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Conference terri::cars_uk

Title:	Cars in the UK
Notice:	Please read new conference charter 1.70
Moderator:	COMICS::SHELLEYELD

Created:	Sun Mar 06 1994
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	2584
Total number of notes:	63384

1059.0. "New Metro." by CRATE::RUSSELL (I should have got a Duracell!!) Wed May 02 1990 15:40

    Now that the new Metro's have been sort-of announced, I thought
    I'd start a new note for it.
    
    There's a couple of articles in this weeks Autoweek comic,
    that I leafed through last night.
    
    They seem reasonably impressed with it.
    
    From my recollection of last weeks Rover test track day at Thruxton:
    
    The new Metros have a new front and beck end, the passenger bit is
    basically unchanged.
    
    New frontend has new bonnet, bumper and lights. It looks pretty good.
    The back end includes a new tailgate and new lights, which look a bit
    like the Fiesta or AX.
    
    The important change is the mechanicals; the new K series engine and the
    Peugout designed 4 and 5 speed boxes.
    
    The K series comes in 8V 1.1 and 1.4 forms, and the GTi has the 16V 1.4
    as seen in the 200 series. This has 90 plus HP, and givs the GTi a top
    speed of over 110 ( I can't remeber exactly what they said).
    The new engines are more pwerful that the old ones, by a significant
    margin.
    
    The driving position is much improved over the previous model.
    
    I was quite impressed, even with the base 1.1 version. Roadholding was
    excellent; performance good on the base car, excellent on the GTi.
    
    The 1.4 GS is very luxuriously equipped.
    
    Apparantly, they were going to call it the Rover 100, but decided to
    stick with the Metro badge in the UK. It may still be called Rover 100
    in some continental markets.
    
    I was quite impressed.
    
    I don't know about the economy; Thruxton wasn't exactly an economy
    run...
    
