LandRover Freelander -comments?

[Pssst]

I know the petrol engine is to be avoided. Have seen an 05 plate with 100k on clock with TD4 engine. Is the TD4 engine well respected? any general comments welcome,,ta

[harveybobbles]

Rather materbate with a nettle leaf than own any LR...

[jaydeeuk1]

Colleague at work has (had) a diesel freelander, top of the range with leather etc, 2003 plate I think, for about 3 years. Spent more time at the garage than on the road - gasket problems, gearbox problems, trim falling off, oil pressure problems. Had FSH too. Harvey isn't far off. Run, run as far as you can.

[sadie22]

i have a freelander 06 plate top of the range,leather seats, sports, diesel, 5 door, i think its great, so smooth to drive, an absolute dream, my partner has a porsche that im insured on and i cant stand it, drove it once and hated it. i like being high up driving not low to ground. ive heard there is a lot of leakages with the soft/hard tops on the 3 door, so we brought the 5 door, the road tax is £400 a year tho, and they are abit juicy, we get the servicing done by a local 4x4 place who uses land rover parts, works out a lot cheaper

[vaio]

And maybe think what will happen to its value (and serviceability) if LR go bust

[scotsman4th]

Rather materbate with a nettle leaf than own any LR...


Nettle leaves dont sting, it's the stalk.

[vaio]

Nettle leaves dont sting, it's the stalk.

Nah

http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/nettle.htm

[goldspanners]

i think the freelander is regarded as the "gaylander" in land rover circles.

they leak like sieves apparently,and not leaks from the engine,the door seals and window seals leak when it rains or when you wash them,there is a tray in the boot that collects a lot of rain water,most owners drill holes in them to let the water drain off rather than replace the boot seal again.

[pianeet]

i hope its only about £4500 with that mileage i have seen loads of 04 reg freelander td4s go for around £4000 with only average mileage,like others say the td4 engineswill be the least of your worries ,diff mounts,electric window problems ,rear door seals,transfer boxes,the list will be endless,the best thing that ever happened to mine was it catching fire..just to say the new one is absolutley superb compared to the old one but still not without niggles

[itsmeagain]

A question for the scinics...
If you want a vehicle of this size, price and function, to mainly use on road, but with the no less than the off road capability of a freelander, then what vehicle would be a better option and why.

[Hintza]

A question for the scinics...
If you want a vehicle of this size, price and function, to mainly use on road, but with the no less than the off road capability of a freelander, then what vehicle would be a better option and why.

The one thing to remember is tyres are one of the most important elemts in deciding how well a vehiclle will do off road if you are running on road tyres you will always struggle.

As for the freelander it has fairly limited off road abilities and without going into too much detail my short list of options for a soft offroader would be:-

Toyota RAV
Honda CRV
Nissan XTrail
and slightly lower down the Nissan Quashqai, Suzuki SX4, Fiat Sedici
Others include:- Subaru Forrester, Mitsibushi Outlander.

Why?

Better built and will hold value better (but that is now realtive in the current climate)

[BillScarab]

Hmm, not sure I'd agree that the Freelander has limited off road abilities. I've seen a couple at Off Road play days doing remakably well..

The TD4 engine is fine. A colleague has one with 130,000 on it and it's still going strong. However they do leak, another colleague had a five door and the underfloor boot locker was always filling up with water.

If you can find a TD4 where the rest of the car is in good nick you may be OK but buying a car that's done 100,000 miles is always going to be a bit of a lottery. Personally the Freelander would be bottom of my list if I was lookign at any sort of Land Rover, I'd prefer a decent, older Discovery. Although a Series Truck with a V* in would be even better! ;)

One good thing about Land Rovers generally is there are lots of independent specialists around.

[Hintza]

Hmm, not sure I'd agree that the Freelander has limited off road abilities. I've seen a couple at Off Road play days doing remakably well..



The freelander would not be your first choice as a dedicated 4x4 though. It could not live with the demands required and can only be described as a soft off roader. I could just about get the freelander to go anywhere a true offroader could but again it would come down to choice of tyres and ground clearance might be an issue.

[Pssst]

Hmmm...as i suspected. Perhaps i wont bother then. If i wanted a boat,I'd buy one.

[MX5huggy]

How about a BMW X3?

[goldspanners]

if i needed something like this i would go for the rav4. the early versions got great reviews if i remember rightly. not sure about more recent models.

