Rover 75 |
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September 2001 Rover 75 – junior Bentley? |
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Rover’s
back! – and the flagship of the range is the highly acclaimed 75, which
comes with R7 billion worth of development behind it. MG/Rover’s
claim that the 75 is a junior Bentley, is no idle statement. On first
impressions, it is a package where dynamics and comfort, style and class,
quality and safety meld together to provide a car that do much more than
get you from A to B effortlessly. It also harmonizes with the driver, and
with any other occ The
Rover 75 comes to SA with an impeccable record since going on sale in the
middle of 1999. These include a Golden Steering Wheel award from the
respected German journal Bild am Sonntag, and a top five placing (out of
182 cars evaluated) in the influential JD Power customer satisfaction
survey, where it beat every Mercedes-Benz entered and all but one BMW. The
two versions – Club and luxurious Connoisseur - introduced to South
Africa are powered by a quad
cam 2.5 litre V6 engine rated at 130 kW and 240 Nm. A choice of two
gearboxes is available, making for a total of four derivatives. Owners can
opt for a five-speed manual or an adaptive, triple-mode automatic driving
the front wheels. Rover was the first manufacturer to successfully package
a five-speed automatic in a front-drive chassis. Chrome
is very much in evidence, used to highlight a number of delightful details
like the grille, a pinstripe along the full length of the car, doorhandles
and a strip along the top of the bootlid. Both bumpers carry broad bright
metal strips too, and on Connoisseur versions the exterior mirror housings
have a chrome finish. South
Africans have the choice of two styles of 15 inch alloys shod with 205/65
rubber in the Club versions, with owners of the Connoisseur selecting one
of two 16-inch styles with 215/55 tyres. Flagship models are distinguished
further by front fog lamps. The
75’s interior treatment reflects the same sense of occasion as the sheet Standard
features on the pair of Club models include Rover’s Automatic
Temperature Control (ATC) air conditioning system, electric windows with
one-touch function for the driver’s, a six-speaker tuner/CD player with
satellite controls on the leather steering wheel, “Speckle” velour
upholstery, leather gearknob and handbrake grip, twin rear cupholders, and
metallic paint as a no cost option. Connoisseur
models add an upgrade of certain existing features, like an eight speaker
Harmon/Kardon sound system, leather replaces velour, while electric front
seats (the driver’s seats memory is programmable), sunroof, park
distance control, a rear window roller blind and rain sensors are added to
the standard equipment list. All
four derivatives share the same high level of safety: four-channel ABS and
EBD, four airbags (front and side), seatbelt pre-tensioners and belt-force
limiters.
Dynamic
ability is aided by a combination of MacPherson strut front suspension and
a “Z-axle” at the back. Rover uses gas dampers all round, tuned to
provide a mixture of control and comfort that has garnered highly
favourable comment from the overseas press. The
all-aluminium 2,5 litre, 90 degree V6 developed from the Rover K-series
powerplant range remains particularly smooth right up to its 6 500
revs/min power peak, and in addition delivers a good spread of torque in a
particularly refined and unflustered manner. Rover’s Variable Intake
System is another feature of this engine, and it progressively reduces the
length of the intake system as engine speed increases. With
a manual gearbox, expect a 0 – 100 km/h sprint time of 8,8 seconds at
the coast, and a top speed of 220 km/h. The automatic version is slightly
slower, but even more soothing when cruising at speed thanks to its
long-legged gearing. Included
in the list price is a 24 hour AA-on-call assistance programme, together
worth a 3 year / 60 000 km Maintenance plan (which excludes tyres and
fuel). |
