Shuffling The C Pack
by David Finlay (31 Jan 02)

You would be unlikely to mistake it for anything else on the road. The Rover 75 Tourer makes its presence felt not only by its size, which is considerable, but also by the fact that it is one of the most elegantly designed estate cars available. In fact, not since Citroen performed a similar trick with the Xantia has any manufacturer come up with an estate which actually looks better than the saloon on which it is based.

There are four engine options for the 75 Tourer, and we tried the only diesel in the list. This two-litre 16-valve turbo unit produces reasonable power which, when combined with the car's weight, gives performance which is hardly in the hot hatch league, but you reach cruising speed soon enough, and maintain it along surprisingly twisty roads thanks to a skillfully tuned chassis.

Rover 75s in general are well known for their ride quality, and this one floated along quite comfortably too, though it did suffer from the twin suspension compromises of a heavy engine up front and the possibility of a big load in the rear. Not that this is something that anyone has yet been able to solve completely with a big diesel estate.

The audible evidence of what kind of fuel the car uses is kept to a minimum thanks to a great deal of noise insulation. It's quite a strange effect, actually - it's as if you are listening to a fairly noisy engine from a long way off, possibly in a different car altogether.

Consistency In Controls

And indeed, you get a similar feeling from all the major controls. If you turn the steering wheel, press the throttle pedal or move the gear lever, the car changes direction, accelerates or shifts into a different gear without any explanation of what went on in between. As with the engine note, you feel separated from the mechanical process.

This didn't suit me much, since I quite like being aware of the mechanical process, but it sits well with the car's general character. Importantly, too, the same degree of separation applies whichever control you are using - a gentle throttle and a snappy gear change, for example, would quickly become confusing and tiring.

Given all this, the 75 is an excellent machine for long journeys, and is definitely on my list of acceptable companions for driving the length of the country. And you could do this relatively cheaply.

The official fuel economy figures for the diesel are by a very long way the best in the 75 range - so good, frankly, that I can't help wondering how closely they can be matched in real life. 60.7mpg extra urban, for heaven's sake! But on a wide variety of roads, and without particularly trying to be light-footed, I managed around 500 miles on a tankful.

Why Club, Why Classic? 

There's a great deal of space both in the luggage area, including a sub-floor level compartment, and for the human cargo. The test car was in the highly respectable Club specification, which is in the middle between Classic at the bottom and Connoisseur at the top. Why do I think that these names could have been applied in any order and still make the same amount of sense? No doubt it's deliberate.

Be that as it may, the situation is confused slightly by the addition of the letters SE to any of the above names, which in the case of the Club spec means that you also get integrated front fog lights (though not if your car has automatic transmission) and 16" multi-spoke alloy wheels as opposed to 15" eight-spokes.

The extra specification of the Connoisseur cars does not make a great deal of difference to the comfort levels, and to be honest I think Club would do me nicely. I also reckon that the diesel option might well be the one I would go for. Performance and refinement are as good as they need to be. CO2 emissions are considerably the best in the range, fuel economy hysterically so.

That's assuming you wanted a 75 Tourer at all, of course, but if you're interested in something comfortable, spacious and easy on the eye, it's a car you would certainly do well to consider.

Price: £20,215
Capacity: 1950cc
Power: 114bhp
0-60mph: 11.5 seconds
Maximum speed: 115mph
Economy: 60.7mpg extra urban, 48.8mpg combined
CO2 emissions: 163g/km
Insurance: Group 9
Rover figures.

Second opinion: 
A couple of things in particular struck me about this car without actually getting it on the move. One was how much more elegant the estate body style is, at the rear, than the saloon. The other was that a quite severe criticism levelled at the saloon when it was originally introduced certainly doesn't apply to the Tourer we were driving: there's now no shortage of rear kneeroom. Inside, you have to hand it to Rover. Here's a company which knows how to design and equip a feel-good cabin. The cream-faced retro dials are stylish, the woodwork isn't overdone, and the oval features on the fascia match one another very subtly. Compared with this, some of Rover's Continental rivals really don't have a clue. Good load area, although with quite a high floor considering there's a space-saver spare wheel. Remarkably low noise levels, impressive economy, fine ride quality and - yes - I'd go for the very refined (BMW) turbo diesel too. Ross Finlay.

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