That steering system, incidentally, has been altered, as has suspension front and rear, to suit the engine's size, layout and weight. Meanwhile, the new engine has necessitated changing the heating and ventilation system too, for a system that alters the amount of hot water in the heat exchanger, rather than the proportion of fresh air passing through it: on cold or wet mornings though, the 75 V8 has a tendency to steam its windows when the ventilation is placed in 'auto' mode, necessitating excessive use of the blowy demist function.
That the ventilation system is probably the least successful part of the engine's installation, however, is a credit to MG Rover, because dynamically, despite the changes in steering and chassis architecture, the 75 V8 retains the essential qualities that make the regular 75 such an endearing car. The ride is compliant, supple and isolated, yet the body is extremely well controlled, and the steering is accurate and linear, confident, if devoid of feel. Wind noise is suppressed, as is road noise, and the whole car exudes a air of solidity and refinement, every inch worthy of housing a V8 motor.
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| V8 wears discreet badging |
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Unfortunately, while the 75 V8 suits this sort of motor, the compact executive class is pretty intolerant of cars with 4.6-litre engines returning this level of economy. Most £32,000 compact execs have three-ish-litre six-cylinder motors, giving just under 30mpg and retaining around 50 percent of their value after three-years/60,000 miles. The 75 gives just over 21mpg and the trade guides reckon it'll retain less than 40 percent of its £31,995 list price after the same period, during which time it would've used 700 gallons of fuel more than a 28mpg rival.
Nice as it is, those are the sort of factors that will seriously limit the 75 V8's appeal. It's a worthwhile distraction but, for MG Rover's sake, let's hope it didn't spend too much time and effort getting this model ready for market when it has more pressing matters to hand. Like getting back to building the best front-wheel-drive car in the world.
