Freelander 1 what £150 gets ya!

Sounds like someone has fallen in love with their new purchase.

They are surprisingly endearing aren’t they?

rob_bell said:

They are surprisingly endearing aren’t they?

Click to expand...

I think so. My most recent acquisition is FL1 number 6, which consists of 4 X 1.8 Ks 1 X KV6 (my favourite engine) and a TD4 (my least favourite engine). Of the 6 I've had, 2 have been pre 2001s, 2 have been post 2001s and 2 facelifts.
I went from a 2001 KV6 to a Discovery 3, deciding after 2 years that I'd spent out enough on the D3 and went back to a FL1. I loved the Discovery as a vehicle, but it was too big, to slow, too expensive and too fragile. You couldn't throw the D3 around our Cornish lanes like you can a FL1, and the D3 wasn't as good in snow, not that we get much of that.

Weight is a killer on low grip surfaces Iike ice and snow. When there's a slight slope the fight against gravity is too much.

I was astonished by how good my FL1 was in snow. Tyres probably helped, but I could drive up hills where normal cars were left abandoned or had to turn around (hills) as though it were a normal sunny dry day. I literally laughed out loud!

I didn't get the impression that my DS was quite so capable - but it has standard-fit road tyres, and I could feel the electro-mechanical intervention of the terrain response doing its job. I suspect the FL1 would simply have driven up on its AT tyres and AWD without any fuss whatsoever...

I purchased my FL1 about 9 years ago in September. That first year on my last night shift before annual leave over the Christmas period, I had to dig my FL out of the snow as it had snowed very heavily overnight. I drove 20 miles home in untouched, non gritted very deep snow at 6.AM and it sailed through it. I had a few hills I thought might thwart my journey home, but no, it handled it all with ease. Yes it lost traction now and then but always quickly regained it without me having to take any action.
Sadly, since that lovely morning we have hardly had any snow in my area.

I could have done with it when I was stationed in Germany during the late 70's. Loads of snow then.