Hi all,
A newbie on the forum and just looking to firstly say hi and secondly get convinced (or otherwise) to buy a FL2.

I'll start by saying I'm a total BMW guy so actually walking into a Land Rover dealer the other day was a bit of a shock to me! Currently have a 1-series and an X5 however getting a bit bored with the 1-series and needing a change.

The main thing that frightens me about Land Rover is reliability! I've driven bullet proof BMW's all my life and (bar wear and tear) had no issues what so ever with any of them. Now looking at the online reliability index sites, the FL2 gets placed higher than both of my current BMW's however I started to read some threads on this forum and it all seems like tales of woe so not sure if the reality matches the perceived reliability.

Also, driving an X5, i'm not too worries about mpg in the 30's (X5 averaging 32mpg) however what i wouldn't mind is knowing (with a certain degree of accuracy) what i'm going to expect with the FL2? Now i know people say that the advertised mpg is under unnatural conditions etc however all my BMW's have returned within 1mph of the advertised combined. Reading this forum, it seems the FL2 varies wildly!

Lastly, the model that i am looking at is a minimum of 2010 (60) TD4 HSE Auto. If you look at the technical data of FL2 HSE auto's pre 2010, the advertise combined (mpg) is 35.8. If you look at the same for facelifted 2010 (60) onwards it's combined (mpg) is 40.4. What's changed as I thought the engine and gearbox has remained the same?

Anyway, a lot of blurb there so apologies. It's up to you guys to convince me not to go into the BMW garage!

Thanks
R

I have also read some of the threads in BMW forums and they are not empty of owner faults and tales of woe, they are also not 'bullet proof'. Are you really telling us that because your cars have been 'fault free' that all BMW's are of the same calibre as I can point you in the direction of many fault free Freelanders, my own included but faults will and do occur as is the same with all marques.

Forums are mainly for 'tales of woe', many first posts are members that have joined solely to ask for help but this doesn't mean every owner is in the same predicament. There are thousands of owners we know nothing about so a blanket statement is hard to swallow. Also the FL2's reliability is still suffering from it's predecessor the FL1 which indeed did have some 'built in' problems.

The engine has not remained the same, MY11 models have been reduced in power (160hp to 150hp), improved torque with performance gain and an increase in efficiency.

Regarding fuel efficiency, there are some wild figures out there, but most on here wouldn't buy this type of car if our priority concerned MPG, personally I don't care, I fill up when needed.

I'm not going to try and convince you, by being an owner of an X5 tells me you never wanted a true off road car anyway, just a road car on stilts that could never cut it off the tarmac if need be. Buying a car is a very personal thing and I would never purchase a marque by listening to 'fan boys' of which we are to the Freelander.

Regards

Ooft, thanks for the hostile welcome. Nice to meet you too.

Hi Ron and welcome to the forum.

I have a MY2011 GS auto and I'm averaging around the 35MPG mark. I would say that the differences in MPG figures you will see are due to several factors:

Style of driving
Town or open road
Type of terrain - Flat or hilly

I just use it on the road, live in the country so very little town driving and am no longer a boy racer.

I think the thing to do is go and have a test drive in one. You could always go on a Land Rover off road half day to see what they can do when they leave the tarmac. I went on one after I bought mine and thoroughly enjoyed it although would never take mine off road.

Hope this helps you to consider a Freelander. I had two of the Freelander 1s before and they were both fine but if you look at the comments you wouldn't have thought they were any good. It's well reported that the Freelander 2 is much more reliable than the old model, but of course it's the luck of the draw with any make of car.

Good luck in deciding. Andyfr

andyfr wrote:

I think the thing to do is go and have a test drive in one.

Well I had allways bought MG & Rover cars new & rarely had any problems with them despite what the motoring press would have you believe.
I had a Rover 75Tourer, MGZT & MG ZT-T & they shared quite a few parts with BMW & most of the larger & more expensive parts that failed on these cars were the BMW produced items.

I doubt that Landrover nowdays are much if at all less reliable that many German marques. (Past) Freelander 2 HSE 2010 MY In Rimini Red.
(Past) RR Evoque Dynamic Lux Si4 In Firenze Red.
(Past) RR Evouque Pure Tech in Barollo Black with bespoke Firenze Red colour coding.
(Present) Freelander Metropolis 2015 MY In Santorini Black with Ivory Premium Leather.

RonM wrote:

Thanks Andy - test drive booked for Saturday. Looking forward to it.

I don't think EY meant to be in the least bit hostile, and there was a lot of useful information in his post.

Posts along the lines of "Went for a drive today, everything worked, nothing broke" aren't exactly interesting, so no one says that although we all do it every day. The tales of woe, on the other hand, always make it. As you say yourself, the figures show that the FL2 is _much_ better on reliability than earlier LRs, and competitive with other makes.

Fuel-consumption-wise I get around 37 generally and 40 on a long motorway run. That's in a manual though - the autos seem to be around 5mpg worse based on the figures I've seen around here. Plus I'm fortunate enough to spend very little time in city traffic.

The point about the X5 not being an off road car is quite an important one, as you'll find the two a bit different to drive. (Caveat - I've not actually driven an X5!) The X5 is more tuned for the road, with stiffer suspension, lower profile tyres, etc. Its ride and handling are therefore sharper than the FL2 which has more compliant, long-travel suspension, higher profile tyres, etc, and which is genuinely capable off road. It depends what you're looking for.

The main difference in the later models is the stop-start engine technology. The engine is basically the same, but there are changes to some ancillaries (including the turbo) which change its characteristics slightly. The more powerful SD4 engine was also introduced - still the same basic engine though.

Hope that helps and isn't too hostile

i've just read the thread, EY is saying as it is, to the point, but i wouldn't call it hostile

The thing with forums, most people come along to try and find a solution to an issue, from other owners who have also suffered, some stick round to be with like minded people, others move on with or without thanking people for their help

I know of a few people who have had problems with BMW's and a few with Audi's run as high miler company cars, but they have all said they like the brand so much, they didn't feel it was right to complain about the small issues they had So if they were like this what about the others who may use the same mentality

Either way, my first FL2 was a pigs ear in small issues, but then it was a launch car and they were all sorted out in the end, my second one( Yes I did still like the FL2 enough to buy another) has been loads more reliable, but at the end of the day they are mass produced cars with mass produced parts things do and will go wrong, its a fact of modern day motoring and car manufacturing, whether you buy a Dacia or a Buggatti things break  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

It was not meant to come across as hostile but I am blunt and to the point in some of my replies, as all people know the emotionless forum message can be read in so many ways.

On saying that, it doesn't bother me one way or another how you interpret my reply, the content is my thoughts on the subject.

Nice to meet you also

Pre 2010 facelift models were fitted with a 160 bhp 2.2 litre diesel engine, post facelift it was either a 150bp (TD4) or 190 bhp (SD4) 2.2 litre diesel engine. Essentially the same engine just tuned differently. Stop/start is only available on manual gearbox cars and as the OP is looking at auto will not be a factor.

Fuel consumption for a post facelift TD4 model is 40.4, and for a pre-facelift model 35.8. In reality day to day you will probably get less than the official figures due to driving style, weight of the vehicle etc.

I was speaking to someone the other day who'd just changed from an X5 to a Discovery and couldn't believe how much better the Discovery was in all areas.

Freelander 2 is probably the most reliable vehicle LR produce at the moment, I've had 2 and both have been more reliable than the last 2 BMW produced products I've owned.

Enjoy the test drive and if possible try and get a voucher to try one at your nearest LR Experience Centre where you'll discover what it can do off road and what the instructors think of it.

Hi RonM... Like you I only drove BMWs for many years, company cars & privately owned and had a range of 3 series (the 330Ci was a belter ) and I had an X3 - seven BMs in all.

When I wanted to change the X3 two years ago, the new X3 (which got rave reviews you'll recall) was launched & I took a test drive. I found it a dull drive, uninvolving in contrast to the Freelander 2 which I also tried.

I've had the FL2 for 2 years now & I couldn't be more happy.

I hope you enjoy the drive & the dealer experience. ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...

EYorkshire wrote:

Nice to meet you also

rchrdleigh wrote:

Pre 2010 facelift models were fitted with a 160 bhp 2.2 litre diesel engine, post facelift it was either a 150bp (TD4) or 190 bhp (SD4) 2.2 litre diesel engine. Essentially the same engine just tuned differently. Stop/start is only available on manual gearbox cars and as the OP is looking at auto will not be a factor. Fuel consumption for a post facelift TD4 model is 40.4, and for a pre-facelift model 35.8.

rchrdleigh wrote:

Freelander 2 is probably the most reliable vehicle LR produce at the moment, I've had 2 and both have been more reliable than the last 2 BMW produced products I've owned.

piattj wrote:

When I wanted to change the X3 two years ago, the new X3 (which got rave reviews you'll recall) was launched & I took a test drive. I found it a dull drive, uninvolving in contrast to the Freelander 2 which I also tried.

RonM wrote:

I like the interior though. Until a few weeks ago when i saw inside a FL2 in the works car park I didn't appreciate how good the interior actually was.

Welcome!

The forum sounds off putting, but people have covered the reasons why. To stick up for LR I used to work at BMW so drove the new X5 and X6 extensively, whilst we had a Discovery, and preferred the Discovery by a huge margin. The Freelander feels like a baby Discovery.

Personally I don't think you'll be a fan of the Freelander as you like the BMW approach to 4x4's (not knocking you in anyway...it's all personal preference!)

Basically don't listen to us sticking up for the Freelander, don't worry about reliability, Jaguar are second in reliability and driver power surveys, and lots of Freelander parts are shared with Jag.

Its all down to the test drive, if you like it go for it  Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County