[markelock]

The X3 is pretty ugly though isn't it? Even Clarkson said it's ugly, and he knows ugly.

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

My mate has had both a Disco2 and a Disco3, with very few problems and around 30,000 miles a year. He loves them.

[itsmeagain]

The one thing to remember is tyres are one of the most important elemts in deciding how well a vehiclle will do off road if you are running on road tyres you will always struggle.

As for the freelander it has fairly limited off road abilities and without going into too much detail my short list of options for a soft offroader would be:-

Toyota RAV
Honda CRV
Nissan XTrail
and slightly lower down the Nissan Quashqai, Suzuki SX4, Fiat Sedici
Others include:- Subaru Forrester, Mitsibushi Outlander.

Why?

Better built and will hold value better (but that is now realtive in the current climate)
Thanks. Just to make sure i understand what you are saying here... If you were buying a 05 plate Freelander sized SUV with 100K on the clock, are you saying that the above list of cars are a better choice i.e, they are similar sized, at no higher cost AND "no less than the off road capability of a freelander"?
The reason why i'm asking is that i have a friend who runs 4x4's driving courses. My boyfriend knows some instructors and enthusiasts and they've said that when it comes to the freelander/RAV4 size category, nothing is as caplable and robust as Freelander off road. Rightly or wrongly, I was under the impression that many LR's are sold as a status symbol AND because the have 'true' 4x4 off road capabilty opposed to just looking like an off roader. Having paid a premium price for a off roader, most people dont use them off road.

[Hintza]

To be honest although I instruct 4x4 (but not for a year or so) I have never driven the Freelander so i can't really comment on its off road abilities. Although I suspect it might edge it on off raod ability.

But my advice is be realistic on the reasons you need a 4x4. If you can expand on that I or others might be able to advise you better. For most normal applications in the UK there will not be much difference between them all and they weill get you through.

But my original comment on tyres is the most important element. These vehicles will all come with road tyres which will be fine. But overall off road performance will be greatly enhanced by upgrading to chunkier tyres. This can be done in degrees from road to 80:20 to full off road tyres.

I currently drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee for towing purposes and it does fine but I would expect to get stuck in really heavy ground with the trailer and tyre combination that is on it. But for my purposes its fine.

If you are looking for a towing vehicle then you need to look at your weights closely.

So please expand on your likely uses and the amount of the most extreme driving you arelikely to do.

If you wanted something a bit chunkier then the Mistibushi Pajero Sport is supposedly pretty good. But it will not have very refined on road manners and is based on the L200 pickup but its fairly cheap.

[movilogo]

The pre-2006 (old shape) Freelanders were notoriously unreliable (just search on any car forum). The new model is much better though.

Freelander is a very capable off roader. Its unique terrain response system and electronic torque distribution aids allow even novice drivers to perform mind boggling level of off roading (I myself did that with no previous experience).

If you are intending to go off road, then go ahead and buy a post 2006 Freelander. There is hardly any competition at that price range.

However, if you only do school run, avoid this car at all cost - it's just not worth buying.

All the cars mentioned above (eg. RAV4, CRV, Outlander, Xtrail etc.) are far better choice than Freelander for day to day driving. However, if you consider off roading capability, they are just babies compared to Freelander. There are only few cars which are more capable off roader than Freelander viz. LR Discovery, Toyota Landcruiser/HiLux, Mitsubishi Shogun, Nissan Pathfinder, Daihatsu Terios (can't recall anything else now)

[markelock]

i think the freelander is regarded as the "gaylander" in land rover circles.

they leak like sieves apparently,and not leaks from the engine,the door seals and window seals leak when it rains or when you wash them,there is a tray in the boot that collects a lot of rain water,most owners drill holes in them to let the water drain off rather than replace the boot seal again.


brilliant.

[MrsE]

The pre-2006 (old shape) Freelanders were notoriously unreliable (just search on any car forum). The new model is much better though.

Freelander is a very capable off roader. Its unique terrain response system and electronic torque distribution aids allow even novice drivers to perform mind boggling level of off roading (I myself did that with no previous experience).

If you are intending to go off road, then go ahead and buy a post 2006 Freelander. There is hardly any competition at that price range.

However, if you only do school run, avoid this car at all cost - it's just not worth buying.

