Early v late model freelander 1 - which year is the best?

I was pondering this for the last 3 months. I do like the interior of the facelift. And more power of TD4. But in the end I got a 2000 L series diesel for the right price. Happy with it. Love how you remove the plastic engine cover and everything is visible and easy to reach. Turbo, injectors, 3 out of 4 glow plugs, etc. Not as gutless as I expected from reading forums. No expensive flywheel or clutch slave inside bellhousing. I just need to get rid of everything green in the interior. Fortunately seats are leather and light smokestone, so no teal green colour there!

rangeroveroverland said:

I was pondering this for the last 3 months. I do like the interior of the facelift. And more power of TD4. But in the end I got a 2000 L series diesel for the right price. Happy with it. Love how you remove the plastic engine cover and everything is visible and easy to reach. Turbo, injectors, 3 out of 4 glow plugs, etc. Not as gutless as I expected from reading forums. No expensive flywheel or clutch slave inside bellhousing. I just need to get rid of everything green in the interior. Fortunately seats are leather and light smokestone, so no teal green colour there!

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Errr Green

3 door facelift Freelander is the best looking Freelander by far
although I would like a 3 door 1997/98 one

Dar ran Dar ran said:

3 door facelift Freelander is the best looking Freelander by far
although I would like a 3 door 1997/98 one

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So far as looking good goes - that's to each own's perspective.

Mind you, I do fancy a 3 door for the open air motoring (probably because I haven't got 1), but then I'd refer a Vitesse Convertible

Nodge68 said:

There's nothing less robust about the FL2, its miles ahead of the FL1 in every way, fit n finish, materials used, body strength (it's a Euro N CAP ☆☆☆☆☆) rated vehicle, however it is much more expensive to maintain, especially if things go wrong.

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This is entirely to be expected when you consider the origins of the two vehicles, the FL1 was engineered on the cheap by the ever-skint & super thrifty rover group, using maestro vans as mules FFS.... The BMW take over let LR further develop the hippo, but it was more of a set of "lipstick on a pig" facelifts than a complete redesign. What BMW call a LCI model update (Life Cycle Impulse) then the FL2 was done with development costs coming out of the deep pockets of Ford, and armed with lessons learned from the FL1 project giving it's development a MASSIVE head start.

rangeroveroverland said:

I was pondering this for the last 3 months. I do like the interior of the facelift. And more power of TD4. But in the end I got a 2000 L series diesel for the right price. Happy with it. Love how you remove the plastic engine cover and everything is visible and easy to reach. Turbo, injectors, 3 out of 4 glow plugs, etc. Not as gutless as I expected from reading forums. No expensive flywheel or clutch slave inside bellhousing. I just need to get rid of everything green in the interior. Fortunately seats are leather and light smokestone, so no teal green colour there!

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At the risk of sounding anoraky, the ubiquitous beige is "light smokestone" while the contrast colour was originally teal, based on the late nineties 50th anniversary paint colour, it was later supplanted by "dark smokestone" (mushroom brown/grey) - I only know the names of the colours from ordering touch up paints for the leather I retrofitted to my freelander commercial (van), but I believe the transition from teal to brown as the contrast colour occurred about the same time as the change from 2+2 seating for the 3 door to the 60/40 split 3 seat rear bench as I've never seen a 3 door 2 + 2 interior with two tone smokestone, always beige/teal or fabric.