Hi All,

I am in the process of buying a pre facelift 2010, 60 plate (registered 30SEP10) TD4.e XS. I am looking for at least an XS spec and it has to have a tow ball and roof rails. The dealer has agreed to fit the roof rails for free and it has a tow ball, it also has a full leather upgrade so spec wise it is fine.

My question relates to running costs and whether I should hold out for a post facelift car. I have done quite a bit of reading on the web and the later car does have better MPG and lower tax. It also has a different Duratorq engine (I am coming from an 2.0 TDCi S Max with a Duratorq engine) which is very good.

My budget is really around £19000 which I could push a bit, but due to my spec requirements I am wondering if the waiting for the later car is the right thing to do?

I guess I would prefer to get the later car due to the better fuel economy but I am wondering if it will make a great deal of difference. Much of my driving will be on motorways along with some urban/A road plus towing a 1400KG caravan.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Mark

same basic engine in all fl2's

my employee is on his 3rd fl2 , 2nd was an early facelift and he reckoned it had the worst economy of the three and diiff problems

all tdi not sdi

now for my humble opinion-
facelifts have the dreaded chrome arse piece, and towing a van will wreck the fragile diff on any fl2. and will fry the clutch on a manual on your first attempt at reversing.


toned down to avoid upsetting the vanning community but based on the truth  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

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now for my humble opinion-
facelifts have the dreaded chrome arse piece, and towing a van will wreck the fragile diff on any fl2. and will fry the clutch on a manual on your first attempt at reversing.

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now for my humble opinion-
facelifts have the dreaded chrome arse piece, and towing a van will wreck the fragile diff on any fl2. and will fry the clutch on a manual on your first attempt at reversing.


toned down to avoid upsetting the vanning community but based on the truth Whistle

Agree chrome was a bad move from the "crayon pushers" but at least only followers see in - unless you do the world a favour and tow a c-van .

However been towing 1300kg quite a distance - inc south of france with 11facelift manual (only S spec ) with no problems.
And plenty of reversing - our drive needs a lot of manoevering. It was better in TD5 Disco2, with low range, but I had to compromise somewhere. FL2 11 S Black 😂
Gone Disco2 TD5 GS

CG said

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toned down to avoid upsetting the vanning community but based on the truth

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nb. The above is CG knowledge so may be far removed from the truth

The post face lift is supposedly better fuel consumption and the annual tax is lower due to less emissions. There has been clutch problems admittedly and the reverse gear of the manual is high which is why there may be a preference for the auto for caravanner's, especially the SD4.

My opinion and you are welcome to trash it

If he could just remove the Boulder off his shoulder and talk sense, we live in hope
Perhaps he can explain then why Pegleg has done around 80k in his manual and had his Clutch replaced twice and has no towbar.
Whilst Gravon took his manual to around 110k on the original clutch towing 1500kgs around.

Whilst there is no evidence that points to the diff bearings failing due to towing,many on here have had the diff bearings done who do not tow. p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

We have a 60 reg pre and 11 reg post facelift FL2 in the family and they drive very differently. Both have had tow bars removed as we don't need them. The later one with lower emissions seems to have more torque and power than the earlier model and mpg is slightly better but not a lot in it. The 60 reg 49k miles has just had the rear diff bearing and haldex replaced and the 11 reg one had a gearbox rebuild at about 40k. Note that some of the 11 reg (including ours) have suffered from the hesitation problem which LR seem unable to fix on early facelifts.

I know I say it on every thread that talks about someone wanting to tow something......... but why don't you just buy a disco 4, your nearly there at the money your talking about


Anyways back to the point in hand, you clearly want a lr2 ( good choice ) Now why would you buy the older model if given a choice? ( does not make any sense to me ) Unless

1 ) you buy cheap, use then sell cheap or trade in for a nicer model later on

2 ) you buy cheap then use the money left over to fix and future proof everything

3 ) you buy a nicer older model, then have it remaped ( lots of threads of this lately ) Would seem a good choice for towing

Or you could always, buy newer, spend more money have something that looks fresh ( as it can ) then maybe over time put your stamp on it

For 19k you should be able to take your pick? Again with the auto, its a win win, you can tow easyer and if you must, just donk it over to the sport and will hold its revs for longer ( good for towing on hills ) and you can always use command shift if you want to hold a gear

Age does not seem to play much of a problem when it comes to diffs and they all seem to go wrong at some point  Freelander 57 plate XS Blue Auto

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The later one with lower emissions seems to have more torque and power than the earlier model

[quote="ad210358"]If he could just remove the Boulder off his shoulder and talk sense, we live in hope
Perhaps he can explain then why Pegleg has done around 80k in his manual and had his Clutch replaced twice and has no towbar.
Whilst Gravon took his manual to around 110k on the original clutch towing 1500kgs around.

Whilst there is no evidence that points to the diff bearings failing due to towing,many on here have had the diff bearings done who do not tow.[/quote

Update on that Andy!.......129,000 miles and still going strong!  2013 Dynamic Santorini black
2011 XS Lago grey
2007 HLS Stornoway grey
sometimes towing an Elldis AVANTE 574.

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I know I say it on every thread that talks about someone wanting to tow something......... but why don't you just buy a disco 4, your nearly there at the money your talking about Whistle


Anyways back to the point in hand, you clearly want a lr2 ( good choice ) Now why would you buy the older model if given a choice? ( does not make any sense to me ) Unless

Im not wrong in saying that the diff can be dodgy and it certainly isnt the tow proof diff, that people often assume they are getting when they buy a 4x4

apparently the diff reliability depends on its construction ,who tightened the bearing up , to what torque and was it Fri afternoon, hence varible results and some diffs lasting whilst being abused by heavy caravan loads.


not so much of a boulder on my shoulder, just facts , extra loads cause more wear tear on already slightly suspect diffs clutches DMF's 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

I am only on 51k on a 10 plate, but I tow a 1500kg van and have done many miles with it on the back and no probs. Still on original clutch but for me, the biggest difference in ride, handling, comfort and MPG is tyres.

I have I now discover, been suffering with goodyear wrangler's on the rear, I changed the front's a year ago for general grabber GT, these are rated at 108V rather than 104V so will handle better with a higher load as in towing and they do, but I have just changed the rears to Pirelli Scorpion Verde (also 108V) and what a difference.

Before the change, I suffered all manner of weird noises, whirring, grumbling and wow wowing which led me to think I maybe had a bearing on the blink somewhere, maybe wheel or diff.

Now, silence, no noises except a quiet swish as the tyres roll along. There is a definite increase of around 1.5 to 2 mpg, the car grips better, steers better and handles poor road surfaces much better than before, it really is like it was when it was new.

For me, it matters not if it's pre or post facelift, they both have the same engine though maybe the mapping is different, they both drive well, they are comfortable on long drives, they tow like trains, and the 4 wheel drive works well in poor weather providing you have decent tyres. OK they are not speedy or cavernous inside, but for a couple there is plenty of room, and I can tell you I have transported slabs, bricks, rubbish etc and it just laps it up.

All in all, the best car I have ever had and likely, the best car I will ever need.  MY2014 SD4 XS
Ipanema Sand

MY10 TD4-e GS Manual
Lago Grey Now retired after 8 trouble free years

Post 2011 XS,Sumatra Black, GONE MARCH 2014- RR Evoque Prestige 5 door ,MY 2014,Loire Blue, Silver Roof, Panoramic roof.
MY 2016 Disco Sport HSE Auto Scotia Grey,REJECTED
Mercedes E220D AMG line with air suspension(Gone)
DS 200 SE Dynamic my 21 (Gone)
DS 200 SE Dynamic my 22 (Gone)
Audi Q5 40TDI S line (gone)
Discovery Sport D200 S 2024 MY

I have a 2010 pre face lift XS auto with roof rails and tow bar - sadly no leather seat upgrade though! I tow a 1350kg van.

Looking at MPG posts on here the differences between the 2010 and 2011 are small and could easily be equalled by tyre choice and pressures, driving style, journeys done etc so not sure if bothering too much about. Later models again have a significant difference it seems to me. I get 30 - 32mpg normally and around 25 - 26mpg towing. You are talking about a Td4e which I imagine should give a better consumption figure than mine however.

The 2011 has the DPF I believe and that according to some can be a pain though the £40 reduced tax must help to compensate.

I've driven mine some 20k in two years and love it. Towing the van is a breeze and easy to forget it's there.

Tempting fate I know but so far it hasn't dumped any of the big stuff on me like Diff failure and long may it remain so. FSH and one previous owner might be a clue that the one you are looking at is a good 'un, three previous owners might be a clue in the other direction!!!!!

My personal view would be to buy the car that has the spec you want, with as low a mileage and as few owners as possible with a FSH that reads right and a list of repairs and replacements that is short. With luck it won't be a Fri pm or Monday a.m. car. I personally wouldn't be too bothered about the pre / post face lift question, both models have their issues and good points.

Whatever you decide good luck and happy driving