Metro - The British Car To Beat The World! Austin 998 City & Rover 1.4 GSi Road Test

My first car was an 86 Metro City in cat defecate brown, with matching interior. As unappealing as it was to the eye, the sense of freedom it gave me I will never forget.

At 29 years of age I can still remember my dad’s Metro! 🥰 He owned an E reg VDP Metro 1300 automatic that was in two tone blue so it was a dark shade of blue on the lower half and bright blue on the top half complete with blue velour interior with colour coded seatbelts and carpets, it served my dad unbelievably from 1997-2010!😱 I can say that almost every year it required welding to the floorpans and sills usually….. a major job my dad carried out was rebuilding the auto box as for a while it would sometimes skip or struggle to go into 4th gear when in auto and the kick-down function failed, good times!☺️ Being brought up with a Metro for most of my childhood had an affect on me, despite rust issues etc I adore all things BL/Austin Rover ☺️ I have a 1989 Maestro and a 1975 Allegro, both are rolling driving restorations! 👍

‘The writing was on the wall when euro ncap crashed it into one’ 😂😂😂

I too am an unapologetic Metro apologist! My Mum has a mk1 mini Metro City 1.0, My Dad had a Mk2 Metro 1.3L that I got to use after I passed my test, and the first car I bought for myself was an R6 Metro 1.4 GTi. I’d love to find another Mk2 3dr 1.3L dark blue with that chocolate brown interior again, then mod it with a turbo and 5 speed box!! 😍😍😍

The K Series Metro was excellent - what an amazing transformation they achieved - it even looked different enough to be a new model - the improvement in ride and handling was almost unbelievable! By far my favourite super mini from this period. What a shame they never invested in a proper replacement - Rover may not have gone had they got it right. Evidence is what MINI has become - the original 2001 MINI was after Rover developed with BMW cash.

Our one and only car was a used Metro 1.0L, which we bought in 1985, as I recall. It was an A-reg. We owned it for ten years and it served us very well indeed. We carried many and varied loads in it, and even occasionally carried our two bikes on the roof. Yes, I had to change the wings after a few years. Yes, I had to have a welded patch to the floor under the passenger seat. Yes, the Hydragas did need an occasional pump up. But the engine and gearbox were faultless and most maintenance tasks were easy, even for a duffer like me. In short, I loved it, and probably more than I realised at the time.

This brings back memories. I learnt to drive in and passed my test in a H reg Metro in 1991.

I was at the Metro launch in 1980 and it was a very good car really. The 998 cc versions were a bit nicer to drive than the 1275. However, it didn't take long for a few problems to emerge and the later ones seemed to rust faster - it was common to find three or four year old examples to have rusty front wings. I always found the original cars with the SD1 style dash (box on a shelf instrument cluster) nicer than the facelift versions. The four pot calipers came later - MG Turbo first and all cars from the 1985 facelift.

I had an '82 MG Metro 1300 many years ago, maybe the most fun car to drive I've ever had. The first buyer splashed out on rust proofing - worth it as when I looked it up it's SORN but not scrapped still today.

Still have my 1.4 diesel on SORN. Apart from the clutch in the Peugeot made engine needing 2 replacements, extremely reliable car.

My first car in the 90’s was an A reg Metro 1.0. It was forever breaking down but I remember it fondly.

I had a number of Metros from the City to a Vandan Plas which had electric front windows, walnut dash and door caps, a four speed box with overdrive and the plushish seats you could want luxury on a shoestring.

Many happy memories scooting around town with my dad back in the 80's and 90's in Metros. Thanks guys, subscribed

Rover were brilliant in the way they updated the Metro with the K Series engine and properly connected Hydragas suspension and I remember most commentators claiming it best in class. Its downfall was the old body with its skinny A pillars which seemed to have two joints in them. No wonder they succumbed miserably in those crash tests.

My first two cars were Austin Metros - I wrecked them both lol. Then in the 90s I became a driving instructor and bought a Rover 114 GSi and it was stupidly fast considering the lack of safety features! When I win the lottery I’m getting myself a 6R4 😁

Happy memories, I owned a 1986 Austin Metro 1.3L, followed by a 1990 Rover Metro 1.4GTa. Both decent cars.

I used to drive a Rover 114 SL over here in Germany. It was a really nice car which benefitted the Rover marque so well. It's been advertised as "The smallest Rover for your biggest enjoyments". I loved it and drove extra ways to prolong the journey. It's been on holidays to Bavaria, Netherlands, several times to England Belgium and other places. Always comfy, always reliable, except for three head gasket changes in 250 000 Kilometers. When sold off at the age of 12, with 189000 km on the clock it went to a friend, who travelled long distance Germany to Netherlands for years until corrosion made it no longer affordable to run and it was sold off for a few Euros to a trader. Everyone driving this car with its 1.4 litre 8V engine, or being a passenger on it, loved it. It was so different from Fiestas Corsas, Polos an the likes. It was unique, British, in some way the follow up to the 1100/1300 BMC cars, and it aired some feel of quality, that was definitely ROVER . Something we miss today and had been lost. Saying this as I have run in my life 10 different BL, Rover cars. From 114 to P6s, 214, 825s and 827, MG Marstro, 2 Allegros. Miss it still today and would go for another one, if reasonably priced in good condition. Lovely car, beautiful memories.❤❤❤❤

Yay! Love a Metro

I had a MINT (and very, very fast) Rover Tomcat 220 Coupe Turbo and was offered a Rover 100 Knightsbridge 1.1i for £50... Sold the Turbo.... 100 was so much more fun!!!!

Owned a few of Metros. Never really had a problem with them. Yes they had their flaws, but the A+ was half decent my 1985 (Face lift) 1.0L was reliable (mostly!); mine did suffer from road spray (in heavy rain) soaking the distributor causing it to conk out, but I solved that with two cable ties and a rubber mat!! Yes mine did suffer rust on the front wings (at the A-Panel) but I replaced them myself (£30 a wing) paid a panel beater mate £50 to spray them up! I believe the hydro-gas was independent on the front and connected side/side on the rear. I put 40,000 miles on that little thing. I also owned a 91 1.1S; that was also really good, the 1.1 K-Series never really had the HG issues of the 1.4, agree was a step up from the A-series and 5-speed made it a decent motorway cruiser, but again a good little workhorse. Also had 1.4 GTa which drive similar to the 1.1S only a lot quicker! And finally a 87 Turbo...that was a hoot, go-kart handling but definitely needed a 5th gear, especially on the motorway.