Rover 75 V8; Second hand gem?

If we look back to the golden age of Rovers, around the 60s and early 70s, we see a great lineup of beefed-up executive saloons that were the perfect blend of actual practicality and madness. Cars like the SD1 V8 and the P6 V8, they all set your emotions on fire by being sensible on the outside, but when you turned the key and the V8 growled from its slumber, you knew you were dealing with something that was not as it seemed. So when I was at the annual Pride of Longbridge 2017, I had the opportunity to actually drive one of the final Rovers ever made, a genuine 2005 75 V8. The first impression when I climb inside is quite a cramped one. It’s the usual world of walnut and leather when I climb inside, but to fit the 4.6 litre V8 from the Ford Mustang under the bonnet, they had to make the interior about 2 inches smaller to accommodate the large lump shoved in. When you turn the key in the ignition, the V8 roars into life. Or so you would like to think. The sound isn’t loud enough to actually identify it as a V8, but if you play with the accelerator it does become recognisable. The gearbox feels a bit sluggish and slushy, but I put it down to age and press the go pedal. It certainly pulls off with vigour, but it’s not enough to pin you back in your seat and shock you. From a low rpm, it’ll definitely pull off quickly, going to 60 in 6.8 seconds and maxing at 151 mph. Once you get up to 6000 rpm it gets aggressive and hoarse, but not in an in-your-face, angry way. In a wheezing, spluttering way. The steering is surprisingly sharp and tight, much like my much-loved Subaru BRZ(see my previous article for the whole article). Unfortunately it falls short in the excitement and danger department. It’s not a brawny mad throwaround, but it’s not a wafting, mini exec. Instead it’s fallen into an unfortunate middle period. These things are not cheap on the used market either, the cheapest being £27,000. I would give this car a 4 out of 10. They tried, but they ended up with a confused mess of a car, and that may be the reason why MG Rover went under. But again, what do I know? I would not recommend spending almost £30,000 on this car for track use, though if you want to stick with MG Rover, I would highly recommend the MG ZT V8, as it falls well into the lairy category. And that’s the latest review from me. Stay tuned, guys.

LW