##75 Tourer-–right##STEPPING from the Fleet News Ford Focus 1.8 TDdi Ghia to the long-term Rover 75 2.0 CDT Club was something of a culture shock for me. Its combination of elegant styling and luxurious interior put it at the other end of the spectrum from the Focus.

The Rover 75 is a great looking car with its retro-styling, plenty of chrome and traditional good looks which grow on you, and there is more than a passing resemblance to the Jaguar S-type, which can't be a bad thing.

And behind the wheel the 75 positively devours corners and thrives as much on country roads as it does on the motorway. The Rover's ride and handling is exceptional and overall refinement puts many rivals into the shade.

As a rule I'm not a fan of wood trim in cars as it can often look tacky, but the 75 really carries it off. In fact the interior has plenty of stylish touches, such as the chrome-edged instrumentation echoing the retro exterior.

The driving position is extremely comfortable and it doesn't end with the driver — there is plenty of space for five adults to travel in comfort.

I also found the 75 surprisingly easy to park for a large car, though the relatively small rear screen isn't its greatest strength.

Although the 75's 2.0-litre direct injection diesel engine doesn't have the acceleration I expected, especially in lower gears compared, for example, with the responsiveness of a Passat 1.9 TDi 130, it is perfectly adequate once it is up and running and returns almost 50mpg on the combined cycle.

In fact this engine has helped secure the 75 CDT Classic the top spot in CAP Monitor's league table of running costs for large diesel cars, on just 27.4ppm. Elsewhere in the rankings, an analysis of 66 large petrol-engined cars revealed the 75 holds the top 14 places, with the 1.8 Classic leading the way at 29.1ppm.

Furthermore, a recent report by Lex Vehicle Leasing revealed the 75's running costs of £8 per 1,000 miles undercut all models in its class and some from several classes below. Not only is the Rover 75 cheaper to run than the Volkswagen Passat (£8.73) and Audi A4 (£10.30) but, according to Lex it also beats the Ford Focus (£9.59), Audi A3 (£8.81), Renault Scenic (£8.88) and Volkswagen Golf (£8.25).

At £18,670 on-the-road the 2.0 CDT Club gives you a lot of car for the money, although the price of ours works out at £21,570 with extras including an electric sunroof, satellite navigation and metallic paint. Compare that with the BMW 320d SE at £21,775 and the £20,525 Audi A4 1.9 TDi 130 SE and Rover's value statement is clear.