    Peter.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1059.1	mini means SMALL	SHIRE::GOLDBLATT		`Wed May 02 1990 16:43`	5
	I wonder if the improvement in driving position means that people as tall as I (5'11") will no longer get leg cramps from driving this modern version of the iron maiden. David_who_suffered_10_days_of_torture_in_a_mini_metro
1059.2		VANILA::LINCOLN	The sun has got his hat on	`Wed May 02 1990 16:52`	5
	The Peugeot gearboxes are good news. Whilst I may not like thechoice of ratios in mine the change/silence etc. are superb. -John
1059.3	<But dose small	PEKING::GERRYT		`Wed May 02 1990 17:45`	11
	David, Did you ever try any other "small" cars to compare , eg. Nova, Polo. Fiesta etc ? I saw a TOP GEAR programe once where they got an assortment of the public to try small hatched for a few days, and the talest man (over 6') found the Metro to offer the most comfortable space. Just curious. Tim
1059.4		PEKING::TAYLORG	Bodybuilders do it till it hurts	`Wed May 02 1990 17:49`	6
	re.1 Well my dad has driven a Metro without to much problem and he is 6'2" and 18 1/2 stone. Although it was cramped for 5 of us!!! Grant
1059.5		PEKING::TAYLORG	Bodybuilders do it till it hurts	`Wed May 02 1990 17:53`	7
	re.3 Tim I remember that programme. The tallest man they got to try the cars was 6'4" and fitted into the Metro with no apparent (sp?) problem. Grant
1059.6		OVAL::ALFORDJ	Ice a speciality	`Wed May 02 1990 17:58`	2
	I'll bet it didn't have a sunroof :-)
1059.7	I've seen one too!	ANNECY::PARKER		`Wed May 02 1990 18:11`	20
	Picked up a 6 month old Metro MG from Swindon Autos on Saturday ready to drive it back to Annecy (A car for my wife after we return to UK). Around the back of the workshop was a new Rover Metro GTi in black. Parked next to it my gleaming white MG looked to be the same length and width but the wheels are bigger on this new model. Sat inside the driving poisition is now conventional (no offset pedals) and the steering wheel is no longer tilted. I understand that the hydrolastic suspension is now connected back to front on the new model which should improve the ride. Good to see Rover 'bucking the trend' and keeping the size as before, its still the smallest and most 'handy' supermini and with K engine and 5 speeds should give the Fiats, Pugs, Fiestas etc a run for their money.....build quality (as on the 'old' metro looked good). Dave. PS. The MG went well on my 700 mile drive but its not the ideal car for such a trip.
1059.8	re .6/.7	CRATE::STREET	Tapestry? OK by me, OK Bayeux?	`Wed May 02 1990 19:05`	8
	re .6 My wifes Metro has a sunroof, and I have no problems at all with height.... I am over 6'2".... re .7 The new Metro is _actually_ 4.5 ins longer and 0.5 in. wider. There is a review in todays Torygraph. Ray.
1059.9	Knee room	IOSG::MARSHALL		`Wed May 02 1990 19:37`	7
	I have a metro, and head room is fine (I'm 6'2"). The problem is knee room, made worse by the pedals being so far to the left. I can't get my right foot on the brake pedal with my knee under the wheel. But this isn't a problem as I'm quite comfortable with my knee a bit to the right. It is a surprisingly easy car to drive. Scott
1059.10	finger pointing	SHIRE::GOLDBLATT		`Thu May 03 1990 11:46`	9
	re. comments on .1 I've driven R4s, R5s, Corsas, Polos and once a Fiat 600 and have never had the pain I felt in the Metro. Since so many tall people have no problems, I guess that it's me. Maybe my legs are too long, or maybe I don't have the right frame of mind ? Never_again_David
1059.11		LARVAE::MUNSON_P	On the 7th day, God made the 49ers	`Thu May 03 1990 13:21`	16
1059.12	Tell me more!	ANNECY::PARKER		`Thu May 03 1990 14:29`	11
	.8 I'm surprised!....They LOOKED the same size..is that 4.5 more inches in wheelbase or overall length? The dashboard looked identical to the old metro apart from the new instrument binnacle. .11 These GTi/GTa models, what engine sizes do they relate to? Are there any base, or 5 door models? Hungry for info here in France Dave
1059.13	Second (or third) hand info.	CHEST::STREET	Tapestry? OK by me, OK Bayeux?	`Thu May 03 1990 15:37`	6
	>> .8 I'm surprised!....They LOOKED the same size..is that 4.5 more >> inches in wheelbase or overall length? The dashboard looked identical I was quoting from the Telegraph, the inference was overall length. Ray.
1059.14	It's at the front!	UKCSSE::RDAVIES	Live long and prosper	`Thu May 03 1990 16:04`	7
	I can confirm it's overall length, also reported in Auto-express, sister mag to all the euro auto-mags. Some of this length gets to the wheelbase which results in the extra front legroom and the more normal steering wheel position. Richard
1059.15		LARVAE::MUNSON_P	On the 7th day, God made the 49ers	`Thu May 03 1990 16:30`	10
1059.16	Not cheap	DOOZER::JENKINS	A Fiesta of Dorises	`Thu May 03 1990 23:27`	12
1059.17		OVAL::ALFORDJ	Ice a speciality	`Thu May 03 1990 23:31`	4
	Re: .16 an ERA Mini costs more than 10k :-)
1059.18	A serious machine!	DOOZER::JENKINS	A Fiesta of Dorises	`Thu May 03 1990 23:34`	2
	Well Jane, if you've got a spare 12k I'd like one!
1059.19		OVAL::ALFORDJ	Ice a speciality	`Thu May 03 1990 23:58`	2
	If I had a spare 12K ....I'd have one :-)
1059.20	Don't know how well it would tow the 23...:-)	IOSG::MITCHELL	Elaine	`Fri May 04 1990 12:05`	4
	So would I. Anyone want to swap my Maestro efi for an ERA Mini? Elaine
