RE: Rover 214 SEI: Reader's Car of the Week
Discussion
Interesting to read the different opinions of these... I'm very much in the camp of thinking these were pretty good considering other cars around at the time.
I've owned several over the years, one 214GSi, and several of the Honda 216 SLi, GSi and GTi.. including the twin cam 16v
Contrary to popular belief, the early K-series was pretty reliable and I wouldn't say was lacking in performance... but try explaining that to anyone who 'knows' anything about cars these days
The Honda D-series engines were great as they were in the Concerto, Civic and other Hondas of the era which now enjoy a much better reputation than the poor R8.
I never thought the build quality was that bad and the interiors stand up pretty well to wear and tear.... miles apart from the old Rover 800 dashboards that used to turn green after a few years.
I would say the weakest areas were the brakes and suspension. The understeer is borderline dangerous if you try and hurry it through corners in the wet. My theory... which is entirely uneducated, non-technical guesswork... is that this could be down to Rover changing the front suspension from the Honda double wishbone layout to whatever they chose for a 'superior' ride... but that could be b*llocks.
Sadly through reported poor management, a questionable sale to BMW and numerous other stupidities, it seems that Rover regressed quite badly after this era and it makes me incredibly sad. I really think they were on the right trajectory with these back in the late 80's/early 90's and I only wish that there was more done to nurture and protect the industry at that time.
There is great irony that the Brexit-voting masses perhaps now happily drive German cars and poke fun at 'crap old Rovers'.
I've owned several over the years, one 214GSi, and several of the Honda 216 SLi, GSi and GTi.. including the twin cam 16v
Contrary to popular belief, the early K-series was pretty reliable and I wouldn't say was lacking in performance... but try explaining that to anyone who 'knows' anything about cars these days
The Honda D-series engines were great as they were in the Concerto, Civic and other Hondas of the era which now enjoy a much better reputation than the poor R8.
I never thought the build quality was that bad and the interiors stand up pretty well to wear and tear.... miles apart from the old Rover 800 dashboards that used to turn green after a few years.
I would say the weakest areas were the brakes and suspension. The understeer is borderline dangerous if you try and hurry it through corners in the wet. My theory... which is entirely uneducated, non-technical guesswork... is that this could be down to Rover changing the front suspension from the Honda double wishbone layout to whatever they chose for a 'superior' ride... but that could be b*llocks.
Sadly through reported poor management, a questionable sale to BMW and numerous other stupidities, it seems that Rover regressed quite badly after this era and it makes me incredibly sad. I really think they were on the right trajectory with these back in the late 80's/early 90's and I only wish that there was more done to nurture and protect the industry at that time.
There is great irony that the Brexit-voting masses perhaps now happily drive German cars and poke fun at 'crap old Rovers'.
Edited by The_Immortal on Monday 3rd June 15:45
The_Immortal said:
Interesting to read the different opinions of these... I'm very much in the camp of thinking these were pretty good considering other cars around at the time.
I've owned several over the years, one 214GSi, and several of the Honda 216 SLi, GSi and GTi.. including the twin cam 16v
Contrary to popular belief, the early K-series was pretty reliable and I wouldn't say was lacking in performance... but try explaining that to anyone who 'knows' anything about cars these days
The Honda D-series engines were great as they were in the Concerto, Civic and other Hondas of the era which now enjoy a much better reputation than the poor R8.
I never thought the build quality was that bad and the interiors stand up pretty well to wear and tear.... miles apart from the old Rover 800 dashboards that used to turn green after a few years.
I would say the weakest areas were the brakes and suspension. The understeer is borderline dangerous if you try and hurry it through corners in the wet. My theory... which is entirely uneducated, non-technical guesswork... is that this could be down to Rover changing the front suspension from the Honda double wishbone layout to whatever they chose for a 'superior' ride... but that could be b*llocks.
Sadly through reported poor management, a questionable sale to BMW and numerous other stupidities, it seems that Rover regressed quite badly after this era and it makes me incredibly sad. I really think they were on the right trajectory with these back in the late 80's/early 90's and I only wish that there was more done to nurture and protect the industry at that time.
There is great irony that the Brexit-voting masses now all happily drive German cars and poke fun at 'crap old Rovers'.
