IanTeign said:

Strangely enough I filled it up at the Texaco garage at the top of Telegraph Hill just outside Exeter and we drove to just west of Harrogate. Stayed between 60-70 mph all the way with only a bit of slow traffic on the M1. We took the route you have described. We left the fuel wasting and brake burning speeds to the Audi drivers in the outside lane.

Freebie is regularly serviced, oil changed every 6 months. Its done 80k miles and had 4 brand new tyres put on just before we did the run.

I know a lot of people slate the Freelander but the other day I took the dog for a long wak round the roads where I live and counted way more of them than any of the jap stuff. Saw ones from S reg right up to 06. If they last long and are run by so many people they can't be that bad surely?

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When I drive northeast from the south west, I always find my Mpg is better than when driving southwest. I can only put this down to the southwesterly wind helping to boost Mpg figures. The wife's Astra GTC 2 Litre diesel shows 55mpg on its trip computer while driving northwest on the M5 at 70 Mph. I can't see why the Freelander TD4 shouldn't do 40 + Mpg doing the same journey. I'll be happy if my, new to me TD4 auto gets close to that.

My Freelander is great for me because it's cheap to run and maintain. That'll be a nice change from high costs of the Discovery.

Freelanders are the best Land Rovers because it's the only Land Rover that I've owned (although officially I don't quite own it yet), but hopefully it won't be my last - my better half want's one and I want another for a donor car.

Because they fit in my garage and don't rust to dust every time you turn your back.

I love my freelander.

Alibro said:

It is probably true to say Freelanders (and all Landrovers for that) have way too many common faults, but then so does my missus and I still love her.
Haven't decided yet which is more expensive to keep!

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in my experience its the wife, although I don't know her personally I might add....

On me 4th. Previous ones were diesels, auto, manual, auto which I found great if underpowered. This one's a V6 which is great if a little thirsty. When I go back to the west Mids I usually use it in preference to my MGZT 1.8T, even if I have to fill up to get back home. Not too big, or too small apart from the boot but that is. Since I had a new back box fitted sounds even better now.

Difficult to say it is the best Land Rover, but for me, I like the relative simplicity of the hippo, whilst having some comfort and not being a tank to haul around.

Years ago I had a 1.8K series petrol 3dr and liked it, but as it got older, started to worry about the HG when the other common failures started appearing. After test driving a FL2 a year after it was launched, it was like night and day feeling how refined the FL2 TD4 drove. With its six gears it just cruised along the motorways, in the comfort of an elevated position. I swapped the FL1 for a 2, and kept it for 5 years. I enjoyed the refinement on the FL2, but then sold it for something much more economical due to the mileage I was doing at the time, and the fact lots of expensive little niggles were starting to appear.

A few years later though, I decided I missed having a 4x4, and after considering tratters, and not liking the lack of any comfort and the running costs, decided to go back to an original Freelander, but a diesel this time around. It’s great to have a car that is not boring to drive again. And thanks to this brilliant site, is something that I can hopefully keep running for a while, without having to resort to going to garages and being fleeced £300+ a visit just for routine maintenance to ‘keep the stamps in the book’, and upwards of £1200 for some of the jobs that were starting to appear on the FL2.

So for me it is a great little 4x4.

edit: Having said that, if it wasn't for such good resources of information like this place, I probably would have just got rid, or not even contemplated getting another FL1, for the common niggles that appear, and their solutions would be undocumented. The Haynes and RAVE Manwells only goes so far. It's the experience of others that gives the reassurance to tackle these jobs.

My previous cars were TVRs and Alfas, all rear wheel drive. The freelander TD4 gets the best MPG of any car I have ever owned - by 20% . Currently averaging 36MPG over a year of fuel. Also, as I am getting on a bit, and there is a headlight brightness arms race going on in our area, the extra height means I can now drive at night without being blinded by oncomming traffic. Thirdly, the exhaust doesn't get ripped off on the airfield perimeter road. Corners suprisingly well on tarmac, and much better accelleration than I was expecting. For my 1% of off road use a year it is perfect.
-Hazel

Are the best because............. Well yesterday my pal came down to get his caravan out of my shed up a soaking wet muddy/soft grass bank - his Front wheel drive estate usually does it no probs but this time it was too soft and slimy. Brought the Freelander TD4 Auto (Michelin road tires) down and gently extracted first the car and then the van - not a sign of slippage and a whisper of throttle - virtually no mess. Now the V8 Lightweight would have used about half a gallon of fuel to get it off choke an out of my other shed - and the David Brown 880 Implematic (tractor) would have left 5 inch deep tire tracks in the soft ground - so not bad for my day to day transport.
(My VCU does 5Kg @ 1.2M in 28secs 8Kg@ 1.2M in 12 secs so in about normal condition)