1996 Rover 114 SLi Goes for a Drive
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- Опубліковано 2 гру 2020
- The Rover 100 was the last hurrah for the Metro, but did it still stand up as a decent car in the mid 1990s?
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My Mam had an M reg 1995 Metro in nightfire red. The car went everywhere and was a real family car. Up and down the country on holidays, obviously to the shops. ALWAYS started first time and NEVER broke down. It was well looked after, my Mam loved her "Rovie-babes" but was written off circa 2010 by impatient Audi driver who drove out the wrong side of the road at a T junction round three cars and smashed into the front of our Metro, although nobody injured my Mam never got another car or drove again. We were all really upset when the Metro was towed away, It was as if seeing a long loved pet disappear.
Audi drivers are such cnuts
"I'm not driving a mini Metro, LIN I'LL JUST TALK OVER YOU"
You could keep Peartree Productions going with a skeleton staff of two...
IM NOT DRIVING A MINI METRO!
@@furiousdriving Not even if Lynne manages to upgrade your gearknob?
He missed the chance to get that in the commentary...
@@furiousdriving ua-cam.com/video/GAhOSsYYhIQ/v-deo.html this video
That dashboard design wasn't new for the nineties, it was used in the MkII Metro from 1984-90, but for the Rover-badged models it got a revised binnacle which was bigger and rounder but the exact same layout as the older Metro.
That space they were filling with the big hazard light switch used to be the location of the cigarette lighter on A-series Metros, the place where this example had the lighter was for the choke knob.
I never got why they swapped the cigarette lighter to the driver's side and went with that big hazard switch rather than leaving it on top of the steering wheel. It made it a pain to plug in accessories and also put the hazard switch away from the driver. The K-M plate Rover Metros with auto chokes left the setup as it was and just blanked off the opening for the choke control. Didn't seem to be a problem like that.
Agree same for the 800 uncle hd an r reg sterling as a company car in 98 cabin architechture from the honda model late 80s shape. Only new ones inside were 2, 4 and 600.
Small mistake regarding the NCAP crash test: the Metro did have a driver’s airbag, but by the time it deployed the steering column had been pushed back within the car, and the dummy had pretty much hit the steering wheel. Therefore instead of offering a cushion to prevent contact with the steering wheel, the airbag exploded in the dummy’s face and forced it backwards at high speed. My grandfather’s garage sold Rovers at the time, and he had quite a few elderly (mostly female) customers bring their Rover 100s in to have the airbags deactivated after the crash test was publicised.
It’s also worth mentioning that the NCAP crash tests are roughly equivalent to the car hitting another vehicle of the same size and weight, travelling at the same speed. Imagine if the Metro hit something bigger, heavier and stronger (which is to say practically every other car on the road, even in 1997).
Id forgotten it had that one fitted in the test car, not that it helped!
What I don't understand is why nobody mentioned the mini at the time of the metro crash test.
There is no way that the mini was safer than a metro (20 year older design!) yet it was allowed to continue production for a further 3 years and people continued to buy them.
@@ryanwilliams6526 Very good point!
I'd like to add that KGF is the place to go for classic low mileage, just superb cars. Followed them for years.
My favourite car of my childhood, I wanted one as my first car until I realised all the rot that came with most examples and could get all the drivers aides for the same price from other marques.
Still have such an affection for it and amazed how pristine that one is. A Tribute to the owner
In 2001 I bought a 1994 Rover 111S in Nightfire red. The test drive was a run around the block & I remember clearly the three things that sold it to me: stunningly comfortable ride, solid & no rattles and the way it zipped around a particular corner (like a Mini. Even my mother, who had no interest in cars, stopped talking, perked up and so “Oooo, that was good!”). Eventually, the suspension sagged & even the dealership didn’t pump it up properly and the central locking started being odd. As I had more money by then & fancied a change anyway, I sold it for a nearly new Matiz! I was so pleased with my Rover at the time that I joined an online club & went on a Longbridge factory tour. Happy days. Have always held a torch for the Metro/100.
What a beautiful pristine example! Must be the best preserved Rover anywhere! Proof we did once upon a time turn out some superb motors, shame Rover not with us any more. ☹️
An OAP's pride and joy for the occasional trip to visit local friends, Waitrose and the church, never driven in the rain, polished, serviced and seriously cosseted in a nice dry garage.
The 100 competed with fiesta mark 4, polo mark 3, Corsa mark 1 and Micra mark 2. By the standard of these it was incredibly cramped and unsafe in Euro Ncap Interior has aged better than many though. Rover always did that well.
I was always quite a fan of these. Compared with the Fiesta, Polo, Micra and Punto of 1996 it felt like a car from another era but it had charm and had a reputation for being quite chuckable. Actually testament to BL/ Austin/ Rover for getting a lot right with it in the first place in terms of handling and ride so that they were able to just evolve it
Love that you found Pacman in the boot too
Great comment about the K Series. My old Freelander is still going strong with its 1.8 petrol. 👍
Yes I agree, it’s a great engine if looked after properly.
🤣😂 really what about the numerous head gaskets and overheating when it is fixed.i owned a 114 gsi version it was a turd.that k series was a awful engine
@@chucky2316 then you should have fixed the HG properly then. The Chinese are still using the K series in MGs. Had no issues at all.
@@chucky2316 then you should have fixed the HG properly then. The Chinese are still using the K series in MGs. Had no issues at all.
@@chucky2316 then you should have fixed the HG properly then. The Chinese are still using the K series in MGs. Had no issues at all.
Nightfire Red lived on for a long time at Land Rover as Alveston Red. It is a lovely colour. The bonnet 'vents' were originally for the heater air intake. It swapped side for LHD cars.
After 2 months off the road my Dutch '97 100 is back on the road again
No, no, no, it's different. It's called a Rover Metro now 😂
That’s a proper little beaut, there’s something so amazing (and yes nerdy) about a time warp car on original dealer plates! Love that interior, beautiful seats and outside that colour. Rover did such lovely deep colours on their cars.
Another smashing video as always Matt. Thank you for the hard work 👍
I knew that the Alan Partridge quite was coming. Didn’t have to wait long! I wouldn’t have been able to resist saying it either.
Beautifully kept car...that engine bay. WOW. Great review as usual Matt.
When my brother went to see Depeche Mode in 1981, Blancmange were the support and were very much enjoyed by the audience by all accounts.
Never really liked the Metro or Rover 100...but I always like a survivor car!
I really like seeing survivor cars! There have been an E-reg Polo and K-reg Corsa B going around my way lately.
I had a 1995 Kingfisher blue Rover 100 Kensington 3 door on a N plate. I bought it from local Rover dealer Evan Halshaw, down the road from the Longbridge factory.
Tea shelf... Excellent!!
Brings back memories of driving around Devon. . Thanks mate.
First off, love the channel, keep up the great videos. Secondly, I think you've convinced me I need one of those.
I was fortunate enough for my Mum & Dad to buy me a brand new (M reg) 111i as a first car birthday present. Never once did I consider having a Rover 100, I wanted a Nova SR or Fiesta 1.4S etc of course but it turned out to be a cracking little car!
In nearly 3 years I did 38000 miles in it all over the country, never once did it let me down & when I traded it in it still had its original Goodyear tyres on it! (they needed changed) £13 filled the tank in 1995 & that lasted me all week on the work commute & ironically a close friend had a Nova SR that it drove much better than 😂
Great video & thanks for the memories 😉
my pal had a Metro GTI. Loved that car
They were surprisingly quick little cars. Same engine in the later MG ZR if I remember right
My God, that thing is beautiful!! It looks like it just came off the line, credit to the owner. I'd love it.
I got three adults and two kids in my kingfisher blue knightsbridge 111 my favourite of all the cars I've owned, it died of terminal rust and head gasket failure, she had not been looked after before me. You've made me want one again even more.
The blue dials on my V70 are lit from above with white LEDs! I adored the Paisley material in the Rovers. I will always have a place in my heart for Metros - my gran had an A-reg Primula Yellow 1.3L. My friends had Metros and I remember putting a Rover 100 tailgate and lights on my friend’s E-reg 1.0 City 😆 happy days. Great review of a quite frankly iconic car Matt
Amazing condition and looks rather pretty in that lovely nightfire red. Great video Matt.
I love these little cars. I had a mg metro. It was so much fun.
The interior is much more plush than I would have thought.
