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Enjoy
a luxury Rover round the countryside
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Perfect
for a jaunt in the country, the new Rover 75 Classic.
Photo from MG Rover
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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
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| Rover
Specs |
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Rover
classic auto
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$49,
990 |
| 0-100kmh |
10.3
seconds |
| Economy |
10.3
1/100km |
| Warranty |
3
yrs, 100,000km |
Expected
3-year resale
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60
per cent |
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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 which 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 keeps 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.
The
steering is well weighted and again pampers rather than excites
the driver.
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.
Get more information from www.rovercars.com.au
Test Car from MG Rover Australia.
With
enough features to make James Bond jealous and Austin Powers
look twice is a gadget the size of a driver’s licence and
not much heavier than a packet of cigarettes.
Small and inconspicuous, the SwissCard from Victorinox, will
comfortably fit in your wallet, organiser or pocket and contains
an impressive arsenal of tools including letter opener, scissors,
ball point pen, nail file, screwdriver, tweezers, toothpick,
protractor, needle and ruler (cm and inches).
The marriage of pocketknife and credit card came about after
Victorinox decided for once not to incorporate its tools within
a penknife casing.
The
result was the SwissCard weighing approximately 25 grams and
around .5cm thick.
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Not
much bigger than your bank cards, and about the weight
of a cigarette packet, the Swiss card is an ideal size
for a discreet chopping pack. Photo by Cpl Mark Eaton
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Since
its formation in 1884, the Victorinox Company has been supplying
its own brand of knives to the Swiss military for more than
hundred years.
By 1945, the small Swiss company achieved huge success on the
international stage with supplies of its pocket knives (for
which it is best known) to the American military.
The rest is history and Victorinox is now recognised throughout
the world for its quality knives and other related products.
The Swiss Card is available in four different colours (red,
green, blue and grey) and is a must have when space is at a
premium.
Grab one today and throw it in your briefcase or pack.
Prices start from around $28 from King of Knives outlets or
various outdoor and camping suppliers.
For the full story on SwissCard and other quality Victorinox
products log onto www.victorinox.com
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