Austin Montego estate! 7-seats, all brown! Major nostalgia for this family favourite
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- This classic road test took both of us back to our childhoods - a Montego estate but the seven-seat version we were both denied!
Launched 40 years ago, the Montego was a fine rival for the Vauxhall Cavalier/Opel Ascona and Ford Sierra. This beige 1.6HL estate is a proper trip down memory lane.
Huge thanks to AROnline.co.uk - you'll find astonishing level of detail about the troubled development of the Montego there.
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#austin #montego #roadtest
I will never, ever forget falling asleep in the passenger seat of my dad's diesel Montego in 1992 on a long road trip. The radio station Atlantic 252 was playing quietly on the Philips car stereo. He was such a gentle driver and the experience was the ultimate feeling of comfort and relaxation.
And the anecdote about my dad and his Monty estate; At the time, he had a silver estate (not the 7-seater, sadly), and it was up for sale, at the same time, he decided to buy a Cello for some reason, which he also decided to sell at the same time, so, few days later, someone interested in the Monty turns up, turns out he's a musician, specifically, a cellist! So, not only did my dad sell the Montego (much to my sadness, I liked that one!), he sold the Cello (cheaply, wasn't a top-end model!) as well, the car being nicely suited for carrying a big stringed instrument with the back seats down... :P
@@twocvbloke Brilliant story! Thank you for sharing it.
My parents had a friend who played the double bass. So the first priority whenever he bought a car was ....
My dad had a silver estate as well
I can remember hiring this car 30 years ago to travel to Scotland as I remember the was colour looked like racing green but don't quote me on that
I had a good look at this one at Rustival. Gorgeous car.
My old company ran 22 Montego estate 2lt diesel’s for our engineers. They were all heavily laden with tools and spares, the fleet average was 55mpg and the engineers loved them for their comfort and all round performance. As the service manager I had the gti fitted with Denovo Dunlop run flat tyres. Whilst returning from holiday at 70mph on a motorway with wife and 2 children we hit a brick and had a double blow out on the nearside tyres at night. Stopped under total control, honestly I think those tyres saved our lives.
@@MichaelWilliams-jc2ui As I recall, that engine was a Perkins diesel bought in by Austin Rover, and reports at the time were that it was a gem of an engine.
@@MichaelWilliams-jc2ui What did you do for a job?. Reason I ask is I was talking to a guy I work with (photocopier engineers) who had montego back In the day and clocked up 150000 miles in 4 years
My wife and I had two diesel estates each in the '90s. I used to buy them at about 50k and run them to over 200k. Utterly reliable, astonishingly economical, great to drive and relaxing on the motorway. Just what we needed at the time. They paid for themselves over and over. Miss them 😢
Oh yes!!! The 2.0 Perkins diesel direct injection from Peterborough , only 1 competitor somewhere down the Alps. And one of the first encapsulated diesels as well.
It were the days you bought a 1 l bottle of graphite oil as diesel additive, and you heard immediately the smoother running
Never got less than 50 mpg out of my none turbo perkins engine - and the torque was unbelievable. Must have been one of the best caravan towers on the road . In fact I got stuck behined a caravan on one of the very narrow welsh roads and could not see what car was towing. I made up my mind it must have been a high powered BMW or Jag or something at the pace it was going. I eventually pulled up next to it - an Austin Maestro !!!
@@scabbycatcat4202 Me too!
40 year and still looks like a nicely styled practical car that should be made today
That's what I think! The styling was way ahead of its time I reckon!
Exactly. Only problem is that people are now 'obsessed' with SUV's.... because all the car makers are really pushing them hard. Estates still exist obviously, but they're nowhere near as popular as they once were.
I'd happily have a Montego Vanden Plas in Moonraker blue with a grey leather interior with the 2.0 EFi engine and automatic transmission.
In 1993 I went for a 2.0L auto Mondeo. It never occurred to me to look at a Montego. But I was keen to get air conditioning, would the VDP have had that?
@DavidFBird
I'm guessing no, never read anything about air conditioning on a Montego Vanden Plas.
