The Rover Maestro

Before my father leased the Rover Metro, he had two Maestro 1·3 Clubman, with the optional five speed gearbox. Indeed, it was the second of these Maestro 1·3s that I first learnt the delicate balance of clutch control, but I had only turned seventeen for a few weeks before it was replaced with the Rover Metro GTa. You can read my verdict on the Metro here.

When my father was no longer able to lease the Metro, he decided to try a Maestro Clubman Turbodiesel, on account of the good economy figures. The first Maestro he leased lacked power steering, which meant the steering was both very heavy, and rather slow witted. In isolation, it wasn’t too bad at speed, but his next Maestro did have power steering, and it transformed the car. Of course, these days almost all cars have power steering, so it should no longer be an issue.

Whilst not exactly at the cutting edge when it came to design or aerodynamics, the Maestro offered good performance, excellent fuel economy, lots of interior space and surprisingly solid driving dynamics. The turbodiesel versions sit on 14” wheels with quite fat profile tyres (from memory, I believe they were 175/60s), not dissimilar to the Mk. IV Golf. They didn’t have the handling sparkle that glittered on the Metro GTa, but they didn’t snap into oversteer if you lifted off half way around a bend (even despite that big, heavy engine up front).

The engine was a little bit loud, but oddly enough, it didn’t bother most drivers on a long drive, whereas some cars have an annoying background noise. The Perkins derived 2·0 litre turbocharged, direct injection diesel engine offered around 85 PS, and never returned less than 50 mpg, and usually around 55 mpg. This is the same engine that powered the Montego turbodiesel. This unit would later be used in the Rover 200, 400, and 600 models, then the Rover 25 and 45, with either non-intercooled 85 PS and intercooled 105 PS versions.

It was the Maestro that had me wanting a turbodiesel: it had excellent acceleration in the upper gears, and on a long run could return economy figures approaching 60 mpg. Sure, the Peugeot 306 had more go, but the Maestro had more interior space and another 10 mpg to boot. . . Unfortunately, the insurance group of the Maestro Clubman turbodiesel was 10, which for a new driver wanting cheap motoring, made it a no-go area. A pity, because these turbodiesel Clubmans lost value very quickly, and so were a real bargain at two to three years old. If you’re looking for a spacious hatchback with a serious allergy to fuel, on a tight budget, and you have lots of no-claims bonus, the Maestro Clubman TD is worth a look.

I like the turbodiesel’s turbocharger heave, fuel economy, and all models have great interior space and a smooth ride.

But I don’t like diesels without power steering, and the high insurance groups.