What's the best engine in the Rover 75?

I am looking for a Rover 75 and can't seem to find out which were built by BMW and which engine is a BMW engine. There is a 1.8 petrol, 2.0lt diesel and a 2.5 V6 petrol, don't really want a diesel so it's between the two petrol and would like an automatic, obviously the BMW derivative is the best bet but how do I determine which they are.

Asked on 9 August 2023 by Philip J Taylor

Answered by Andrew Brady
Early Rover 75 models were built during BMW's ownership (with little input from BMW) at Cowley. When Rover was sold to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000, production was moved to Longbridge. Cowley-built cars are identified by their black sills, while they were body-coloured on Longbridge models.

All the petrol engines were Rover engines... only the diesel was based on a BMW engine. The 2.5 V6 is the most desirable today, although you'd need to be prepared for high running costs - as well as being thirsty, there are three timing belts which need changing every six years.
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A fine looking car from all angles, until the 2004 facelift. Destined to become a 'classic'. 2.0 diesels proving to be good long life cars with excellent clubs and spares back-up. Up to 4 stars.