FL2 Long Term

[260DET]

Morning all, the choice is between a new FL2 and a Hyundai Santa Fe, both have suitable specs so both on paper would suit. Below average country town use but the occasional long distance solo tow job so breaking down in the middle of nowhere would not be appreciated.


So far on the plus side there are a couple of city blokes on another forum who love their FL2's and have had a good run out of them, on the minus side the usual opinion is that the FL2 is still prone to serious problems and that the Korean would be a much more reliable, trouble free option. Balancing that is that all reports indicate the FL2 is a great SUV to be in and drive, particularly on a long trip. So you can see my dilemma.


It would help if long term owners could advise me, particularly in regard to on road reliability as distinct from annoying but not crucial problems, I'm not terribly fussy about minor problems. Thanks muchly from a newb, cheers, Richard.

[Meken]

Diesel hse new in 08 about 100k trouble free lots of peak hour city trips and towing work. It is a very comfy car for trips and drives like a car not a truck

[woko]

I have a 07 TD4 SE with nearly 180000km on it and have owned it for 2 years. I have had a few issues with it, but nothing hugely expensive if you look outside the box.
issues I've had,
Electric motor that controls waste gate on turbo, $25. LR will sell you a new turbo.
Rear Diff bearing. You can buy a full bearing kit for the diff from the UK for $250
Full set of shock absorbers $800
Turbo boost hose. I got a silicone 1/2 set for $150
Gear stick gaiter $30
Gear knob spring. I did a repair on knob rather than replacing $2
Ive been having issues with the drivers seat controls and it requires a new switch unit. (i haven't looked into price)

Have you drove both?
My brother has a Kia Sorrento (same as Santa Fe) He has had it for 2 years and has 130000km on it. He has had to replace the harmonic balancer since he has owned it. It is slightly better on fuel and has more power, but the Freelander is more comfortable and nicer to drive.

[mikehzz]

Mine is an 08 TD4 bought new and now has 206,000 kms on it. I've done most of the remote tracks on it, Birdsville, Strzelecki, Oodnadatta, Cameron Corner, Walkers Crossing, both Lake Eyre tracks, Plenty Hwy, Old Ghan, Yunta to Arkaroola, Border Track, Vic High Country and into the Simpson Desert twice. It has never left me on the side of the road and I have never had to call for any roadside assistance. The rear diff was done under warranty at around 80,000 and was just whining a bit. Wear and tear includes new shocks and a cv joint that was just vibrating which I think is acceptable considering the hammering it has had on some of those tracks. It still drives great and I'm happy to keep it. It's the most impressive car I've ever owned and I've owned 25 cars. (It's still on its original battery too)

[260DET]

Thanks for taking the time to help blokes :)


At present I have a auto PB Challenger and am looking at changing in the New Year. Will drive the choices once I decide what SUV's are practical to own, am prepared to pay a bit more for something that I really like providing it passes the practical test.


An updated Sorrento will be out soon, I'm guessing that it will be a contender for my application, they keep improving it.

[mikehzz]

The Kia has a 7 year warranty doesn't it? That's hard to beat, but I wouldn't take it into the Simpson Desert though. I've never seen what sort of awd system the Kia has but it wouldn't be anywhere near as good as the Land Rover.

[inside]

Had a FL2 from new for 7 years and 100K. Power steering pump went early, about 18K other than that nothing at all. I've sold it now but miss it, very practical but still a bit special at the same time. Only people who bag the FL2 are those that haven't driven one.

[260DET]

It would be good to have something that you can look forward to driving.

[uneekwahn]

Just got my wife a 2010 HSE FL2 yesterday. Loving it :)

[ByronB]

I have a TD4 Se MY14 had for two years, I am a rep, so non stop city driving along with trips to south coast and Canberra just done 60k all trouble free.
I do dealer servicing, which is a little pricey, that is my only complaint, but find it helps resale.

[260DET]

Thanks again blokes for the feedback, the way I'm thinking now is it would not be the end of the world if I got a FL2 and it didn't work out, the Challenger is just a piece of equipment so it would be nice for a change to have a SUV that is more than that.


Don't intend to go off road but you never know, if the capability is there ........

[rangie ute on 38'']

go for it, i bought one 6 months ago for the wife, 10 000 k's and its a great car to drive, just replaced the battery but it was still the factory 7 year old so its time.
any of those others will just be an ordinary car to drive. good luck

[Phideaux]

I've had my TD4 (base model, plus auto) since new in 2011. No problems. I test-drove either a Kia or a Hyundai at the time I was 'considering'. The only thing I liked was the motor.

