29th Mar 2001, 04:10

My point (opinion) is that the car has power that it cannot deal with.

BIG-TIME!

Anybody can drive in a straight line and you can stick a powerful engine in any car you want but there's more to it than that.

I drove the Ti because I was intending to BUY one. Every car has a label and the Ti does, almost, everything it says on the box. When I said the car was anonymous that's because IT IS! That was, actually, the main attraction. A quick car that doesn't advertise the fact. And it's relatively cheap, too. Great!

However, the big, big disappointment was that the car is almost impossible to drive and there is absolutely no pleasure in that.

Every time you pull away the front scrabbles for grip and you get MAMMOTH torque steer. Not just a bit, A LOT.

It's a bit like sticking an RS Turbo engine in a fiesta (and that's been done a few times) ; You can tell all your mates your engine has such-and-such an output and can go at such-and-such a speed - but you can't do it and you have to fight the car all the time.

The Ti is the same thing - too much engine for the setup. Great on an open road or motorway, yes, but dreadful from a stand or under hard acceleration and an absolute bugger on tight corners (frightening understeer).

The 2.0i suits the car best, not the Ti (have sampled both).

So, in summary - I'm not slagging the car for the sake of it, after all I wanted one, but it's just not been thought out enough.

1st Jun 2001, 11:27

You say "scrabbles for grip and you get MAMMOTH torque steer"

1. Scrabbling for grip is always a possibility because it's FWD; so dumping the clutch with 200BHP on tap takes some discipline! However, it can be reduced if you have good tyres. I recommend Good Year NCT3 (maybe NCT 4 now...) or Pirelli PZero (a great tyre).

2. I've NEVER experienced torque like you describe. The 620 ti has enough weight up front (unlike 220 turbo) and a decent L.S.D. to negate any torque steer. I wonder if (and I'm guessing here) that the car you drove had an ordinary 600 gearbox and diff setup? This can sometimes be found in used cars where non-Rover dealers have replaced the gearbox under warranty with the WRONG type by mistake!

5th Jun 2001, 08:56

I totally agree with the previous gentleman's point. I once drove one as a courtesy when I was having my 620GSDi serviced, and as soon as you're passed 1st gear, then you can floor it and you're off. Just have to go easy with the clutch in first gear, that's all.

Over all, I thought it was a bloody amazing car, and I well recommend it!!

7th Aug 2001, 08:09

I've had a 600 ti for almost two years (from new), it is one of the best cars I have ever owned bearing in mind the cost.

It's quite fun looking at BMW 323 drivers faces in the rear view mirror. I haven't found anything under 2.5 (normally aspirated) that can touch it.

Bad news is I'm selling it coz it's nearly two years old, good news is the ZS will be it's replacement, maybe not as fast in a straight line but boy does it handle!

19th Aug 2001, 06:06

This car is NOT a sports car. It is a fast saloon designed for effortless and safe cruising. It is also a big car, so throwing it around corners is a pointless exercise. It seems that people buy this car thinking that it will perform like a Ferrari. It doesn't. It is instead an excellent cruising machine with shed loads of luxury features and superb performance.

Also, in terms of reliability, if it is looked after and driven with respect, it is a perfectly reliable quality car.

If you buy it and thrash it, you deserve to have it break down on you.

12th Feb 2002, 05:20

I have owned a 98 Ti for a year and it is slightly tuned. With up-rated front bushes (£50) and Pirelli P-Zero's I get no loss of traction/torque steer at all.

In fact I cannot make the wheels spin very easy at all.

For the record the car is making 201BHP and 214Lbft of torque and goes like stink...

What a car for the money!

9th Feb 2003, 11:18

I just read some of your comments, and I have some views that I would like to share.

I recently bought a Rover 600, 2.0 TI, from 1998 and I live in Denmark where we have 187% tax on cars + 25% VAT. I paid approx. £10.000 for the car, which is a good price in my tax infested country.

I agree that it is a fantastic luxury car, at a bargain. The leather seats, the electric sun-roof and the cruise control + everything is electronically controlled, windows, mirrors etc.

The car does have some problems like, a boring steering wheel and a boring shift notch and very boring dials.

I have installed a wooden steering wheel and a wooden shift notch along with creme colored dials from Lockwood, and now the car looks and drives like a dream. Once you get used to the somewhat strange clutch, it is fast and comfy to drive.

Next month I am getting a chip tune-up and a K&N filter along side a sports exhaust system, this should put the car @ 245-50 Horsepower and an additional 45-50 NM.

In the rest of Europe cars are relatively cheap, but here we have insane taxes as the only country in Europe, so I find the Rover 600 2.0 TI a fast and wonderful car at it's price, so don't compare it to BMW or Mercedes, because there is a huge price difference (at-least in my tax-hell of a country)

31st Dec 2004, 05:35

I think the 'scrabbling for grip' is a problem with earlier cars only, I don't think the LSD was not fitted until 1996. I had a '95 model and I agree, grip is a problem in first. The trick was just to use first to get you moving then change up quickly and floor it. If you floor it in first you hit the red line before the turbo comes in anyway because of the lag. Torque steer was also a big problem with my car, but that adds to the excitement of the drive. If you want something that will accelerate in a straight line without the excitement use a train!

I got mine with 18K on the clock and drove it for another 110K on top of that. The only major repairs I had were a head gasket and clutch at around 80K and having to spend £600 on the brakes to get it through its first MOT. As most of my mileage was on the motorway I was getting 40K plus from the Pirelli Pzeros on the front and 36mpg at 75-80 mph.

I loved the car and only changed it because I now commute twice the distance so have had to opt for a diesel.