Rover 620 Gti

...other petrol 600 series. The Rover 600ti is my second, the first was a 600Dti of the same age. I lost my first one due to a motorist driving into my rear end and writing it off. I've had 3 different model of cars since the first Rover, but unfortunately none lived up to the expectations of my 620.

Earlier this year I was browsing a well known auction site and decided to see if I could find another one. To my surprise I found and bought ...
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The Rover 600ti has everything you'd expect to find in YES, a Mercedes OR BMW of similar age. Full air conditioning, electric windows all round, sunroof, half or full leather seats and even heated, electric wing mirrors. This car is extremely comfortable to ride in and drive. It's very spacious and even more comforting to ride in since it has a very quiet engine too, thanks to excellent under bonnet soundproofing. All this along with ... more

As the title says, this motor has no bragging badges on it and neither does it look [from the outside at any rate] different from other petrol 600 series. The Rover 600ti is my second, the first was a 600Dti of the same age. I lost my first one due to a motorist driving into my rear end and writing it off. I've had 3 different model of cars since the first Rover, but unfortunately none lived up to the expectations of my 620.

Earlier this year I was browsing a well known auction site and decided to see if I could find another one. To my surprise I found and bought a Rover 600ti for just £1100.00. I've got to say it was the best £1100.00 I've ever spent.

The Rover 600ti has everything you'd expect to find in YES, a Mercedes OR BMW of similar age. Full air conditioning, electric windows all round, sunroof, half or full leather seats and even heated, electric wing mirrors. This car is extremely comfortable to ride in and drive. It's very spacious and even more comforting to ride in since it has a very quiet engine too, thanks to excellent under bonnet soundproofing. All this along with one of the best standard factory fitted speaker systems I've heard compared to most cars, makes it in my opinion, a hard motor to match or beat on the second hand car market.

The Rover 600ti is definately a modest car but with executive qualities too. It's equipped with all the gismos you'd find in cars of quadruple the second hand price of a 600ti, and it is above all else, a turbo!!!

From the outside there is nothing visually apparent to set it apart from any other saloon or Rover 620, but when I say Rover 600ti saloon insurance group 17, you know there is something extra that the stationary car has hidden from the naked eye. Well with over 200bhp and 0-60mph in under 7 seconds as standard, this motor is nearly in the same bracket as Scoobies, M3s and Evo's. Hard to believe isn't it?

Not so, when you pull off and hit the gas, all becomes clear group 17 wise! The Rover 600ti is a very quick motor for its size. Okay, it's not gonna beat your hot hatches on the backroads, but it will neatly and effortlessly pass most 2litres in it's path on the straights. The car handles great, but in my opinion the body is just a little high, and steering into corners at speed does pressure the power steering a little but the body just a centimeter lower would make all the difference with handling.

I've got BK Racing 18" Alloys on mine, but the car isn't lowered. The wheels fit the arch flush & smartly giving you that extra confidence with the handling and also gives the car a lower look. If there was one modification I'd advise then that'd be it. Get some larger wheels!

As for petrol consumption...well it's not bad considering it is a large, heavy car and has a powerful engine. The tank holds about £35.00 to £40.00 of fuel on empty and I reckon it does about 28-35 miles per gallon, depending on driving conditions, urban vs motorway. Because it's a turbo, I'd recommend paying the extra few pence per litre on the best fuel. You will notice the difference in performance. I found the economy fuel made the car sluggish.

As with all older cars there inevitably come problems. To be absolutely honest, my first 620 was perfect but it had only 41k on the clock when I bought it. No problems whatsoever enginewise though. With this one however there are a few things wrong, but mainly minor that need sorting out. Both front windows are faulty. Offside window only winds half way down and the nearside window is coming off its hinge. Cost to fix? About £20.00 to £40.00

Problems with windows are a common fault with aging Rovers apparently. Another well known nag with the 600 series is fast wearing of the front tyres. This could be attributed to the weight of the car engine, and maybe it should be expected. Besides that I've heard that the gearbox goes at about 100k. mine has 93k on the clock but I've noticed no hints of gearbox trouble as yet - fingers crossed.

The Rover 600 isn't the ideal car for personalising either. Side skirts, and subtle rear and front sill changes can be found on the net in the UK, but the Rover isn't the car for a big modifying project. On the engine side though, I've read that a more powerful rear section exhaust, or a full exhaust, along with a K&N or Pipercross cone filter, dump valve exterior, (600ti already has an interior dumpvalve) and remapping the ECU will afford you another 35-45 bph, without straining the engine. That applies to engines without chocolate pistons though.

I've recently put a cone filter on my motor and it has given the car a bit more poke and responsiveness and probably added about another 5bhp. The filter has also given the car engine a more sporty tone; you can really hear the turbo whirring between gear changes now.

All in all, as standard, the Rover 600ti is a fabulous all round family or business saloon. Very spacious seating, large boot space, and a powerful engine too. It is an excellent choice if you're on the look out for a second hand car with power, trimmings, modesty, and with a lot of natural appeal without splashing out thousands of pounds on a posh badge with no testicles.

You should be able to find a good example from a private seller on the net ,with full service history and average mileage for its age, for between £1k - £2k. Go and bag yourself one, you won't be dissapointed!!!  

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