600Ti - underestimated good car (Rover 600)

Member Name: JohnNessworthy

Product:	Rover 600
Date:	26/07/02 (4169 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Speed, Cheap to buy

Disadvantages: Unsettled Ride, Tends to Torque steer in the wet

Last year I parted with my rover 620Ti after 2 years of trouble free motoring. My car was a 1998 model and did 58,000 trouble free miles.

My main feedback would be that it was a good reliable, cheap-to-run car considering the straight line performance that was on tap. The 0-60 time is about 7 secs which is pretty quick for a saloon and certainly means that lots of cars underestimate you when driving. It also looks quite inconspicious so doesn't attract too much attention.

The disadvantage of the car is the handling which in the wet can be a bit of a handful. The ride tends to be unsettled over bumps and in the wet you can easily torque steer because it's front wheel drive. It's also a bit floaty round the corners compared to the best sports saloons although I found the ride quite firm. If I was buying another rover 600 I might have tried the 623 GSi instead which has a softer ride and the cream interior which I prefer - the 600ti is only available in a dark half leather interior which was fine if you like dark interiors.

Inside, the car is nice with a lot of nice touches to distinguish it from the average rep-mobile. There is walnut on the doors and the gear surround, air conditioning, ABS and twin airbags on the 1998 model at least, power everything (but manual seats). The interior room is good with room for 4 adults or even 5 adults on a shortish journey. The interior noise is medium on the motorway - not as quiet at a Mercedes but quieter than a small car and I would say about average.

Boot space was good and the rear seat splits and folds down for bigger items.

Fuel economy wise I got about 29mpg although I did tend to drive it quite hard. I used to manage about 300 miles in between fill-ups if I drove slowly. The servicing costs were reasonable with the biggest cost being an exhaust from the dealer which cost me £400 (dealer part).

I replaced 6 tyres in 55,000 miles at a cost of approximately
£80 each or therabouts.

Make sure that you get an example where the owner has taken care of it though. I always used to idle mine for about 30sec to 1 minute after stopping to allow the turbo to cool down. Some people don't do that and then you're asking for trouble.

One problem I did have actually was engaging the reverse gear. Sometimes it wouldn't go in properly and you would have to try again. I've read it's a common problem with the cars and it was a nuisance rather than a serious issue.

Overall I was pleased with the car. It seemed well built and was cheap to own while I had it. It was certainly nicer than the mondeo or vectra which are the competing cars I guess in this class.

The only reason I would not buy another rover is that I've bought a Jaguar instead now and I love my Jag more! But the rover was my second favourite saloon car.

Summary: