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Perfect for a jaunt in the country, the new Rover 75 Classic. Photo from MG Rover

Luxury at your fingertips: The ultra-chic, plush interior of the Rover Classic is what all high-calibre cars should look like. Photo from MG Rover

Rover specs
Rover classic auto
$49,990

0-100kmh
10.3 seconds

Economy
10.3 1/100km

Warranty
3 yrs, 100,000km

Expected 3-year resale
60 per cent

Enjoy a Rover round

For some months now I have had a particular interest in testing Rover's conservative 75 Classic.

And I admit nostalgia is the reason because in the late 60s I owned a 1952 Rover 75 during a three-year stint in England.

My old 75 was a heavy, stately car with leather seats, lashings of wood and engineering to last a lifetime. It was powered by a six-cylinder engine of just over two litres, which struggled to push the car much above 100 kmh.

Regardless, it was a very pleasant motorway cruiser, but cumbersome around the city. But a run out to a country pub for a couple of pints in late summer was indeed a pleasurable experience.

Rover's illustrious history can be traced back to the construction of pedal cars in the late 1870s.

In 1904, engines finally replaced muscle power and by 1940 the company's production line was primarily devoted to the war effort building aircraft engines and fuselage sections.

And in the 50s the company even built a gas turbine-powered car, but it was impractical and never went into production.

As an aside, the latest sedans had a torturous gestation as the Rover name was variously planted on Honda clones before British Aerospace sold the company to BMW in 1994.

The purchase was a disaster and in keeping the marque afloat the German car maker's coffers were leaking badly.

Finally, BMW bit the bullet and sold Rover for the unbelievable sum of 10 pounds to a consortium named Phoenix.

Considering its shaky beginning the Rover 75 is a very good product. The distinctive shape is very pleasing to the eye and the quality of the engineering amply demonstrates BMW's influence.

The model I drove was British to the core with a lustrous dark green paint job and a distinctive tan interior.

The oval cream-backed instruments were retro and keeping with its English heritage, the facia had a walnut finish - unfortunately it was made from a composite material!

I drove the car from Sydney to Canberra and similarly to the original 75, the experience was very enjoyable.

The cabin is very reminiscent of old Jaguars with comfortable seats and a feeling that you could be sitting in your favourite club waiting to order your G & T.

It is a very quiet car and activate the cruise on the steering wheel controls, place your favourite CD in the rack and you find yourself wafting along in a world of your own.

However, passengers in the back have a little less room although more than Jaguar's X Type. Airconditioning is standard and the boot is surprisingly large to take the holiday luggage.

Up front is a delightful 2.5-litre V6, which has a lovely rich beat when ambling along, yet gives a more stirring rendition when challenged by a heavy right foot.

The Rover on test was fitted with a superb five-speed auto, ensuring smooth, seamless changes that made me realise just how far behind the eight-ball Holden is with its old four-speed unit.

The 75 is not light, weighing more than 1500kg yet still gives a respectable performance; enough to keep it ahead of its non-turbo 2-litre competitors and the 2.4-litre Volvo.

BMW designers have also ensured the body is well engineered and an ideal platform for a suspension, which is designed toward the comfort end of the spectrum rather than outright performance.

Similarly, the four-wheel discs provide all the stopping power you would expect from a luxury sedan.

I really enjoyed my week with the Rover 75 and compared with its competition, the Classic represents good value-for-money at $49,990.

This is cheaper than its direct competitors the Mercedes C180K, Jaguar 2.1 X Type V6, Volvo 2.4 S60 and the Saab 9-3 (1.8-litre turbo).

Of course the Classic is the standard car and you pay more than $20,000 for the top of the line Connoisseur SE which is far more luxuriously-equipped.