Freelander as an overland vehicle?
- Thread starter Mike_rupp
- Start date
Scott Brady
Founder
I am in 100% agreement with emmodg r.e. the Freelander. It has nothing to do with knowing how to drive them. Every instructor or tester I have met begrudgingly drives or demonstrates that vehicle. It requires too much momentum (due to small tires and lack of low-range) to clear obstacles, yet has insufficient ground clearance to prevent damage to the vehicle on anything more technical than a 2 rated trail.
That is not to say they are not fun in certain situations, like fire roads at high speeds. LR would give me a Freelander when my 2001 DII would break down, which was often. . .
Regarding Steve. So far, he has been a reasonable and active member of this forum. We will give him the benefit of the doubt, though I am not ignorant of his reputation elsewhere.
Lets try to avoid this degrading into a flame war - please :costumed-smiley-007
That is not to say they are not fun in certain situations, like fire roads at high speeds. LR would give me a Freelander when my 2001 DII would break down, which was often. . .
Regarding Steve. So far, he has been a reasonable and active member of this forum. We will give him the benefit of the doubt, though I am not ignorant of his reputation elsewhere.
Lets try to avoid this degrading into a flame war - please :costumed-smiley-007
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Scott, I think the judgement of the Freelander needs to be made only after taking into consideration the intended uses of the truck. It is not, nor was it ever intended to be a hardcore off-roader. I can't think of any LR advertisements that ever claimed it was. It is a "soft-roader" not an "off-roader". You mention buying a RAV4 or something instead of a Freelander, and I would agree if the purchaser is only looking to remain on paved surfaces. However, the Freelander's "soft-road" performances is better than many of the other compact SUV's, and it's only real competition in this domain is the Liberty. Both of those vehicles are not intended rock crawling, of mud pit swimming. But they are both head and shoulders above many other competitors when it comes to a muddy track, or seriously stoney road.
When a person is shopping with these goals in mind, I think the Freelander is attractive, helped by the fact it has tonnes more character and more interesting styling than the other Cute Utes (well, the 04-05 in particular, I really like the styling). The place where it really falls down, however, is the reliability which has been mentioned. That engine and trans really fail it. Perhaps it's popularity in Europe is more a result of it's performance when powered by the diesel and manual trans.
Used 04-05's are incredibly cheap, and I would gladly buy one as a daily driver (with a Disco as a real truck for weekends) if only it weren't for the reputation of that powertrain.
When a person is shopping with these goals in mind, I think the Freelander is attractive, helped by the fact it has tonnes more character and more interesting styling than the other Cute Utes (well, the 04-05 in particular, I really like the styling). The place where it really falls down, however, is the reliability which has been mentioned. That engine and trans really fail it. Perhaps it's popularity in Europe is more a result of it's performance when powered by the diesel and manual trans.
Used 04-05's are incredibly cheap, and I would gladly buy one as a daily driver (with a Disco as a real truck for weekends) if only it weren't for the reputation of that powertrain.
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LOL...this story just made my day.
see the key statement here is the last one.
the failure rate is so high on these that owning one at this point is money down the drain.
Also anyone that thinks the freelander is a good "softroader" clearly hasent driven a subaru forrester, rav4, or santa fe. I have driven all of them and the freelander would be my last choice is all I intended was a fire road warrior or a ski car. The freelander is clumsy compared to the others.
Hey but dont believe me Petersens placed the others above the freelander as well.
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I also think that Steve Young brings only one thing to this forum other then self promotion and misinformation. That is comedic value because almost everything he posts is so far fetched.
I vote let him stay the people calling him out will liven up the BB:victory:
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
<shurg> I read other magazines where the review was to the contrary. All I know is I have test driven the Forester and Freelander back to back in 05, and far preferred the Freelander. But I took home a WRX anyway, so I'm not sure what that says. 
BIGdaddy
Expedition Leader
lol:sport_box
OK, I have to weigh in on this one.
Sorry Steve, but i don't belive that you have a TD5, much less that it is legally here.
You see, I have personal knowledge of this topic as I am a registered and bonded importer specializing in Land Rovers (I'm not here to pimp, just to bring the truth to the topic). I have personally spoken with a USEPA representative whose job is to stop importation of non-certified engines and vehicles.
When I called to speak with this gentleman, the first thing out of his mouth was "It's not a diesel is it (I was importing a brandy new 4.6 for a client). We're onto you Land Rover guys". I inquired as to what it would take to get one certified (I have a background in environmental engineering, I figured it can't be that hard). The response "it cannot be done". Not that the testing would be too expensive, not that the modifications would not be economical, "IT CANNOT BE DONE".
While I am aware that there are many in the US with diesel Land Rovers, it is unlawful to import or possess a non-certified engine in the US.
Don't believe me? Fine. As Thomas Jefferson said "it is his affair not mine if he prefers error". Check out USEPA form 3520-1. The draconian penalties for doing so are printed at the top of the page. Some might find it very educational.
I'm back to lurking.
Sorry Steve.
Scott Brady
Founder
If you really want a soft-roader, buy a Trail Rated Jeep Patriot Better capability than a Freelander and proven reliability - oh, and 25-28 MPG efficiency
I Leak Oil
Expedition Leader
If you really want a soft-roader, buy a Trail Rated Jeep Patriot Better capability than a Freelander and proven reliability - oh, and 25-28 MPG efficiency
You know, if you keep the training wheels on they don't lean as much.:sombrero:
This thread is becoming like a bad car accident, just can't look away!
I had an 03 g4 freelander and it was a very nice driving suv. The seats created the illusion that sat higher than you really were and my wife loved that. With that being said, my freelander gave me nothing but problems. I was getting warranty work done every oil change. After the third engine failure I traded it in, but the vehicle that stickered for 30k new pulled in a measily 12k for trade(and believe me I searched high and low for the best trade-in-value) with 40k on the clock. It was fun as a beach vehicle as long as I didn't push it capabilities but the unreliability as well as the inability to retain value were the reasons I'd never buy another newer rover. I hope nobody gets angry at me for my opinion, I'm not trying to offend anyone who may own/owned a freelander. Anger seems to be fueling this topic so lets all try to piss out the fire eh.
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
If you really want a soft-roader, buy a Trail Rated Better capability than a Freelander and proven reliability - oh, and 25-28 MPG efficiency
Proven reliability? How so? Did you look under the hood for all the wiring and hoses rubbing together? I designed some of the parts on that engine and the situation is scary.
LOL cant argue with that...Rob designed it and the result is scary