This one is on new Continentals all around and to be fair, doesn’t understeer any more than I would expect, in fact it grips quite well and is pretty predictable. I’ve however owned a Tourer on budget tyres and yup...that could understeer for England. Strikes me as a pretty tyre and geometry sensitive car.I've owned several over the years, one 214GSi, and several of the Honda 216 SLi, GSi and GTi.. including the twin cam 16v
Contrary to popular belief, the early K-series was pretty reliable and I wouldn't say was lacking in performance... but try explaining that to anyone who 'knows' anything about cars these days
The Honda D-series engines were great as they were in the Concerto, Civic and other Hondas of the era which now enjoy a much better reputation than the poor R8.
I never thought the build quality was that bad and the interiors stand up pretty well to wear and tear.... miles apart from the old Rover 800 dashboards that used to turn green after a few years.
I would say the weakest areas were the brakes and suspension. The understeer is borderline dangerous if you try and hurry it through corners in the wet. My theory... which is entirely uneducated, non-technical guesswork... is that this could be down to Rover changing the front suspension from the Honda double wishbone layout to whatever they chose for a 'superior' ride... but that could be b*llocks.
Sadly through reported poor management, a questionable sale to BMW and numerous other stupidities, it seems that Rover regressed quite badly after this era and it makes me incredibly sad. I really think they were on the right trajectory with these back in the late 80's/early 90's and I only wish that there was more done to nurture and protect the industry at that time.
There is great irony that the Brexit-voting masses now all happily drive German cars and poke fun at 'crap old Rovers'.
The trailing arm bushes at the rear also have a habit of wearing badly, which won’t do anything for precise and positive handling-these deflecting under load could seriously alter the rear toe angles.
I agree the standard 240mm solid front discs on the 214 are utterly terrible! My Dad was always complaining of warped discs on his old cars.
itcaptainslow said:
This one is on new Continentals all around and to be fair, doesn’t understeer any more than I would expect, in fact it grips quite well and is pretty predictable. I’ve however owned a Tourer on budget tyres and yup...that could understeer for England. Strikes me as a pretty tyre and geometry sensitive car.
Good to hear... and yes, my experience is definitely not from using modern, good quality tyres... so perhaps a slightly unfair account from myself!itcaptainslow said:
The trailing arm bushes at the rear also have a habit of wearing badly, which won’t do anything for precise and positive handling-these deflecting under load could seriously alter the rear toe angles.
Agreed, rear trailing arm bush traits carried over and very similar to the Hondas it shares the suspension layout with. Amusing to think of the similarities to "one of the best handling FWD drive cars of all time"... 
I drove quite a few R8s as I worked in the trade in the early 90s. They were good cars in their day. In terms of engines and interiors, they were class leaders, IMO. Just sitting in an R8 was a nicer experience than in a contemporary Escort, Astra or Golf, and the K-Series and the Honda D-series engines felt like products of a completely new age compared with the wheezy, gutless equivalents from Ford and VW.
Personally, I always preferred the 1.4 to the Honda engined 1.6. Just as sweet and responsive, not much slower in the real world, much better on fuel, and the 1.4 wasn't geared so you were screaming the knackers off it at motorway speeds, as the 1.6 was. It might have made the car feel lively, but the low 5th gear was a serious pain on a longer run in a 1.6
The interior design and quality was a massive step up over an Astra or Escort too. Light, airy and with good quality trim instead of the acres of grey, squeaky plastic and drab cloth you got in a Ford or Vauxhall.
I don't recall the handling as being either exceptional or poor, so it must have been OK by the standards at the time.
As another poster alluded to above, the principal issue was that Rover kept it in production for years past its sell by date, and also with some rather "optimistic" pricing, particularly towards the end. This period of collaboration with Honda produced some truly decent cars, and the R8 is definitely among them.
It's nice to see these cars survive and be cherished. They are no less deserving of it than any of their contemporaries.
