Rover 100 Hatchback (1994 - 1999) 1.4 SLi 5d Owner Review

I purchased this car on a complete whim in January 2017, I saw it advertised for a low price and decided it'd be a nice opportunity to own one of these iconic British cars before the supply rapidly dries up. The 100 was an evolution of the Rover Metro, which was in turn a major mechanical overhaul of the Austin Metro. This is reflected in the exterior and interior styling which is gloriously boxy and very eighties, this worked against the car when it was new being considered dated in appearance but in my opinion now gives the car genuine retro appeal and means that it's styling is very distant from contemporary traffic. It's retro charm, small size and generally cheeky looks makes it very difficult to dislike and it would a completely soulless person not be charmed by it. By comparison its contemporary rivals (which were far more modern when new) just look dated and tired in 2018. The retro charm continues inside with square instrumentation, dinky seats and minimalist design the interior is admittedly very basic and featureless by today's standards with only a cassette radio for amusement (which even lacks RDS!). The build quality inside isn't as bad as one might imagine, however don't expect a Lexus standard of fit and finish inside. The major issue inside is space, if you are (like me) of a taller disposition you WILL struggle for room. I could barely squeeze my legs behind the steering wheel, the headroom was non existent (catching my hair in the tilt sunroof a few times was a painful reminder of this) and the sun visors were worse than useless and don't even think about trying squeeze into the back (boot space wasn't too bad however). The driving experience is surprising, this little car is seriously good fun to drive (yes really!). The hydragas suspension does a fantastic job of keeping the car level and behaved even in the most severe of bends, it doesn't roll or wander and the car feels tight throughout. It's as close to a go kart as you can find in a car. The unassisted steering, although heavy when parking is light on the move and offers excellent feedback and precision. The ride is unusual, it's never out of its depth (even on the roughest of surfaces) and never crashes unpleasantly over potholes. It does however feel slightly bouncy over rough roads, but always in a softened cushioned way. The K series, always feels free revving and nippy (especially around town). It's a surprisingly smooth power plant, although not especially quiet as it gets quite raucous at higher revs. I got 34mpg consistently which isn't great by today's standards, but was reasonable in the 90s (we had a 1.25 fiesta of a similar era, which despite being slower on paper and felt very sluggish when driving it could never exceed 32mpg!). Being over twenty years old when I bought it, it did have niggles such as temperamental central locking but nothing serious or could not be repaired easily (just watch out for head gaskets on the K series). In conclusion, if you want a different, cheeky, underrated, retro car that is bags of fun and easy to maintain then a 100 is a very worthy candidate and I'd heartily recommend one . Yes it has flaws, but as long as you don't take it seriously they can be easily overlooked. Give one a go, it will win you over!