My girlfriend has an 04 freelander. We've had it for 18 months and not a thing has gone wrong with it. The 04+ models were much improved in terms of quality. I actually quite like driving it. For a 4x4 its quite car like but feels different enough that you know its a 4x4 and you don't drive it like a car, but in a good way.

Diesel ones seriously lack poke, petrol ones are better. The V6 petrol drinks fuel like a b@stard, 1.8 k series need to be newer that 2002 so that you get the new thermostat location and steel dowels or you enter the head gasket lottery.

Concidentily, my girlfriends car is for sale as she's now got a company car

 

Yep I had one, a BMW era 5 door Kalahari (nice leather and alcantara interior and all the toys) TD4 and it was a stonking car. However, my old man had a Rover era 3 door TD Anniversary and it was a hateful bag of shite. Mine was well screwed together, had a gearbox years better than the Rover, better brakes, and was generally a solid and good car, whereas the Rover one wasn't...

35mpg on average and it didn't take much of a hit towing either. Very practical even though the boot is quite small for what it is, as when you drop the rear seats it's like a van. I really liked it. As a sensible run around, especially if I needed to tow again, I'd have another. Though depreciation is a biatch so getting new one is probably not a good plan.

A 3 door is a waste of space too as you'll never take the lid off because it's a royal PITA. Get yourself a nice low milage, end of line 5 door TD4 with all the toys.

Interestingly the old man has an X-Trail now (in fact, he's on his second) and rates it massivley. It definately has a better engine though it's not a particularly nice looking thing and the interior is just nasty. It is quite a bit bigger than the Freelander and tows equally as well. The steering, is massively over-assisted and lifeless. It's a bit meh to be honest and over all, I actually prefered my Freelander despite the X-Trail being a better car.

 

Thanks, sounds like a lottery to me and I don't like them that much

Have you bought that mental Westfield yet?

 

Head gasket alert...head gasket alert.....

They're cack.

 

Kate has a CR-V.

Utterly, utterly reliable. Car-like to drive. Honda don't have 'Friday cars', Land Rover do.

Bit dull, no more so than a Freelander though and when the time comes to tow the Fury, I won't care so long as it gets me to trackdays, which it will.

 

Owned a Freelander. 1999 model, never went wrong aside awful tryre wear, oh and the distributer cap corroded.

Avoid at all costs. Although I liked it, I found it very tiring to drive on the m/way, it always wanted to change lanes. Most important problem was that it had no arm rest! Arrrrgh.

if you do buya Td4 of 2004+ age. The new greelander is just out, so watch the prices plummet.

I would go for a last generation TD5 Disco, bullet proof.

 

I have driven one once as my sis has one.

Great leather seats and plenty of space and all the gadgets. I don't think she has had any issues with it however it wasn't a nice drive IMO.

It didn't feel rough enough to be an off roader (I'm used to MOD wolves)
Didn't feel like it would perform off road.
Was well I don't know how to describe it: Wobbly? and wooly? You didn't feel connected to the front wheels properly for steering!

Just get a Mitsubishi Animal or Pinzgauer!

Edd

 

My mates wife has a late pre-facelift model and I thought it was horrible inside. Very agricultural, crap plastics and shoddy build quality.

I'd sooner pay 20k on a facelift Range Rover.

 

Thanks guys, I've gone off the idea of a baby 4X4 again now

I've got quite a small garage so can't really look at the 'proper' ones.

I also think grahamb made a very good point.

 

Or a Defender.

Everything else is just mumsy.

Punkt.