Land Rover Freelander (1997 - 2007)
BY JONATHAN CROUCH
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Despite what Land Rover will tell you, the Freelander is no Mondeo. It does however, offer a much wider portfolio of virtues for the average family. No Mondeo could go the places this car will happily travel: potholed tracks, boggy fields, shallow rivers all hold no fear for the Freelander family. Perhaps more significantly, a Ford, a Nissan or a Vauxhall is what it is; a competent, sensible family car, identical to thousands of others. At the wheel of a Freelander, you feel a little set apart and not only because of that high driving position. The detail touches help.
The way the window of the rear door drops down electronically at the touch of a button on the key fob so that you can load in your shopping without opening the back door. The clever elastic bars in the doors for holding drinks and bottles. You could go on.
An early 1997 three-door softback (petrol or diesel) would be worth about £2,500 for example, as opposed to around £3,000 for a more typical S-plater. Add around £200 for the Hardback three-door bodystyle and around £300 for plusher XEi trim. Five-door prices start at around £3,300 for petrol or diesel models running up to around £7,000 for well equipped 2003 V6 models. Diesels range from £3,300 for the first 2.
0-litre di to £10,000 for a well-equipped TD4 on a 53 plate.
As with all Land Rovers, always insist on a full service history. Be careful too if the car you're looking at has a towbar fitted, for this may mean that it has had a hard life dragging horse boxes out of muddy fields. The engines and the transmissions used are robust but quite expensive to repair if they do go wrong, so watch out for rattles and ensure that all the electrics work perfectly. The car is a favourite target for thieves, so a good alarm and preferably an immobiliser are a must.
(Freelander 1998 1.8i manual with a/c - approx exc.VAT) A clutch assembly will be around £170, a starter motor around £130 (exchange) and a radiator around £145, Brake pads (rear) £36 and front around £50. A replacement headlamp (offside) is close to £80 and an alternator should be close to £210.
Or in this case off it. Here, the gadget Land Rover are keenest to talk about is their patented Hill Descent Control system, developed to compensate for the fact that the Freelander lacks the kind of low ratio gearbox youd find in a Discovery, a Defender or a Range Rover. On a sticky, steep descent, you engage HDC by clicking a Nintendo-style trigger on the gear lever. The system selects first gear and uses the anti-lock brakes to automatically maintain a descent speed of 5.
6mph. Should the track get slippery or become more undulating, this will reduce to 4.4mph. HDC was optional on base models and standard on plusher ones: its worth seeking out if youve a choice of used options. On tarmac, the Freelander wont handle exactly like your average family hatch or estate but its not far off. The ride in particular is really very good. The performance from the petrol and diesel engines isnt very sprightly though.
A great used alternative to an ordinary family runabout that will become ever more attractive as prices fall. Excellent original build quality means that you can buy with real peace of mind.
