Discussion
so i have narrowed it down to either a landrover freelander 2.5 auto or a nissan x-trail 2.5 auto.i need owners to give any advice on these two models.i have upto 10k to spend and looking thru the ads i can get an 05/06 for this money.please dont throw any more in to the mix as it took forever to get down to these two.yes i must have the auto,but i do only around 5k miles a year as i have other transport.it will need to tow a trailer now and then.thanks for any help.
I had a Freelander yesterday while my Discovery was being serviced. Drives OK, but no low ratio gears (don't know if you need that). I don't think that it would tow very well - it's a bit on the light side.
What will you be towing?
P.S. The best towing 4x4 I've ever had was a SWB Toyota Landcruiser.
What will you be towing?
P.S. The best towing 4x4 I've ever had was a SWB Toyota Landcruiser.
Edited by sunbeam_alpine on Thursday 9th October 23:05
cozzmik said:
ok so it will be towing as small trailer with a quad bike.it just needs to get up and down some muddy country lanes and tracks but im after anyone who has experienced these vehicles not just what you think i should buy.
i've driven a freelander quite often and was pleasantly surprised- with the right tyres and a pretty heavy right foot it will get to some surprising places. haven't tried an x-trail off road or on road for that matter, but i would imagine it would be far more reliable than the freelander! get one on test and take it up some muddy lanes and see what happens- i beleive you can get one with semi 4x4 so it should be ok- check that you can get A/Ts in the size of tyre than X-trails take
frankly for muddy tracks anything with 4x4 (permanant, semi, or switched) will take most tracks.
Personally if i wanted reliability, towing ability, and off road ability but with vbery good road manners i'd buy a subaru forester.
Td4 freeby is the one to go for. BUT, check that it has the right number of propshafts! A common fix to cure a dodgy VC coupling is to remove the propshaft.
The Td4 has a BMW engine which is pretty safe regarding head gasket failure. If you need access to the rear seats then avoid a 3 door. They may be cheaper but they are difficult to get kids into a child seat in the back.
The Td4 has a BMW engine which is pretty safe regarding head gasket failure. If you need access to the rear seats then avoid a 3 door. They may be cheaper but they are difficult to get kids into a child seat in the back.
cozzmik said:
subaru forester hey well i didnt think of that one.i think i need to do some test drives even if it is at the expense of some dealers and private sellers.thanx for getting me even more confused lol
Having driven nearly all three and owned two (non-turbo impreza rather than forrester but basically same car) I would say the following.we bought an 04 x-trail DCi (cost 8k), which immediately needed a new interooler, which is very very common fault. However, it has far better fuel economy than the Landy, handles better, is quicker, and is much better equipped and has much more boot space. Off-road I would say it is comparable to my father in laws Landy. I drove one at an off-road demo a few years back and the only limitation I found off-road was the lack of a LR 'box.
The x-trail replaced the scooby, and the only reason was that it was starting to cost too much in fuel. Once the diesel scooby has been out for a few years I will replace the x-trail with one. They are simply very reliable cars - after 6 years the only thing that went was the lamda sensor. The only downside to the scooby - other than the fuel costs - is the engine is absolutely gutless.
If you don't need a torquey engine and great MPG, get the scooby.
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