We love our Freelander - it has done a lot of work; WA, NSW, Qld, some heavy towing, and off-road the only limit has been clearance + skill. On-road it is sweet, deceptively fast; the real surprise is good gravel - where you'll creep up to 110kph without noticing. It feels secure doing that. Unashamedly recommend the Land Rover.

[260DET]

Seeing there was some good advice given here I thought that I'd better confess. I'm going to get a A5 Audi, probably the two litre turbo petrol job. Really the FL2 was just too cramped for driver space, particularly laterally in the driver's footwell. On long trips I've found that some extra space there helps my dodgy lower limbs cope with long days at the wheel. Nothing personal, the Audi just suits me and my usage better. Thanks blokes :)

[grod]

..... I thought that I'd better confess. ....

I too should confess, I decided to buy a 2nd hand MY11 TD4 manual and should be picking it up soon. I just liked the specs and size of the vehicle but after reading some of the negative comments I was a little concerned about service costs and how much it would be to fit a towbar.

After I got over the initial concerns I am still prepared to give it a go.

Towbar I was quoted from $1500 + "but prolly not as much as $2K (the Carline place said)" to as low as $960 from a guy that seemed to know what he was on about.

I'll keep updating this forum like a blog on my experiences.

love

g

[PhilipA]

I drove a brand new model Hyundai Santa Fe yesterday .

The electronics are impressive if you like the nanny state , like having to have your foot on the brake when starting in P, doors won't unlock unless in P, Beep beep if passenger seat belt undone.
Probably the FL2 is the same.
The centre reversing camera/GPS was quite good and well placed high in the dash..

However the actual driving was IMHO geared towards the lowest common denominator with rubbery and over light steering, over sensitive brakes, and a very vague feeling on turn in. The tyres were HTs and quiet and gave a good ride but would last 5 minutes on sharp gravel.
My wife thought it was "nice" based on all the electronic BS.
I haven't driven an FL2 to compare but hopefully it is better than that.
Regards Philip A

[Lightwater]

Beep beep if passenger seat belt undone.
Probably the FL2 is the same.

Freelander beeps as well.

I turned the beeping off by putting on & off the seatbelt at least 10 times within a minute. I lost count as someone was talking to me & did a few extra.

It stopped that irritating beeping. I know when the seatbelt is needed.

If you want the beep, apparently do the process again.

[murcod]

Don't they fit Kumho or Hankook tyres on the Santa Fe? They are quite likely at least partly to blame with the vague turn in when driving. I looked at a Sorento Platinum today and was a bit disappointed with the rear boot space - even with the third row seats folded it's not as big as I thought it might be. The curved rear door glass doesn't help.

Do the FL2's have face level aircon vents to the rear seat? Everything I've found suggests they don't.

[VladTepes]

The TD4 Freelander 2 has the reputation of being probably the most reliable Land Rover made. It really is good in that respect. It's a shame that they are still so expensive 2nd hand (they are not depreciating at the same rate as Rangies that's for sure) or I'd have bought one for her indoors.

That may change now as the Disco Sport has been introduced and the FL line discontinued.

[murcod]

Do the FL2's have face level aircon vents to the rear seat? Everything I've found suggests they don't.

Can anyone confirm/ deny the above please? :confused:

[Lightwater]

Can anyone confirm/ deny the above please? :confused:
There are NOT any rear face or knee level vents. All the car has are vents under the front seats, in the floor. I had 2 people in the back a week ago on a stinking hot Sunday & asked a few times if it was cool enough in the back. Unless they were simply being polite they were cool enough. I had also pointed the front vents so the air would get into the back more directly.

[Phideaux]

If you look under the front seats - move right forward - you'll see the air-con vents (base model, w/o electric seat adjust - dunno about them).

That hasn't stopped me using the foot-well; that contains a clutter of tow-bar bits (wrapped); a few recovery tools (pulley, folding tomahawk/multitool, etc) & some emergency water. Even so - and I often carry 5 adults - I have never had a problem with rear-seat passengers being 'hot'. Cold from too much air-con - yes.

[grod]

Can anyone confirm/ deny the above please? :confused:

MY11 TD4 has no high level rear vents. Under the seat, yes.

[murcod]

Thanks for the replies..... :( Another vehicle off my list.....

[Lightwater]

As a passenger in a 2014 2.0L tdi Touran in Europe for quite a few weeks, mostly in Italy. The car had vents in the rear but they weren't very good. I got cooler air from the front. It would be important that the rear vents actually work. More importantly that the rear has it's own climate control.

[murcod]

The big issue I've got with the aircon is I'd sometimes have a large dog in the boot area. Living in Adelaide, decent cooling to the rear is a must have. My current vehicle (a mid size 7 seater Suzuki XL-7) has a separate aircon unit mounted on the roof above the middle row seats. It's got outlets to the middle row and rear boot area- so keeps the whole vehicle cool.