someone elses 
blackstrat
Well-Known Member
TD4 is the best engine in them... you can buy mine soon, it's even the same colour as yours was - slinky leather seats too...I had a 2001 1.8 petrol freelander I loved it , things started to go wrong tax was expensive and mpg was only about 25!. I sold it ridiculously cheap but I miss it so much
So which freelander 1 is the best model to own economically? Are they all so high for road tax?
Silverlandy
3.5efi's other half
TD4 is the best engine in them... you can have mine soon, for free, it's even the same colour as yours was - slinky leather seats too...
Edited for accuracy.
L series is good - fit a decent turbo on it and they go like stink
blackstrat
Well-Known Member
tina2709
Well-Known Member
TD4 is the best engine in them... you can buy mine soon, it's even the same colour as yours was - slinky leather seats too...
Yes please
Obviously td4 is diesel so is L series petrol ?
And do they differ on road tax?
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GrumpyGel
Well-Known Member
Yes please
Obviously td4 is diesel so is L series petrol ?
And do they differ on road tax?
When first realeased the Freelanders were available with 1.8L K Series petrol engines or 2.0L L Series diesel engines. In 2000 the diesel was changed to the BMW TD4 unit (due to emissions I believe) and the 2.5L KV6 petrol was introduced.
The L Series and TD4 are similar in many respects. I think the consensus is, in standard spec, the TD4 is a bit more refined and powerful while the L Series is a bit more economical and reliable.
I don't know if its just because there's a lot more of them out there - but there are quite lots of threads on here about faulty TD4s whilst hardly ever about L Series. The TD4 faults are often fuel pump related but can be anything from the multitude of sensors around the engine to snapped cranks. Having said that a couple months back 2 members had cambelts let go on their L Series with resultant grief. I'm sure though the L Series is more reliable and, as has been stated and I'm only just finding out, can be turned quite a lot
On the run you should get around 40MPG from either diesel - the TD4 just under, the L Series just over. Around town that figure will drop by up to 10MPG.
I love my L Series. I'm after a 2nd Freelander and am hanging out to find an L Series in need of a bit of TLC - they're hard to find here amongst the many K & KV6 series with HGF or cooked engines.
tina2709
Well-Known Member
Brilliant thank you for your helpWhen first realeased the Freelanders were available with 1.8L K Series petrol engines or 2.0L L Series diesel engines. In 2000 the diesel was changed to the BMW TD4 unit (due to emissions I believe) and the 2.5L KV6 petrol was introduced.
The L Series and TD4 are similar in many respects. I think the consensus is, in standard spec, the TD4 is a bit more refined and powerful while the L Series is a bit more economical and reliable.
I don't know if its just because there's a lot more of them out there - but there are quite lots of threads on here about faulty TD4s whilst hardly ever about L Series. The TD4 faults are often fuel pump related but can be anything from the multitude of sensors around the engine to snapped cranks. Having said that a couple months back 2 members had cambelts let go on their L Series with resultant grief. I'm sure though the L Series is more reliable and, as has been stated and I'm only just finding out, can be turned quite a lot
On the run you should get around 40MPG from either diesel - the TD4 just under, the L Series just over. Around town that figure will drop by up to 10MPG.
I love my L Series. I'm after a 2nd Freelander and am hanging out to find an L Series in need of a bit of TLC - they're hard to find here amongst the many K & KV6 series with HGF or cooked engines.
Silverlandy
3.5efi's other half
You getting another then Tina?
sijwhite
Active Member
htr
Well-Known Member
My understanding is that according to surveys of Freelander 1 repairs [ie motors] the L series is the model seen least for motor repairers. It doesn't have the sensors and the electrical bits n bobs of the BMW TD4 so it's better [easier]for the DIYer to maintain at home.
Performance and economy would go to the TD4. I believe that WINU, along with many others, would be able to comment re just what can be done to an L series re power upgrades.
I have a 1.8 petrol and I have 'tweeked' the motor to make it breathe more easily. I'll put up info' in the next month when I'm legally on the road with it.
