Thread: Considering Freelander 1

Originally Posted by Shaman

I'd be very careful with the older petrol models. The Freelanders with engines made in South Africa especially had a bad history. Personally, I'd avoid them but if the price is right and they have a known trouble-free history, they may be worth considering.

The V6 is also considered to be particularly thirsty on the road and even worse off-road.

Shaman

What Freelander engine was made in South Africa??

Our TD4 auto wagon with 95,000 kms will go on the market this weekend, pm me if interested but I will be putting pics and details on market pages in the next hour or so....it is a little ripper

Originally Posted by garrycol

What Freelander engine was made in South Africa??

I'm not sure, as I 've never owned one of those. I got my information from others and on the net, forums etc. Some Freelenders were made in South Africa, but I don't know if the engines were made there locally, or just assembled there.

Check out this page:
Land Rover News
Scroll down to the heading Land Rover SA to export to Angola, Australia.

If my memory is correct, the reliability problems affected the FLs with the V6 petrol engine. The typical thing was that the engine would run well until about 15-20,000km and then one thing after another would break down and the poor FL would spend more time in repair than on the road. It was a bit of a pot luck if you got a lemon or not. Some FLs would run OK but too many weren't.

Faced with a growing stain on their reputation, LR pulled back production to Solihull and the problems went away, for later production. The earlier dubious reliability record made me decide to buy a new one, at the time. Apparently, if you look at the VIN, you can tell where it was made, and more.

My VIN starts out SALLNABE14A... The last A means it was from Solihull.

Check out:
4x4 UK | FAQ | Answers to frequently asked questions - Decoding VIN Plate information

Cheers,

Shaman

Thanks Shaman, for your thoughtful reply. I'm 185cm tall so it's going to
a fairly close fit in the drivers seat.

There is a lack of space in the back of the FreeLander but it is a small car,
as long as the groceries/Victa mower/Mountain Buggy pram/weeks shopping/
3 dogs/Mountain bike can fit in, obviously not all at the same time, it should be ok.

Looking at the Freelander as it has a good reputation for reliability, if you excuse the 1.8 litre petrol engine.

Just have to build my case to present to the Minister for War InFrastructure
and Expenditure.

Tim W

As others have been adding their few bobs worth, I'll add mine. I have recently bought a 2004 Freelander that had done 117,000 klms. It is the first 4x4 and the first diesel I have owned. I love it. It is so comfortable and has a brilliant driving position. I do suffer a bit from the over 6 foot (I'm 6' 1") syndrome but that pales into insignificance. My car was built in Solihul UK and I was told the engine and transmission hail from BMW, Can anyone expand on this? Is this a good thing? I suppose space is a bit limited in the back but it is plenty for what I need. As you can tell from my username I am a pom and have a penchant for british cars; my other car is a 1976 Rover P6B V8!

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Albioninoz

I do suffer a bit from the over 6 foot (I'm 6' 1") syndrome but that pales into insignificance. My car was built in Solihul UK and I was told the engine and transmission hail from BMW, Can anyone expand on this? Is this a good thing?

I guess the important thing is to try before one buys. I didn't mean that potential buyers over 6" should not even consider the Freelander, just that they have to watch out for potential "size problems" and see it for themselves.

Regarding the BMW engine, all I know is that at one time BMW owned the Rover Group (or at least LR) and it made sense to plop their engine in. Then, LR was sold to Ford and things started to go Volvo way.

Well I almost had permission to get a Freelander I until the wife saw
Top Gear and a crashed Freelander I with a deformed passenger compartment, and they only rated it at three stars for NCAP.

A little unfair as the design was about 8 years old at the time.

Ah well, back to the drawing board.

Tim W

Originally Posted by Weimar

Well I almost had permission to get a Freelander I until the wife saw
Top Gear and a crashed Freelander I with a deformed passenger compartment, and they only rated it at three stars for NCAP.

A little unfair as the design was about 8 years old at the time.

Ah well, back to the drawing board.

Tim W

Tim, I also managed to find it on Youtube, it's gotta be this one:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0kB2SqZqZ0"]YouTube - BBC Topgear Euro NCAP ratings[/ame]

I hope I'll never be in a situation to verify their test!

Car safety has came a long way. A 5+ year old car is likely to do worse than comparable new ones and, as you pointed out, the FL is based on an even older design. So, it's not a big surprise but I must admit that even back in 2004 (when I got mine), the FL did not have an absolute top rating.

One thing that needs to be taken into account that while structural strength (or lack of it) applies to all FL models, there might be more/less safety features included. This also varies from country to country. E.g. the inclusion of curtain airbags can make the difference between a big thud or a brain-splat, after side impact. I believe the curtain airbag option was available overseas but not here in Oz. An LR marketing decision, I suppose.

Anyway, there is more at
www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au - LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2002 - Summary safety report