All the cars mentioned above (eg. RAV4, CRV, Outlander, Xtrail etc.) are far better choice than Freelander for day to day driving. However, if you consider off roading capability, they are just babies compared to Freelander. There are only few cars which are more capable off roader than Freelander viz. LR Discovery, Toyota Landcruiser/HiLux, Mitsubishi Shogun, Nissan Pathfinder, Daihatsu Terios (can't recall anything else now)

Daihatsu Terios - I though they were silly little SUV's.

[BillScarab]

The freelander would not be your first choice as a dedicated 4x4 though. It could not live with the demands required and can only be described as a soft off roader. I could just about get the freelander to go anywhere a true offroader could but again it would come down to choice of tyres and ground clearance might be an issue.

Definately not first choice as a dedicated off-roader. I just remember being surprised at how well a standard looking one did when i was at an off-road day a few years ago. No idea what tyres were on it but I suspect they were fairly chunky. They're probably a bit delicate for a proper off-roader anyway.

EDIT: Forgot to say the Terios is pretty good off-road as shown on Top Gear earlier this year. Anothe surprisingly good one is the Suzuki Jimny.

[Hintza]

Fiat Panda 4x4?

[itsmeagain]

Hintza
I'm getting confused. OK we know about the tyres and the ground clearance. Amongst other constraints, I asked in post 10 "If you want a vehicle ... with the no less than the off road capability of a freelander, then what vehicle would be a better option"

You replied in post 11 with "the freelander it has fairly limited off road abilities and without going into too much detail my short list of options for a soft offroader would be:-
Toyota RAV
Honda CRV
Nissan XTrail
and slightly lower down the Nissan Quashqai, Suzuki SX4, Fiat Sedici
Others include:- Subaru Forrester, Mitsibushi Outlander."

In post 13 you said "I could just about get the freelander to go anywhere a true offroader could"

You must be good to do that if "freelander has fairly limited off road abilities" AND "I suspect it might edge it on off raod ability"

Post 20... "I have never driven the Freelander so i can't really comment on its off road abilities"

[iolanthe07]

A question for the scinics...

WTF is a 'scinic? Do you mean 'cynic'?

[Hintza]

OK some of the guys on here seem to think the freelander has good off road capabilities as I said I have never driven one so can't really comment too much. But where I will comment will be longevity of parts if it is used for hard off road work.


If you want a true 4x4 you will be looking at a Defender in my opinion but I couldn't live with one on a daily basis. Which then means you start looking at others such as Toyota Hilux etc

What do you need an off roader for? Until we know that then it's hard to speculate.

[itsmeagain]

A question for the scinics...

WTF is a 'scinic? Do you mean 'cynic'?
Its a skinny cynic!:o

[itsmeagain]

Hintza - My confusion wasn't the difference in opinion between different people. It was over you appearing to changing your own opinions from one post to the next.

OK... Say i wanna car for normal every day family use, that is Freelander size, to do 20,000 miles per year. I tow a boat, trailer, caravan etc occasionally (30 times per year). I drive on the beach to launch my boat, pull stuck RAV 4's off the beach, drive in hilly snowy areas off road in scotland, through deep muddy farm tracks (similar to Eastnor gearbox hill) all on std M+S tyres. What other 4x4 is Freelander size AND able perform my off road exploits better than my Freelander?

[Hintza]

Hintza - My confusion wasn't the difference in opinion between different people. It was over you appearing to changing your own opinions from one post to the next.

OK... Say i wanna car for normal every day family use, that is Freelander size, to do 20,000 miles per year. I tow a boat, trailer, caravan etc occasionally (30 times per year). I drive on the beach to launch my boat, pull stuck RAV 4's off the beach, drive in hilly snowy areas off road in scotland, through deep muddy farm tracks (similar to Eastnor gearbox hill) all on std M+S tyres. What other 4x4 is Freelander size AND able perform my off road exploits better than my Freelander?


Trolling? OK your Freelander is a fantastic choice (don't blame me when you break it) is that what you want to hear?.

How many times have I to say I haven't driven one, but I can read the reports on it.

[itsmeagain]

Thanks. I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but you last post confirms the conclusion that i was coming to!
Your picture says allot about you. I wonder what it is that you cant seem to stop coming out of your mouth?

[andrewmoorcroft]

Match report
Itsmeagain leads 2 sets to nil and 5 games to nil in the 3rd set.

Hintza
Stop now before you make yourself look stupid! Log in tomorrow morning and say sorry - you were drunk and confused or something.

