If you could change the design of one thing...

[deano]

What are you not quite happy with on your beloved 800.....

If you could have changed one thing from the original design of the 800 what would it have been ?

[deano]

ok I`ll kick it off...

I`ve never been happy with the way the headlights sit, they never look straight.
On the side against the indicators in particular .

They would have looked much better with a wrap round light unit incorporating the indicator
But I guess in 1999 even, we were a few years off that style yet.

[dollysprint]

ok I`ll kick it off...

I`ve never been happy with the way the headlights sit, they never look straight.
On the side against the indicators in particular .

They would have looked much better with a wrap round light unit incorporating the indicator
But I guess in 1999 even, we were a few years off that style yet.

Agree with the headlamp/indicator slight misalignment, it was all integrated for the 93 Rover 600 and the 95 R3(200), and 95 HHR(400)
I would have widened the rear track for the Mk2/Coupe. The narrow track works well on the Mk1 but the rear wheels look too sunken in the wheel arch on the rounder Mk2.
I'll stick to one thing as that was your original challenge but there would be a few others

Dave

[mercedade]

I'd have just put better headlights in. I've never had good headlights in any 800 I've owned or driven, except those with aftermarket uprated bulbs - and that includes the Mk1 which got treated to brand new (as in fresh out of the box) light units.

So that's my design suggestion - better lights.

[traineefarmer]

The front number plate mounting thingy. It looks like an afterthought and when you take it off the smooth line of the bumper continues underneath. Surely they could have come up with a more integrated design than a screwed on square lump.

[scoobyh123]

As it's the first "big" Rover since something like 1963 not to have a V8 available, i would make a V8 available.

The P5, P6, SD1 and even the 75 (as in the MG ZT-260 V8 and even rarer Rover 75 V8) all had V8 engines in the range and when many people think of Rover, the first thing they think of is "Rover V8".

As for the headlights, i also think they could be better looking light units (possibly twin headlamps?) and definitely better set up - i find that diipped beam is too low when full beam is spot on and full beam too high when dipped beam is better.

Agree whole-heartedly with an improved fuel filler design but would also suggest longer suspension travel to soak up the big bumps better. They were probably fine when they were first designed but that was when our Road Fund Licence still went towards (albeit in diluted form) maintaining our road network. Now we have potholes that you need SCUBA kit to venture into and Sleeping Policemen that you need a pilots licence to get over.

[CHR15E]

Making an estate would be my thing.

May still have one now if they did.

[traineefarmer]

As it's the first "big" Rover since something like 1963 not to have a V8 available, i would make a V8 available.

The P5, P6, SD1 and even the 75 (as in the MG ZT-260 V8 and even rarer Rover 75 V8) all had V8 engines in the range and when many people think of Rover, the first thing they think of is "Rover V8".

On this line of thinking, maybe it should have been RWD? It must have put off plenty of buyers in the '80s and '90s when pretty much every other exec saloon was RWD. (I can only think of the Audi 200 and Saab 9000 that would have been in the same class with FWD). It doesn't bother me which wheels are driven and of course going down the RWD route would have removed Honda and all their positive influences on quality and design from the development.

[scoobyh123]

As it's the first "big" Rover since something like 1963 not to have a V8 available, i would make a V8 available.

The P5, P6, SD1 and even the 75 (as in the MG ZT-260 V8 and even rarer Rover 75 V8) all had V8 engines in the range and when many people think of Rover, the first thing they think of is "Rover V8".

On this line of thinking, maybe it should have been RWD? It must have put off plenty of buyers in the '80s and '90s when pretty much every other exec saloon was RWD. (I can only think of the Audi 200 and Saab 9000 that would have been in the same class with FWD). It doesn't bother me which wheels are driven and of course going down the RWD route would have removed Honda and all their positive influences on quality and design from the development.

You've just reminded me of two more Tom, although technically they're variations on a theme. There was the Fiat Croma and the Lancia Thema 8.32 (both Saab 9000s with different engines etc inside - same platform and basic bodyshell though) with that lovely V8, 32 valve engine, 3.0 as i recall and allegedly developed by Ferrari.
Agreed that RWD would have given more refinement in many respects, the Jag XJ40 (launched about the same time as the 800) retained RWD and had a much bigger engine to keep up with the 827 (remember the turbo T series didn't come along for a few years after the launch) and a bigger appetite for fuel.

To summarise, what we have so far is an 800 estate with better headlamps, better suspension travel, a redesigned fuel filler and tank and a V8 32 valve engine still driving the front wheels, perhaps with an option of a big USA derived V8 driving the rear wheels along similar lines to the Mustang 4.6 in the 75/MG-ZT 260 and a gallows on many street corners for the purpose of hanging stupid MPs that invented/promote speed humps and other so-called traffic calming measures that in reality stress drivers out and create all kinds of pollution from idling engines while vehicles wait for their turn to pass and vehicles accelerating back to a sensible speed after slowing to a crawl to negotiate the hump from hell.

[scoobyh123]

In that case change my post above from "a gallows on many street corners" to "a gallows on every street corner".

[vito]

I'll be first to mention the dreaded cupholders ...............

[Richard Moss]

An extra inch or two of headroom would be nice

[BlueRover]

The hatchback rear roof trim which could be removed without breaking when you need to do the roof lining.
Oh, and a bonded dashboard cover too.

[rovercoup]

Nothing really that's why I own four, but as with anything improvements can be made with fettling and engineering. I like mine the way they were intended.

[deano]

and another thing....
why wasn't the rear window switches redesigned after the removal of the electric rear seats in the mk1.
10 or more years later they are using the same blanked off switches

and the same for the coupe drivers switch pack too

should have all been changed with the introduction of the mk2 and coupe models