Rover Metro
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| Image:1989.mg.metro.arp.jpg | |
| Rover Metro/100-series | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Austin Rover MG Rover |
| Production: | 1980–1998 |
| Predecessor: | Mini |
| Successor: | Rover 200 CityRover |
| Related: | |
| Class: | FF supermini |
| Body Styles: | 5-door hatchback 3-door hatchback 3-door van 2-door convertible |
| Engines: | 1.0 L I4 1.3 L I4 1.3 L I4 turbo |
The Rover Metro was a supermini car, originally launched in 1980 as the Austin Mini Metro (or miniMETRO as the car's badge itself read). It was originally intended as a replacement for the Mini, and was developed at Leyland Cars under the codename LC8.
During its 18-year lifespan, the Metro wore many names: Austin Metro, MG Metro, Rover Metro. It was re-badged as the Rover 100 series in 1994. There were also van versions known as the Morris Metro and later Metrovan. [1]
Although the new Rover 200 (introduced in 1995 and smaller than previous 200 models) had originally been designed as a replacement for the Metro, it was not marketed as such after its launch [2]. A direct replacement in the supermini class did not arrive until 2004 with the CityRover. The Rover 100 was finally cancelled in 1998, ironically being outlived (by two years) by the original Mini it was meant to replace.
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Austin/MG Metro
In the autumn of 1980, British Leyland introduced one of the most common and instantly recognisable cars in Britain since the Mini 21 years earlier. The Austin Metro was intended as a replacement for the Mini, but used a larger design which was badged as being more modern and practical. Yet some of the Mini's underpinnings were carried over into the Metro, namely the 998 cc and 1275 cc A-Series engines and much of the front-wheel drivetrain and four-speed manual gearbox. The Metro used the Hydragas suspension system found on the Allegro. The hatchback body shell was one of the most spacious of its time and this was a significant factor in its popularity. Initially, the Metro was sold as a three-door hatchback.
The Metro range was expanded during 1982 to include the Vanden Plas and MG versions. The Vanden Plas version was biased towards luxury and high equipment levels, while the slightly more powerful MG Metro 1.3 sold as a sports model. In it's day, the luxury of the Metro Vanden Plas took the form of radio-cassette player, electric front windows, improved instrument panel to include tachometer and a variety of optional extras (such as 'trip computer', remote boot release, front fog lamps etc).
The changes between the MG engine and the standard 1.3 engine were relatively minor, with modified cylinder head and altered cam profile being the major contributors to a modest increase in BHP. Soon afterwards, the MG Metro 1.3 Turbo variant was released with quoted BHP of 94 and with a top speed of 112mph. This model had a great many modifications over the normally aspirated MG model. Aside from the turbocharger and exhaust system itself and, what was at the time, a relatively sophisticated boost delivery and control system, the MG Turbo variant incorporated stiffer suspension (purportedly with engineering input from Lotus) including a rear anti-rollbar plus uprated crankshaft and uprated gearbox. Both MG variants were given a 'sporty' interior with red seatbelts, red carpets, and a sports-style steering wheel. The later MG variants were emblazoned with the MG logo both inside and out which only served to fuel rather cynical claims of 'badge engineering' from some of the more steadfast MG enthusiasts. This sentiment was unfounded, particularly in the case of the turbo variant, due to the undeniably increased performance and handling when compared to the non-MG variants. Indeed, at the time of it's release, the MG Metro was the first in a succession of modern saloon cars which heralded a spirited return of the MG marque after several years' absence of new MGs.
A mild facelift during 1985 saw some minor styling modifications to the Metro's front end, along with a new dashboard design and the long-awaited 5-door version. A rear spoiler reduced drag coefficient to increase the Metro's already economical MPG, and the hydraulic clutch (often berated as the cause of the Metro's particularly harsh gearchange) was replaced by a cable-operated mechanism. The lack of a 5-speed transmission would become a major handicap as time went on - the BMC sump-mounted gearbox was never developed to accommodate an extra gear ratio, which was a severe handicap against the opposition. The Hydragas suspension also gave the car a harsh, bouncy ride despite pleas from the system's inventor Dr. Alex Moulton that it should be interconnected front-to-rear as opposed to side-to-side as was found on the production version.
While the Metro was a huge seller in the UK, it had gained a reputation for unreliability and lacklustre build quality early in its career which dented its appeal in foreign markets, where the likes of the Volkswagen Polo, Fiat Uno and Peugeot 205 were firmly established favourites.
