Austin Montego

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Austin
Austin Montego (1984–1988)
Austin Montego (1984–1988)
Austin Montego
Production period: 1984–1994
(under license until 1996)
Class : Middle class
Body versions : Limousine , station wagon
Engines:
Otto engines : 1.3–2.0 liters
(51–112 kW)
Diesel engines :
2.0 liters (60 kW)
Length: 4460-4470 mm
Width: 1711 mm
Height: 1420 mm
Wheelbase : 2570 mm
Empty weight : 949-1185 kg
Previous model Austin Maxi
Morris Ital
successor Rover 600 series

The Austin Montego was a car model made by the British manufacturer BMC . It was produced from the beginning of 1984 to the end of 1994.

The Montego was based on the platform of the Maestro introduced at the end of 1982 . It was available as a four-door notchback sedan and a five-door station wagon. The most striking feature of the sedan was the third side window that was connected to the rear window to form a unit. The station wagon could also be ordered as a seven-seater and was sold at times under the name Rover Montego Estate . After several revisions, production (like that of the Maestro) was discontinued at the end of 1994.

prehistory

In 1973, British Leyland was close to bankruptcy . In addition to the oil crisis, this was due to a range of products that ignored continental European tastes and an image problem. The company was saved by nationalization in 1975 .

One year later, the urgently needed development of a new range of vehicles began, initially under the code name LC10. The aim was to develop a platform for vehicles both in the compact class and for the medium class in order to save costs. The project was therefore divided into two sub-projects: LM10 became the basis for the new Austin Maestro, LM11 developed into the Montego. It was intended to replace the Austin Maxi (1969), Morris Marina (1971) and Austin Allegro (1973) models. The Ford models Escort and Cortina were identified as the main competitors . Ultimately, the Montego was the successor to the Austin Maxi and the Morris Marina successor, the Morris Ital .

Model history

One year after the Maestro was introduced, the Montego was presented in the south of France in the spring of 1984. About 60 percent of the parts were identical to those of the smaller maestro.

In the autumn of 1984 the station wagon version Montego Estate appeared . It impressed with a large and variable loading space and developed into the most successful model in the Montego series.

  • Austin Montego Estate (1984–1988)

  • MG Montego Turbo (1985–1988)

Facelift

In the fall of 1988, the Montego received its only major facelift. In the interior, the instrument panel has been redesigned, and the redesigned vehicles can be seen on the outside by the radiator grille of the larger Rover 800, as well as by the redesigned taillights and modified hubcaps. The station wagon was now also offered as a seven-seater.

At the same time as the revision, the Montego was also offered as a diesel (MDi). It was a turbodiesel with a capacity of two liters and an output of 60 kW (82 hp).

  • Austin Montego (1988-1994)

  • Rear view

  • Rover Montego Estate (1993)

Engines

  • 1.3 l four-cylinder petrol engine with 51 kW (69 hp) (01.1984-09.1988)
  • 1.6 l four-cylinder gasoline engine with 63 kW (86 PS) (01.1984-09.1992)
  • 2.0 l four-cylinder gasoline engine with 77 kW (105 PS) (01.1984–12.1994)
  • 2.0 l four-cylinder gasoline engine with electronic injection and 85 kW (115 PS) (01.1984–12.1994)
  • 2.0 l four-cylinder gasoline engine with turbocharger and 112 kW (152 hp) (04.1985–10.1991)
  • 2.0 l four-cylinder diesel engine with turbocharger and 60 kW (82 hp) (10.1988–12.1993)

Special versions

MG Montego 2.0 EFi / 2.0 i (1984–1993)

MG Montego EFi (1988)
MG Montego Turbo (1990)

An MG version of the Montego was offered with a 2.0-liter unit and electronic injection. This developed 85 kW (115 PS) at 5500 rpm and accelerated the car to a top speed of 185 km / h. The vehicles can be recognized by the standard front and rear spoilers. Inside, they were fitted with red seat belts, leather, and carpets. Central locking, power windows at the front and a cassette radio with four speakers were also part of the standard equipment. The most controversial detail of the equipment was the dashboard with digital displays and talking on-board computer. Since many buyers were deterred, a conventional dashboard was installed again from the end of 1984. Today vehicles with the original equipment are a sought-after rarity.

MG Montego Turbo (1985-1991)

In the spring of 1985, the Montego Turbo was a more powerful MG version that was equipped with a Garret T3 turbocharger and developed 112 kW (152 PS). This enabled the car to reach a top speed of over 200 km / h and accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in less than 8 seconds.

Montego Vanden Plas (1984–1987)

In addition to the MG version, there was a luxury version Vanden Plas . The vehicles were equipped with leather seats (combination: velor), electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, central locking and a sliding roof. An automatic version was also available.

The Montego Vanden Plas was not offered in Germany.

resonance

The press was not impressed by the vehicle right from the start. Defects in detail and processing errors already occurred in the demonstration vehicles. The design of the new vehicle was said to be too conservative, especially when compared to the Ford Sierra that appeared in September 1982 .

Despite the success of the station wagon version, the Montego was never able to meet the expectations placed on it. One of the reasons, as studies later showed, was its boring image. The marketing department tried to generate offers for younger buyers like the 2.0 Si and to delete underpowered models like the 1.3l from the range; In the end, however, it was not possible to sustainably improve the vehicle's image.

Another reason was that Leyland Cars launched the model as Austin . In view of the multitude of brands that the company had, this was a wrong decision: Austin had the image of a small car supplier and thus stood in contrast to the desired image of a higher-quality vehicle. In the late 1980s, this was taken into account: The vehicles were given a modified Rover logo, but the name “ Rover ” was not to be seen on the car.

At the end of 1994 the production of the Montego was stopped. The last copy made was a station wagon. A total of 571,460 vehicles left the assembly line, of which 436,000 were sold in the UK.

License production

Austin Rover sold the production facilities and the rights to the Maestro as well as the Montego after production in Great Britain to independent manufacturers. While Rodacar continued to produce the Maestro in Varna, Bulgaria, from 1995 , the Montego went to the Indian automobile manufacturer Sipani . Around 300 copies of the Montego in CKD design were built there in 1995 and 1996 .

Web links

Commons : Austin Montego  - Collection of images, videos and audio files