I had one of these in 1999, mine was the 1.5 diesel which was unbelievably economical, 70mpg wasn’t hard to achieve. More recently I had a 114SLi just like this one except it was in the brighter red and had 5 doors. These are such adorable little cars, if you don’t like them you really have no heart!!! As you say the K series engines have an undeserved bad reputation as the problems were mainly caused by owner neglect, the engine far outclassed many engines being offered by rivals at the time being compact, lightweight, refined, powerful and frugal. love the go kart like handling and they are full of character. The dated looks went against it in the 90s but for the ones that survive until today makes them very retro and more desirable. I too find the instrument illumination interesting, I always called it “floodlit”, the escorts and fiestas of the 90s had floodlit instruments too except they were green in colour, I always liked the floodlit glow and wish more cars used the system. Anyway, great review of a great little car, really enjoyed the video.
I can say only one thing: I love it!!
Brings back memories of my first car, a 3 door 1990 1.4 GTa. To me it was a viable warm hatch/insurance friendly alternative to the Nova SR which a lot of my age group had. It was quicker too :)
Noticing the odd placement of the hazard switch on this, my cigarette lighter was where the hazard switch is on this featured car, and the choke was where the cigarette lighter is on this one. Hazards on mine was a switch on top of the steering column like older metros/Fords
Thank you for posting this, Matt. I echo your comments on what you think of this car as I had one. It was a great little motor and I even made a fifty quid profit when I sold it.
Always had an affection for the Metro, my dad owned 2x Austin Metro's, a 1985 1.0 City 3 door and a 1988 1.0L 5 door, I remember when the Rover Metro first came out and I've got a picture somewhere of a Rover Metro 1.1i before launch with it's badges taped over, I nearly bought one too but couldn't stretch my finances to finance it at the time, I'll always grieve the loss of Austin Rover (BL) 🥲
The R660 Radio is actually a rebadged Philips unit. Nice review btw, i´ve been watching KGFs own videos for years now and i´m always thrilled what they will come up with next!
Wow, a KGF car! Not seen one actually out on the road before! You even opened the bonnet :P
My Mum had a 114 GSi in silver, almost identical inside really. My Dad always hated the 1988 Metro she had prior to this, but even he had to concede that a reasonably big lump in a decent handling chassis, made for an entertaining "spirited" drive should the mood take you!
My final Metro out of the 3 I owned was also a 1996 Rover 114SLi. Sadly I had it when they were cheap unloved old bangers rather than modern classics and it predictably suffered an HGF. Little tip: if the immobiliser comes on you only need to press the unlock button to reset it, and you can do it with the key still in the ignition (and indeed with the ignition still on). No need to remove, lock and unlock. The same thing works on the R8.
I had a 1992 Metro GTi 16v, so a couple of years before this. An amazing machine, with 0-60 comparable to the much heavier Mk2 Golf 1.8 GTi.
The handling was great (as long as the tyre fitters put the correct amount of toe-in on the front), and for me at 6'3" it was very comfortable to drive for long distances between home and University, and did much better mpg on long runs than the 43 specified - I used to get over 50mpg. The engine settled nicely at ~82-83mph, and did it's best fuel economy at that speed.
The front to back connected suspension made it feel and drive like a much longer car.
My first car and one I miss hugely. Thanks for the walk down memory Lane (although mine was an epic rot box...this is a beaut)
Take yourself back to 1983, its Winter and when things get Deep and Crisp and Uneven (We lived in Yorkshire) there were 2 "Go To Weapons of Choice" to tackle said white and slippy conditions..Series 3 SWB Land Rover, and if that wasn't available....the sturdy Metro, best car I have ever driven in the snow, seriously. And I can also confirm you can get an adult Pyrenean Mountain Dog in the boot (sans parcel shelf, of course) as my dog called Roger had a penchant for travelling this way!
Would have loved to have seen that!
I always thought they tastefully updated the original metro to this. Looks a nice little car, especially in that colour..
My grandad had a mini metro. Complete with beaded seat covers. He also added go faster stripes.
With a tea shelf as standard. Beautifully furnished with a nice bit of walnut trim!
I really miss those. Shame we lost them to airbags but they were extremely useful.
