Bought a 1.8 out of necessity when my Disco rotted from infront of me and I needed a vehicle for my holiday at very short notice.Hated the engine, but liked the road manners. Bought a V6 and had that for 6 years, plenty of mods and 3 engines. Now have my Td4, again heavily modified, roll cage etc. Also have a Rally Freelander Td4 built by Tornado Motorsport.
I've owned 7 Lightweights, 3 ex MOD series 3 LWB, 2 exMOD 110's, an Ex MOD 90, civvy 90, 4 Discoverys, an 88" coil sprung hybrid and a Disco II. The Freelanders in my opinion are the best of both worlds, comfortable to drive, less noisy , definitely better MPG and get me about in the rough stuff. Oh, and a doddle to park.
That's why I get so p!$$ed off with the Defender crowd who do nothing but slate freelanders , but who have never even driven one on the road let alone off it.
I use mine off road, load it for trips to the tip, fill it with camping gear, go to work in it etc etc. Yes it's bloody versatile , and I do all of the above without being deafened , getting back ache and being able to do it at motorway speeds without breaking the bank in fuel.
Loved my 90, but my Freelanders are better.They are loaded with off road goodies, but can still be driven like a hatchback when needed.