Rover comes full circle

By Alastair Sloane

Few cars in recent years have received as much pre-launch publicity as the Rover 75, the car design which chief Nick Stephenson said "Rover had to make."

Why, it hasn't exactly been explained. But it has to do with Rover trying to reclaim its mid-range British throne of the 50s and 60s , when it was "the poor man's Rolls-Royce."

Rover treasures its heritage. So do many other British institutions, but many of them haven't needed a financial lifeline to stay afloat. Their products are of a high standard. People want them.

Rover hasn't exactly had people queuing for its cars, which have had something of a tardy reputation in recent years anyway, even when Honda owned the company.

The carmaker has been slow to adopt new production methods, costs have been crippling and its build quality has lagged behind, frustrations which caused much weeping and wailing in the boardroom of owner BMW.

But BMW says the Rover 75 is a product of a "new broom." The carmaker's shortcomings are no longer being swept under the carpet, and the British Government asked to be assured of that when it stumped up with $450 million to help BMW restructure Rover.

"For us, life will never be the same again," Stephenson says. "We hope that the Rover 75 will change how people see us - and re-establish Rover's reputation for pure motoring pleasure."

Rover did have a good reputation. But that was many years ago, long before the Japanese showed the rest of the world what quality in cars was all about.

Perhaps, though, there is something in what Stephenson and his design staff say. Fellows like interior designer Wyn Thomas: "Customers will buy their first Rover 75 because of its style - and their second one because of its interior."

In a quality survey of the world's carmakers in May, the first six were Japanese. Jaguar, once a quality cripple but now owned by Ford, finished seventh.

Will Rover, under BMW's stewardship, enjoy a quality revival similar to that of Jaguar under Ford?

The first signs are good. Rover's notorious Achilles heel, build quality and shutlines - the width of gaps between doors and panels and around the boot opening - are said to be consistent with what BMW expects.

This isn't coincidental. There have been many stories during the Rover 75 gestation about BMW telling Rover to go back and do it again. Keep making it better, demanded the Germans.

Says Ray Gibbard, who is responsible for the car's electrics: "By working closely with BMW we have produced the most advanced electrical and electronic system ever built into our cars."

This is again what BMW would expect. Remember Rover electrics of just a few years ago? We drove a 216 that had its headlights stuck on dip, and its passenger-side window stayed shut and ignored any electrical impulse.

Rover cannot afford such irritants in the 75. It must work better than anything Rover has done before.

So far, so good. BMW says it's happy.

The luxury model, say early testers, offers a solid feel, plush ride, exquisite interior and ample power from the K series 2.5-litre V6, which is 90 per cent new.

Criticisms include a cramped rear, a boot too small for the car's size, and a tendency to become unsettled on its softish suspension settings through winding roads at speed.

Two models of the 75 are available, the Club at $67,850 and the Connoisseur at $76,850. Equipment levels differ, but both cars come with the latest safety technology.

The last word belongs to designer Stephenson: "In one respect we are trying to set the clock back.

"We wanted the Rover 75 to rekindle a 'pride of ownership' in an age when so many owners are blase about cars and have come to regard them as little more than domestic appliances.

"We designed the Rover 75 to give owners that special sense of occasion every time they use their car. When they have enjoyed a journey and parked, they will want to glance back at the car as they walk away."