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Do you have any information on kit available? The dealer only has a brochure showing 3 packages? How can I find out about individual options to order? The rover page for australia shows different kit, but the north america page doesn't.
Did everyone see the comparison in Car and Driver between the Freelander and the Libery?
Tincup, any comments on that?
Also, one of the cons of FL as mentioned by C&D in that article is "syrup steering". Any inputs on that?
The syrupy steering is one of the trade offs for offroad capability. If it was precise as a BMW 3 series or other sports sedans, it would have to much kickback to do any serious off-roading. C/D is primarily an on road sports car biased magazine, so they have a different outlook than a more off-road biased publication. All SUV's have to make more compromises than other vehicles, because they have to satisfy a much wider array of usage. The fact is we have been getting good write-ups across the complete spectrum of Automotive Media, although no vehicle is perfect.
Thanks!
The vehicle looked like it was built very good as far as fit and finish. The IPO floor mats are OK...I'll probably change them later, and NO owners manual.Yet.
The car feels good,solid,and drives....well, like a new Land Rover! Now bring on the SNOW!
Not sure the upgraded radio was worth it. The low-beam headlights shine somewhat short for my tastes. And, I'm still figuring out where to rest my arms. But that's all minor stuff. I'm very satisfied with my purchase.
I didn't get my IPO mats but did get the owners manuals. Smich - they did tell you about the 600 mile break in period? Don't drive harshly or go above 70 mph for the first 600 miles.
This board made waiting for my FL easier - thanks everyone. Special Thanks to TINCUP for all of the info you provided these past months.
Cheers, John
Also,something for other new FL owners to look for...after driving back from the dealer yesterday.I nosed around under the vehicle and discovered all 4 drive shafts are rusted!and not surface rust you can wipe off with a rag.I think these shafts are balanced,and enough rust can possibly throw off that balance,making things wear out quicker. Perhaps Tincup can throw more info on this subject.
Stan
tidester
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SUVs
I thought the headlights lit up the street pretty good,but those hair-like heat filaments in the windshield will take some getting used to...
The really nice thing about it is they thaw the windshield extremely fast! Mine was iced over from the snow at work and in less than a minute the ice was melted and broken enough to use the wipers to take it off.
I've had mine for 3 weeks now and the only issue I have had is the gas gauge not working correctly.
Jackie
Does anyone have info on the kits available? Bike racks, cargo netting in particular. Thanks.
I am getting ready to purchase a Freelander S at the Harrisburg Land Rover
Dealer. Their quote for the X-plan seemed a little high to me. Do you mind
telling me what you ended up paying under the X plan?
Thanks...Shawn
Another owner says keep it under 70mph for 600 miles. Whats THE official word about this!
Thanks
I also heard long ago, in pre-cat days, that too much idling to warm up an engine is bad for the oil.
Friends have told me about FL commercials. Anyone seen them? Know what stations to watch?
Just curious as I think about buying.
Q
ALSO, what is the comparative evaluations between the Jeep Liberty and the Freelander....anything further than the C& D review? Edmunds seems to think that the Liberty comes out on top...any thoughts on this?
Thanks!
I understand others will weigh their decision differently, but these were the facts for me.
BTW, I do like the styling of the FL better than the Liberty
Our criteria is not for an off road vehicle - our '98 Wrangler works very well for that. We need something that can get us out of our driveway without having to shovel it at 4am (maybe a slight edge to the Liberty for this - you have a transfer case, however there are many people up here who have active AWD systems like Subies, and they do fine), is comfortable for 150 miles a day (both seemed very comfortable), has a tranny that will get us up the Grapevine every day without burning out every year (edge to FL), and the power to not get run off the road doing it (either), and won't kill our finances when the price of gas goes through the roof again. Of course, I'm dreaming on the last one - anything that gets as good as the Wrangler is in the ball park, and both of these do.
The other thing I like about the FL is the dealer we talked to. I've had bad experiences with local Jeep dealers, so it was refreshing to talk to the Land Rover dealer on a recent trip to Las Vegas. The salesman was the one who brought up X-plan and would be very happy to honor it.
In the end, it all depends on what you want out of the vehicle. Both appear to be excellent vehicles, with different strengths and weaknesses.
Now .. if someone could just offer some info on the "x-plan"!
I didn't look at the Liberty, not a big fan of Jeep myself. I choose the FL over other SUV's because of the handling capabilities, safety, styling and overall feel and comfort.
So far, it has been able to handle everything thrown at it. Snow was no problem, even when the snow plow made a lovely pile behind my car
Of course, different people have different needs and wants but the FL provided everything I required, so I am very happy with my decision. Not to mention, the buying experience was so much more refreshing than in the past - no hassles, pressure or feeling defensive.
Jackie
The Jeep dealer was a little less than a typical dealer, but still had that "what do we have to do to get you to buy today" type stuff which is annoying
I think I would have been very happy with the FL as well as it is a good vehicle, but I couldn't see the value add. The Liberty is impressive all around.
Rain, sleet and snow - all kinds of road conditions, and through it all felt like driving a luxury car. -3F up in Canada, no block heater, and while she was a teeny bit rough waking up, she smoothed out quickly. The heated windshield and mirrors were lifesavers, particularly during a cold snowstorm in a desolate part of Montana. Also used the fog lamps on many low-visibility occasions!
All and all, we're very happy. She's broken in, and eaten up with ease some of the worst road conditions. Plus, I think she's a bit happier now she's kinda dirty....
And I have what is probably a dumb question. I didn't notice fog lights on the FL we looked at, and they are important to me (as you probably noticed, they do very well when its snowing). Are they standard, and I just missed seeing them? Thanks!
Also,I have seen the fog lights button on the dash and played with it but nothing happens....
Are the the fog lights seperate lights or built in with the headlights? I don't have my manual yet so I'm still trying to learn as I go.In my earlier posts I complained about the fine heating filaments in the windshield, but since I had to use that feature to clear ice/frost from my windshield...I'm spoiled and I take it all back!
Has anybody read the four wheeler magazine? The Freelander ended up in the 6th place while the liberty ended up in the 2nd place in Off-road test.
Has any of the freelander owners tried the vehicle off-road?
Goes anywhere, just like my other Rovers did.
I say it's a crude estimate because I've been playing with the tranny, using the normal mode for awhile, then using sport mode for awhile and not doing any jackrabbit starts(I am really fighting the urge to see what this baby can do)
I just topped-off so I'll use only normal mode for this tank and use sport mode for the next tank.
Really liking this vehicle,
Stan
Tincup, any idea when the owners manuals will be out, or how I can get one?
Thanks for all the input along these last few months. made the wait tolerable. time to go play...
Vin Number Etching-$149.50 !! Yikes
Resistal Paint Protection-$395 double Yikes!
Floor Mats-$199.00 Wow!!
Then salesman tells me he'll knock 15% off floor mats. But here's the final kicker,$199.50 for documentation fees! They must have some expensive secretaries!! Dealer would NOT budge on fees!! He said I was getting a great deal because of the X-plan and shouldn't mind the "Value-added" extras. He increased my trade in by $250 but would go no further. We walked.
I thought the x-plan was supposed to be simple. Even showed him an e-mail quote from another LR dealer in Colorado (moving in February) for X-plan deal plus $50. Unbelievable! I know LR's have a good reputation but this was highway robbery. I bought an 02 Escape XLT 4WD five minutes after I left LR's showroom with better seats,better stereo,side air bags and saved $2000 !! It may not have the Freelander's snob appeal but I can't justify the extra expense. Sad too because I really liked the vehicle. Oh well win some lose some.
SNDVIS-
On the X plan the dealership is not allowed to charge any sort of documentation fee. I paid the $199.00 for the floor mats, but not for any of that other stuff.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience. My LR dealership has been wonderful. Perhaps you should send a letter to their General Manager letting them know that at the very least they are not following the X plan.
Jackie
Best of luck with your new Escape, enjoy!
02.
I've been getting about 17 mpg in suburban driving.
bluefl - I'd have the HDC looked at. My light (green) only comes on when I use it - I did have to try it out.
My FL seems to shifting a little rough going from 2nd to 3rd. All the other shifts are very smooth. Anyone else experiencing this? Thanks.
John
The LR Birmingham dealership was the closest to me which is the only reason I went there. The others were in Atlanta, New Orleans & Jacksonville. I think my salesman sensed my urgency in buying a new vehicle,since I'm moving to Colorado in three weeks, and figured it was a slam dunk deal. I honestly don't think he thought I was going to leave without the vehicle under any circumstance. He kept saying "you drove all this way. It's only a few hundred dollars. Come on let's do business,blah blah blah". I guess he just figured he would make up whatever profit he lost in giving me X-plan pricing by tacking on all that crap.
elfie,you said the dealer is not allowed to charge any doc' fees on X-plan. Is there a site where I can download the X-plan rules? Most of the info I received on the x-plan I culled from this website. I do intend to write the GM and tell him of my experience and having the X-plan program info would be nice. I honestly don't think he' s going to care though...This particular dealership (Tom Williams in Birmingham,AL) also sells BMW,Porsche as well as Land Rover. I'm sure my measley thousand dollar profit won't even pay for my salesman's shoes. Besides there were people all over "MY" Red Freelander when I got to the dealership. And the dealership was hopping with customers. I almost got run right into by a guy bolting out of the lot in Boxster! That would have sucked! In contrast the Ford Dealership where I purchased my Escape (Adamson Ford) was dead. Of course it was 5pm on a cold & rainy Saturday. To be honest I'm happy with my Escape XLT 4WD. I think I would have needed to move up to the SE Freelander to be happy,mainly for the power seat, and I just can't spend that kind of dough right now. And my girlfriend much preferred the Escape to the Freelander. She' s pretty value conscious and thought the FL was pretty spartan compared to everything we got in the Escape. . She also didn't really want to hear the argument about part-time AWD versus full-time AWD either ;-). Let's just hope my resale value holds up!!!
So she's happy,I'm happy and my Ford salesman is happy. And my salesman at Land Rover probably couldn't care less ;-)
Thanks again everyone!