We had the same - VP 2.0 EFI, C reg, it was quick and economical… my Dad said! I also learnt to drive in it. 👌
@@DavidFBirdJust had a look at the 1990 brochure, no mention of air conditioning. Even electric rear windows were only available on the top model.
@@DavidFBird could you get the montego ad late as 1993 I remember the L reg one badged as rovers. They rusted away in just a few years. I hope they were cheap.
I always wanted to put the front end off a Maestro City onto a Montego and create a Monstrocity!
I did like the maestro front end. I hated the hatchback rear. More like the back of an allegro
Think there’s a pun in there somewhere…the cars a bit of a monstrosity without any alterations…
In the 70s, we just used to jump in the boot of my mate's Mom's Volvo 245 estate. We had a tartan rug to sit on and for crash protection. 🤯👍
True nostalgia. My mother had a countryman in metallic green. It was versatile comfortable and reliable. I would have one in a heartbeat.
Yes! That was the car as they promoted it in The Kingdom of Belgium those days. Green with a 2.0 Perkins diesel . And a dog jumping out of the booth.
My dad had a metallic blue Montego, but I loved that green colour! Really classy and suited the shape!
I loved those British Racing Green Countryman's. They looked great although they seemed to rust at a spectacular rate.
We had a 1.6 HL Montego Estate. Fantastic car. I still miss it. Much much better than people say. Ours was dark blue with a grey interior
I've never owned or driven a Montego. But back shortly after the turn of the millennium, I bought a 1988 1.6 Maestro Mayfair. At £125 for 8 months MOT, and some road tax, it couldn't be refused. After all the things that journalists had written about the Maestro, the car was quite a revelation for me. I liked driving it, it had a decent amount of power, and was comfortable.
Every time you or anyone else mentions the Ambassador I'm reminded of John Shuttleworth's song Austin Ambassador Y Reg. Great song.
The princess was a much better looking car than the ambassador
Ooh, Ken....
I worked on the production line the first day these were made at British Leyland Oxford.
Ah the Monty, I actually saw one of these driving along a few weeks back. That was a shock. Its looks are in hindsight quite refined and really not a bad car.
It looks very similar to the late 80s Toyota Camery wagon.
Once had an MG efi. Bland, no pas, understeer, metric wheels, rotten rear arches but for some unknown reason I loved every minute of driving it. Always hankered after a turbo diesel estate.
I too had MG Eli, I didn’t realise how badly built and poorly engineered they were. Sold it within weeks of purchase. Bought a BMW 518 same year reg for same money. No comparison. I have a Rover 600 now, but it’s a Honda Accord really.
Thanks Hub nut. Another great video. My dad was a sales rep and had a Montego as a company car and the first BL / Austin car that he did over 100K miles with no real issues and was one of his favorite cars of many he had over the 40 years of sales. There is a TV series about company cars made in the late 80`s, early 90`s (which is on youtube somewhere) which my dad is in with his Montego. There was only one very small fault with the car and that was the only clip they used, They didn`t mention all the praise my dad gave the car. It was that awful time when they just put down British cars down. They filmed with him for 2 days and was so disappointed that they only used that very small negative bit.
One of the nicest looking estate cars of the 1980s, in my opinion.
When we were growing up my Dad had a Peugeot 504 Familiale, 7 seater estate (metallic gold!). The tailgate was rusty as hell and I remember holding on to our Labrador's collar when he was in the boot, for fear the tailgate would open and the dog would disappear behind us!
back in the olden days my mate was proper caked up and he bought a BMW all singing and dancing , well as usual it was in and out of the workshop on a very regular basis , and as his curtesy car he was given one of these and he LOVED it so much so he demanded his BMW money back and went and bought one
"Proper caked up"🤣 Love it! Are you Micky Flanagan by any chance!
@@2760ade no but he comes from my manor went to school with the tart
@@firsteerr Wow! I think he is the funniest geezer alive!!
@@2760ade he is a tart
Lovely to see a Montego again and fully appreciate what a great car it was.
As a Brazilian, this car is an exotic, and I really like it. This car is old car at the time for you guys, but for us it would be futuristic at the time, our car market at the 80s was hold back by the government, and our market was stuck with the cars from the 60s and 70s.
When we first had children, I brought a Red Estate, it had issues misfired over 40mph. Brought it on a Thursday for £300, took mother in law to local hospital in it on Friday, stayed there over weekend, walked out of house Monday Morning, car had been stolen… Car found 3 miles away outside Mini Factory, (where the Won’tgo, our nick name for it was built). With a screwdriver through dash. Insurance settlement was £500, minus excess gave me £350.
You thought well enough to get optional theft insurance for a 300 pound car! Congrats.
Reminds me of a Holden Camira.
I had a Montego estate. It was terrible. Mine had a failed radiator fan, so summer driving involved turning the engine off at traffic lights, and a failed heater fan, so winter driving meant having the trickle of heat running straight to the screen at all times, and wearing a hat and gloves. We did do 100 mph with all the windows down on the way home from a gig once. It was eventually written off by an old fella who drove straight into it when it was parked. Once I'd checked he was ok, I thanked him.
Failed radiator and heating fans are maintenance issues, generally one has them repaired asap.
When I started as a salesman I was given a Sierra, it was horrible. When it came time to change I picked a diesel Montego and loved it, 120,000 miles and hardly a spanner laid on it so when it came to the end of its time, I opted for another one!! Similar mileage and apart from new shocks nothing to worry about. Very much an underrated car.
My mom had a 73 Chevrolet station wagon it had the third seat but it faced forward it had a 400 CID V8 connected to a TH 400 automatic transmission when we went on vacation we pulled a 25ft travel trailer with it I to had to sit. In the third seat with my sister I had to repost my comments because I made spelling errors 😐 we love your videos God Bless you and your family !
Brings back good memories. I owned a 1989 facelift 1.6l saloon body model
Once hired a diesel Montego 7 seater to take my son to university. We topped the fuel tank and did the round trip to Loughborough app 60 miles and a day later set off to Scotland on holiday. I really thought the fuel gauge was not working but we did west scotland and got back down to carlisle area on the same tank.
Very economical.
Shame you don't see many around now as they would make a great family banger.
My Dad had one of the last of the 7 seater Montegos an M Reg countryman I loved it so many good memories 😊😊
These are the ultimate videos! Hubnut’S at their finest!
Edit: I spent my early employment years fitting Stuart Wilson fibreglass body kits to Montego’s and Rover 800’s with a Renault Chamade boot spoiler in between the odd XJS TWR kit! 😂
I must have plastic welded hundreds of Rover bumpers. If you touched them they cracked! The company I worked for were world leaders in plastic Welding. People assume its new today but we were doing it in the late 80’s-90’s! I’ll never forget my P7 teacher showing off his Maestro Saying “ Please fasten your seatbelts”
This was the Era where it took two grown adults to push the computer into the classroom!
What a beauty…and better than money in the bank…your taste is impeccable
Money in the bank ain't worth what it was.
They were a good car for its time my daughter loved the 3rd role of seats and with all the seats down I got a fridge freezer in it
fast and comfortable on long runs
My late father in law had 2 Montego estates. Both 2.0 petrol Auto’s one a 1991 model the other slightly older. Both were very practical family cars. The first he had was the full 7 seat version the latter I must admit I can’t remember. I know they were also great when coupled with the Perkins diesel engine. As always thanks for sharing and bringing back some great memories.
Cream, brown, 6 seats, hidden wipers., car shaped.. I love it.
7 seats, if you please here...
@@paultaylor7082 Seven! Of course:) Even better.
My dad had an MG Turbo version that was just insane! My sister had a poverty spec 1.6 base model too! The cambelt went on that and destroyed the engine at about the same time as the MG succumbed to terminal tin worm. The 1.6 suprise was then born and that was a really hairy bit of kit! Sadly also now gone but great fun!
I got to drive an MG Turbo once. Blimey, I've honestly never driven a car since with such crazy acceleration!
@@2760ade mad weren't they?
@@mikes747 Oh yes!😮😮
I never had a Montego, but I had a 1988 Maestro 1.6L in two tone with a winding sunroof as a company car, but only because the father-in-law of my boss worked at Cowley and got the employee discount (I wanted an MG Metro as a younger chap, but MGs were excluded from the scheme)! It was OK at a push, but not economical at max 28 mpg and was shoddily built, it still had masking tape on it from the two-tone grey/white paint scheme and I found a small screwdriver embedded into the white paint under the driver's seat, which in turn fractured its runners (they all do that, mate!). I really tried to like Austin/Rover products, but they were really thrown together....
Brings back memories of my Dad's courtesy car he let me borrow for the evening at 17 years old..... Courtesy of Lex in Stourbridge I had an evening with a brand new G reg MG in Gloss Black! When I jumped into it the Speedo was on 14 miles! I made sure it was obviously thoroughly run in when I parked it on the drive that evening.... 😂
Fond memories of the Montego. My grandad had a blue, G-reg one. We borrowed it once and took it to Alton Towers. On the way home, we had to pull over for my mother to be sick because, according to my dad, I'd done 'the smelliest fart in human history.' It still comes up 25 years later at family gatherings.
My boss was so stoked to get the countryman .
Deadly on a wet road but with the 2 litre it shifted
In early 1993 the company I worked for gave me a Montego Countryman, it was near the end of the run, but the build quality especially the updated interior was plush and well built, it looked good and was very pleasant to drive, after that I had a 600ti which I thought was a great car..happy memory’s ❤
We bought a 2.0td LX estate when starting a family, It was a great car, huge boot that swallowed everything, and managed 55mpg all day every day.
My Dad had three of them! Only one of them caught fire with us kids in the back! 🤣
Love this car! Thanks for highlighting
Mr Hubnut
A friend of our family had a Montego estate when I was a kid. I think it was a 2.0-litre HL, on an F-plate. I went all over the UK, but it used to make me feel so so so car sick, and it was rusting within about two years. A nice bit of nostalgia now of course.
With all of the brown interior makes this Montego delicious. It was a great video to watch while I had breakfast on a lazy Saturday morning. 👍
My brother had a blue montego estate absolute British classics ❤
When my father was ready to change our fabulous MK2 Cavalier, he test drove a Montego. It was OK, but in an act of sheer abandon, Dad opted for a Mazda 626. Now that was an excellent car. I think we lived on Baked beans for the next three years!
My family had three of these, new from the local Austin Rover dealership, the first one was a 1985 VP model, it had two clutch replacements & then became a casualty of the great storm ( a huge tree fell on the garage it was parked in & was directly on top of the car)
The second one, a 1988 VP model lasted just 7 years, had 4 clutch replacements & the third, a 1995 Countryman (ex demo) was a problem child from day one ! (Bad electrics, bad fuel system).
So, you have a great regard for the Montego; I have a great regard for that Now! That's What I Call Music 12 tape, as that's where I was introduced - aged nine! - to Iron Maiden. CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS! *thump of drums*... *galloping guitars*... *air-raid siren*... *etc.*
It's a slightly odd experience knowing that when I was a nipper and a teenager, I'd not want to be seen dead in a Montego, but I... sort of... like them, now? Maybe it's because I'm 45 and it's a car that appealed to the 40-somethings (and upwards) of the day. I did have a knackered old Sherpa van in my 20s, though, so I recognise the binnacle and the stalks.
I reckon half the problem was that this was never, *ever* going to be a "cool" car in the way a Sierra could be, just because it was a Ford and had that "cockney wideboy from Dagenham (never mind it's not within the sound of the Bow bells)" image. Lord Clarkson of Chipping Norton is right (cue horror further in the comments) when he says that cars have personalities; unfortunately for the Montego, I always got the impression that its personality was that of an accountant called Colin, who wore beige slacks and thick horn-rimmed glasses, had an adenoidal voice and a penchant for trainspotting (and I don't mean the film). The colour of this one only exacerbates that. Even so, I've never thought it was an *ugly* car; the Maestro may have been a bit ungainly with the huge glasshouse, but the Montego is better-proportioned and I never had a problem with the slightly oddly positioned rear window on the saloon. I've heard the Maestro described as looking too much like it should have been launched circa 1977-78 because it had such straight lines - but with the benefit of hindsight, the Maestro and Montego it really don't look at all out of place against their rivals from around 1984; the jellymould Sierra is the exception rather than the rule, and all this is before we consider the origami designs coming out of Japan at the time...
I can imagine Now 12 introduced a lot of people to metal - and jazz, in fact. Sadly Montego Bay by Amazulu isn’t on there (although it’s from 1986 anyway).
@@Extreme_Rice Technically, my first introduction to "metal" itself (quotes very necessary) was via Now! 10, at Christmas 1987 - but that was Whitesnake and they're not considered metal enough for Metal Archives.
What was the jazz on Now! 12? I must have missed that one.
@@baronthorsteinn maybe he meant Yazz? The Maestro and Montego never looked that dated to me in the '80s. They were quite rounded. The Vauxhall Cavalier at the time had very straight lines and the '88 model even looked like it had been influenced by the styling of the Montego.
@@clivet3252 Yazz would make a lot more sense. Although, for the Austin brand by this time, the only way was down.
Here's a further Vauxhall/Austin hot take: to me, the 1991 MkIII Astra looks like the Maestro should have been its predecessor, rather than the MkII Astra. It's the same kind of shape, only a lot more rounded.
@baronthorsteinn A Love Supreme is based on a John Coltrane piece, and was apparently intended to introduce his music to a wider audience. Also Miles Davis appears on the Scritti Politti song (which I'm not sure I was ready for when I was 10 but I love it now).
I always loved the Montego!
I remember that the Estate kept soldiering on for a very loooooong time here in Italy....In Countryman form (and especially diesel) it was a popular, yet cheap alternative to many station wagons... I swear that over here it still appeared in the Rover pricelist until 1996!
Another fun fact is that the importer here would stick a sort-of-postiche large ROVER lettering on the back, presumably to give it a bit more 'gravitas'... together with catchy 'Countryman' decals! The front enamel logo however never gained the Viking longship sadly...
It certainly looked the part though, especially in nice brg metallic!
My Dad hired one on our Holiday in Jersey. There were loads of them as well as Maestros and Escort cabrios used as hire cars. I remember me and my Brother sitting in the boot as my Grandparents were with us too.
My mum had a 1.6L estate in blue. Was my first drive unsupervised too after I passed my test in 89. Still remember the reg, C813 RCU…..ahh memories 😊
Isn't it funny how you remember all the reg numbers of your dad's cars, but struggle to remember the reg of your own current car! Or is that just me!?😂
Before I was born, I'm told my grandad had a Montego Vanden Plas Estate. I'd love to have experienced that car.
In the 80s in Somerset my Dad was buying and selling a few cars. He had all the good ones from the day fast fords, vauxhalls and on and on, however the ones I remember most were the MG's, Montego 1.6, 2.0 with talking dash and the ultimate was the turbo. He also had a metro turbo which was cool as well and tbh he had a gordini r5 turbo around the same time and as a little boy I preferred the metro turbo because of the cool MG interior and deadly little colored boost gauge. I'll also throw into the mix the daddy of them all, orange Supermirafiori. What a peach it was a rusty peach but magnificent 👌
When i lived in Norhern Ireland 25 years sgo the RUC had loads of Montegos with armoured doors and bulletproof glass ! They were fairly new but all looked very rough - A combination of a bad quality car and a poorly executed retrofit of armour didnt help them at all !
We had a Countryman ourselves for a while - A great practical family car - We used to road race bicycles and my dad used to take 3 cyclists and 3 bikes in the Montego no problem ! Could have been so much better the Montego Thats a real lovely appraisal HubNut - brought the memories flooding back !
I had the saloon 2.0, I can't remember the letters, but it was high spec, and it was a brilliant car for caravanning, quite economical as well for the time. It was pretty good to drive as well.
I swapped it for a 190E Merc in the end, but had it for about 5 years.
We had a 87 E964 FBD, saloon 1.6L it was a decent car and drove well, it rotted, sunroof mainly, and the metal frame the windscreen windscreen was held in by rotted too, nice car to drive, happy memories xx
I have owned many many cars, including Jags, Mercs, 75's most rovers , but tot his day G409LYA my Gunmetal Grey Montego 1.6L is still one of the best cars i have ever owned
I had 2, an Austin 1.6L mark one, which I did 155,000 miles then traded it in for a Rover 2.0L mark 2. Again I did 150, 000 miles then gave it to a friend when I went to work abroad. When I returned 9 years later, I bought a Rover 75 1.8 turbo estate which could be argued was the mark 3
We had an F reg one of these in red, memories of mum struggling up the Peak District with us in the back. It got stolen for a joy ride in Scotland and I'll never forget seeing it taken away on the back of a lorry to its final resting place.
Aw!
Wow, what a blast from the past that was!
Sooooo many studs holding up that sagging headliner, Like sitting in an XJ 😁😁
More Chesterfield sofa than headlining 😂
Several of my friends were driven to school in Montegos in the late 80s to mid 90s. I was driven in a Lada Samara 😒
Oh, my sincere condoleances .
At work we had vauxhalls, toyotas and one montego 1.6 automatic saloon which was gutless and forever breaking down so it was called the Monte-no-go.
Definitely a trip down memory lane and what an amazing example, they always popped up in the oddest places - I remember seeing an early one in the back streets of Dubai in the mid 90s. I was never a Cavalier fan (I owned one as well as a Maestro), they did not handle nearly as well as a Montego or Sierra. The rattles comment made me smile, my father's BX had more rattles than Mothercare and changing gear was always like stirring porridge.
I went in a BX I was surprised how firm the ride was and how everything rattled. I thought the fancy suspension with the spheres would have been better
My dad had a 1988 E reg salon. Great memories. Nice Video Ian and that car in wonderful condition
Crikey that brought back memories, we had a 7 seater too, red C300TLC I remember it well. It was about 3 years old when we bought it to replace our mk5 Cortina estate.
My dad bought one new, C330LGF, from Mann Egerton in Morden. It was a red (signal red?) estate and it replaced a Peugeot 305 estate (EGJ615X) also bought new. Sadly the Montego wasn't much liked by the old man, it had to have a new engine and gearbox within a year and was replaced by a Sierra Estate after 18 months.
I was rather fond of the 305 Estate. Most of the ones I saw seemed to be red. Didn't seem to rust that much as I remember.
Nothing beats good old BL and Austin Rover motorization :-) When I see the great old BL era logos on older cars like Allegro, Princess, Stag, SD1 and Marina it makes my heart sing. Old pre HE Jag V12 are lovely too. The more of Lord Stokes best, the better. After Lord Stokes, Lord Vader arrived. Death Star was last true BL product.
I had a saloon version as a new company car. Same colour as this, a 1.6. Was doing about 40 k miles a year in those days. After 3 years it was worn out and struggling but had been reliable. Later had a 2 litre diesel version in green. Noisy and sluggish but again reliable
I also learned to drive in a Montego estate, which was my folk's car. However, not wanting to laud it over you commoners in your 1.6HLs but we had a brand spanking C-plate 2.0 HLS 7 seater.... but only for a few months, because it was the worst car my folks ever bought. It was so bad that they rejected it and Austin Rover took it back!
Being high-potential gluttons for punishment they replaced it with a brand new D-plate Montego Mayfair 2.0 EFi 7-seater estate, which was........truly excellent! I spent many hours travelling in the boot, as we were a family with four kids. Looking out the back was great fun and you got to see loads more cars on journeys, which was my motivation for being in the boot. We did trips to South West France and other long hauls in it and it delivered great service, for a large family, especially with the self-levelling rear suspension to deal with a full car.
Learning to drive in it was great and then I got to cannon about it in after passing my test, which was ace. I didn't/still don't drink, which made it just the best car to take 6 mates out clubbing in and as for the roof bars... all I'm going to say is 'roof surfing'
Used to have a friend when I was young, their dad had a montego 4 door in blue then replaced it with a green cavalier which was a rust bucket
What a glorious thing ❤ These were released down in New Zealand, but sadly they came far too late to save BL here in the antipodes. The local importer Motorcorp had gone bankrupt and local assembly had ended. This the Montego was left as a fully built import and a much reduced dealer network. We only got the Metro and the Montego as well. The Maestro never made it down here
Interesting that some Metros and Montegos made it all the way to NZ. None made it to Canada.
Goodness knows what BM Austin called itself in the early '80s -- they disappeared in Canada about '82 and nobody noticed, because nobody bought the things, the Marina having been an outright joke. TR7's and Jags were about all that were left, and only Jag survived. It really is difficult to express to a British audience how thoroughly awful BM cars were compared to ANYTHING else from about '75 on. Complete rubbish -- no other words fit these uncompetitive vehicles.
So this Montego is charming, but alarmingly high set on its suspension. Makes a modern SUV look like a ground hugger. We weren't subjected to it in Canada, as I mentioned. How much of a hope had it against a Toyota Camry sedan or wagon? Less than none. Or a Subaru GL or various Nissans, not to mention Cavaliers and on and on from Ford and Chrysler and Hondas and Mitsubishis.
Maybe this era of Austins were better than the nonsense of the previous 20 years, but consumers here became unwilling to find out. Anyone driving even a TR7 was regarded as a weirdo. Who'd buy that load of rubbish instead of a Datsun 280 or Mazda RX-7? Just a few folk, and I knew one. A very nice man -- he had three, one to drive along with his tool kit, and two more in states of deconstruction in his drive. Always had a sunny disposition though -- it was his hobby.
@@BillMalcolm-tn3kq here in New Zealand the Montego competed against all the Japanese usual suspects. And..... It actually stacked up very well. It was handsome for it's time, it handled very well, it was quite (very in turbo form) quick and dare I say it, it was also quite reliable. It only failed because it wasn't priced well thanks to being a built up import and because the dealer network that once sold it had evaporated. I don't actually know how many dealers there were for them during Austin Rover days, but it wasn't many and they didn't seem to be around for very long sadly. The Ford Sierra station wagon also made it's way to New Zealand and it was a runaway success. BUT.... it was renowned for awful reliability and rumoured to be Ford's must expensive car ever when it came to warranty claims. Both the Montego and the Sierra are incredibly rare cars in NZ now sadly.
Oh the joys. Used to fit a manual choke conversion on these almost daily. And the real delight of ownership when the drives haft bolts fell out and left you stranded without drive. The gearboxes were stolen from the VW parts bin. The MG Turbo had , probably, the most dangerous torque steer I ever experienced .. but we're still a hoot to drive!
Sadly the radio cassettes were always getting pinched back in mid 80s to early 90s, my Montego was broken into and the radio nicked. Then someone came along with the idea of cage which was modified, complete with electrical connections, meaning you could slide the radio out of the car and keep it in the house, to prevent it being stolen. We had these fitted to my replacement radio for my Montego and also for my missus' Maestro.
I find the fact that the Maestro came first very poetic. When I was a little kid, my mother had an Austin Maestro and then she had an Austin Montego.
Memories, l had 4 Montego's, 1984 1600L, 86 16L, 88 2.0 si and finally a 1990 1.6L, thanks for the memories and your excellent review. 😊😊
I was given a montego saloon 2l auto that didn't like going into 4th gear on occasion, interesting times! Part exchanged it for a Peugeot 605 2l turbo auto, that didn't mind going into 4th and much quicker than ye olde montego! Happy days.
I had a red GTI one great car.But had a rusty door i replaced and a leaky sunroof i could never repair.Geat vid.
