Should I buy a Freelander?

[midgeman]

Hi guys,

Talk to me about Freelanders please..

We are currently looking at replacing our Golf with one, it's an utter Friday car and our needs are changing too. Ideally I'd like an '03 model to get the early facelift look (and still be within budget) and TD4 with manual gearbox.
In need of upgrading the Golf which is 2 door to something 5 door, but also that has the capability of towing a caravan (through muddy fields) but for something that isn't too big to be street parked and drive around town by me or the wife.
I am a Landy man through and through and grew up around Series, defenders and discoveries, my first car was a 200Tdi'd Series 3 so I'm not too interested at looking at the alternatives unless a Freelander really isn't a good option. I would have a TDi/TD5 Disco tomorrow but I can't justify something that size. Some of the other options (CRV/Rav4 etc) are a bit ugly and all seem to also hold money well if under 10 years old. I have never been a huge fan of the Freelander to be honest although I have never had a good look at or driven one. I fear I am too spoilt by German build quality but I'm not too fussed on that if it ticks the right boxes for our current needs. Looking to spend up to £3k, could stretch for the right car.

What are the good and bad points, I have heard the early ones have issues?
what should I look for? What are the 4WD systems like on these, any problems? Engine , BMW I think?? Good for high miles or keep it as low as the budget can afford? I have seen a 180k miler within budget, would I be silly to buy it?

Thanks.

[camel_landy]

Forget the manual... TD4 Auto.

Google is your friend, read up on the following:

• VCU
• IRD

Personally, I really like the Freelander, it's a cracking car and very capable off-road. The boot on the Mk1 is fairly small though.

As for the TD4, it's pretty bomb proof, it just needs servicing properly. If you forget to change the breather filter, you can trash the turbo and possibly the engine.

M

[cpas]

As Camel said, check all the rear drive components (Google these). Freelanders have had a bad name in the past, but the later ones are better, and, as long as you know what to look for, you should get a nice one. Look at the different specs as well as there are a lot of different models. Freelanders are arguably more car-like than Discos so are 'easier' to drive. They are also more economical. The 4wd system uses as viscous coupling (one of the things that fail) to transfer drive to the rear wheels only when required, which makes them normally front drive only. For around £5k you can get a really nice 2004-ish Sport version which looks the dog's danglies with good equipment and large alloys. Towing a caravan should be well catered for, even on muddy fields. Some members of our landy club have them and love them.

[Emeye]

I really liked my old 1.8 Freelander. When it was working. The diesel should be better, but buy with your eyes wide open!

[300bhp/ton]

camel_landy said:

Forget the manual... TD4 Auto.

Better for off road, but the auto kills the performance, makes for a less fun drive and ruins the mpg.

[300bhp/ton]

midgeman said:

Hi guys,

Talk to me about Freelanders please..

We are currently looking at replacing our Golf with one, it's an utter Friday car and our needs are changing too. Ideally I'd like an '03 model to get the early facelift look (and still be within budget) and TD4 with manual gearbox.
In need of upgrading the Golf which is 2 door to something 5 door, but also that has the capability of towing a caravan (through muddy fields) but for something that isn't too big to be street parked and drive around town by me or the wife.
I am a Landy man through and through and grew up around Series, defenders and discoveries, my first car was a 200Tdi'd Series 3 so I'm not too interested at looking at the alternatives unless a Freelander really isn't a good option. I would have a TDi/TD5 Disco tomorrow but I can't justify something that size. Some of the other options (CRV/Rav4 etc) are a bit ugly and all seem to also hold money well if under 10 years old. I have never been a huge fan of the Freelander to be honest although I have never had a good look at or driven one. I fear I am too spoilt by German build quality but I'm not too fussed on that if it ticks the right boxes for our current needs. Looking to spend up to £3k, could stretch for the right car.

What are the good and bad points, I have heard the early ones have issues?
what should I look for? What are the 4WD systems like on these, any problems? Engine , BMW I think?? Good for high miles or keep it as low as the budget can afford? I have seen a 180k miler within budget, would I be silly to buy it?

Thanks.

Your best bet is spending some time on Google and weeding out the good useful info, rather than tosh from non owners.

The drive train is perfectly fine when used, but the VCU (viscous coupling unit) can seize if not used and they should be replaced at circa 50-70k anyway. If they do cease people tend to ignore the problem and destroy the IRD and sometimes the rear diff too. This makes it very pricey to fix.

So make sure any you look at have the rear prop attached, as a quick fix is to make them 2wd. Which is pretty pointless in a 4x4.


There was an issue with cracked weld on the rear chassis rail of the unibody. Worth reading up on what to look for, although I wouldn't get overly worried about it.

The Freelander can be a bit fickle, so silly things like electric windows stop working and a bit of water ingress. Just like more LR vehicles tbh.

The Td4 is a good engine, although not bullet proof and slightly more complex than some. It does offer a good blend of performance and economy though.

That said, don't ignore the older the L-Series diesel ones. Not quite as powerful (although you can map them too). Slightly more frugal and the most bullet proof of the lot.

The V6 is revvy and goes well, but is auto only (with manual shift control). But these are really thirsty. 17-21mpg.

The 1.8 K-Series petrol gets a bad rap, but it's actually a very good engine and will out perform the diesels on the road. Just watch for the usual K-Series pitfalls.


If you plan any off road work make sure you get TCS and HDC, although most/all latter ones come with it as standard, but it was an option on earlier models.

Auto's work better off road as there is no low range and I suspect probably better towing too. But expect a performance and mpg drop with them.

The FL was available as a 3 and 5 door. They are the same size and wheelbase however, the 3 door just having bigger doors.

For fun factor I'd personally opt for a 3 door and the optional soft back. Sadly the soft back is very rare with almost all being hard back ones. But I'd swap it over so as to make the most of the out door use and summer sun.