buying a freelander

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Part time nomad

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east anglia
We have been looking at a freelander for towing , was looking at 2011 auto as I read that auto was better for towing. Does the gear box oil need changing more frequent because of towing and the brake fluid due to extra weight when towing. Am not a mechanic just want to know what we are in for. Cheers
 
What are you towing? because....frankly they aint all that....
Yes, its rated to tow two tons and yes it WILL tow two tons. I pull 1.6 - 1.8 tons three times a week for work thankfully on short distances over backroads but if I wanted a "proper" towcar I would buy a Pajero or a Discovery.

Remember, its not a full-sized 4x4. The TD4 engine is a 2 litre common rail turbo diesel - thats the same setup and similar power and torque figures to a Peugeot 306, plus the Freelander has much higher weight and higher parasitic power loss through the transmission. 306`s aint what spring to mind when you wonder about good towcars are they?

In its favour, the Freelander has a decent kerb weight to power ratio so it doesnt get pulled around by the trailer too much and the permanent 4x4 obviously helps for traction whenever you need it.

Oh and "I am not a mechanic" and Freelander ownership are incompatible unless you have deep pockets to pay a garage to fix stuff.
 
Hi, cheers. We looked at the Kia sorrento but it looked a bit big fit the other half to take shopping etc, the freelander looked more friendly . I did not want to be paying £500 a year road tax that the discoverys cost. Are the running costs of a freelander that bad ? It's not like when you could get a simple ford Granada as a tow car , everything has sensors etc now. Cheers
 
and it is a 2.2 ltr engine with more torque and i read somewhere it has nine gears it is much better than the freelander 1
 
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I've owned 3 Freelander 2's, over the last 4 years and around 140,000+ miles. Two of them were manual 150 BHP cars and one 190 BHP auto.

I've towed with one of the manuals and one of the autos and they both make brilliant tow cars, affected very little by weights right up to their towing limit. The last one was a substantial horse box with two 500KG horses on board. I've never done any additional maintenance though and never had any cause for concern as a result.

Except for one thing! You are right to be looking for an auto. The manual's clutch is a relatively weak point and manouvering a heavy trailer on soft ground / overgrown ground will result in plenty of clutch smells! Go auto!

PS: The auto on the FL2 is a 6 speed and it's not bad at all.
PPS: 140,000 miles have shown my FL2's to be no more expensive to keep on the road than a normal/boring car of an equivalent purchase price.
 
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Part time nomad said:
Hi, cheers. We looked at the Kia sorrento but it looked a bit big fit the other half to take shopping etc, the freelander looked more friendly . I did not want to be paying £500 a year road tax that the discoverys cost. Are the running costs of a freelander that bad ? It's not like when you could get a simple ford Granada as a tow car , everything has sensors etc now. Cheers
Click to expand...

The running costs of a FL2 aren't bad at all. You need to be aware that, as an auto, it's a little fond of diesel. Budget for between 28 and 34 MPG (without a trailer).
 
Thanks for replays. I am prepared for less economy on fuel , it's the mechanical running that was my worry. If there is any thing special like extra oil changes to auto box etc to help prevent major costs down the line is what I was after. I am sure land rover would not tell anybody as its like admitting a fault. We intend to tow a large single axel caravan with it. Cheers
 
I reckon solo and towing we would be doing approx 15,000 miles a year so hope for nothing too major each year. Once in a while we have accept a problem will come up just not all the time, and try to be ahead of it with maintenance .
 
Hi hippo, thanks for the link . Unfortunately I think it's more then our pad or line can Handel as nothing happens. This happens a lot to us , trying to up date a sat nav is a no go. We take stuff like that tour son as he lives in a city and better internet. Thanks again.
 
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