I have a Disco 300 and the Missus drives a Freelander TD4 - we bought the TD4 last year (second hand £2,500) specifically for the harsh winters over here in the Auvergne - works a treat.

Apart from the lack of High/low gear range option on the TD4 there seems to very little difference in capability driving in severe snowy conditions, in fact I would say if anything the TD4 is a better vehicle as it is much lighter so handles a little more efficiently.

My question for the Freelander 'purists' is:

How does the TD4 handle severe hill ascent/decent, as I know ours will not drive the same routes I can take with the disco? The low range gearbox of the Disco gives it much better off-roading capability.

Is it left hand drive?

Downhill, no difference. Uphill, the lack of low box sometimes is a challenge meaning that more momentum is required, though the better manners, lower centre of gravity, independent suspension and lower weight mitigates this.

The TD4 is still suprisingly good. Most of my offroading is done in an older L-series, and when I did some fairly extreme stuff last month I really appreciated the characteristics of the TD4.

It's RHD - the price of a LHD Freelander here in France is almost treble the UK.

Frankly, I use the Disco as a 'tractor' - does everything I need, and gets me through all the rough terrain, even with a trailer.

The TD4 is an excellent go-between for those that really need to use a 4x4 to it's full potential. Where I live there are no 'pretendy' off-roaders, we all have to use a 4x4 for all year round