I drive my R reg purple Rover 111 every day. Last year the MOT cost £71 including minor work. Most reliable car I've ever owned surprisingly!
What another great review. Was always tempted to buy one of these as a project.
Fantastic review as ever Matt, what a beauty 👍
Love these cars! I want a metro when I pass. I think the fact they don't make them anymore makes them even more special
You obviously don't value your limbs then! Haha
@@Roadwarrior92 I walk loads but Id like to have a car that makes me happy I've wanted it from a very young age
@@Bates.Eral1 fair enough
So... Some boring trivia:
The switch blanks below the fog lamp switch were for the rear wiper and washer, before they installed the Honda style stalks that had those functions on in 1995. The fourth one was for front fog lamps on the 90-95 metro and all three of them were used post 95 on the Cabrio versions.
The hazard warning switch actually fills the hole left by the cigarette lighter, which was on the passenger side pre 95, when the choke was on the right hand side of the ash tray.
The dash moulding was actually the same from the 85 model all the way through, save for the instrument surround.
The wood trim on the driver's side of the wheel was there to hide the hole cutouts for the rear fog lamps (pre 90) and wasn't fitted if the vehicle had headlamp levelling control, as the knob was fitted in that location.
The actual physical shell of the car was vastly unchanged, even down to the point where if you remove the rear bumper, there's a cutout area for the number plate to live in the rear slam panel, like the original 1980 car.
At 6'6, I can get in the rear seat of a 5 door metro comfortably, but cannot get into a three door.
If you drove a 90-95 model, you'd find a lot of little differences, namely that the control stalks were the old Rover triangular units, like the Range Rover, Maestro and Montego.
I actually found that really interesting!!
that was interesting!
I've just realised I've said "rear fog lamp" rather than rear window defroster. The defroster lives where the wood panel is on earlier cars, and wasn't mounted up by the fan switch until 1990.
Fuzzy mind at that time of the morning.
The rear bumper irked me that it was just stuck over the top of the old bodywork wasn't integrated like the front one, just looks cheap and tacked on
My mum had a Rover 100 Knightsbridge (iirc?) It was a real pleasure to drive, the 1.1 engine suited it well and was smooth and peppy. A very nice cabin and airy feel.
Love the slightly out-of-sync wipers, very characterful!
Great review! Love the Alan Partridge reference
it wouldn't have been complete without it!
I have had 2 Metros. I had a 1989 Rover Metro Advantage which was the last of the line of the A Series Metro, and although was badged "Metro" on the bonnet, it was a Rover in the log book. It was purple with white wheels (yes really) and it had a Metro Turbo chassis (with front telescopic dampers) but a 69 bhp bog standard A Series motor. It was slow but rorty and with that upgraded chassis and 185/55 tyres, handled brilliantly.
In 1999 I was getting married and saving for a house, so I sold my 2.0 Fiat Croma and bought a Metro 1.1S. It was a one elderly gentleman owner from new and had only done 20k miles. It was a lovely sweet refined car and the 1.1 8v K Series engine was a honey. Sadly after 3 weeks it was stolen and trashed.
Metros are hugely underrated and when the K Series car came out in 1990, it was still more than competitive with the Fiesta, Polo and Nova. However the BL disease of keeping it in production for too long ruined its reputation.
yes, they should have replaced it years earlier, they were fun for what they were though
Passed my test in a 1992 version with BSM, it was a lovely car!
That is one fine example.Clearly well looked after by it's owners.
great video, i loved it.. im 6`1" and have the same problem with the seat height, i was thinking about using mike satur mgf seat lowering springs on my 114 gta
Lovely little car, nightfire red was a great colour. A very good review
I had a kingfisher blue rover 100 with the 1.1 k series. I loved it...
I’ve got a Rover 100 Knightsbridge in King Fisher Blue and I’m currently restoring it back to factory state
So sad Rover is gone. I remember these secondhand for sale 15 years ago for next to nothing. You didn't see them that much around here. This one is really in excellent condition. Those seats look comfy! Great video Matt.
suddenly theyve all disappeared of all ages, they were almost nothing for a long time!
I bet those really are cuddly.