Personally, I always preferred the 1.4 to the Honda engined 1.6. Just as sweet and responsive, not much slower in the real world, much better on fuel, and the 1.4 wasn't geared so you were screaming the knackers off it at motorway speeds, as the 1.6 was. It might have made the car feel lively, but the low 5th gear was a serious pain on a longer run in a 1.6
The interior design and quality was a massive step up over an Astra or Escort too. Light, airy and with good quality trim instead of the acres of grey, squeaky plastic and drab cloth you got in a Ford or Vauxhall.
I don't recall the handling as being either exceptional or poor, so it must have been OK by the standards at the time.
As another poster alluded to above, the principal issue was that Rover kept it in production for years past its sell by date, and also with some rather "optimistic" pricing, particularly towards the end. This period of collaboration with Honda produced some truly decent cars, and the R8 is definitely among them.
It's nice to see these cars survive and be cherished. They are no less deserving of it than any of their contemporaries.
Jam_s160 said:
Loved them, had a Rover 216 Gsi with Honda engine, then a Honda Concerto 216 Gti and then a Rover 220Gti. The 216 Honda engine was the sweetest.
I’d love to get my hands on a 216 or 220 Gti again for collecting.
Edited by Jam_s160 on Monday 3rd June 18:00
itcaptainslow said:
Jam_s160 said:
Get yourself on the 200 & 400 Owners Club-GTI’s seem to be the most common thing advertised on there and they go for reasonable money.
Okay found it and registered = thanks
Edited by Jam_s160 on Monday 3rd June 18:44
Jam_s160 said:
Loved them, had a Rover 216 Gsi with Honda engine, then a Honda Concerto 216 Gti and then a Rover 220Gti. The 216 Honda engine was the sweetest.
I’d love to get my hands on a 216 or 220 Gti again for collecting.
Edited by Jam_s160 on Monday 3rd June 18:00
I'd forgotten what a good looking car it was in two door form, I like that a lot.
njw1 said:
Jam_s160 said:
Loved them, had a Rover 216 Gsi with Honda engine, then a Honda Concerto 216 Gti and then a Rover 220Gti. The 216 Honda engine was the sweetest.
I’d love to get my hands on a 216 or 220 Gti again for collecting.
Edited by Jam_s160 on Monday 3rd June 18:00
I'd forgotten what a good looking car it was in two door form, I like that a lot.
s m said:
njw1 said:
Jam_s160 said:
Loved them, had a Rover 216 Gsi with Honda engine, then a Honda Concerto 216 Gti and then a Rover 220Gti. The 216 Honda engine was the sweetest.
I’d love to get my hands on a 216 or 220 Gti again for collecting.
Edited by Jam_s160 on Monday 3rd June 18:00
I'd forgotten what a good looking car it was in two door form, I like that a lot.
itcaptainslow said:
Looks like that car has the rare Roversport bodykit too!
Shame very few turbos survive. A real thinking man’s hot hatch.
It was, I searched for ages back in 2002 for it at the time. Long gone now, but wish I’d kept it somehow. Swapped it for a Lotus Elise 111s so not to shabby move at the time.Shame very few turbos survive. A real thinking man’s hot hatch.
itcaptainslow said:
Looks like that car has the rare Roversport bodykit too!
Shame very few turbos survive. A real thinking man’s hot hatch.
It was, I searched for ages back in 2002 for it at the time. Long gone now, but wish I’d kept it somehow. Swapped it for a Lotus Elise 111s so not to shabby move at the time.Shame very few turbos survive. A real thinking man’s hot hatch.
sidesauce said:
uckily, I don't care if you think what I've said is a load of crap - I drove that car extensively and it was not a car I rated at all. Furthmore, it's my opinion and I still stand by it - I hated that car with the passion of a thousand suns and yes, I think it was tinny and nasty.
As others have said, take yourself back to the 1989 catalogue of available cars, and drive the contemporary "cooking" models from Ford, Vauxhall, VW etc.The R8 is a noticeably nicer product.
), thanks everyone. 
Going home last night I was stuck behind a Rover 220 Estate, and it looked fantastic. New exhaust so it looked well looked after. The wife was next to me and I commented on how good those cars looked, and she then tells me her estranged Dad had one - meaning I can't have one.
So the Rover 200 joins the list of things I can look at but not touch.
Never get married.
So the Rover 200 joins the list of things I can look at but not touch.
Never get married.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff