A choice of four power units is available with the new Rover 800 Series, including the advanced new 2 litre ‘T-Series’ engine, in a 136PS and a 180 PS turbo-charged version, and the outstanding efficiency of the 2.5 litre turbo diesel.
However, for drivers seeking exceptional performance, the 2.7 litre V6 engine is the natural choice. Classic design, coupled with advanced engineering, have produced a power unit of outstanding refinement.
The ‘V’ configuration Optimises the inherent smoothness of the six-cylinder design, with the shorter, more rigid crankshaft giving still greater refinement. The four valves per cylinder layout, proven in countless racing engines, maximises combustion efficiency. Whilst the programmed fuel injection and ignition system, developed from Formula One technology, gives a smooth and powerful response at all times. As with all the petrol engines of the new Rover 800 Series, a standard three-way controlled catalytic converter minimises exhaust emissions.
The inherent refinement of the V6 design, powered by Formula One technology, produces executive transport in a class of its own.
All the V6 Rover 800 models are fitted with electronic automatic transmission*, which offers both Sport and Cruising modes to enhance your driving pleasure. With the gear selector in Position ‘S’, fourth gear is e
xcluded, and the transmission will change up later and change down sooner, allowing the engine’s eager power to be fully exploited. The ‘S4’ switch allows you to use the sports change points with all four gears. Revert to the ‘D’ position, and the normal ‘Drive’ mode prevails. Choose to suit your mood or the road conditions sporting high performance or effortless, relaxed cruising.
For high mileage drivers seeking good fuel efficiency, the new Rover 800 turbo diesel models offer executive transport in an altogether different category from the traditional image of diesel power. Well-proven and extremely well-received, the
2.5 litre turbo diesel unit combines excellent fuel economy with completely new standards of refinement and performance. For its installation in the new Rover 800 Series, the turbo diesel has undergone further development, enhancing both engine quietness and low emission levels.
Even before these latest engineering advances. the diesel unit was already unusually refined, largely because its design offers an ideal balance of structural rigidity, light weight and good thermal expansion characteristics. Now it is quieter still, with features such as an internal heating element in the fuel injection pump reducing cold start idle noise. and a rubber gasket between sump and cylinder block effectively ‘decoupling‘ the sump and further reducing resonance. Other new design features giving increased refinement are the re-profiled camshaft and the addition of strengthening ribs to the inlet manifold to prevent resonance. In the important area of emissions control, the turbo diesel engine has always been among the cleanest units available, with rapid acting glow plugs giving excellent cold start performance, and substantially reducing emissions by staying on until the engine is fully warmed up.
Now emissions have been still further reduced by the introduction of exhaust gas re-circulation; under the control of the sophisticated engine management system, a proportion of the exhaust gases is brought back into the inlet manifold, allowing more waste gases to be burnt. As a result, the Rover 800 turbo diesel is a class leader in emissions control. fully meeting the rigorous EEC diesel emissions standards.
The turbo charger is powered by the waste energy from the exhaust gases and places no additional demands on engine power. The turbo charger of the Rover 800 diesel models makes a substantial contribution to their excellent economy and responsive. flexible performance. The high maximum torque (368 Km) is produced at only 2100rpm. giving pulling power so eager that it is hard to believe that the car is diesel powered: until, of course, you consider the long distances between fuel stops, and the advantages of a car that can deliver up to 57.6mpg* at a constant 56 mph.
The chassis design of the new Rover 800 Series is equally as advanced as the power units, providing an excellent combination of sporting agility and supple ride. The fully independent suspension uses double wishbones at the front, with coil springs
and separate telescopic dampers. This gives very good wheel camber control, and also allows the dampers to be individually tuned to suit the weight and performance
characteristics of each engine. In addition, the suspension has anti-dive and anti-lift control, helping to maintain a level ride platform during braking and acceleration. The Rover Vitesse has special, firmer, sports suspension, featuring gas-pressurised dampers and up-rated front and rear anti-roll bars, giving enhanced cornering stability.
*manual transmission is a no-cost option on Rover 827Si and 827SLi models
To power the 2 litre Rover 800 models, Rover have designed and deve1oped a completely new 16-valve fuel-injected engine, available in a 136PS and a 180 PS turbo-charged version. The objectives – to provide levels of environment-friendly performance, refinement and efficiency that would more than meet the expectations of discerning drivers. The new T-Series engine incorporates much of the advanced design technology of the acclaimed K-Series (launched with the Rover 200 Series). It is unusually powerful for a 2 litre and a delight to drive, with good low speed torque giving a smooth, muscular response.
The turbo-charged unit fitted to the Rover Vitesse delivers acceleration which will satisfy the most sporting driver, reaching 60 mph in a mere 7.9 seconds*. This high performance is achieved with the refinement of an accomplished executive express. And with a three-way controlled exhaust catalyst fitted as standard, minimising exhaust emissions.
*Provisional manufacturer’s data, see specifications
Rovers new T-Series engine is a technological tour de force – a tax efficient 2 litre that drives like a considerably larger power unit.
Endowed with the inherent performance advantages of a fuel-injected 16-valve cylinder head, the T-Series engine derives its powerful low speed torque from the design of the inlet tracts. The length of the tracts creates a ram effect which accelerates the gas flow, increasing the volume of fuel/ air mixture drawn into the cylinders, 
and giving a flexible, willing response at virtually any road and engine speed. This response is not only very eager, it is also quiet, with lightweight pistons and the eight-counterweight crankshaft contributing to the engine’s balance and free-revving refinement.
A central influence on the smooth, consistent performance is Rover’s Modular Engine Management System (MEMS). This powerful microprocessor controls all the major functions of the T-Series engine,
and assists accurate servicing with its advanced diagnostic capability.
It also plays a key role in helping the exhaust catalyst to work more effectively, by constantly retuning the mixture strength according to the feedback it receives from an oxygen sensor, positioned between the engine and the catalytic convertor.
On the turbo-charged T-Series engine, the MEMS also contributes to the extremely smooth power delivery, by electronically modulating the wastegate release according to pressure in the inlet manifold. This gives a high torque output in the lower and upper rev ranges as well as in the mid-range. The result is a turbo-charged two litre which drives with the refinement of a considerably larger engine.