If someone tells you that they own a Rover 75, you're going to need a lot more information before you understand what they mean. 75s come in so many varieties that the top-spec V8 Tourer costs nearly twice as much as the basic 1.8 saloon. Those models represent the top and bottom of a range which officially consists of 24 cars, but there are so many options - and indeed option packs - that the total number of permutations must be something in the order of . . . gosh, lots.So a certain amount of discussion is required to establish exactly what I've just been driving. The engine is straightforward enough; it's a two-litre turbo diesel, and Rover offers only one of those, though in two forms. At 130bhp, ours was the more powerful of the two.It was also a Tourer, and therefore very handsome. In the early days of the 75, Rover was one of the very few manufacturers to offer an estate car which was better-looking than the equivalent saloon, and although this has rapidly become virtually the norm over the past three years I reckon that the Tourer remains one of the most visually pleasing cars of its size.Furthermore, the test car was blessed with the highest state of trim available in the 75 range. The old Club specification is a thing of the past, but you can still choose from (in ascending order) Classic, Connoisseur, Contemporary, Connoisseur SE and Contemporary SE. A really keen 75ist will be able to tell one from another simply by looking at the interior colours; some of these verge on the brash, but the Contemporary models are trendily monochrome - all blacks and greys - with the browns and beiges of lesser 75s kept to an absolute minimum.Contemporary also signifies fantastically supportive front seats, which are among the best I've experienced in years. In the case of the SE models these are also electrically controlled - eight-way for the driver, four-way for the passenger - and SE specification also includes a Traffic Alert congestion warning system.Rather than carry on through the full list of equipment, I would refer you at this point to Rover's brochure, though with a warning that it doesn't entirely seem to fit with reality. According to this slim volume, the test car shouldn't have existed at all. The 17" Star Spoke alloys upon which it undoubtedly sat are listed as being available for the V8 only, and the fact that there was a full-size spare contradicted the brochure's claim that this option is restricted to the Limousine.To be honest, I wasn't complaining. Having ripped open the sidewall of the front right tyre on something unidentifiable but sharp, I wasn't looking forward to finding either an instant repair kit (standard, according to the brochure) which would not have done the job in this case, or a space-saver spare (optional, ditto) which would have been, as these things always are, a pain in the neck. My joy, on finding a proper spare on board, was almost limitless.After that it seems churlish to complain about the wheel/tyre combination, but here goes anyway. I don't think I would go for the low-profile Goodyear Eagle NCTs personally; they grip well, of course, but those small sidewalls inevitably transfer a lot of commotion into the passenger compartment. One of the key aspects of the 75 is its relaxing ride quality, and I'd rather keep that than exchange it for the undoubtedly sexier look of the low-profiles. But that's just me.And there's no doubt that the test car was eye-catching. Not just because of the shape, either. One of the many options fitted to it was the Monogram Poseidon Chromactive paintwork, which makes the car change colour according to the angle of the light. When I collected the car it was dark green. When I got out of it, after a journey of about 70 miles, it had turned blue. I walked six paces from it, turned back and found it was now purple.Quite often it can be all three colours at once. This caused squeaks of delight from a 13-year old acquaintance when she saw it, and a pedestrian who saw me driving past a few days later couldn't take her eyes off the car as it shimmered from one hue to the next. Actually I think she nearly fell over. If you want to attract attention, this is the colour scheme for you.Well, fine. Problem is, the Chromactive colouring adds £2100 to the price of the car, so you'd really have to want it quite badly. And what happens if a panel gets scratched, or requires repair for some other reason? Imagine colour-matching that stuff.Another of the options on the test car was automatic transmission - a straightforward five-speed, with none of your Tiptronic nonsense - and although this costs £1200 and plays the very deuce with the performance, fuel economy and CO2 emissions, I can still see the point. I didn't need any more performance, I got nearly 500 miles out of a tank, CO2 levels are still under 200g/km, and leaving the transmission to choose its own gears seems quite in keeping with this kind of executive transport.On the other hand, the manual 75 diesel is astonishingly economical for a car of its size (nearly 50mpg combined!) and I know from past experience that its gearchange quality is very high. Maybe I'd go for that after all.Although it's the most modern Rover design, the 75 is beginning to age. I still like it, though. It's a very pleasant cruiser, it has a lot of room for both passengers and luggage (anything from 400 litres to 1222 litres - including underfloor stowage - depending on how many seats you use and whether you mind being able to see out of the back window), it's comfortable, it's relatively cheap to run and it looks great. More than any smaller Rover, it is still a serious contender. Engine 1950cc, 4 cylinders Power 130bhp Transmission 5-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 40.9mpg / 190g/km Acceleration 0-60mph: 11.4 seconds Top speed 113mph Price £23,395 Details correct at publication date