Engines:
- 1980–1990 - 998 cc A-Series I4, 41 hp (31 kW) at 5400 rpm and 51 ft·lbf (69 Nm) at 2700 rpm
- 1980–1990 - 1275 cc A-Series I4, 63 hp (47 kW) at 5650 rpm and 72 ft·lbf (98 Nm) at 3100 rpm
- 1982–1989 - 1275 cc A-Series I4, 72 hp (54 kW) at 6000 rpm and 73 ft·lbf (99 Nm) at 4000 rpm (MG Metro)
- 1983–1989 - 1275 cc A-Series turbo I4, 93 hp (69 kW) at 6130 rpm and 85 ft·lbf (115 Nm) at 2650 rpm (MG Metro Turbo)
- 1989–1990 - 1275 cc A-Series I4, 73 hp (54 kW) at 6000 rpm and 73 ft·lbf (99 Nm) at 4000 rpm (MG Metro GTa)
Rover Metro
Image:RoverMetroGTIBrandsHatch.jpg At the end of 1989, the Austin marque was shelved and the models were re-badged as Rovers, though a Rover-like badge had in fact been emerging on Metros since 1987. The Rover Metro came into being in 1990, heavily revised and fitted with a new range of engines. The aging 998 cc and 1275 cc A-Series engines, which had been in use since the late 1950s, gave way to the K-Series 8 valve engines and a 16 valve engine in the GTI and the early GTa. In 1993 a 1.4 diesel was launched. The Hydragas suspension was finally modified to accept front to rear interconnection in the way that Alex Moulton so desperately wanted to bring the car back up to standard in terms of handling and ride quality.
The basic bodyshell was retained for cost reasons but was improved with the addition of new plastic front and rear bumpers, new front wings, new rear lights and bootlid, new front headlamps and bonnet. The interior was altered with a new rounded instrument binaccle and instruments, new steering wheel, new seats (from the successful Rover 200 series), new door casings and other detail improvements. General build quality, fit and finish was improved enormously from the old Metro.
Now badged as a Rover, the Metro's build quality, driving manners and reliability were so much improved that it was brought to the top of the supermini class. By the early 1990s it was competing very effectively with stiff competition such as the Renault Clio, Peugeot 106 and Ford Fiesta. This was no doubt helped by the perception of the car by the general public as a classier alternative (it is to be remembered that Rover had a good reputation amongst buyers and the motoring press in the early 1990's).
In many export markets, the Rover Metro was badged as the Rover 100 series.
Latterly this car has attracted an enthusiastic following including use as a low-cost entry to motor racing. The basic just over 100 bhp engine for the GTI can be boosted to over 130 bhp at the flywheel. For ultimate performance, the 1.8 engine from the MGF or Elise can be fitted.
Rover 100
In the autumn of 1994 Rover scrapped the Metro nameplate, replacing it with a new name, Rover 100, which had already been adopted outside the UK. The mechanics of the car remained much the same with 1.1 and 1.4 petrol engines and Hydragas suspension, but there was now the option of a 1.5 diesel. The exterior was altered to disguise the car's age with the fitment of new front and rear bumpers, sill covers, rear boot handle, headlamps, bonnet and grill. A variety of bolder paint colours and the use of chrome trim gave an upmarket appearance. The interior trim was revised to give a greater impression of quality and luxury, but as there were no changes to the basic architecture it was considered by many as being short on space and old fashioned in comparison to its most modern rivals (many of which had been replaced with all-new models since the launch of the Rover Metro). Overall, the 100 series was considered a rather limited facelift of a car which had been a class leader on launch but was now well behind the times.
In February 1998 the Rover 100 suffered poor performances in EuroNCAP crash tests. The passenger compartment was subjected to severe structural damage in off-center crashes and the air-bag mounted on the skewed steering wheel pushed the driver's head into the door frame pillar. Facing a complete collapse of sales, Rover withdrew the 100 from production. It marked the end of nearly 18 years of production, during which time the Metro had proved itself to be one of the most important British cars of all time.
There was no direct replacement for the Metro/100, although the 1995 Rover 200 been developed inside Rover Cars to serve as a replacement for the 100 as well as the previous 200 model, which was slightly larger. The 100 and 200 were sold concurrently until 1998, when the 100 was cancelled. When the Rover 200 was facelifted in the autumn of 1999 and rebadged the Rover 25, Rover marketed it as a supermini. The gap left by the Metro as a true Rover supermini was not filled under the autumn of 2003, when the CityRover was launched - a 1.4 engined supermini built in India alongside the Tata Indica.
Metro 6R4 Rally Car
A Rally car based on the Metro was developed by Williams in 1980. A V6 engine (initial prototypes used an engine based on the Rover V8 engine, but this was replaced with a more powerful specifically designed unit known as the V64V for the homologation version) was used in the car, which was built to conform with the international Group B rallying regulations The 4 wheel drive, mid-engined rally car was known as the Metro 6R4. A turbo-charged version of the 6R4's engine was later used in the Jaguar XJ220 supercar.