I used to love hiring these in the 80’s. They seemed so spacious and modern compared to my own cars , ideal for camping trips away .The drawbacks for me were low headroom for the driver if there was a sunroof fitted and far to easy to slip into reverse when trying to select 5th from 4th 😬 at speed .
These are the kids on the back seat -> 😛😛
🤣
The 1989 changed a bit more than the grille and the lights. The dash was redone and there were revised interior finishings. I had a 1989 1.6SL which had a bunch of kit on it - electric front windows, mirrors and sunroof, central locking and a very lifeless-feeling power steering. In comparison to the 1-litre Nova I had before, it felt very refined and luxurious.
Never experienced the montego estate as my Auntie and Uncle had a normal saloon. However rear seat fun was always a joy in my dads 2 300 series Discovery's he had and yes lots of parts seen on this car were used in those early Discovery's including the rear lights which came from the van and estate.
I remember a neighbour had played with the letters on the back of his to read WONT GO
Absolutely brilliant video Ian miss hubnut ❤👍 what a beautiful iconic classic lovely car my mates dad had one saloon and he borrowed it one night and loaded 10 ppl in it some were all piled up in the back and even the boot but he told me it pulled OK with all those ppl on board absaloutly brilliant
We had a 7-seat Montego Countryman Estate when the kids were young - brilliant family car back in its day
My dad had a turbo diesel Montego. I drove it to south of France once. It was a fantastic car.
My dad also had a Montego 1.6 HL in a light blue metallic colour. I loved driving it. Never understood the negativity towards the Maestro and Montego. I also once got the opportunity to hoon around in a bright red Montego MG Turbo owned by one of the directors of a company I worked for. Blimey!! Did it shift!😮😮
Roy Axe didnt have much opportunity to change alot on the saloon mostly trim etc but the estate he had a bit more of a free hand in its design and won a design award i believe
My dad used to own a Blue Rover Montego, still to this day says it’s the best car he’s ever driven.
Likewise, I had a 1.6L estate in Henley Blue, a G reg, by then they were classed as Rover Montegos. The estate car was a beautiful design and won awards for it.
The Montego Estate reminds me of the classic Volvo Estate, I guess you could say the Montego was the British Volvo Estate 👌. The taxi company that used to take me to and from primary school had a Montego, and I remember always being well chuffed on the days it was the Montego they were using.
My dad had 3 Montegos.
A 1989 facelift 2.0 TD clubman estate in flame red ( company car ). No wood trim on the door sadly.
Then he had a 1.3 petrol white saloon D reg 1987 ( private ownership redundancy downgrade ) but fortunately it had a 5 speed gearbox. Terribly underpowered though.
Then he got his job back and had a red 1994 L reg Countryman estate 2.0TD with wood trim on the door, tweed and velour as well as self levelling suspension. I preferred that one.
The facelift cars also had a change in interior plastics. Upgraded quality feel
I honestly didn't know that the Montego Estate even existed. Looks far better than the saloon.
So brown so beautiful ♥️
The Montego holds a lot of fond memories for me - my dad ran a 1.6L saloon in a shade of dark metallic blue, and it was a very smart looking car. E-reg, grey interior with the later three-spoke steering wheel and an enormous boot. (A boot which got me into a world of trouble, by the way. Thought it would be a great idea to hide in it when playing hide-and-seek, right up until the moment I heard him get in and he drove off none the wiser that I was in there... When he did find me, boy did I get into bother!)
Very nice car! I ran a Diesel Montego in the late 90s, nice car with a cracking engine. I had a problem with It being VERY sore on front wheel bearings. I always banged my head off the boot lid when putting stuff in the boot too.
My dad once had a green Montego MG, deceptively for the time.
An excellent review Ian, I never liked these cars growing up but now really appreciate these cars for what they are.
memories, i had a red montego 1.6 245k miles original engine. it used to eat ecu for breakfast. coils for dinner. but i loved it!
With all the troubles going on, these vids are a welcome respite.
My dad used to do a bit of car repairs. He had someone come round with a virtually new Montego turbo that sounded like a biscuit tin full of nails. Turns out there was no oil in it!! Oh the 80s!