[goldspanners]

WTF is a 'scinic?

renault make them!

[Hintza]

Thanks. I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but you last post confirms the conclusion that i was coming to!
Your picture says allot about you. I wonder what it is that you cant seem to stop coming out of your mouth?


Have I done something to annoy you? You have set and laid your trap, perhaps I didn't explain myself as well as I should have.

You asked a question and I tried to give alternatives but you weren't really interested were you? I have tried to be helpful and you can have your opinion and a reasoned debate from yourself might have been better than a trolling argument.

Well I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Hintza]

Match report
Itsmeagain leads 2 sets to nil and 5 games to nil in the 3rd set.

Hintza
Stop now before you make yourself look stupid! Log in tomorrow morning and say sorry - you were drunk and confused or something.

What for? Please explain why I need to say sorry? Itsmeagain was obtuse from the start but that's his perogative.

[cyclonebri1]

A question for the scinics...

WTF is a 'scinic? Do you mean 'cynic'?

Spelling/grammar police on the attack again????:p

[iolanthe07]

Spelling/grammar police on the attack again????:p

There's bad spelling and then there's completely incomprehensible spelling.

[cyclonebri1]

There's bad spelling and then there's completely incomprehensible spelling.


But you did know what he meant??

Sorry I apologise, nothing personal, I just hate it when folks get on someones back for small errors in posts when it's perfectly clear what they actually mean.:confused:

[sw67]

I had 4 years in a Freelander TD4 2003 - never had to do anything other than service it. Then at 4 years / 75k it started to go wrong and was traded in

1. New wiring loom to injectors
2. Running on 3 cylinders
3. Rear window dropped
4. Unable to get 1st gear unless stationary

Would i buy a high mileage Freelander - no

My trusted mechanic advised me to get rid asap while it could still be driven

It was a realy good car but the repair bills were mounting up - next door had a bmw with the same engine and had the same problems as me at the same mileage and ran up a £2000 repair bill

[oldagetraveller]

It was a realy good car but the repair bills were mounting up - next door had a bmw with the same engine and had the same problems as me at the same mileage and ran up a £2000 repair bill

How very dare you criticise a German car, they're the best thing since sliced bread aren't they? According to some of the self professed experts on here anyway. :p ;) :D

[bungle4x4]

How about a BMW X3?



hahahahahahahahaha

get the landy, theres a reason its the best selling small 4x4 around. I dont understand why everybody is determined to knock anything british made.

i have landys and all are reliable, as long as you look after them

[harveybobbles]

A question for the scinics...

WTF is a 'scinic? Do you mean 'cynic'?

Renault do a 4x4 Scenic. Maybe it's this...?!

Whats the need for the off roady bit? do you live on a the side of a 20 degree hill?

[cyclonebri1]

Renault do a 4x4 Scenic. Maybe it's this...?!

Whats the need for the off roady bit? do you live on a the side of a 20 degree hill?


never ever seen one tho'??

Not a critisism, just a comment.

[goldspanners]

never ever seen one tho'??



heres one.
http://www.autoreview.ru/new_site/year2001/n16/market/800/Rx4.jpg

id rather have the boat (or the burd!)

[cyclonebri1]

heres one.
http://www.autoreview.ru/new_site/year2001/n16/market/800/Rx4.jpg

id rather have the boat (or the burd!)

WOW I want one,
.
.
.
.
.
.. NOT,:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[harveybobbles]

I'd rather have a clinical disorder lol

[itsmeagain]

I'm gonna get one of those reno cynic 4 x 4's thingies.
Without going into too much detail, and although it has fairly limited off road abilities someone's offered to train me because they reckon they could just about get one to go anywhere a true offroader could, although he suspects it might edge on off raod ability and he can't really comment on its off road abilities because he's never driven one but can read!
Sorry if this doesn't make sense but ive copied it from other posts.

[itsmeagain]

Have I done something to annoy you? You have set and laid your trap, perhaps I didn't explain myself as well as I should have.

You asked a question and I tried to give alternatives but you weren't really interested were you? I have tried to be helpful and you can have your opinion and a reasoned debate from yourself might have been better than a trolling argument. .
No. You appeared to offer expert opinion on Freelander and i'm open to listening to others about alternative competitor products that perform better off road than Freelander. I would consider upgrading to something with better off ability providing that it fits in with my family use, no larger and no higher cost of ownership.
I simpy didn't understand your responses because they appeared to keep conflicting, so i needed some clarification.
When you asked me what i wanted a 4x4 for, i told you, but you through a wobbler.

