GTP Cool Wall: 1999-2005 Rover 75

1999-2005 Rover 75

  • Total voters
    51
  • Poll closed .
GranTurNismo

GranTurNismo

3,706
United States
Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
1999-2005 Rover 75 nominated by @JR98



Body Style: 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon
Engine: 1.8L I4, 1.8L turbocharged I4, 2.0L diesel I4, 2.0L V6, 2.5 V6L, 4.6L V8
Power: 113-256hp
Torque: 118-304 lb-ft
Weight: 1370-1600kg
Transmission: 4-speed automatic, 5-speed automatic, 5-speed manual
Drivetrain: front-engine, front-wheel drive, front-engine, rear-wheel drive










Rover_75_dashboard.jpg

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Seriously, seriously uncool. The car that killed off Rover for good. Bought by the most uncool type of Brits: those who thought they're too good for a Mondeo or Vectra, but couldn't quite afford a Jaguar or Mercedes or BMW. It's the British equivalent of the '97-'05 Buick Century/Regal, but with a pinch more pretentiousness. The pre-facelift was sad-looking and the facelift model was even worse, and the interior resembled an old-fashioned gentleman's club. With all the resources that they had available from BMW, Rover could've cranked out something much more lively and competitive.
 
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Reminds me of a hyena* mating with a jaguar**. Shame it's not the V8 version.




*Lancia Hyena
** Jaguar J-Type
 
Every contemporary report I've seen seems to suggest that these were actually excellent cars. BMW engineering in a less "sporty" context. Obviously BMW decided it wasn't worth continuing with the brand outside of the Mini aspect but that always seems a real shame to me. The 75 showed a lot of potential was there for Rover to be repositioned as a very different but simultaneously relatively equal stablemate to BMW's lineup
 
I love these. It's arguably the best car Rover ever made. But they are objectively not cool.

Original > Facelift

Uncool
 
One of the very few good Rovers in my opinion, but I can't imagine this car being rated higher than Uncool.

The MG ZT 260 though is my favourite sleeper of all time, shame it isn't polled...
 
The only undoubtedly cool thing to come out of the late-1990s Rover refresh was the axing of the Metro/100.

The 75 was a distant second but I do appreciate its existence. The V8 polled alone probably would have gotten a cool from me.
 
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CSMDuty11
The one Rover that was closest to decent in terms of quality.

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I'm also a fan of Big Car, having watched all of his videos about Rover before. The 75 certainly wasn't perfect but it was a far cry from the atrocious quality of the SD-1 and Metro.

Wiegert
The only undoubtedly cool thing to come out of the late-1990s Rover refresh was the axing of the Metro/100.
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The Rover 100 certainly overstayed it's welcome, though I've found it's looks to be quite perplexing. From the front, it looks typical for a mid-90s car, but the roofline makes it look much older, as if it hasn't changed at all since the early 80s.



[URL='https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwic6fH87PvkAhWhmOAKHfuqBQIQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gumtree.com%2Fp%2Frover%2Frover-100-ascot-29000-miles-1998%2F1353563726&psig=AOvVaw2fpjwTvvhKgEV1mAICjH0l&ust=1570046426099508'][/URL]

Both cars are 1998 models.
 
GranTurNismo
The Rover 100 certainly overstayed it's welcome, though I've found it's looks to be quite perplexing. From the front, it looks typical for a mid-90s car, but the roofline makes it look much older, as if it hasn't changed at all since the early 80s.
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I'm not sure what's perplexing there that's exactly what it is
 
GranTurNismo
Perplexing in the sense that it looks modern enough from the front but a decade older from all other angles. I can’t think of another car that shares those same qualities.
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It's a car from 1980 that recieved a facelift in 1994? It looks like that because they changed the front grille, bumper, and headlights because that's relatively cheap and easy to do while leaving the rest intact
 
Roger the Horse
It's a car from 1980 that recieved a facelift in 1994? It looks like that because they changed the front grille, bumper, and headlights because that's relatively cheap and easy to do while leaving the rest intact
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Yes I know that there was only one generation of the Metro/100 that lasted for nearly 20 years. Obviously a mere facelift wouldn't change the entire dynamic of the car. All I said was, it has the front of a mid-90s car but the roofline and side profile of a car from the 80s. The Peugeot 205 also was a compact hatch that was introduced in the 80s, got a facelift and lived on until the late '90s, but lacked the design problem of the Metro, for example.
 
I've seen a few of these around and they do get my attention, but only because they're uncommon. This car isn't anything special, and Rover had a pretty bad reputation which didn't help. Uncool.
 

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