MG Rover has increased its range in South Africa with the arrival of the Rover Streetwise, aimed at youthful buyers and the young at heart. For this model the Poms invented the catch-phrase “Urban Tough” and added appropriate trim to make the idea more appealing to the young, so we now have the world’s first “urban on-roader”.
Or its umpteenth city car, depending upon how you interpret it …..
The age of the basic package — the Streetwise is based upon the nine year old Rover 25 — shows in the lines of the latest offering, which reminds me of the old Opel Kadett T-Car. The looks have been dollied up by raising the car on its suspension to give it an SUV look, which works together with the abundance of plastic cladding to endow it with an appearance of menacing resilience. I found the effect rather attractive in a Mad Max sort of way. Streetwise badges are prominently displayed to help other road users get the point, and the conventional bench seat has given way to two individual passenger seats at the back. There’s also a roof carrier that’s good for a load of 65 kg
The Streetwise is very well equipped for its size. Both the 1.4 litre petrol and the 2.0 litre diesel versions come with 16″ alloy wheels, ABS, heated electric door mirrors, front fog lights, driver and passenger airbags, remote central locking, aircon, a multi-speaker sound system, part-leather seats adjustable for height and lumbar support and (a very handy feature) rear parking distance control. There are satellite controls for the sound system on the steering wheel.
The Rover is a solid feeling car, but that solidity unfortunately comes with a weight penalty. The 1.4 litre version that I drove at the Johannesburg launch felt alarmingly underpowered, although the claimed 76kW of power at 6 000 rpm and 123 Nm of torque at 4 500, on paper, should have been adequate. The factory claims a 0-100 km/hr time of 11 seconds, and a top speed of 174 km/hr, but from the feedback I received through the seat of my pants the car was incapable of achieving anywhere near those figures. I suspect the mass of the car and the thin Reef air simply overwhelmed the peaky engine. Based as I am at the coast, the 17% power drop that naturally-aspirated engines suffer at 6 000 feet above sea level may have aggravated the problem in my eyes, but other cars with small engines that I’ve driven at altitude haven’t disappointed as much.
Back in Durban I spent a few days with the diesel version of the Rover Streetwise, and found the oil-burner is a much more worthwhile proposition than the 1,4 litre petrol version. The fact that it’s force-fed by a turbocharger means that it also won’t be affected by Reef altitudes, and the (claimed) 74kW at 4 200 r/min and 240Nm of torque at 2 000 r/min should be available in Gauteng as well as at the coast. This isn’t the most refined diesel engine available, however it kicks up quite a din while doing its job. If you want to be constantly aware that you’re now a diesel driver, then this is the car for you.
MG Rover says that they may bring 1,6 and 1,8 litre petrol engines into South Africa at a later stage. I’d recommend that they drop the 1,4 altogether and get the more powerful models here as soon as possible. For a relatively expensive car that’s aimed at the youth, such lethargic performance is a serious setback.
The Rover Streetwise 1.4 SE retails at R169 950, and the Streetwise 2.0 TD SE at R197 950.