I did not set and lay a trap. You dug your own hole.

Have a happy x-mas.

Other posters. Is it me or are Hintzas posts confusing?

[itsmeagain]

Itsmeagain was obtuse from the start but that's his perogative.
I may be more of a man than some but i'm actually a straight adventure girlie! Not wishing to stereo type you but you a single bloke?

[iolanthe07]

But you did know what he meant??

Sorry I apologise, nothing personal, I just hate it when folks get on someones back for small errors in posts when it's perfectly clear what they actually mean.:confused:

I did work out what he meant, and so I suppose I shouldn't have posted the sarcastic comment. Sorry. It is just that the appalling standard of grammar and spelling on these boards never ceases to amaze me. Obviously excluding those whose first language is not English, but the rest of us have had at least eleven years of compulsory schooling so presumably eleven years of studying our own language.

[northstar23]

i hope its only about £4500 with that mileage i have seen loads of 04 reg freelander td4s go for around £4000 with only average mileage,like others say the td4 engineswill be the least of your worries ,diff mounts,electric window problems ,rear door seals,transfer boxes,the list will be endless,the best thing that ever happened to mine was it catching fire..just to say the new one is absolutley superb compared to the old one but still not without niggles

All so true... I had an 04 TD4 with the enclosed back as a company car and it was dire. Spent more time in the dealershop than out of it, and even then they couldn't solve the more persistent niggles like a mysterious lack of power in the mid range. The electric windows did fail due to the grab mechanisms in the door being made from metal so thin that it just snapped, door seals leaked like a sieve and the problems with the traction control still bring tears to my eyes.

It was more useless off road than the Suzuki Jimny's that we also had on the fleet... although I'm loath to criticise that too much since it had road tyres on and I'm a firm believer in off roading being all about the boots on the car.

[goldspanners]

It was more useless off road than the Suzuki Jimny's that we also had on the fleet... although I'm loath to criticise that too much since it had road tyres on and I'm a firm believer in off roading being all about the boots on the car.

the jimny /sj410's are great off roaders,very light and easy to manouvre. i had a share in an old sj410 for off roading it could go places that heavy land rovers couldnt even dream about at offroading days. it really got the 4x4 clubs back up when a £200 sj410 could get up a really muddy slope and a discovery and defender only managed halfway.
we didnt get invited back!

my sisters got a jimny and it seems pretty good off road aswell. its never had the same amount of testing the old sj410 got though but it seems very similar underneath.

[MrsE]

Merry Christmas Goldspangles:xmassmile :kisses3:

[jeannieblue]

Merry Christmas Goldspangles:xmassmile :kisses3:
You 'ho'. Get off him, he's all mine.... and more.

OP - get a Land Cruiser - best you'll ever get.

[MrsE]

You 'ho'. Get off him, he's all mine.... and more.

OP - get a Land Cruiser - best you'll ever get.

Merry Xmas Miss Blue

How are you:xmassign: :beer:

[goldspanners]

Merry Christmas Goldspangles:xmassmile :kisses3:

merry christmas mrsE.

jeanies getting jelous, three is a crowd i guess?

[jeannieblue]

MrsE - I'm fine... bit worn out - you know how demanding Goldie is, well you don't personally know, only what I have told you.

Goldie - three some my ar5e. Get back in your cage... love you anyway.. :smileyhea

[goldspanners]

Get back in your cage :smileyhea

and im demanding?

[jeannieblue]

and im demanding?
Well I have got all your lot over tomorrow... I've prepared most of it, got my leg out of the freezer and not sure what to do with the courgette.........

[goldspanners]

got my leg out of the freezer and not sure what to do with the courgette.........

im sure you will come up with something to do with the courgette. ;)

[jeannieblue]

im sure you will come up with something to do with the courgette. ;)
Think I will slice it - as I cannot see where one could fit batteries.

[goldspanners]

Think I will slice it - as I cannot see where one could fit batteries.

you always take the tone down just that little bit more dont you!

you can put batteries in that toy i got you for christmas, you know, the remote control car.;)

[jeannieblue]

you always take the tone down just that little bit more dont you!

you can put batteries in that toy i got you for christmas, you know, the remote control car.;)
Oh yes - the 'car'. Is it a golf? I've heard that the white convertibles were called rabbits??

