Rover Streetwise (2003 - 2005) 1.4 S (84ps) 3d (04) Owner Review

Bought for £400, my first car for many years. Despite having three previous owners this little fella had been looked after well and aside from some minor foibles (constantly buzzing fuel pump - no impact on performance, horn on all the time unless fuse taken out requiring some work to the SCU, a known weakness on Rover 25s ad ZRs from 53 reg on) it's been a pleasure. Happily cruises along for 250 mile round trips on the M1 and A14 without feeling underpowered or dangerous, and great to chuck into corners with some gusto. Handles really well and raised ride height doesn't mean the car feels like it's going to topple over. Maybe a little underpowered at times, particularly in low gears, but rev the baby up the range with brute force and ignorance, and the trademark K-series growl and surge makes itself known over 4,000 rpm. Of more pleasure is seeing the look on people's faces wondering what on earth the car actually is. A forerunner for most of these oversized fake SUVs which litter our roads now, it's the grand-daddy of the crossover. Rover were well ahead of the game with the Streetwise and it's a shame they never got the recognition or praise they deserved. Only about 3000 left on the road at Nov 17, and one of those cars which one day people will wake up and say 'where did all the Streetwises go ?'. For a slice of British engineering at it's tongue-in-cheek best, well worth the admission fee - grab a cheap one 2nd hand while you can.