Opinions on Freelander?

From the original post, I dont mean to presume, but I dont think he is after a full on offroad 4x4, but more the softroader type, with a bit of space for his nipper and the plethora of stuff that goes with it.
I know with my car (Jeep G/Cherokee), If my family go away for a weekend, I can quite easily fill the car with 'stuff' that would be required for that weekend.
I seriously looked at saloons and other vehicles when I chose mine. For a weekend visit to my parents, I needed the following..
Buggy, Travel cot, bag of clothes for my son, bag of clothes for my Wife and myself, entertainment for the journey (4hr) for an 18month old, bag of changing stuff (lots of nappies), toys for when we are there, food for the journey up, and some food for him when he is there, PLUS any other stuff I need to take up.
I now have another Boy on the way, so some of those bits can be doubled!

When I tried a couple of saloons, space was one of the major considerations, and only one boot could accommodate all the stuff, and we DID try fitting it. That was the S-type Jaguar, but the missus said it looked like an old mans car, and hated it.
Estates were/are out of the question, I have never found an estate I liked the look of.

I can happily get all the stuff in the boot of my car, and still have all the seats in normal configuration, so the Wife can sit in the back with him, and read stories etc.

Malc30: I agree, we should not be lying in our advice to the OP, BUT we should also be considering his choice of vehicle in the context of his post.
Hence me putting my actual advice at the top of my 1st post, I am a little unsure as why you quoted me, as the part you quoted, you are agreeing with?
 
cymatty said:
I know whats this new fad, omg i am having a child i need to drive around in a massive 4x4. :confused:

My dad had 2 kids, his choice of car a R5 GT Turbo, and that was the only car we had :cool:
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It confuses me too. I know plenty of people who have sold their pride and joy and purchased something dull, because they have a kid on the way :confused:

And the old 'money will be tighter' one doesn't wash with me. A thirsty 4x4 isn't exactly cheap to run is it :rolleyes:

Yes, we have a People Carrier as the family chariot, but having 4-kids it was pretty much essential.

When we had 3-kids the Scooby was plenty big enough.
 
DreXeL said:
It confuses me too. I know plenty of people who have sold their pride and joy and purchased something dull, because they have a kid on the way :confused:

And the old 'money will be tighter' one doesn't wash with me. A thirsty 4x4 isn't exactly cheap to run is it :rolleyes:

Yes, we have a People Carrier as the family chariot, but having 4-kids it was pretty much essential.

When we had 3-kids the Scooby was plenty big enough.
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Well said.
And dont forget the kid will appretiate you more when they older if they knew you had a good car that they were ridding around in :cool:
 
My parents recently bought a V6 Freelander and fairplay i was impressed by it, ive driven many vehicles from Discoverys, 90s and even top of the range Range Rover Vouges and i found the freelander a nice drive, the V6 gives a nice power output and the auto box is also good in manual mode! Awesome fun! :D Handles fairly well for what it is and get a top spec one and its awesome, full leather, heated seats, air con the lot! My mate has also bought a Freelander TD4 sport and that is nice as well! I hated Freelanders but my opinion on them has changed! Stay away from the 1.8s though, its like buying a 1.6 Mondeo!
 
DreXeL said:
It confuses me too. I know plenty of people who have sold their pride and joy and purchased something dull, because they have a kid on the way :confused:

And the old 'money will be tighter' one doesn't wash with me. A thirsty 4x4 isn't exactly cheap to run is it :rolleyes:

Yes, we have a People Carrier as the family chariot, but having 4-kids it was pretty much essential.

When we had 3-kids the Scooby was plenty big enough.
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My Jeep is the family chariot, and its certainly not dull. I still have my Cobra, so have a fun toy to play with, and my wife also has a car, as a daily runner.

For some people economy does become an issue, and re-grading ( i wont say down grading OR upgrading!) from a Scooby, which even you should admit is thirsty, ;) to a 4*4 (mine does about the same MPG as a scooby).
Its not just that in running a car is it though, my insurance is lower than most people can get Third Party on a Scooby. Servicing is probably about the same, BUT I have more useable space. The ride is more comfortable than most performance cars as well.
dasn, gotta do lunch, will continue in a bit
 
Adskin - do you live in the country? I only ask as I don't see a reason to have a 4*4 to do a school run, or trips to the supermarket. An estate would be more than adequate.

I come from the country where 4*4's are in their element, and moved to London for work. Disco 3's are OK, Foresters are great, as are landcruisers. I don't understand why people in urban environments need a 4*4 - they're child killers at 20mph! I can only assume it's for a more comfortable ride over speed bumps.

I had a similar dilemma when my child was born - but went with a 330d (was torn with an RX8 though). And it doesn't struggle when I visit my parent's in the country. Personally I'd happily recommend an estate, and will assist from this point of view.
 
