LR Freelander 2 - a good purchase?

LR Freelander 2 - a good purchase?

Author
Discussion

Hugo Stiglitz

Original Poster:

38,038 posts

218 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
Of course, condition (check for off road use) and regular servicing/history etc.

Any current, previous owner experiences?

Patrick1964

715 posts

238 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
I've had a 2010 2.2 diesel for nearly three years - it's excellent. It's comfortable, reasonably economical for the size of car, and has loads of space.
I bought it at 100k miles and changed all the fluids, including the often ignored Haldex unit and (touch wood) it's been excellent. Mine is auto, which suits the car. The only jobs it has needed have been age related (brakes, some suspension etc). I made a point of buying one without a sunroof after my previous Disco 2 became a mobile shower.
Mine has no DPF, which helps - if you look on top of the engine and there are "organ pipes" it has no DPF.
I hope to run it for at least a couple more years - it's now on 125K.

I know of owners who bought the later 2.2 and say it's not as good as the Ford Transit based one in my car. Avoid the 2.0 Ingenium like the plague (these may not be fitted until it became the Disco Sport, I'm not sure).

Edited by Patrick1964 on Thursday 7th March 10:23

Truckosaurus

12,047 posts

291 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
Patrick1964 said:
...Avoid the 2.0 Ingenium like the plague (these may not be fitted until it became the Disco Sport, I'm not sure).
The early Disco Sports came with the 2.2 so the Ingenium is after Freelander 2 production ended.

The 2.2 has a few issues, but it is in so many different cars/vans that most garages are familiar with them.

(I keep being tempted by 2.2 engined 3-door Evoques, which might be a poor life decision).

Patrick1964

715 posts

238 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
Truckosaurus said:
The early Disco Sports came with the 2.2 so the Ingenium is after Freelander 2 production ended.

The 2.2 has a few issues, but it is in so many different cars/vans that most garages are familiar with them.

(I keep being tempted by 2.2 engined 3-door Evoques, which might be a poor life decision).
I think it's the later 2.2 that has issues (the peugeot block built one IIRC) ?

lost in espace

6,296 posts

214 months

Thursday 7th March
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I recently learnt from High Peak Autos I think it was that they are a Mondeo on stilts.

Hugo Stiglitz

Original Poster:

38,038 posts

218 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
lost in espace said:
I recently learnt from High Peak Autos I think it was that they are a Mondeo on stilts.
Well I'll be coming from a 2.0diesel temporary Mondeo..

Snow and Rocks

2,432 posts

34 months

Thursday 7th March
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As far as LRs go these are about as good as they get reliability wise. Put another way, I wouldn't have any other modern LR but could reluctantly, just about, be convinced by one of these if it was cheap enough.

legless

1,796 posts

147 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
Patrick1964 said:
I know of owners who bought the later 2.2 and say it's not as good as the Ford Transit based one in my car.
All Freelander 2s use the PSA DW12 2.2. The earlier ones use the DW12B, and the later ones use the DW12C for Euro 5 compliance. Neither were used in the contemporary Transit (which uses the Ford 'Puma' engine).

Not a lot goes wrong with the L359. There's a hell of a lot of MK4 Mondeo under it, and that's not a bad thing.

66HFM

496 posts

32 months

Thursday 7th March
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We had a 13 reg 2.2D Evoque, which engine wise was great and had no issues with it.

Advertised it on Autotrader and sold it to a 4x4 specialist from Shropshire, speaking with him he said they only buy the 2.2 as they have too many warranty issues with the wonderful Ingenium engine on the Disco Sports...

The 2.2 isn't ULEZ, depends where you live / drive to...

Truckosaurus

12,047 posts

291 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
legless said:
...Neither were used in the contemporary Transit (which uses the Ford 'Puma' engine). ...
This is today's 'thing I have learned'. I always thought there was only one 2.2 PSA/Ford engine but looking at the Wikipedia there are indeed 2 different ones (and confusingly it looks like the Mondeo used both versions at various times).

camel_landy

5,085 posts

190 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
Brilliant cars and very capable off-road too. They're significantly lighter than the other cars of their time and my 'weapon of choice' in snow & ice.

