Rover Cityrover (2003-2005)
Longbridge, 2003, and MG Rover pulled the wraps off two cars that failed in their brief to save the company, but had a much bigger impact on the car market than they’re ever given credit for. The first was the 25-based Streetwise. The second was the Cityrover, which the company hoped would bring old Metro and Rover 100 owners flocking back.
The Cityrover was the first non-domestic Rover car, imported from India where it was sold as the Tata Indica. The Indica was a good car by Indian standards, but not necessarily by European ones – and it taught the huge Tata group a lesson about the British car industry and European buyers.
Five years after the Cityrover’s debut, Tata’s experience and knowledge of the UK industry led to the company buying Jaguar Land Rover, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Cityrover is widely acknowledged as having influenced that decision, and not just by MG Rover loyalists.
At its launch, the Cityrover’s reception was indifferent at best. While there was plenty of initial excitement around the ‘New Metro’, it was behind the curve on emissions performance and build quality, both of which had become critical factors by 2003.
The build quality, in particular, was awful, with interior trim that liked to part company with the rest of the cabin and flimsy plastics that failed to match class standards. Had the Cityrover been cheaper, Rover may have got away with it, but you could have got any one of its rivals here for the same price.
Viewed in the same company today, however, the
Cityrover makes a better case for itself. For starters, sellers struggle to give them away, meaning you don’t need a lot of money to get a good one.
It’s also the only five-door car in present company and the one true five-seater, while the 1.4-litre engine (which is based on the Peugeot-citroen TU unit) is the second most eager and powerful powerplant here. The Cityrover is fun to drive, too, which is hardly surprising when you consider it was developed to hold its own in India’s frenetic city traffic. The chassis is prone to understeer, but the steering is very sharp and the brakes progressive, though the gear change is no great shakes. It’s a lot more fun than it should be, though, if you can get past the dreadful fit and finish. It may have been an abject lesson in how not to do it when new, but as a quirky classic and a footnote in the history of the British car industry, the Cityrover has its own merit.