Hi Gambba,

I have seen your posts in this forum and I would like to ask (You) some questions "If you may allow". I have choosen to ask you because of the similarities in weather in both areas we are living in and the scarsity forums like this one who talks about Landrovers in genaral.

I live in Saudi Arabia and very interested in a brand new LR2 HSE i6. So, my questioins will be:

- I read a lot about the seat heater, do we have a seat cooler (which will be needed more in our region).
- Is the glass factury tinted/shaded, or, have you applied athiered party film. what is it and how much dose it cost?
- Do you have a rear air condition for the passengers setting behind?
- Have you really gone off road (I mean on Dunes like the safary tours in Dubai in Al-Ouier Area)
- How is the navigation System. Dose it support the GCC Region and have the maps available?

I think that's it for now. sorry for the long list of questions but I would really want an answer to them, any body!!


Regards,

ShaDeeD  Looking forward to be an owner.

First off welcome to the boards!!

I travel to Saudi quite frequently, mainly to Jeddah but also on occasion to Dammam which is not far from you.

Unfortunately there's no seat cooler, and I seriously considered the Volvo XC70/90 for this option. The perforated leather seats don't seem to do a bad job, and as a person who gets very sweaty I don't have too many issues with the seats....but I would love a cooler!

The sunroof is privacy glass but the rest has a small amount of factory tint I think, but it is not a tint that works well in this region. I requested my dealer to install 30% tints all round, which they did for me free of charge. The tints are from 3M and work well at rejecting the heat, and slightly darker tints would look great on the car but would affect night driving and I could not travel over to Oman with them on.
The dealer normally charges 1000 SAR (The same in AED) for the tints.

No rear airco, which I found very strange to start with.....however the FL2 is no different to a normal saloon car inside in terms of size, and like most cars appears to not really require aircon in the back.

I've had customers in the back of the FL2 on trips to Abu Dhabi and back as well as around Dubai and was concerned I might be cooking them in the back, but all they commented on was how much room there is in the back and how comfortable the ride is, and when asked if too hot or too cold they said it was just fine.

The vents are angled upwards so teh circulation of air to the back seems to be very good, which is why the temps probably remain equal around the whole cabin.


Not seriously gone off road, but have been on loose sand on the beach as well as partially off-road and the LR2 has no issues at all. I am certain that the LR2 can more than handle itself offroad. The power to weight ratio of the LR2 versus the standard Land Cruisers, Pajeros and Patrols is much higher and has more sophisticated electronics so in my mind would most likely eat the others for breakfast.

The navigation is great and covers the whole GCC region, with one of the best features being the ability top set you destination and then go off-road and simply use the on screen compass to get to you there. Living in Dubai the road systems are constantly changing so the system is not as current as I would like but I would say as KSA has a lot less contruction going on in concentrated locations that teh maps should be just fine.

The HSE is definately the model to go for and provides a level of luxery that not many other 4x4's do out there, and is pretty quick on the move and handles very well on the road.

 Once you've tasted GREY you'll never go back!

Hi Gambba,

First of all, thanks for the clarifications provided, Thant's why I have asked you !!

For me, I might go off road few times on weekends , but, I do travel around 400KM on Wednesdays (yes every week ) and back on Friday (agian ) between Qatif (hometown in weekends) and Riyadh (satying all the week as the work place), pass by if you have the time!

For now, I do have some more questions and wold like to here form every one beside Gambba.

- Do you feel confirtable in terms of driving long distances KM 200+.
- Do You have nay issues in Engin Start as I read (in this forum and others) that there were incedents where the car would not start in Hot weather?
- How is the service Quality and Cost?
- Do we have LR Assistance in the Gulf region?

Hobe to get answers not the words for being GrEeDy


Thanks In Advance. Looking forward to be an owner.

dont be greedy  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

Not greedy at all, glad we (I, not CG) can be of help to you!

The LR2 handles long journeys like a stroll in the park, absolutely no problems and no effort to drive. Leave it in normal Drive mode for long trips and simply cruise, and then switch it to sport or commandshift mode for a completely different drive in town for some fun.

In 4 months of ownership and 9000kms I can safely say that its a gerat car for long trips and has given me the most fatigue free driving of any car I have ever driven....and I've driven hundreds of different rentals cars.

Next to no road noise, very quiet cabin (even when doing 180 km/h), great Alpine sound and xenon lights for night time all help with the long trips.

Almost all of the starting complaints that I have seen have been from TD4 owners not the I6, with the exception being the guy from the North American market, but I don't think the issue was to do with heat.

Although my car sits in the basement parking overnight it is still around 34-38C down there all night and never have had an issue. I visit a lot of customer sites where there is no shade to park under so generally the car sits in the direct sun 46C or so and has not had a single issue.

Over here in the UAE the LR2 comes with a 5 year warranty and a 3 year servicing contract, so there is no cost to me....except for wear items of course. In terms of quality so far I am impressed with LR over here, and would expect the same in KSA because of the customers they are aiming at.

The service center is very personal, in that you get your own advisor who only deals with you and your vehicle at that moment and each of them has a bay with a ramp for vehicle inspections.

I received a phone call yesterday informing that there was a rework campaign, what it was regarding and when I could book the car in for the work, which is different from finding out when you go in for a service that your car needs to spend an extra day or so for additional work.

Yes there is LR assitance and it applies where ever you go, but basically the phone number is always for your home country and then I guess they arrange everything for you.

You can wake up now I've finished

Daniel.  Once you've tasted GREY you'll never go back!

Gambba wrote:

Not greedy at all, glad we (I, not CG) can be of help to you!

Although my car sits in the basement parking overnight it is still around 34-38C down there all night and never have had an issue. I visit a lot of customer sites where there is no shade to park under so generally the car sits in the direct sun 46C or so and has not had a single issue.

Gambba - I wonder if this whipper snapper is a help to anybody
Confirming that FL2 works well from at least -20C (here) to +46C (there)  2007 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Manual with Premium Pack & Moonroof.
Stornoway Grey with Ebony Black Pleather, Clear Indicators, Body Side Mouldings etc.

Thanks a lot (Gambba/Daniel ) for the great effort (at least for me not CG ).

you are such a lucky guy who have a good warranty period and a good service while in my case, I will have to pay around SR 140,000 for a three years warranty or KM 250,000 (or whatever comes first). However, the service quality is not satisfactory in terms of parts availability and cost (some owners says! ).

Anyway, I am certainly going to get it (probably next month ). As soon as I get the cash, I will hit the dealer for a light Blue (aka: Izmir Blue. i guess ) or the famous Grey that you have.

I have been awake for the whale time reading your post (and AndyC's), so keep it up.


ShaDeeD. Looking forward to be an owner.

Shadeed wrote:

Thanks a lot (Gambba/Daniel ) for the great effort (at least for me not CG ).

Anytime my friend glad to be of service  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

Shadeed wrote:

Thanks a lot (Gambba/Daniel ) for the great effort (at least for me not CG ).

you are such a lucky guy who have a good warranty period and a good service while in my case, I will have to pay around SR 140,000 for a three years warranty or KM 250,000 (or whatever comes first). However, the service quality is not satisfactory in terms of parts availability and cost (some owners says! ).

Anyway, I am certainly going to get it (probably next month ). As soon as I get the cash, I will hit the dealer for a light Blue (aka: Izmir Blue. i guess ) or the famous Grey that you have.

I have been awake for the whale time reading your post (and AndyC's), so keep it up.


ShaDeeD.

140K !!!!!!!! for additional warranty!! Here it is 5 yrs or 250k and included with the price of the LR2 in both SE and HSE trims. Just as a reference the SE is 125k (maybe 135k now) and the HSE 155k.

Unfortunately in regards to service in KSA are you not always going to have service issues whatever the brand...maybe some of the top end brands are different.

Grey all the way! I just love the way the grey looks in the sun and at night.....but you can't go wrong with any of the LR2 colours really, they are all safe. Once you've tasted GREY you'll never go back!

AndyC wrote:

Gambba - I wonder if this whipper snapper is a help to anybody
Confirming that FL2 works well from at least -20C (here) to +46C (there)

Now there's a question for a poll - CG, a help or a hindrance?

Andy, do you know if the do any mods for Scandinavia? Normally manufacturers have a Gulf spec for this region, sometimes with larger airco heat exchangers, pumps and main radiators, but I have a feeling that the FL2 may not need these alteration given the testing it went under....... Once you've tasted GREY you'll never go back!

Gambba wrote:

Now there's a question for a poll - CG, a help or a hindrance?

Trust CG to go and start a poll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Once you've tasted GREY you'll never go back!

Gambba wrote:

Gambba wrote:

Now there's a question for a poll - CG, a help or a hindrance?

Trust CG to go and start a poll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You ask,you get, that's the CG way 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

Gambba wrote:

AndyC wrote:

Gambba - I wonder if this whipper snapper is a help to anybody
Confirming that FL2 works well from at least -20C (here) to +46C (there)

Now there's a question for a poll - CG, a help or a hindrance?

Andy, do you know if the do any mods for Scandinavia? Normally manufacturers have a Gulf spec for this region, sometimes with larger airco heat exchangers, pumps and main radiators, but I have a feeling that the FL2 may not need these alteration given the testing it went under.......

Not exactly , but earlier many Scandinavian cars were fitted with a motor warmer and often also a coupe warmer for winter use . These are connected to the mains by an external socket on the front of the car via a timer. The coolent (and coupe) is therfore warm when starting in winter temperaturs (down to -20C) which saves wear and tear on the motor and the owner! These warmers do not seem to be so popular these days and my FL2 is the first I have owned in Norway not to be fitted with one .

Otherwise many standard features are fitted on Norwegian cars that may be called a “cold pack” or something similar in the UK. For example This will include heated front seats, front screen defrosting, heated side mirrors etc as standard. They also used to include heavy duty battery as well but I think these are pretty universal these days Some cars here also have a heated stearing wheel, although in reality we have little use for that in southern Norway except for poofters or if the car stands out all night  2007 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Manual with Premium Pack & Moonroof.
Stornoway Grey with Ebony Black Pleather, Clear Indicators, Body Side Mouldings etc.

Gambba wrote:

140K !!!!!!!! for additional warranty!! Here it is 5 yrs or 250k and included with the price of the LR2 in both SE and HSE trims. Just as a reference the SE is 125k (maybe 135k now) and the HSE 155k.

Unfortunately in regards to service in KSA are you not always going to have service issues whatever the brand...maybe some of the top end brands are different.

Grey all the way! I just love the way the grey looks in the sun and at night.....but you can't go wrong with any of the LR2 colours really, they are all safe.

Gambba,

I meant the price of the LR2 HSE is around SR 140,000 and the warrenty period is three years. In other words, this is the car price and not the extended warrenty plan as there is not any.


Thanks again. you have been of a greate help.

Keep it uP  Looking forward to be an owner.