Ah well you see, those who knock the FL ( and I used to be one of them, when I had my 4.0 V8 RR classic ) need to realise that they might not have had their "proper" landrovers at all if not for the Freelander. Land Rover was facing extinction in the 90`s because of the likes of Toyota and Isuzu, as well as Suzuki and even JEEP grabbing the market in the less serious off road stuff. Something had to be done...enter the Freelander. I hated it when it came out and remember well the furore in the 4X4 community over the very idea of such a "toy", I myself was horrified at those skinny little prop and driveshafts and thought they would just twist or snap under any load. But all that is by the by, fact is freelander put a lot of very much needed revenue in to landrover and no doubt is the reason Landrover exists at all in the 21st century -- despite its troubles and various owners, so there.