Sorry to take this a bit O/T, but talking of LandRovers my parents used to own a Series 1 86-inch. I think it was a 1954 model. It was a 2.25 litre, unbelievably slow, and you had to lift the driver's side seat up to fill it up with 2* petrol :D

I remember we used to love it as kids, my Dad would unbolt the roof in the summer and it was just great in the back in the open air.

Unfortunately it was sold during thier messy divorce, IIRC it went for about £800, this was back around 1990 when I was about 14.

I wonder what it would have been worth now?
 
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It was in fantastic condition, so looking at those on Autotrader it would probably be 3-4k now :eek:
 
I love the old Rover's. When I was a kid my grandad had one of the first v8 range rovers, with 3 drs, and sky blue. Had no powersteering but was great going over sand dunes when we were on hols in scotland. I struggled steering it one the beaches with 6 yr old muscles!

Drove a series 2 around my parents counrty lanes, with their terrier in the passenger seat, and doning a flat cap - got loads of friendly waves from walkers. Was great. Very wayward steering though.
 
@Pug
aah the dulcet tones of a V8 motor. That hillrally event looked cool ;) reminds me a bit of the gulfstates middle eastern auto rally from a few years back, most of the drivers had souped up rangies, apart from one local Bahrainie team who made a truely valliant and heroic effort in a suzuki sj410, only to loose the rear axle on the last stage of the day. :D
 
jumpy said:
@Pug
aah the dulcet tones of a V8 motor. That hillrally event looked cool ;) reminds me a bit of the gulfstates middle eastern auto rally from a few years back, most of the drivers had souped up rangies, apart from one local Bahrainie team who made a truely valliant and heroic effort in a suzuki sj410, only to loose the rear axle on the last stage of the day. :D
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heheh my bro has had similar luck believe me, and in truth the racers getting a bit "tired" now, after 3 seasons. Gets constant rebuilds and maintenance, but to be truthful as light as it is its carrying too much weight compared to the competition, and its mostly over the front end.

The fact he remains as competitive as some of the "buggies" when his is built around the restrictions of a 90 shell is quite impressive, but the torque produced, mated to his close ratio box this year will make up for the extra weight he's hoping.

Saying that, his vehicle is pretty much built from the ground up, it looks like a 90, but has the wheelbase of a Disco, and a heavily raked front window allows the overall height to be lower than a 90 (lower centre of gravity) whilst having 50mm more clearance than a 90. Its an impressive bit of kit, and as it LOOKS like a Landy gets a lot of attention in the press.

But you're right the sound is awe inspiring, and tuned by these guys http://www.jeengineering.co.uk/

Boy does it rip shafts apart!
 
FakeSnake said:
Estates were/are out of the question, I have never found an estate I liked the look of.
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That's clearly a very subjective thing though, I personaly quite like most estates. Out of interest what sort of mileage do you get out of the Jeep?
 
lucasade1 said:
What about a Defender?
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Used to be "the car" to have, but over in australia its now Toyotas and the likes, south africa however its still definatly defender land (and series!) - they are still undeniably the best off road vehicle and this is proven time and time again, but in places like auz they are dated in tehir equipment where things like air con rate over the long lasting-ness which appeals in S.Africa :)

Defenders rock - i've got one and love it to bits :D
 
Dogbreath said:
That's clearly a very subjective thing though, I personaly quite like most estates. Out of interest what sort of mileage do you get out of the Jeep?
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Absolutley, that is the whole point of my discussion, cars are truely a personal and objective thing.

My Jeep, bearing in mind its a 4.7ltr HO V8, I get an average 22mpg on petrol, and about 20mpg on LPG.
 
Few stories:

A brand new one costing something like £24k had so many problems with it, after 2 years of hell they sold it

Same story goes for a guy who bought land rovers all his life, they dont even help him with the problems anymore

Problems with a range rover too and same problems with the dealers

These are all 2001 or later vehicles. Poorly made imo, ford took them over tho so meh
 
My sister's husband has one, iirc, a 2002 model, she'd sum it up in one word.

"CRAP"

Its broken down 4 times to my knowledge, the engine uses almost as much oil as it leaks, the hard top tends to pop open!

The dash rattles, the doors feel like there made of paper, the controls are cheap & nasty and the gearbox is a lottery.

I drove it a while back and could'nt believe how un-impressed I was with it, although, it does go across fields rather well. :D

She's changing it soon, and would rather drive her Renault Megane (54 Reg) than the Freelander.
 
New freelander coming out soon so I would hold off until then, the new one is based on the EUCD platform in the new Volvo V50 and S40. It has a lot of technology from the D3 and RRS but with a watered down terrain response, expected to come in 2.8 or 3 V6 petrol and a 2.3 diesel.
 
AmaTeX said:
New freelander coming out soon so I would hold off until then, the new one is based on the EUCD platform in the new Volvo V50 and S40. It has a lot of technology from the D3 and RRS but with a watered down terrain response, expected to come in 2.8 or 3 V6 petrol and a 2.3 diesel.
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i bet it will cost the earth though....much like the rangerovers and discovery 3.
 
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