[goldspanners]

Oh yes - the 'car'. Is it a golf? I've heard that the white convertibles were called rabbits??

thats the very one ;)

[jeannieblue]

thats the very one ;)
Love those Golf's - weren't they very quick ? and rampant ? ...

[goldspanners]

Love those Golf's - weren't they very quick ? and rampant ? ...

oh titherev will be getting a flustered thinking about those golfs!

[Pssst]

OK then the freelander is off. What about new shape Rav4 diesel and what about the road tax issue with these?
Im a low mileage driver

[MrsE]

OK then the freelander is off. What about new shape Rav4 diesel and what about the road tax issue with these?
Im a low mileage driver

I love the RAV4s I wish they still made the little 3 door.

[Hintza]

OK then the freelander is off. What about new shape Rav4 diesel and what about the road tax issue with these?
Im a low mileage driver

Hope I don't get flamed again.

But check the back door meets your requirements. It doesn't open that far and might be an issue. My mother has one and loves it, changed from a CRV (I think purely for a change rather than anything else).

[Pssst]

I'm viewing Rav4s o websites now. A friend got one as a company car (jammy git) and he was carping about the back door thing. A rather bizarre design flaw methinks. Mind you,toyota,can you go wrong??

Does anyone have any dimension stats/pointers,..I'll go googling but im wondering if it'll go in my garage

[Ian W]

PARKERS (http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=33653) says:
Length 4395 mm
Width 1815 mm
Height 1720 mm
Weight 1465 kg
For the '06 onwards model - for earlier ones look at the "Facts & Figures" page of the Parkers review of that model.

I don't like the RAV rear door either and went for the new style CRV but I can't remember how much/ how heavy your off road requirements are? The CRV is great on-road IMHO and for quite light O/R - uneven bumpy tracks rather than heavyweight mudpluggin!
The reviews I've read suggest the X trail may be better off-road than some of its competitors.

I'll be replacing the CRV next yearlater this year and my shortlist for test drives are the Ford Kugga, Mitsu Outlander and possibly the new deisel Subaru Forrester.

[gilbert and sullivan]

PARKERS (http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=33653) says:
Length 4395 mm
Width 1815 mm
Height 1720 mm
Weight 1465 kg
For the '06 onwards model - for earlier ones look at the "Facts & Figures" page of the Parkers review of that model.

I don't like the RAV rear door either and went for the new style CRV but I can't remember how much/ how heavy your off road requirements are? The CRV is great on-road IMHO and for quite light O/R - uneven bumpy tracks rather than heavyweight mudpluggin!
The reviews I've read suggest the X trail may be better off-road than some of its competitors.

I'll be replacing the CRV next yearlater this year and my shortlist for test drives are the Ford Kugga, Mitsu Outlander and possibly the new deisel Subaru Forrester.

If you're trying the Outlander, do also have a look at the Citroen crosser, it is the Outlander (they even have mitsi factory stickers on the windows before pre del) but with the 2.2 Citroen diesel fitted and it does go astonishingly well without that flat spot at very low revs that the mitsi has.
Seeing as they can't give them away you may be able to get a steal, nothing wrong with them, just the badge doesn't do for some people in this market.

[Arbie]

For what it's worth, I've owned a 03 TD4 Kalahari for the last 6 months; apart from being a bit of a plodder on the motorway, it's been absolutely fine, and no leaks at all (even from the hardtop, which I was initially dubious about. As an aside, it's totally useless - why anyway would go to the trouble of removing the roof bars, to take off the hard top and store it in the garage, then replace the roof bars just to go out and probably get rained on, is beyond me!) Mechanically, however, it's been fine, and it does what it's meant to do well. As a previous poster alluded to, the Freelander 2 is absolutely streets ahead - but seeing as I paid £5500 for mine with 55k on the clock, all the refinements in the world couldn't part me with the extra £20k needed to upgrade!

[Lord Lardington]

On the BBC news today, every time they've talked about or shown the weather, the footage has been of a Freelander slowly slithering off the road out of control. Hee hee.

[MrsE]

On the BBC news today, every time they've talked about or shown the weather, the footage has been of a Freelander slowly slithering off the road out of control. Hee hee.

Thats nice:rolleyes:

[Lord Lardington]

Not in a "risk to life and limb" way, just in a "comedy poor advertisment for Freelanders" kind of way.