THE Rover 75 is an excellent car. It needs to be.

The Cowley-built luxury saloon lines up against some of the best designed and engineered cars in the world, like the Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-class and the Alfa Romeo 156.

It looks good and drives well, but what it also possesses, and may prove to be its secret weapon, is its presence on the road.

It's a head-turner with the air of a baby Bentley.

Car buying is as much about emotion as commonsense, and it is in the passion stakes that the sumptuous, solid 75 scores some of its highest points.

The sheer style of the exterior will be enough to persuade plenty of people to buy one.

Rover's owners have invested hundreds of millions of pounds in creating the 75, which is a huge leap forward in quality over current Rover models.

Put through its paces over hundreds of miles on a wide variety of road surfaces in the countryside around Seville, in southern Spain, this week, the car emerged as an appealing, graceful saloon.

Old school looks, emphasised by the use of chrome, including a waistline finisher running through the door handles, are matched by a gloriously retro interior.

A full-width, burr walnut veneer wooden dashboard sits in a soft-faced moulding which houses cream, chrome-rimmed dials, four air vents, the passenger airbag and a centrally-mounted analogue clock. Large seats, which deliver armchair-like comfort, hark back to the classic Rover P6 model of 1963.

But the retro styling hides a host of hi-tech features. A choice of two navigation systems, 'concert hall' audio system, air conditioning and an integrated telephone will all be available on the car.

The luxury look and feel of the car is pressed home on the move. Remarkably quiet, the Rover 75, which is the first Rover to be designed in-house for more than 20 years, handles impressively and cruises effortlessly.

It will be eventually available in three trim levels - Classic, Club and Connoisseur and will be ultimately made in 24 versions, priced from £18,275 on the road for the 1.8-litre Classic model, up to £25,625 for the top-of-the-range 2.5-litre V6 Connoisseur.

Sixteen models will be available from launch in mid-June. Classic models will not be on sale until the end of the year.

Buyers can choose from four engines, ranging upwards from a 1.8-litre K Series petrol engine which needs to be worked hard to get the best out of the car, through a 150 horsepower 2.0-litre V6 which better suits the elegant nature of the car, up to a silky smooth 175 horsepower 2.5-litre V6, which should be everyone's choice if money was no object. The revelation of the engine range is the superb four-cylinder, 2.0-litre turbo diesel, developed jointly by BMW and Rover engineers specifically for the Rover 75. It may only develop 116 horsepower, but its refinement and sheer grace suited the car to perfection.

The Rover 75 has a choice of manual or automatic five-speed gearboxes. Automatic better suits the car's character.

The importance of the car was underlined by the dazzling array of senior management on hand at the car's launch, ranging from the company's new chairman and chief executive Prof Werner SM- mann down.

The original Rover 75, which took the roads more than 50 years ago, was an export winner for the company and it will be hoping that the new car to carry the badge will be an equal overseas hit.

It has been said that the Rover 75 is a make-or-break model for the company.

For the sake of the workforce at Cowley, who are naturally and justifiably enthusiastic about its prospects, and for the whole Oxfordshire economy, it deserves to succeed. It looks a real winner to me.

Story date: Wednesday 03 February

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