Rover 25 GTI Review | The British Hot Hatch

Rover Review:

Introduction:

The Rover 25 represents an iteration of a very long product line. Its roots hark back to 1984, stemming from the original Rover 200. The generation we see here belongs to the R3 era, codenamed 200 from 1995-2000 and then the 25 from 2000-2005, subsequent to a midlife facelift.

Today’s model is the 1.8 GTI, produced in 2000; incidentally, this is when the 25 was Britain’s best selling car.

Styling:

The 25 in its simplest form is arguably a very plain car to look at, reflecting the Automotive Industry’s mundane approach to car manufacturing during the 90’s. This car however has been aesthetically tweaked. I for one am not too keen on aftermarket cosmetic upgrades to cars, but I do feel that the owner has in this case kept his changes tasteful, and in keeping with the Rover 25’s cousin, the MG ZR. A sports bodykit, including front splitters, lower side skirts and an increased spoiler all hint to this GTI’s promising performance.

Interior:

Use in-car footage.

On the road:

The 25 GTI shares the same 1.8 VVC engine as the later MG ZR, but has smaller throttle bodies and a less aggressive tune - this means an output of 143 BHP and 174 NM of torque; propelling the supremely lightweight car to 60 in 8 seconds dead.

This car however has been tuned by K-Maps, allowing for an increase of power to over 170 BHP and a torque figure surpassing 200 NM, whilst also boasting improved MPG. Performance has increased, and accelerations times dropped allowing a 0-60 run of a GPS-verified 6.7 seconds.

The ECU tune has also improved throttle-response, increased the rev-limit and has allowed crackles on the overrun.

Official economy figures suggest a combined fuel economy figure of 37 MPG, but due to the rev-happy nature of the K-Series engine, the owner of this car is seeing mid-to-high 20s.

Handling of the GTI is a somewhat happy medium between the boaty standard 25 and the firmer MG ZR. Cornering is aided by its kerb weight of just 1150kg, limiting roll by way of a low centre of gravity.

Steering is precise, with only a little off-centre looseness commonly found with 90’s hydraulic steering. The gearshift is smooth and accurate, and the knob itself is comfortable in the hand.