Review
A host of lip-smacking new Z-rated models should get company hotshots beating a path to their fleet managers' doors asking for these cars to be added to the choice lists. But while we all love driving and writing about such vehicles, Fleet NewsNet is much more concerned with everyday models which ply Britain's roads on company business year after year, giving cost-effective service without complaint - cars like the Rover 45, in fact.
Last month we reported that this test model had been sent back to the local MG Rover dealer after the head gasket blew a leak. It was annoying but by no means unusual among the test cars we have here. In fact a Ford Focus we tested recently suffered a similar fate. So this little hiccup apart, the 45 is proving a solid and comfortable addition to the test fleet. And in iXS trim, there are certainly no grounds for complaint about standard specification.
On the safety front there are driver, passenger and side airbags together with ABS brakes. On the comfort side we have height-adjustable steering wheel, electric front windows (rear ones are £250 extra), electric mirrors, a CD player and air conditioning. On the security side we have an immobiliser and remote central locking. And on the style front, we find a neat set of alloy wheels and rear spoiler. Ten years ago, even a Rolls-Royce didn't have as much!
My only problem with the car is its rather dull red-brown colour. Disposal expert Martin Ward warned in a recent column how brown cars can be worth less at selling time than their brighter coloured counterparts, so while I would certainly choose the Rover 45 as a company car, it would not be in this particular hue.
