ROVER'S retro-accented 75 is the best car the company has produced since the luxurious and powerful P5.
It is the car that fished Rover back from the brink of oblivion which threatened when BMW decided that the marque did not have a future under its umbrella - after keeping the astonishingly successful new Mini to itself under a separate brand.
After all the bumps and knocks Rover has taken along the way, the 75 is one of the most refreshing things to have happened in the UK new car arena for years. Rover is now a British firm and the 75 is a British car with a vast amount of tradition built in.
I have been a vociferous critic of Rover in the past - especially of the build quality of the flabby SD1 series, but having driven a number of different 75s I really cannot find fault - just a lot of pleasure.
The car is one of the least boring models available in the UK. As soon as you settle into the driving seat you are confronted with instruments with faces reminiscent of the 1930s. They look as though they have been hand drawn, especially the rev-limit sectors which give a very good impression of being created on parchment with red drawing ink.
The Rover 75 has a beautiful interior - much more pleasant to live with than the anthracite coloured fit of the more sporty MG version. Never mind the accent being placed on the MG models - the Rover 75 is the car that rightly flies the flag for the revived British motor industry.
I have been driving one of the latest versions, the 1.8 Turbo, which gives a performance spin to the range. Although only a 1.8, the K Series four-cylinder engine manages to whack out a spirited 150PS at 5,500 rpm.
This is fed to the front wheels via a Getrag 283 five speed box. This transmission, variants of which long featured in the Jaguar range, is one of the finest gearboxes in the world. It really does add spice to the Rover 75 whole driving experience.
The 1.8T can sprint from 0-60mph in 9.1 seconds and reach a top speed of 130 mph when required.
And it's all done in the best possible taste with a combined mpg of 35.3.
My Connoisseur SE, finished in the grand-sounding Monogram Baccus Supertallic, cost £22,395 on-the-road. It came equipped with standard fittings such as chrome capped door mirrors, heated and powered front seats, driver intelligence centre and even a power operated rear electric sunblind.
Optional extras fitted included the Rover Highline Navigation, which even included a TV monitor.
The 75 1.8T has a lot of competitors, but for the price it is a difficult car to better.
FAST FACTS
Rover 75 1.8T Connoisseur SE
Price: £22,395
Mechanical: 150bhp, 1,796cc, 16-valve 4 cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-spd manual transmission.
Max speed: 130mph
0-62mph: 9.6 secs
Combined mpg: 35.3mpg
Insurance group: 11
CO2 emissions: 193g/km
BiK rating: 22%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 6yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint