Hoping to trade on the Britishness that made the Metro a sales hit, struggling MG Rover turned to a rebadged Indian-built city car for salvation.
A new grille and bumpers marked the CityRover apart from the Tata Indica, but panel gaps and poor paint finishes spoke of the car’s origins. Power came from an ex-Peugeot 1405cc four-pot with a hydraulic mount to boost refinement. Stiffer springs, new dampers and a 20mm-lower ride height tweaked the MacPherson strut front and semi-trailing arm rear suspension.
Quick enough to keep pace with a Citroën C2 VTR, the peppy CityRover had good low-end responsiveness and never felt swamped in the outside lane. The engine became buzzy with revs, but the 5500rpm limiter soon cut in. The five-speed manual gearbox was extremely vague, while the brakes (front discs, drums at the rear) disappointed during emergency stops.
Light, assisted steering, a tight turning circle and a decent ride impressed in town, but vertical movement and body roll were extreme at speed.
The cabin was roomy and seated five, but the flat seats and fixed steering wheel meant few drivers could get comfortable, and rough plastics abounded.
For Robustness, pace, interior space
Against Interior quality, fuel economy, dynamics
What happened next?
Outgunned by comfier, safer, more enjoyable and better-equipped European rivals that cost little or no more to buy, the CityRover was on sale for less than two years before MG Rover went into administration. Nearly 9000 were sold in the UK but those still in existence here are now in the hundreds, most SORN.
Factfile
Price £8895 Engine 4 cyls in line, 1405cc, petrolPower 84bhp at 5500rpmTorque 88lb ft at 3500rpm0-60mph 11.3sec0-100mph naStanding quarter mile 18.4sec, 74mphTop speed 97mphEconomy 32.4mpg
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There's nothing unusual about car manufacturers buying in cars from other marques to fill gaps in their Toyota sell cars to Mazda Subaru & Suzuki is a current example, but Rover broke new ground in using Tata Motors to supply it's new supermini. Would selling the CityRover have sold better had the entry level version sold below £5000 rather than the £6800 that was asked? for the top of the range Style model pricing it at £8995 was beyond a joke. It was rumoured that Rover was paying about £1500 per unit which should have generated sufficient profits for the company and it's sales network ,but then greed clouded judgement. The CityRover was part the final sad end to the BL/Rover story the company that should have been an industrial giant but spent most of it's time on life support
I smile everytime I read those who look back at MG Rover thru rose tinted specs and blame this that and t'other for it's demise. If there was ever a reason for it's downfall then just look at this review. Was there ever a more poorly managed british car company? ( unfortunately the answer is yes ).
Ugly looks and poor fuel consumption.
My Opel Astra estate car of that time did nearly 50 mpg!