Freelander

Looking for thoughts on the LR Freelander.

Had a Jeep Wrangler for a long time as my winter/off road vehicle. I sold it for something more civilized (Grand Cherokee) a while back and am looking for another winter toy w/ decent off-road capability. It will see a fair amount of use, but not be a dd.

Thoughts on overall reliability, weak spots, etc?

Thanks, w

Check for availability of used engines! At one time there were no replacement blocks for the V6. Seems the manufacture of the blocks went down in the recession and could not recover. TATA has never clearly relayed on any new manufactures for the V6 but have a manufacture for the Rover 4.0 V8 for the Disco and Range. Other than that I have never seen any real problems as long as maintenance was followed on a regular schedule and increased with hard use. I still see quite a few here surrounding the St. Louis area. Not many on lots for resale, must be good. Good parts are available thru dealers and aftermarket on-line stores. There are Pro-line parts to help keep repair costs down.

I would go for a LR Discovery since the gas price scare made the resale values fall to almsot give away prices. If you like jeeps as I own a Wrangler currently you will appreciate the capapbilites of the discovery plus its has leather, sunroofs, heated seats, power this and that and a V8. Becareful of ones needing eneinge work since they had issue with liners in the 4.0 and 4.6 engines and also bad oil pump that caused knocking and eventual failure so there was a recall to where RR/LR replaced the long blocks and threw away the old engines. I have been looking at Discos and well if I had the room and not the Wrangler that would be my toy and tow truck for my Triumph TR8.

My 96 Disco 1 is my wife's daily driver. It's 15 yrs. old and she has been driving it for 12 yrs., with 123K miles and some repairs, which aren't cheap , but what is today. We have driven it to Fla. and got 19 1/2 mpg at 62 mph. It averages 13-15 around town. I had a 4.6 Range that split a liner, very expensive. The 4.0 in the D1 and D2 are very easily replaced as you can pick them up around the country with a wide and large club base. The most wanted Disco is the 2004 which is deemed the most reliable of the make with the same ease of spares. Check the maintenance shedule of any Rover you buy to make sure all maintenance was carried out in a timely matter, which can aleviate some of the crucial repairs. But, there are aftermarket parts now, so repairs are becoming cheaper, as Land Rover, owned by TATA does not have a parts base for the 10+ yr. old D1.

I like my Freelander, it's the 3 door model -- no kids and a big dog. Steering is lighter than the Rangies, it drives more like a car. The engine is a korean engine, maybe the kia optima engines would match up in a pinch. I'm thinking that with a little suspension tuning it would be good for rally cross. I've been able to source any part I need from Rimmer Brothers pretty reasonably.

My wife had a Freelander, the 5-door model, for a while. Very nice to drive, however we did have some issues with it (that were fixed under warranty, thankfully) such as the front windscreen cracking diagonally across!

The bolsters on the front seats are not long enough (at least for us) and without the proper leg support it was not comfortable for any distance. We got rid of it quickly while it was still under warranty and replaced it with a VW Passat.

The LR dealer was wonderful and went to bat on the windshield replacement for us but we wouldn't have another Freelander. A Disco, certainly.....

But your mileage may vary :wink:

The "Check Engine" light on a Freeloader is referred as the Replace Engine light in the trade. They have camshaft and timing belt issues,and require special tools to fix at all, and if the belt breaks, it is a major major deal to fix. My advice, is to walk up to it, turn around, and RUN!!!

people used to say walk away from corvairs, TR7's, Fiats, and Jags. I've had all, except a Jag and they have all been good cars. All cars have their idiosyncracies that have to be understood.

Trying to help a friend chasing coolant leaks on the miles of hoses snaking under the hood, I came across at least a dozen service bulletins related to that problem. That problem in that same Freelander caused the owner of said vehicle 2 engines within a year. Now in the car's defense it's owner wasn't wise enough to stop driving it before destroying the engine, but in the owners defense, the engines went without an extreme amount of warning.
I like Land Rovers, But I got a really bad taste from the Freelander.

thanks for the comments all. After reading here and talking to more than a few other owners, I am looking elsewhere... I am intrigued by LR's, how can any Brit car fan not be, but can't see owning one for actually regular transportation at this point. I have too many other needy toys.

Probably be looking at Jeeps....

w

Hi,

Get a Disco, series I or II, wonderful cars. The Freelander is a fuel-guzzling lemon. Ask me how I know for both ...

I haad a 2003 Freelander. Bought it with 100k on it. replaced engine at 150K and then traded it in with 312K. I got 20 mpg highway. Yes there are a few items to watch. Mostly coolant loss. This indicates serious engine issues. I thoroughly enjoyed drivin it. Best driving vehicle in snowy conditions.

Just an FYI....

I'm now working at a Jaguar/Land Rover dealer, and by all accounts the LR2 is a far better vehicle than the Freelander that it replaced. I have driven one and while the seat still isn't long enough for me it's altogether a better effort. I drove it off-road as well, it really is extremely competent!