Only thing I'd say is to make sure you go for an auto, ideally the SD4 HSE Auto. smile

M

camel_landy

5,085 posts

190 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
legless said:
All Freelander 2s use the PSA DW12 2.2. The earlier ones use the DW12B, and the later ones use the DW12C for Euro 5 compliance. Neither were used in the contemporary Transit (which uses the Ford 'Puma' engine).

Not a lot goes wrong with the L359. There's a hell of a lot of MK4 Mondeo under it, and that's not a bad thing.
...and IIRC - The only difference between the TD4 and SD4, is a single binary 'bit' set in the ECU.

M

Hugo Stiglitz

Original Poster:

38,038 posts

218 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
camel_landy said:
Brilliant cars and very capable off-road too. They're significantly lighter than the other cars of their time and my 'weapon of choice' in snow & ice.

Only thing I'd say is to make sure you go for an auto, ideally the SD4 HSE Auto. smile

M
Auto - they never had the powershift gearbox? That's one to avoid.....

Patrick1964

715 posts

238 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
legless said:
All Freelander 2s use the PSA DW12 2.2. The earlier ones use the DW12B, and the later ones use the DW12C for Euro 5 compliance. Neither were used in the contemporary Transit (which uses the Ford 'Puma' engine).

Not a lot goes wrong with the L359. There's a hell of a lot of MK4 Mondeo under it, and that's not a bad thing.
Every day is a skool day. Great cars.

legless

1,796 posts

147 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
Hugo Stiglitz said:
Auto - they never had the powershift gearbox? That's one to avoid.....
Nah - they all use the Aisin Warner AW-F21 6 speed slushbox. It's generally quite a reliable unit if you keep on top of fluid changes.

The Leaper

5,164 posts

213 months

Thursday 7th March
quotequote all
I've had a Disco Sport for over 7 years. It is 2015 and one of the originals so it has a 2.2 Ford engine, as used in the FL2, which has been trouble free. As far as I am aware, there's never been a 2.2 Ingenium or any other 2.2 engine fitted to the DS and Evoke other than the early Ford.

It is non ULEZ and non CZ compliant, even though the emissions report after each MoT for my car indicates otherwise.

R.

bobtail4x4

3,824 posts

116 months

Thursday 7th March
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we have had a 2009 freelander for 12 years now, bought it at 100k now has 198k
other than brakes and a yearly service the only thing its needed was a haldex about 5 years ago

its now become a spare.spare car, I am loath to part with it, and it can sit on the drive for the times I want to take the dogs somewhere muddy, or need to tow,
it suprises people on a shoot day when it goes places they think it wont go,
it still returns 40 mpg

Crumpet

4,059 posts

187 months

Friday 8th March
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I’ve currently got a 2014 Metropolis - the top of the range run-out model.

In short, it’s a very good car. Has been great on wet and muddy grass where German and Swedish ‘4x4s’ have got well and truly stuck. Comfy enough, 825w stereo, heated steering wheels / seats and retro-fitted CarPlay. It’s got everything you need, really. 190bhp is pretty decent and gives it 0-60 in about 8 seconds, so it can keep up with modern traffic.

Reliability wise it’s been fine; had to replace the wiper motor which was a 30 minute job for £100 and have replaced all the calipers as they were shagged - I think the fronts were something like £35 each! Boot latch was also another fault but that’s peanuts as well.

For various reasons - mainly due to attempted thefts - I’ve gone backwards in my cars, so from D4 to D5 to an F-Pace SVR and then to this. It’s nowhere near as ‘good’ or as refined as any of those but it’s better in so many ways. I can’t see me selling it!

Cold

15,572 posts

97 months

Saturday 9th March
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How's the F2 getting on with rust? I know some of the F1s are starting to get a crunchy in places and not just subframes/cradles. Are the F2s holding up ok?

Crumpet

4,059 posts

187 months

Saturday 9th March
quotequote all
Cold said:
How's the F2 getting on with rust? I know some of the F1s are starting to get a crunchy in places and not just subframes/cradles. Are the F2s holding up ok?
Well that’s a different matter! My rear subframe won’t have long left and the rear arches are starting to pit a bit. I think if I was to remove all the plastic trim there might be a horror show behind it - it seems that way for most people!

But I think the fact FL2s are still a very common sight on the road tells you they’re not only one of the most reliable LRs but also one of the most reliable and fixable cars full stop, probably because of the cheap Ford parts.