Hi all,

I'm looking for a new Freelander as a second car which I would like to occasionally use off-road and do some touring across Europe.

I would look to do about 5k miles per year.

My preference would be a petrol version.

My question is: - Putting the MPG to one side. Is the petrol version as capable off-road as the diesel knowing that the diesel has 400Nm of Torque vs the petrol's 317Nm Torque.



Mark

Given not only the greater torque but also the way that a diesel produces that torque, I'd have said that if you intend it for off roading, the diesel is the obvious / only choice. Yes a petrol engine will produce 300+lnm but it will do it at 4,000 revs, which is unhelpful when on the slippery stuff I'd have thought. Far better and more controllable in 1st-2nd gear and 2,000 rpm with a diesel and that extra 30% torque to boot.
This is suppoorted with the reviews where most say that the petrol engine is best avoided and the diesel is the only one that makes any sense.
The 2.2 diesel is a honey so why would you consider the petrol? 07 Freelander 2 TD4SE Tambora Flame, side steps, privacy glass, mud flaps, boot liner and a tow bar. Ok it's the Wifes but she lets me drive it occasionally - if I've been good!

Thanks for the information.

I think the reason for wanting a petrol was historical in that I've only had petrol cars in the past.

I also noticed that the performance is slightly better.

I was intruigued that the gearing on the petrol and the diesel are the same when they produce different power. Surely the petrol should have had lower gearing than the diesel to accomodate the power at a higher RPM.

Mark

I'm sure the gearing helps and the V6 is ok of road, but the automatic choice is diesel. I understand your reluctance but as someone who used to run a V6 merc and 4cyl turbo audi I now run a diesel merc and a diesel LR. Ok, they don't sound as nice I'll grant you, but the effortless grunt of a diesel combined with the vastly better fuel economy and I wouldn't go back (unless I could afford the E63amg merc but thats a different discussion!).
Take one out and see what you think. 07 Freelander 2 TD4SE Tambora Flame, side steps, privacy glass, mud flaps, boot liner and a tow bar. Ok it's the Wifes but she lets me drive it occasionally - if I've been good!

I have driven both the I6 and TD4 on and offroad. Off road there aint much between them. On road the I6 is very smooth and refined. Personally I would stick to the TD4, simply because the residual value is going to be a bit better.

Thinks TD4 auto is best for off-road!  Life is not a dress rehearsal!

Definitely go for the TD4.

On my last off road trip I had to climb a steep hill that was badly rutted. I was able to climb very slowly in 1st and 2nd gear (Auto using CommandShift) with hardly any throttle because of the TD4 huge low down torque.

It makes up for the lack of a low range box.

Also on road its a well behaved engine that gets going more than quick enough. I've never found the TD4 wanting for power on road. Quicker acceleration would be nice but I can still burn people off from the lights if I need to. If I'm going to get beaten I take the attitude You can go fast, I can go anywhere. And I prefer that.

Also the rattle grows on you and you become quite attached to the sound of a diesel. 2007 TD4 SE

For me speed although nice was not a major factor in choosing my fl2. My last few cars have been fast diesel cars (golfs,a3's). The only real time I've used this speed is overtaking on local roads but even this wears thin as after you overtake one you end up stuck behind the next! But in overtaking manoeuvres the availability of instant speed is reassuring and diesel cars are always in their element in the 30-60 mph typical overtaking range.
I suppose with the knowledge that a lot of my fl2 miles will be with a baby in the car speed has to give way to practicality
Interestingly as far as I know a td4 fl2 is faster than a base Range Rover Sport.

Thanks for all the replies.

Diesel does seem to be the popular choice.

Interestingly I was asking the local dealer this morning whether the Mantec underbody protection invalidates the warranty - he didn't know the answer

Without asking he said that chipping the diesel may only invalidate the warranty on the engine if it was proved that the chipping caused the fault and that this was Land Rovers line. Not sure I total believe this.

MarkD wrote:

Thanks for all the replies.

Diesel does seem to be the popular choice.

Interestingly I was asking the local dealer this morning whether the Mantec underbody protection invalidates the warranty - he didn't know the answer

Without asking he said that chipping the diesel may only invalidate the warranty on the engine if it was proved that the chipping caused the fault and that this was Land Rovers line. Not sure I total believe this.

The problem with the i6 on the Freelander is that it has no low range box, so to have all the torque working for you, you need to get to drive fast!
Which confirms that the TD4 is the better choice for offroading.