Given the Rover 75 was closely related to the BMW 5 series it is hardly surprising it is good.
It rides better than the BMW... the suspension optimised for UK roads.
Are you sure about that Peter? From my memory the 75 came along at about the same time BMW bought JLR so it was designed without their involvement
Well Wiki says this:
The Rover 75 started life as part of a group of three new designs for the company under the guidance of Richard Woolley; a large saloon codenamed Flagship, a smaller vehicle (with the codename of Eric), and the 75. Of these only the 75 concept progressed. The initial aim was to reskin the Rover 600 (launched in April 1993) but following the BMW takeover in 1994, it was quickly decided that this platform would not be reused but replaced by an entirely new model, scheduled for launch in the late 1990s.
Work on the new model, codenamed R40, progressed with little operational interference from BMW; the styling received an enthusiastic response from the management and both companies believed the classical look would be the ideal direction for Rover. But digging deeper it seems that whilst the 75 platform was all new the rear suspension was the BMW Z suspension.
This quote by Richard Woolley responding to this 5 series platform rumour: ‘The story originated from the fact that very early on during BMW ownership, we did look at ‘re-cycling’ the then outgoing 5 -Series platform for Flagship. BMW were about to launch the new (current) car, and all the tooling for the old model’s underpinnings were theoretically available, sourced from the South African BMW plant. It was an idea that BMW suggested we investigate.’
This is the full article...
https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/rover/75/Worth a read.
