Hi new boy here.

Long time admirer of Land Rovers and now in a position to afford a Freelander. Have some questions that I hope someone may help with.

I had considered buying a nearly new TD4e in either XS or HSE trim at a time when '13MY versions start appearing at dealers. However, I've recently found out that as a Tata Group employee I am eligible for a list price discount provided my HR department is able to provide the necessary authorisation to a participating dealer.

My questions are therefore

1) has anyone had any experience of purchasing a discounted Freelander via Tata?
2) which of the selected dealers would I need to contact to discuss?
3) is there any advantage to going down this route as opposed to nearly-new?
4) other than full leather and a panoramic roof, is the HSE worth the price premium over the XS?
5) are the TD4 and TD4e options now one and the same engine for the '13MY?
6) the Freelander is on a shortlist of three with the Honda CR-V and the Volkswagen Tiguan. Both marques have a good reputation for quality, reliability and residual value retention. How does the Freelander compare?

Any steer on the above would be really appreciated.

Thanks! Not yet an owner but looking to buy in 2013.

Not done the Tata route but believe discount is 20%
Believe you can order through any Dealer.
Buy new and you'll get full 3 year warranty plus the exact spec you want not what was ordered by original owner.
2013 XS has full leather but manual seats, HSE has full leather with electric seats and a few other goodies.
TD4 and TD4e are same engine, both 150bhp 2.2litre diesel producing 420Nm torque and available in both auto and manual. ED4 is 2 wheel drive and SD4 is 190 bhp and only comes as an auto.
Freelander 2 is probably LR's most reliable vehicle and probably better than both your other options in most areas. Best to try all 3 and then make your decision.

same basic engine in all diesels, just different tune (possible different turbo not sure)

go for new with discount as it will be the recent facelift model so should hold its value slightly better, depending how much discount you are offered, winter isnt the best time to buy used 4x4 as everyone want them.

fl2 holds it own in reliability quality and residuals, honda may be more reliable in theory but are far from perfect (as well as being shall we say naff)

As for xs vs hse, only you can decide hse has more kit but is it all needed? horses for courses. At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Thanks for the replies. I didn't realise the discount was as much as 20%. Thats one hell of a lot if money off a new model, practically the same money as buying a year-old version from a dealer and more than I'd get off the Honda I was looking at.

Would I be eligible for a similar discount on an Evoque? If so that would throw up a whole different connundrum.

Reason I'm moving into 4x4 territory from a VW Touran is that the family are growing and we plan to upgrade our caravan next year for a slightly larger model. We often visit a quiet site that is grass only so having the extra traction is useful as would be the need to maintain mobility during the snow as my wife is a doctor. Plus they are getting cheaper to run and the stigma of being gas guzzlers don't seem to apply to the smaller models these days.

Have always fancied the Discovery but its too big/heavy/thirsty for me. The Freelander is now an option because child seats and buggies are no longer part of the equation so space requirements are more managable.

So whats the general opinion for a chap with 2 kids and a caravan? Stick with the Freelander or look at the Evoque?

Need a something that would be a good motorway cruiser and family car while pulling the caravan and managing the extremes of winter weather.

Thanks in advance for any further thoughts.

 Not yet an owner but looking to buy in 2013.

Evoque towing limit is a lot less, so you better look towards your new van nr car setup and then decide

I'll save you the stress - no discount on Evoque. The other thing with Tata JLR discount is you won't qualify for special rate finance deals so unless you're paying cash you need to source finance away from the dealer (in my opinion) - Stratstone tried to offer me 12% APR through their finance arm. So search around!

Evoque towing limit is 1800 kg, Freelander 2 is 2000kg.

Other consideration, Freelander has a bigger boot than the Evoque and marginally more room in the rear seat department. With the recent Freelander 2 interior upgrade it has moved more into Evoque/D4 territory in terms of looks/utility.

In theory discount is 20% across the whole LR/RR range but actual availability of specific models depends on supply/demand and I think Evoque is currently not available or not available at the full discount but worth asking a Dealer as the employee discount model list changes regularly.

rchrdleigh: Already covered the discount subject in my post - Evoque does NOT get discount. I was looking at the list today and it definitely wasn't on there

When you look from the outside you would think it was roomy.
Not sure if you have actually been inside an FL2 with your family, I would take a serious look at the room in it as IMHO have found it to be very poor for what is externally a largish car.

The boot is very very small to the point I have to remove my smallish tool box to fit the weekly shop in it and the cabin in my 08 model is fairly cramped with me being well over 6ft and having 2 x tallish children it is very cramped (no leg room) in the back with my seat back for my comfort.

Apart from room/space issues for me it is still a great vehicle with a great driving position especially in the lanes and generally seeing well ahead.
I did move over from a very roomy large booted Passat.
With respect to the model go for what you can afford, after a while some of the toys get forgotten and the XS has pretty much everything.
If you need 4x4 the LR is top of the class from your short list

Regards
Ben (GONE) FL2 2008 SE (manual) Santorini Black, the expensive one
(LEFT WITH) 300tdi Defender 90 the cold, reliable & sensible one

How important is it that you are "weather-resistant"? How do you think CRV and Tiguan get on in floods, snow, ice and on slippery leaves?

I have not missed a business meeting or getting home thanks to owning a LR and I've an new FL2 XS on the way - not an Evoque as its more money for the same mechanical packege, smaller inside and a bit flash. New XS will not have a glasss roof, too expensive and the manual seats are just fine as Mrs B hardly ever drives "my" car.

FL2 is a great car, built in Halewood from a lot of UK-sourced parts. Yes I've had a clutch and DMF under warranty and at 85,000 some of the refinement has gone but it's a fun car to drive, regularly 40+ mpg, only just put on 2rd set of tyres after OEs, happy in muddy fields and forests as well as on M'ways. Gone... 2013 XS TD4 Manual Firenze Red
Gone... 2008 (09MY) XS Td4 Manual Stornaway Grey
Prior... 2003 G4 Discovery 2, 1998 Disco 1 and 1997 Disco 1 Company car before that
Also gone in Nov'13, after 7.5 yrs, to new owners with time for more TLC - 1980 Series III 88
Current 2015 Discovery Sport HSE 2.0

His Landy - you have a pm

Natwest wrote:

His Landy - you have a pm

Thanks, have replied.  Not yet an owner but looking to buy in 2013.

I looked at several 4x4s before choosing the FL2, including CR-V, Volvo XCs, Hyundai etc. In my opinion the CR-V interior is more practical with some nice ideas - the flat floor, the adjustable rear seat distance etc. The space in the FL2 is less flexible and if like me, and another poster, you are tall then there is quite restricted legroom behind the driver, although small children would be fine.

The decision came down to FL2 or CR-V and I chose the FL2 for several reasons - it handled better, it had more oomph, the CR-V had what I considered excessive wind noise through the front door jams, and the FL2 just felt like a more robust vehicle. Perhaps the most important reason though were reviews I'd read of the CR-V's abilities in poor conditions. I've never driven either off-road, the reviews could be biased, but LR come with a legacy that Honda don't (as far as I know) and given that one of the principle reasons for buying a 4x4 was to ensure mobility if necessary, I felt it sensible to ensure I was in the best equipped vehicle, that being said the CR-V may have dealt with any snow conditions that we'll ever see in our neck of the woods.

One last factor was that I preferred the look and feel of the FL2. Yes the interior is a little dated, but I actually quite like the cluttered dash. I found the XC60, for example, far too sparse.

It both amuses and irritates me that the FL2 continues to be compared with various cross-overs and soft-roaders - they are not in the same class, and it's for this reason that the FL2 is often criticised. People miss the point - the FL2 is a car with real off-road capability, and this compromises it in various ways. The cross-overs, etc, are optimised more for day-to-day utility, and have a different set of compromises as a result. (Land Rover's own advertising doesn't help with this perception, of course, since they now seem to be marketing the FL2 as a shopping car!)

Take the flat floor as an example - some cars have a flat floor because their driveshafts, suspension components, exhaust pipes, brake lines, etc, hang down below the car. The FL2 recesses them up into the floor out of harms way, achieving a much better ground clearance, but as a result has a floor which is both high from the ground and not flat.

The FL2 is often criticised for the intrusions into the load space around the wheelarches. That, of course, is the independent coil suspension which gives the FL2 it's ability to maintain contact with the ground over difficult terrain.

And the lack of loadspace - that's partly due to limiting the rear overhang to achieve a good departure angle, and partly due, once again, to all the stuff which is recessed under the boot floor - rear diff, driveshafts, fuel tank, exhaust, etc.

I could go on. But basically if your priorities are flat floors, load space and legroom, don't buy a Land Rover. You'll get more of what you want for less money in a cross-over. But if you want something which can go anywhere, even if you have no intention of ever doing so, and are prepared to accept the compromises which that involves, well then you're in the right place.

His Landy... a pm has landed!