Are the 1.8 petrol more expensive to operate in the UK [ licencing, MOT, Tax...] than a diesel FL1?
Performance and economy would go to the TD4. I believe that WINU, along with many others, would be able to comment re just what can be done to an L series re power upgrades.
I have a 1.8 petrol and I have 'tweeked' the motor to make it breathe more easily. I'll put up info' in the next month when I'm legally on the road with it.
Are the 1.8 petrol more expensive to operate in the UK [ licencing, MOT, Tax...] than a diesel FL1?
I don't know the history as well as others on here but in my mind the TD4 (BMW M47 engine) was more modern and more refined that the Rover L-series. However it was never designed to fit into the Freelander and the Freelander was never designed to accept it, so there are some issues (i.e. needs three fuel pumps...) and some basic jobs which should be easy (change thermostat) are difficult because of access. Being more modern is has more electronics and Rover's boffins didn't do a brilliant job of adapting the BMW systems for the Freelander. However it is reasonably refined, reliable if looked after and long lived.
The L-series was Rover's own engine and continued to be used in other cars when it was dropped from the Freelander, and it was one of the very few - if not the only - Rover engine that Honda used in some of their cars in European markets. It is simple, reliable, economical, powerful and has great tuning potential - but it is a little noisier and not as refined. But in a Land Rover - what does that matter? I have read that the bigger TD5 engine was a development of the L-series and used the same pistons (albeit more of them), con-rods and a few other bits.
Another downside of the L-series Freelanders is they are the earlier cars and don't have best interior and trim levels available, but second hand leather interiors from TD4's aren't difficult or expensive to get now.
The L-series was Rover's own engine and continued to be used in other cars when it was dropped from the Freelander, and it was one of the very few - if not the only - Rover engine that Honda used in some of their cars in European markets. It is simple, reliable, economical, powerful and has great tuning potential - but it is a little noisier and not as refined. But in a Land Rover - what does that matter? I have read that the bigger TD5 engine was a development of the L-series and used the same pistons (albeit more of them), con-rods and a few other bits.
Another downside of the L-series Freelanders is they are the earlier cars and don't have best interior and trim levels available, but second hand leather interiors from TD4's aren't difficult or expensive to get now.
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GrumpyGel
Well-Known Member
Yeh, the earlier interiors are not as plush - but some of the later ones mix colours in a way that makes me nauseous! The one thing that really ****es me off my my earlier version is that I can't close the windows once I turn the engine off! I have to turn the ignition back on to close them. Sounds like a small thing - but it really really annoys me
Epicuser
Ex Freelander Owner
Yeh, the earlier interiors are not as plush - but some of the later ones mix colours in a way that makes me nauseous! The one thing that really ****es me off my my earlier version is that I can't close the windows once I turn the engine off! I have to turn the ignition back on to close them. Sounds like a small thing - but it really really annoys me
:lol:
The facelift only has a few seconds to do that after switching off the ignition.
I had a 2001 1.8 petrol freelander I loved it , things started to go wrong tax was expensive and mpg was only about 25!. I sold it ridiculously cheap but I miss it so much
So which freelander 1 is the best model to own economically? Are they all so high for road tax?
hiya Tina
ive got a 2002 td4, 3 door model, but wish i got a 5 door so it would be easier to get the dogs in and out
mines an auto and on 185,000 and been a dream of a car for the last 4 years ive owned it
get on a run nearly 40 mpg and found it really comfy, reliable and so easy to drive.
plenty of info on here and if u want to know anything else always happy to help
gary
Yeh, the earlier interiors are not as plush - but some of the later ones mix colours in a way that makes me nauseous! The one thing that really ****es me off my my earlier version is that I can't close the windows once I turn the engine off! I have to turn the ignition back on to close them. Sounds like a small thing - but it really really annoys me
easy job to fix tho
GrumpyGel
Well-Known Member
easy job to fix tho
Not wishing the hijack the thread, but presumably I'd have to put another button in that bypasses the ECU and puts a direct feed to the windows. When the windows are closed though, is it the ECU that tells the window motors to stop (when it detects a draw change) or will the motors stop themselves?