1059.21	UK car prices...one BIG ripoff!	ANNECY::PARKER		`Fri May 04 1990 12:23`	17
	.16 "GTi is 10,175 OTR" Yes, UK prices ARE expensive...!! Rover 200 has just been launched here in France (rave reviews) and the 216Gsi which is about 11.5K pounds in UK I think, is 97,000 FF here!! That undercuts Peugeot 309 GTi (105,700 FF), Honda Concerto SX 1.6i (110,000), Volvo 440 turbo (140,000), and Alfa 33 1.7 16v (101,500).....phew! It seems that Rover and not so interested in market share in UK, just profit whereas on the continent they are building market share. In UK terms though 10,175 is not so expensive when compared with the XR2I (about 10,450) and Pug 205 1.6i. Metro GTi has similar performance to both these. Any idea of prices for the more basic metros?
1059.22		PEKING::TAYLORG	Bodybuilders do it till it hurts	`Fri May 04 1990 12:43`	5
1059.23		RUTILE::GUEST		`Fri May 04 1990 13:13`	6
1059.24	Metro Price list	ANNECY::PARKER		`Wed May 09 1990 17:07`	31
	Good ol' Dad, a long serving (suffering?) BL/ARG/Rover employee just sent me the new Metro details, internal stuff they give the employees, here's the price list in UK quids including VAT and Car tax: Three Door ---------- 1.1C 5985 1.1L 6790 1.1S 7550 1.4GTa 8295 1.4SL 8710 1.4Gti (16v) 9500 Five Door --------- 1.1C 6245 1.1L 7050 1.1S 7810 1.4GTa 8555 1.4SL 8970 1.4GS 9735 All models have 'headlamps on' warning buzzer, lots of zinc panels and the 1.1 with 5 speed box does 64 mpg in the urban cycle. Dave
1059.25	Whoops....wrong again!	ANNECY::PARKER		`Wed May 09 1990 17:09`	4
	.24 Please excuse error..........I mean 64 mpg @56 mph. Must be the heatwave!
1059.26	8^}	AYOV27::ISMITH	Mr The Fish?	`Wed May 09 1990 18:34`	7
1059.27	Another good'un for Rover	VANILA::LINCOLN	The sun has got his hat on	`Wed May 16 1990 17:29`	11
	Having seen a few of these on the roads and watched the review on Top Gear last night I'd say this is another success for Rover. So long in the doldrums they've picked up enormously lately. I think I'd stick with the 205 myself, since I still can't quite take the styling even though it's much improved. But this is going to be a big seller, and cheaper than most of the opposition too. -John
1059.28		COMICS::WEGG	Some hard boiled eggs & some nuts	`Thu May 17 1990 13:01`	5
	What Car? this month is saying that it should outsell the Fiesta. Personally I hope it does, though I'm not sure their million pound TV advertisement was money well spent. Ian.
1059.29	Not a good ad	IOSG::MARSHALL	I have a cunning plan...	`Thu May 17 1990 13:52`	3
	I thought the idea behind the TV ad was good, but the ad itself was rubbish. Now if they'd transferred the g-f stripes from the Rover to the Metro as well...
1059.30	What's in a name?	DOOZER::JENKINS	A Fiesta of Dorises	`Thu May 17 1990 16:04`	10
	BL, sorry Rover, sorry BAe are going to sell the new metro in Europe as the Rover 100. (and at cheaper prices) I'd have thought that "Rover 100" would have been a stronger selling name even in the UK, than "Metro". Does the team think?
1059.31	Je pris Le Metro, aujourd'hui ma cherie.	CHEST::STREET	ex-child	`Thu May 17 1990 19:14`	5
	Not sure Richard.... but they couldn't sell it as Metro in Paris cos the inhabitants would get confused....."I'm taking the Metro today dear".... Ray.
1059.32		COMICS::WEGG	Some hard boiled eggs & some nuts	`Thu May 17 1990 19:43`	10
	What was the old model called in France? There's a whole new rathole here, which I think has been down before. It's because the problems of internationally acceptable names are so great that most manufacturers these days resort to numbers. I don't think ROVER 100 is a good idea for the UK, though. It's been done before. Ian.
1059.33	the old model is called Metro in France too	TENERE::RAVIX		`Fri May 18 1990 19:12`	0
1059.34	UK v. French Metro prices	CASEE::CARLILL	Dada wouldn't buy me a Bauhaus.	`Thu Nov 15 1990 16:10`	16
	Just out of interest, and with reference to the "rip-off" nature of British car prices, the Rover 100 series is now on sale in France. The range (as far as I can tell) is a little smaller, but goes from 45500F for the 111C (= 1.1C) to 68500F for the 114 GTi 16V (including VAT). At current exchange rates, that means that in France you can get the GTi 16V for little more than the price of the base model in the UK... It also means that the Rover 100/Metro is very aggressively priced against its competition in France. Ceri PS - Has anybody actually used the new Metro for any significant period of time, or know any first-hand experiences? My mum wants to get one, and I'd like to be able to advise her...
1059.35		UTROP1::JANSEN	First of dec I'm at the BRIDGE mum	`Fri Nov 16 1990 11:27`	11
1059.36	Diesel Metro now!	PEKING::GERRYT		`Fri May 29 1992 17:01`	4
	What's the official fuel consumption guide to the new Metro Diesel like? tim
1059.37		LARVAE::IVES_J	Bad Karma in the UK	`Thu Jul 23 1992 16:05`	9
	Don't know but I think it uses the same engine as the Citroen AX 14DTR, which is one of the most economical cars on the road. I'm definitely interested in the Diesel Metro. It would seem to offer exceptional economy, probably better build than the AX ( I had an AX, liked it, it was fast, fun and flimsy) AND of increasing importance, may lower the amount of TAX I have to pay, assuming that it's under 8.5K (with reference to another note in this conference on car taxation).