Lovely wee Rover. Lots of fun
I had a rover metro about 16 years ago l reg I paid £60 and I loved it great vid matt
Great car. At the time I needed more rest space. Now, however, this is the perfect classic to preserve. As are many cars that had long production runs. Like the Mini, Lada Riva, Volvo 240, Saab 900, VW Beetle, Morris Minor, LR Defender, Citroën 2CV, Fiat Panda, Wrangler, Skoda Estelle, Rover P5/P6, Peugeot 406, Nissan Micra mk1, Suzuki Samurai, Morris Ital etc. The last models of cars like these can bought new and come with ready-made classic looks.
I learnt to drive in one these back in 1996, sadly only the 1.1 but it was the same colour as the Furious Tomcat! I remember it feeling much more modern than my own mark 2 Metro 1.0 City at the time.
Looks like JC Bates still exists with used cars and service. I had a 111 SLI between 97 and 98 awesome little car, driven hard but totally reliable. I still have the touch-up for it randomly.
Mine had an airbag with a little SRS light on the wheel.
I used to work for a car hire company back in the 90’s with a huge fleet of these., in fact we almost always drove them to drop other drivers off at car rental collections.One day we were just about to leave in one when the boss called us back, as a walk in customer needed the Metro. We ended up taking the brand new MK3 Golf instead. We ended up getting hit my a Scania on the M11 and smashed into the Motorway fence. No more than a few cuts from flying glass and injured pride. I often wonder if we’d have been so lucky in the Metro.
My wife had a Rover 111i and she loved it. At the time, it was quite upmarket for a wee car.
Oh memories, I grew up with metros an HLS then learnt in a new 1.0L, brother had a city mate had an MG that refused to die, I bought a 1.1s in 1993 (my mums) learnt how to drive in snow in that, then it was written off after a smash with a fiesta in 94.
The driving school car I learnt to drive on was a Rover Metro Diesel. It did drive well.
Rover were masters of refreshing what was in terms of the automotive industry ancient designs.
Which was what caused its major downside. The somewhat lacking crashability.
they had great engineers cursed with no budget!
Edd from Twin Cam will love this(even if his is an early example).
I like these, fun little cars like it’s bigger brother the R3 200.
And prices for all Metros are creeping up now.
Great watch as always but this has to be one of my favourites as only a month ago I picked up a 114 SI CVT Auto with 50k and it’s such a blast can’t believe how much fun it is for very little money not to mention what a well and sophisticated car it is and was for its time drives and rides extremely well
Brilliant, hope you have loads of fun with it!
@@furiousdriving thank you so far so good 😊
You were searching for “Renault 5 Monaco”. Great video as always.
Baccara maybe?
Yeah the Monaco came with a lovely leather interior and most of not all were a kind of bronze colour. They did the 25 in Monaco trim too..
What a pretty little car! Small, simple and easy to keep up. 😉
What a fantastic condition car and yes Matt beautiful colour, this model must have passed me by ? The Metro I obviously remember very well but by 1995/1996 I had moved on to German cars I think. That is absolutely spectacular inside, really enjoyed watching this one 👌🏻.
My mother over period of about 18 years had 3 Metro/100’s starting with Metro L that was registered in October 1980 (it would have been one of the first production Metro’s, should have stored that one somewhere), she then had an 1989 MG Metro and then finally a 1997 Kensington in Nightfire red, all great the fun to drive but each one was quite different driving experience with the 100 feeling the most grown up. Over the 10 years she owned it, it only let her down once - when the immobiliser stopped working…
Beautiful, really enjoyed my 96 knightsbridge SE although the cramped footwell was always annoying.
My dad had one when he passed his drive test it was a 1.1 me and my 2 brothers and mum in the car when he had to go up hills we had to get out and walk to the top of the hill . The metro just widened getting up the hill with 5 people in the car lol fun memories lol 👍
I had an early Rover Metro with the 1.1ltr K series engine, it was brilliant fun to drive, fantastic handling (but the plastic bush in the front suspension kept going on it which was a pain).
In the end I got rid of it & was faced with the choice of a Rover 111 SLi & a Fiesta mk3 L with the venerable1.3ltr engine (but with fuel injection by then). It was no contest, the Rover had the nicer interior but the Fiesta was just so much better a car overall, so much bigger (& was no mean handler either when pushed).
I do remember the little Rover very fondly though.
