detail about it, I wouldn't say I am an expert on these things at all....

@PlanetautoUK 5 лет назад

Proper beast, that sounds a touch stiff 😆😂🤣like the Mk2 valver, however I opted for Koni and H&R’s to mitigate that experience. I’d get 25 if I’m lucky the turbo considerably less. *ben

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

That was indeed stiff, sir! My spine has just about recovered... It's probably a similar driving experience to the Mark II Golf 16 valve with a fuel injected two litre engine developing around 140 bhp with the custom exhaust Matt has fitted. The turbo was 200 bhp as standard! The Honda D-series engine can get 40 mpg if you drive gently, as I mentioned, but given it is the engine out of the old Mk2 CRX, you probably don't want to..

@PlanetautoUK 5 лет назад

Lloyd Vehicle Consulting there’s a time an a place for leisurely driving or rather economical, and il tell you when I find it 🤣 *ben

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

@@PlanetautoUK, you mean the economy run from Milton Keynes to Sainbury's Petrol station in Bedford for the Santa Pod Challenge in October, don't you, sir?

@PlanetautoUK 5 лет назад

Lloyd Vehicle Consulting we would lose that hands down *ben

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

@@PlanetautoUK, you don't know until you try, do you?

@terrificspokesman7416 4 года назад

What litre engine is this

@lloydvehicleconsulting 4 года назад

2.0 T-Series

@terrificspokesman7416 4 года назад

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Thanks. You did mention it was a T series but since I am not a die hard rover fan I don't know what a t series is

@lloydvehicleconsulting 4 года назад

Yes, it is quite confusing! It's a similar engine to the four cylinder Land Rover Discovery and Rover 800 of the time.

@lewis72 4 года назад

When the 200/400 was launched in '89/'90, they took the Escort to the cleaners. The Escort was utterly dreadful in comparison and Rover should have cleaned up.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 4 года назад

Yes, the early Mark V Escort was a bit underdeveloped with poor driving dynamics and an underwhelming selection of engines. The R8 was a lot better!

@richroadin 5 лет назад

You wasn't ment to drive Matts car to destruction poor Rover hit every bad bit road you went down 🤪🤯🤢👍👍lol👍👍👍

@lloydvehicleconsulting 5 лет назад

That suspension is absolutely rock hard, so it sounds and feels worse than it was. We did hit some really bad roads near Godstone, though! Hope that you enjoyed the video, Matt and I are planning on doing some more soon.