420 Si saloon

Ignore the doubters. One of Rover's best cars. Unfairly overlooked and forgotten by secondhand buyers today.

"A lovely car." That's how my granny summed up the dark green 420 saloon she had between 1999 and 2002 (N651 XKV). A handsome looking car, with its saloon rivals looking dumpy and ungainly compared to their hatchback equivalents, the 400 really did suit its 4 door body style very well. Inside, obvious Honda input to the switchgear and layout meant clear dials and solid quality but the smell was unmistakably Rover- very British and very nice (one of the nicest smelling cars i've ever been in). Rear legroom was fine, while the cream velour seats were very comfortable and reasonably supportive on long journeys. Certainly no hard side bolsters in a car like this! It goes without saying that this was not a sports car, but the Rover wasn't a bad car to drive at all. A uncanny ability to soak up the lumps and bumps of the scarred roads of the Highlands may have translated into noticeable body roll at speed but it clinged on to the road fine nonetheless while the steering itself was perfectly OK, if slightly light and woolly at some speeds. Refinement was very good. The engine was barely audible at idle, remaining subdued even at high revs. A typically slick Honda-derived gearbox completed the well rounded driving experience. So what did my grandparents not like about this car they had then? Well, it was a bit thirsty on the unleaded during town driving (largely improved on longer runs). That really was it. Overall, they found this an extremely pleasant car to own on a regular basis that never put a foot wrong in terms of reliability and build. I myself really liked it. Sadly, their particular 420 Si does not appear on the DVLA database anymore meaning that the car must have gone to the great showroom in the sky by now. Very sad considering it was in such good condition in their ownership. Still, with 400 models having very low prices in 2013, now is the time to buy one before they start getting rare like the previous '89-'95 200/400 series has started to get. Ignore the 'crisis torn' Rover image nonsense, avoid the unrefined diesel versions and ones that have head gasket worries and you have yourself one classy, very under rated and very good all rounder that deserves much more attention than it currently gets.

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