Land Rover Freelander

bobcatbob · August 2001

So, given $1500 for the sunroof and Premium Audio on an SE, the only difference between it and the HSE is the wheels, the leather, and the NAV, right?

I don't mean to argue, I guess I should just say that I don't like duo-tone leather, bigger wheels, or a NAV system in a car.

aasilverbird · August 2001

Since I'm debatin between the Freelander and the new A4... just curioius tincup, if you know if we'll be able to get the Freelander under the X-plan?

tincup47 · August 2001

I have no problem with a little argument

I was just pointing out the additional standard equipt. for everyone. If you don't like the extra items in the HSE, by all means get the S or SE.
As far as X-plan, the retailers will decide if they will honor plan pricing. My guess (and I emphasize it's just a guess) is that it will be hard to get a retailer to honor the plan for at least 6 months, unless sales are not as good as they expect.

bobcatbob · August 2001

I'd guess that it'll be longer than 6months for anyone to honor the x-plan, maybe as long as a full model year.

agh15 · August 2001

Will the freelander hse bumpers be color keyed like on the top of line discovery.

tincup47 · August 2001

The bumpers will be black on all models, not color-keyed.

agh15 · August 2001

When will brochures be availbale.

agh15 · August 2001

I cant wait until the 30th for the website update.

tincup47 · August 2001

Sorry, but it will be the 31st. I don't know when brochures will be available, I am not in marketing.

agh15 · August 2001

Will the freelander have cool features that we dont know about yet.

agh15 · August 2001

Land rover is updating the site know.

ankleroom · August 2001

Enjoyed the updated website.

The Freelander IPO build-your-own feature was excellent. (The vehicle looks great in white.)

The interior pictures, with the front seats scooted back, look far roomier than the pictures I had seen before, which all had the seats scooted up.

The armrests look uncomforable, but the doors are well-designed in terms of layout for kneeroom and hiproom.

The center console takes up too much room for my likes. I don't know what all those buttons are between the HVAC controls and the shifter, but if they were moved elsewhere, there would be better room for the right leg. There looks to be a lot of open space above the center vents.

Couldn't see any cup holders.

Does Land Rover offer kits for customizing the center dash layout?

I look forward to sitting in one of these.

Thank you, tincup, for the heads up.

-ankleroom

freelanderpa · August 2001

I put my order in for an SE - Alveston Red with all the candy. Printed out my very own price sticker. Now I just have to wait 3 or 4 months to actually get it.

Thanks tincup, reading the messages from you has made my decision easier. Except for selecting the color - I spent an hour searching other website to get a better idea of color. I liked the Alveston Red, Black and even the Monte Carlo Blue. Went with the Red since it was my first choice.

Cheers, John

agh15 · September 2001

Why doesnt the updated freelander site show anything on hse model line.

tincup47 · September 2001

The HSE probably won't be available on the IPO.

agh15 · September 2001

Do you know when LR will update the rest of the land rover site.

stever · September 2001

An affordable Land Rover is on its way

Steve
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kaf1 · September 2001

anyone know where pictures showing the black with beige interior can be found? is this currently available on landrovers that i might view prior to ordering. i am contemplating the bonatti grey and this is only option on website.

qdisc · September 2001

New to this board. Thinking about a Freelander as a more tolerable and classy option than a CRV. I just can't quite stomach the CRV.

But I have never had any experience with Rover's before.

Are they reliable? I couldn't open Steve's link on a previous post which seemed to question their reliability.

Any particularities I should be aware of?

Is it worth the extra cash (probalby $5K more than the 2002 CRV).

Thanks in advance

Q

stever · September 2001

Here's a different story on the Which? Magazine Reliability Report (the actual report is for sale at the which.net site). Usual disclaimers as to the reliability of the Reliability Report :-)

Steve
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02discovery · September 2001

I was told by someone who I would deem pretty reliable on automotive matters that CRV actually stands for "Crummy Rotten Vehicle." Could this be true or was he just pulling my leg?
Regards,
02.

hvan3 · September 2001

As for reliability of the Land Rover, I had a client who owns a Land Rover. He swears that he would never buy another Land Rover. It's basically way overprice and cost too much to fix.

He patted himself for buying the extended warranty. If it wasn't for that, he would have gone broke getting it fix with his own money. Once the extended warranty expired, he gladly sold the vehicle to the next "unexpected" owner.

