ROVER 75 • When BMW Went British • A ’90s Automotive Chronicle
Rover 75 debuted in the fall of 1998 — a beautiful, unmistakably British car in a classic style. More importantly for many buyers, it was no longer a rebadged Honda. Since 1994, Rover — along with everything it owned, right up to Land Rover and Range Rover — had belonged to the Germans at BMW. And this midsize sedan was developed under the watchful eye of the Bavarian company.
What was it like? How did it compare to its rivals? Can it really be called a “front-wheel-drive BMW”?
Let’s dive into another chapter of 1990s automotive history.
00:00 • The story begins
01:51 • Prototype spy shots
03:35 • Introducing the newcomer
10:08 • Rover’s losses and BMW’s investments
10:44 • Labor productivity
15:23 • BMW’s internal crisis
16:30 • What the Germans thought of the Rover 75
19:10 • The first Rover 75 test
27:59 • Rover 75 vs BMW 323i and Alfa Romeo 156 V6
35:16 • Rover 75 in Germany
39:43 • Rover 75 vs BMW 320i and Lexus IS200
45:57 • Diesel Rover 75 vs Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI and Saab 9-3
50:46 • Rover 75 vs them all?
51:35 • The estate version
52:18 • 100,000-km endurance test
59:17 • Updates and facelift
1:00:09 • A few closing words…
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