Hi Matt, awesome drive in this Rover 114,talk about low mileage,tidy example,my brother had a diesel version of this in white.
I had one of these as my first car! An ‘Ascot’ model in British Racing Green. Fond memories.
Electric mirrors weren’t even an option in the highest spec models. The entire mirror moves when you adjust the handle.
As Uni students in the mid 90’s, I was driving a red Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI and one of my mates had a white Metro equivalent. I think it was a GTa or something similar, but it wasn’t bad, he’d lowered it to an inch of its life so driving over humps was an extremely slow tedious experience, but on the straight it was decent.
ABS was never available on the Metro/100, there is an option of a drivers airbag and side impact door bars in the final version of the 100. It's a 1970s design as the Metro was designed in the 70s. It's definitely a fun car to drive and I do love a metro
I had a 115 ascot se knight fire Red deisel in1998 I loved it, it ran forever on a gallon of diesel and never missed a beat. Unfortunately it got wrote off in a head on collision with a corsa b who came around a blind bend on the wrong side of the road, thank god mine had an air bag otherwise I do not think I would have not got out unscathed as I did.
The dashboard was (I think) mostly carried over from the later Austin Metro, via the Rover Metro. In the latter (and 100 series), the instrument binnacle fits over the aperture of the original one. Neat enough job, worked for me.
My wife had the 114 GSI around 15 years ago. A great little car to drive until the dreaded head gasket went. Those K series were lovely engines but the biggest flaw was that if the coolant level dropped they got air locks in the system which were a nightmare to bleed out.
My first company car in 1994 was a 1.1 Metro Nightfire edition in Nightfire Red it was quite good, I was lucky enough within a year to be upgraded to a new Saab 900!
Quite the difference in safety 😂
I’ve never found a metro so interesting!
wow! when you playing with that key fob got even me nervous. And KGF classics have got some brilliant classic cars, you can check them on their you tube channel!
Fantastic review of a much under rated car
Ive just bought a Banham Superbug which is based on a metro, very fun little car
I had the Kensington version of this until my then wife drove it into a ditch on a forest road. If the NCAP ratings were definitive, she'd be dead now, but actually she got out with barely a scratch.
A great little car with comfort and frugality, but the 1.1 didn't pull too well up steep hills against headwinds on main roads.
To Michael Craig : glad to hear your wife WAS okay!
I rented a Rover Kensington gsi brg edition? I was well impressed at the time, did about 45-50 mpg.
One of my customers used them as his driving instructing car. I said how many clutches did he get through. He said non. He ran them over 3-4 years to 150k and then bought another new one. His last car was the diesel.
My parents live around 5 mins drive from J.C. Bates in Brighouse - it has only fairly recently closed (around 2018 IIRC). Once MG Rover went to the wall it traded as an independent dealership selling used cars of all different makes and models. Always seemed to carry decent quality cars and weren't badly priced either to be fair for the most part. It's a bridal shop now - still seems strange not to see it there opposite the very well know Ritz Ballroom - another Brighouse staple which has recently been changed owing to a lawsuit from the famous hotel!
I will confess I had a bubble rover 214 p reg in 2006 in that purple colour 🙈 with workout windows. They always felt out of place alongside the velour and mock wood was a handy nippy 100bhp . Paid somwthing like £750 for it and it got me by commuting to Horsham daily for a few months until I got a newish 307 from Larkfield.
Sister had earlier Metro. Two things i remember, call back to replace fuel cap, as they had been leaking on bends causing skidding. And oil drips from the selector shaft seal leak, staining floor. Probably the best steering lock to lock.
I’ve got a real soft spot for these cars. Love how nippy and utterly British they are! Sadly, there’s a 1990 GTi that’s being broken for spares at my local scrapyard at the moment.
I had a rover 200 in night fire red too. It died one day and never started again. Shame as it was fun to drive!
i worked at rover from 1990 to 1993 they did do A 1.4 GTI with the twin cam 16v 105ps engine from the 214 and 414, but the 114 sli was quite nippy too. i remember we had a launch night in 1990 :-)
Beautiful car, love the Nightfire Red. Try buying one now, prices are high,
But what price beauty.. My ex had a 114 GTA in Red it drove very well. I'm a BIG fan of the K series engine, I had a 1.8 Rover 75 which was utterly reliable.