He now owns a GMC Denali. He loved it. After putting 60K miles in 2 years, he reported no problem whatsoever. Go figure.

hvan3 · September 2001

He's pulling your leg. A friend of mine had her CRV for the past 3 years. The only problem she had was bad brake pads. It was repaired under warranty. That was it.

I believe CRV was one of Consumers Best Buys and Kiplingers Recommended buy.

I bet you the CRV will last longer than the Freelander. If you want "status" SUV, then go with Freelander.

I like the look of the Freelander. Not sure about reliability.

tincup47 · September 2001

I disagree about your comment that the CRV will "last" longer than the Freelander. Land Rovers of all kinds "last" a long time. there are still many Land Rovers from the 50's, 60's, and 70's still going strong. Most of the problems with Land Rover's in the past dealt with annoying items much more than structural or debilitating drivetrain problems. I find the Honda to be a fine vehicle that will give it's owners a satisfactory ownership experience. It has competed against the Freelander in Europe, and in spite of Honda's reputation is still behind it in sales. I certainly don't see that happening in the U.S. as production of Freelander is nowhere near what Honda produces, but I do believe that people who drive Freelander will be impressed and if they purchase Freelander will be happy with the Sales, Service, and Ownership experience.

smich · September 2001

In the September issue of Automobile Magazine there is a write up on the Freelander. The author was impressed with the vehicle. However the only negative about the freelander was
the small cargo space it had when compared to other SUV's it's size like the Escape, CRV, etc...
I ordered my Bonati Grey Freelander w/sunroof thru the IPO promotion and look forward to December!

qdisc · September 2001

Thanks for the comments. My wife is pushing for the CRV, she's always had Honda's, they never break down, and she says why stray. Good points. This is coupled with the fact that the reason we need a new SUV is complete frustration with a continually in the shop 96 Blazer w/ less than 50k miles, so reliability is a big factor for us. But I like additional style and ruggedness of the Freelander. Tough call. I guess I could order a Freelander now and make up mind over the next 3 months, once I actually get a chance to driver both the Freelander and the 2002 CRV.

Q

smich · September 2001

qdisc,
I currently drive a 1988 prelude 4ws SI with 217,000 miles and continues to be a reliable vehicle. I too share your wifes feeling for Honda.But I want to try something different...
If Land Rover can come close or even equal what I've gotten from this car,they will have a loyal customer

zorglub · September 2001

I tried the website but it does not work for me. What's the MSRP on that puppy for a base 4WD?

agh15 · September 2001

The base freelander S the base model is 25,600 including destination charges, Oh and all land rover models are 4WD/AWD.

freelanderpa · September 2001

I put a small amount down on my Freelander order tonight. Not sure if all dealers are doing this, but my did. My salesman is going out west this month to drive the Freelander at LR's expense. He also says a Freelander will be available sometime in October to test drive. He didn't say if it was a one-time thing or if it would be available through December.

Tincup - can you ask the webmaster folks why my order no longer appears? Is it because I didn't save my order before I placed it? Thanks, John.

aasilverbird · September 2001

I know the price is not to be greater than MSRP, but did you all already agree on a cost? Also, any ideas of current APR's (purchase or lease) with LR?

Lastly, just an FYI, today in the mail I received a nice mouse pad of the Freelander from LR... now I can look at it all the time

Thanks..

kaf1 · September 2001

I placed on order on line and went to the LR dealer today. The sales consultant was a bit fuzzy on details and didn't seem to know what to do with the confirmation sheet. Hope the manager will be better informed, so my order will get placed.

Is there a requirement to place money down? I obviously want to test drive the Freelander before making my final decision.

Current APR's can be found on the LR website.

stever · September 2001

Smaller, afforable but still Land Rover

Steve
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tincup47 · September 2001

All levels of Freelander will have Hill Descent Control, not just the HSE.

hvan3 · September 2001

The fuel mileage is terrible for a 2.5 V6 engine. (16/19). You can get the exact fuel mileage on the Tahoe V8.

freelanderpa · September 2001

I don't know if the money down is an LR requirment. There is only a dealer here in the Pittsburgh area not an LR center. The salesman, a nice guy, was more of a typical salesman ("trust me"). He said, we don't make much on the Freelander. So, yes I have agreed on a price.

