4x4 Dusters are great and I nearly got one till the offer on the Evoque appeared.

One thing they have is a very 'short' first gear which acts as a low range substitute. You normally drive away in 2nd.

Does the Freelander have this great work-around? or is the Duster the winner in this section ?

I've thought of using Sport mode on the Evoque which might do something similar in first gear? The Evoque now has 9 gears, so a short first would seem like a logical addition.

Any idea?

The Duster does seem like a practical little 4x4, obviously built to a price but Im sure its a fairly capable car.

Re the Evoque, its an auto obviously with 9 speeds and has terrain response? The autobox and terrain response will work intelligently together with the appropriate setting selected. You'll not need or miss a low range box.  Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

First gear in the Freelander 2 is low for exactly the same reason. Sadly, it’s still not the same as full on low range though.

Get an auto, it is brilliant in the Freelander. These type of photos never look at steep as they are in reality. Previously going up, with the auto you can take as long as you like & I have the petrol engine which has far less torque.

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The Evoque 9 speed auto does not use 1st gear during normal use and will always pull away in 2nd gear. Ist has to be manually selected with the paddleshift and is a very low gear intended for offroad use.

a friend of mine recently bought a Dacia Duster. its the top spec, apple/android car play, touch screen, satnav etc etc

its quite compact on the outside but inside is huge and the boot is massive. he didnt buy it for its 4x4 capability, just for its family practicality.

1 year old, 1.5 renault diesel, balance of manufacturers warranty, under £11k

but you get what you pay for... its very plasticy and tinny inside but its great value for money

dondiddy wrote:

The Evoque 9 speed auto does not use 1st gear during normal use and will always pull away in 2nd gear. Ist has to be manually selected with the paddleshift and is a very low gear intended for offroad use.

I hadn't thought of that!! I'll take it into account next time I'm off-road. Thanks

RogB wrote:

a friend of mine recently bought a Dacia Duster. its the top spec, apple/android car play, touch screen, satnav etc etc

its quite compact on the outside but inside is huge and the boot is massive. he didnt buy it for its 4x4 capability, just for its family practicality.

1 year old, 1.5 renault diesel, balance of manufacturers warranty, under £11k

but you get what you pay for... its very plasticy and tinny inside but its great value for money

I've test driven the 4x4. I love the looks and the size is just right. Inside is built down to a price, but has the same infoentertainment as my Renault Captur in Zen trim. They are VERY capable off road and are very close to a Freelander or Evoque. There are lots of videos on Spanish car sites of them facing off against other SUV 4x4s and for the price they are unbeatable.
I'm going on a SUV 4x4 meet-up next month, and out of the 15 cars, 13 are Dusters!! OK, it has been set up by the Head of the Duster 4x4 Club! I'll let you know how the Evoque fairs. The other non Duster is a Renegade.

I remember the FL1 had a very low 1st gear (lower than on the FL2) which was even lower than reverse which is usually the lowest gear on any car. It made pulling out onto busy roundabouts rather interesting. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

Bobupndown wrote:

The Duster does seem like a practical little 4x4, obviously built to a price but Im sure its a fairly capable car.

Re the Evoque, its an auto obviously with 9 speeds and has terrain response? The autobox and terrain response will work intelligently together with the appropriate setting selected. You'll not need or miss a low range box.

The LR2 (Freelander 2) also has a lower first gear as compare to reverse

And the Petrol has a numerically higher final drive as compared to the Diesel

- Petrol gearing is 12.5% higher



But the Diesel makes more Torque to offset the gearing advantage of the Petrol Engine

- Petrol torque is 30% lower than the Diesel


One last thought the Torque converter is a different part number for the Diesel, this might mean a different stall speed.

Click image to enlarge

Great info!!! With Terrain response and a low ratio first gear, our 'fake' off-roaders get close to the 'authentic' one.

How does the first gear ratio on the FL2 compare to a 'real' low ratio one, e.g. on a Discooooh or Defender?

For example a Duster 4x4 seems to have this: 5.79 for first gear and 7.47 in 4x2 . Quite a big difference.

On the Evoque 2020 9-Speed it's 4.70 and the FL2 4.1

So, the lower than number, the lower the ratio, right? Or is it counter-intuitive?

Some of you may be better than me at interpreting the following info :
http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/gear_ratio.htm

Cheers

4.70 to 1 is lower than 4.1 to 1 it's the number of revs of the pinion or propshaft to one revolution of the wheel. my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

4.70 to 1 is lower than 4.1 to 1 it's the number of revs of the pinion or propshaft to one revolution of the wheel.


Something isn't right then. In the example below of the 4x4 V 4x2 Duster, it seems that the 4x2 has the lower ratio, right?

Example from a specs sheet: a Duster 4x4 seems to have this: 5.79 for first gear and 7.47 in 4x2 . Quite a big difference.

Forget the ratios . They mean nothing , you have to look at the car as a whole package . For example when we had a Defender I’d use low box and first to come down the valley in snow . In the FL2 or the Outback I use HDC ( x mode on the Subaru ) and put the auto into manual mode . The LR system is excellent as you can then vary the descent speed with the cruise +\- . Off road I just dial in the correct Terrain Response in the Freelander and let the autobox do the work .

What none of the lifestyle cars have that made the Defender great is a Low box and mechanical diff lock , which couldn’t be fooled , didn’t throw a wobbly etc , although reversing 100 yards after the diff spool light had been activated could be tiresome . You’ll not beat a Defender in the dirt , but only a masochist or my wife would have one as a daily drive .

On shoots I’ve see every variation of 4x4 , and the one thing I’d say is that if you have 4x4 plus “Torque and Tyres” , add suitable ground clearance , you’ll be OK using common sense . The Duster is fine , as a light car it has an advantage. We have an old Vitara long wheel base as a Shoot run around and it is amazing , we don’t have to worry about the paint or cleaning it so it gets used in places a road car never would .

Also remember there is a difference between “ off-roading “ and “ green lane “ . No one in their right mind is going to treat an expensive Evoque or a new Dacia like a farm Defender pick up .

If you want a box shape SUV that is unburstable , practical , Reliability LR could only dream of , daily drive suitable , have a look at a Forester . . 2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .