Used Rover Sterling

The Rover Sterling or Rover 800 was an executive car released in 1986 by the Austin Rover Group. The Austin Rover Group in collaboration with Honda developed the Sterling and hence, it was related to the Honda Legend. It was intended as a replacement for the Rover SD1, the Austin Rover Group’s previous executive car model. The Rover Sterling was offered with two different engines. The basic versions came with 2.0L 16 valve engines based on the old O-Series engines. The top versions in the range came instead with a Honda 2.5L V6 engine. The Sterling designation was used in most markets to mean the top luxury sedan version, while the top sporting fastback versions were named Vitesse. This original version of the Sterling encountered mixed reception. While it did fairly well in some markets, competing on even ground with cars in the same class, it was badly received in others. Most complaints revolved around poor build quality and other reliability issues. The first major reengineering of the Rover Sterling came in 1992. The traditional Rover grille was reinstated and the bodywork was redesigned to be more curvaceous and aerodynamic. The basic body shape had to be retained, which limited the scope of the redesign a little. But this change to the Rover Sterling was received very well, with the 800 series being the best selling executive car in Britain during the early to middle 1990s. A reason for this success is the effort that the Austin Rover Group and Honda put into fixing the problems that the original 800 Series had. Hence, the quality issues were resolved and the newer Sterlings were in general of much higher quality. The Vitesse or sport versions were fitted with even more powerful engines, increasing output from 177 bhp to 200 bhp. The last significant change to the used Rover Sterling was done in 1996. Some of the exterior styling was changed, with the painting of previously black rubbing strips and grille fins being replaced by silver ones. Suspension was also revised and improved to give a noticeably smoother ride. The interior technologies were also improved, with climate control, a passenger airbag, passive immobilization, and a 6-CD autochanger becoming standard on most models. The Rover Sterling performed well in the British market, being favorably received by the government and police forces. But the Sterling was not just an ordinary fleet car. It was a true luxurious classic.