Got my mousepad on Saturday too. It's very nice.

awiseguy · September 2001

I sure hope the 2.5 V6 gets better mileage than 19 hwy! I would have bought an Eterra!

ckenne01 · September 2001

My dealer asked for a $2,000 deposit, which I think is outrageous. On the other hand, he agreed to honor the X plan discount--but couldn't calculate what that would be.

It seems to me a deposit should be no more than about $500. Is this guy gouging?

qdisc · September 2001

stever · September 2001

Here's some xplan links:

steve_ "Ford Escape" Jul 5, 2001 5:24pm

Steve
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freelanderpa · September 2001

I offered to put $1,000 down and the salesman said $500 was enough. $2,000 seems a bit high.

Time to get back to "normal" life,
John

agh15 · September 2001

When will they have more info on the freelander.

elfie · September 2001

Just curious where the MPG came from. I haven't seen it on the FL website or here on Edmunds.

Thanks!

Jackie

keninplacitas · September 2001

I've placed a refundable deposit order on a 2002 Audi A4 Quatro. Prices on it have still not been announced even though it starts arriving is just a few weeks (October). The Freelander looks to be a viable alternative should the price negotiation with Audi not work out. I have some questions on the Freelander though:

. Being 6-2 with a greater than average above the waist height, will I fit in the Freelander? I've read where tall people are somewhat discriminated against in this SUV. If height is a problem, is it maybe not a problem when the sunroof option is not selected?

. 16 to 19 MPG isn't great gas milage, though my local dealer says the the district rep with his demonstrator has been getting around 22 MPG on the highway. Please tell me that the recommended gas for this SUV is 'regular'.

vanderwe1 · September 2001

I have read a few posts that say the freelander's ground clearance is around 10 inches however Edmunds lists it at 7.2 inches. If that is the case it has the worst clearance of any small SUV. How could this be considered a true offroading vehicle with such poor clearance. Does any one have an opinion as to whether this vehicle will handle better of road than the new Jeep Liberty. I would like to hear some comparison arguments.

tincup47 · September 2001

Actually the Rav4 has the worst clearance at 6.7". One thing to remember is that for the other vehicle's they are listing maximum ground clearence. If you look at most small SUV's they have control arms in the rear that hang very low as they get nearer to the rear wheels and will be very vulnerable to rock hits that could disable the vehicle or cause them to get hung up in rutted ground very easily. The Freelander's 7.2" is the minimum ground clearance under the front suspension. Since it has strut suspension all around the clearance is consistent from side to side. There are other factors other than ground clearance to consider also. The Freelander is the only vehicle in it's class to have 4 wheel traction control. Since most of the small SUV's don't have Locking diffs or LSD's they will be spinning wheels when the Freelander will still be moving. Approach and departure angles are also important along with breakover ramp angles. I have had the opportunity to drive the Freelander off-road on the same day as Discovery and Range Rover, and it held it's own quite nicely. All this being said none of the mini-utes are true off-road vehicles, which isn't a bad thing. True hard core off-road vehicles are not very good on-road where all of us spend the majority of their time.

elfie · September 2001

Has Land Rover confirmed the MPG estimates?

Thanks!

Jackie

tincup47 · September 2001

The MPG estimates of all cars are arrived at by the Federal Govt. using tests or formulas. Manufacturers will only quote those figures in any advertising. Some vehicles do better then the MPG ratings, some worse. You can often have differences between individual cars. I haven't heard what mileage our pre-production test cars are getting.

keninplacitas · September 2001

Let me try a more direct approach here: What is the height from front seat to overhead, with, and without sunroof, in the new Freelander? How does that height compare to, say, the seating height in the Audi A4?

ankleroom · September 2001

Any plans for a more fuel-efficient engine? Ever?

The October 1 AutoWeek magazine (with a pretty red Freelander on the cover) has a page 8 article that says an electric-diesel hybrid could provide the performance of a midsize American sedan plus 80-mpg fuel economy.

A Freelander with anything like that kind of fuel economy would be a hit with everyone, from survivalist-types (the real ones and the poseurs) to soccer moms. Maybe throw in a free subscription to Oprah and Soldier of Fortune magazines;-)

Imagine a freelander with 50+ mpg, 250 hp, and 250 lb-ft torque for $25,000.

What do you think, tincup? Might we see something like this in 2003 or so.

By the way, the center high-mount rear brake light looks way too dorky. (It is mounted on the spare tire.)

Land Rover Freelander

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