Morning,

I'm new around here, but a regular over at defender2.net - so know the ropes (assuming the rules are the same here!)

Considering purchase of an MY14 HSE, manual in Firenze Red. A couple of option boxes were ticked (heated steering wheel, 18" alloys etc. but nothing major).

Wanted one for years, seems the FL2 was the last reliable and well-made thing JLR made before the shakeup. What should I know in terms of common problems (used to having lots of those on a defender) and what sort of price should I be paying for this one with 70k on the clock and a complete but mixed service history from dealers and indy's.

Thanks in advance.

Loads of advice on here, LR's most reliable product so much less than other models to sort out. Haldex oil change is often missed which can lead to problems. Earlier cars suffered rear diff failure but 14my should be ok.
The spec and colour you're looking at is in my opinion the nicest combo in the range, what I would have waited to buy if I hadn't been in a hurry to replace my sick Disco 2.
I've been very pleased with mine just miss the huge boot from the Disco other than that, brilliant. 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)

They are great cars and very reliable but it is a Landrover so expect a few foibles, Take a look at the Metropolis spec they have all the goodies
I think HSE spec 14 plate cars have 19" alloys as standard fit. 94 Disco 300 TDI Gone
96 Defender 300 TDI Gone...Should have kept it.
2003 Freelander ES TD4 Gone
2002 Defender TD5 Gone
2005 Freelander HSE TD4 Gone
2015 Freelander 2 Metropolis Keeping for now!

If you are offroading, towing, commuting or being civilized get an auto. Check the boot that it has an alloy spare & not a BS repair kit. Maximum rim size 18 inches, avoid the "extra poodle" rims 19 inches, or worse! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Poodle rims I should coco, 19s look better than silly little biscuits for wheels  94 Disco 300 TDI Gone
96 Defender 300 TDI Gone...Should have kept it.
2003 Freelander ES TD4 Gone
2002 Defender TD5 Gone
2005 Freelander HSE TD4 Gone
2015 Freelander 2 Metropolis Keeping for now!

To be clear - this will be replacing an F31 BMW 335D X-Drive... I've told my wife to not expect to light the rears exiting roundabouts anymore, or quite the 'thrill of the drive' she's had for 3 years now.

I'm perfectly happy with a manual - Auto is nice, but more to go wrong and with a DMF changes are smooth even with a clutch-dumper.

Not towing - that's what the 3.5T capability on the Defender is for.

Cambelt will probably need doing. Rough costs of this?

Haldex service is a good shout - tough/expensive job?

I'm not a 'wheel guy' so 18 is big enough, frankly. Any tyres people recommend? Scorpion's were my go-to on the D2.

This will be used as the school-run/commuting/driving to Cornwall family car - so reliability and basic levels of comfort are needed, with as little ongoing cost and gotchas as possible.

Tyres, a hot topic, plenty of options, go for whatever you like and trust, I use General Grabber At3 at the minute cant fault them or any of their other options, GG GT more road biased, use these on my wife's VW Tiguan.

The automatic in the Freelander 2 is excellent. If you go for an SD4 (190hp) they are all automatic, TD4 (150hp) come in either auto or manual form, I think the consensus is the auto is the best?

The haldex maintenance is well documented on here, I did mine a few weeks ago on the driveway, not difficult, cost maybe £50 for oil and filter, think an independent would charge around £180 - £200.

Now, tell me about real world experiences of the 335D, my wife (when she's not wanting an Evoque) has had a desire for a quick BMW saloon, the big diesel with Xdrive seems like a brilliant packge and a decent second hand buy. How did you find its running costs, back tyres , fuel economy, servicing, bills etc. Would you recommend one? Interested to hear your thoughts on it. 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)

You’ve peaked my interest around the gearbox now. I didn’t have a preference, but if there’re problems with the manual, I’ll keep looking for another car.

Good news on the haldex. What about cambelts/water pump etc. ?

I’ll be honest, I will really miss the BMW. We had the tourer (family wagon) and it has been everything we could ever need and more. It’s a sleeper in terms of speed, I’ve eaten Golf R yobbos from standing starts and on motorways and drives like a BMW should around corners. XDrive has been excellent. Driven to skiing in France though drifts on summer tyres without so much as a squirm. 35mpg is about right it you drive it carefully. 25 if you drive it properly. Servicing is expensive, as are tyres. Talking of tyres, you’ll want decent ones with grip and you’ll see approx 20k a set. I found the fronts still wore first. If it wasn’t a lease car, I’d be looking to buy it.

Sounds like an epic machine, could be tempted....

Cam belt is 10 year service item or 150k miles, a bit long for my liking and I'll probably do at 7 years. Never heard of any particular issues.

Some manual owners report clutch and flywheel issues, it's not the most robust for towing, especially reversing a heavy trailer / caravan. I specifically wanted an Sd4 with the auto, I was more concerned about getting that engine and gearbox combination than the spec of the vehicle, having said that I'd have preferred an HSE over the GS but cant complain and not disappointed. 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)

Another vote here for the SD4/Auto combination - it just works so well. I know that you may not be bothered about towing etc., but the Auto SD4 is just a brilliant - and in my experience, a very reliable vehicle. This far down the road (at 6 years old), look for a well cared-for top of the range model - with full FSH. As it’s out of warranty, you should find (via this forum, even) a good local Indy repairer. After that, happy days!
I have a late 2014 Metropolis with the 19” wheels. I was very concerned about these wheels at first (although they do look very nice). However, after 4 years of proper use I’ve decided that they’re OK after all. I was going to buy a set of 17”-ers for winter, but found that it’s not an issue. The 19’s do make the ride a bit on the firm side, but coming from a Beemer, you’ll be used to that. The on-road handling is certainly much sharper than my previous, TD4 HSE Auto on 17” wheels, but the expected loss of off-road performance hasn’t shown itself so far.
All-in-all, they’re a great little car with a huge range of abilities and other than a rather high cost of purchase (and consequent high disposal value, BTW) I can’t really fault my SD4 Metro. IMHO it would be the one to go for now as most would have been costly private buys from new and therefor more likely to be properly maintained etc. You do get a huge and mostly worthwhile spec on the Metro and HSE Lux models, the original high cost of which has been nicely depreciated now.
All the best with your searching! I've decided to stop being a good example and will now just be a terrible warning.....
2008 TD4HSE - gone but much loved.
2014MY SD4 Metropolis - very much loved.

I am on my second SD4 Auto FL2 over 8 years.

I believe that this engine/transmission combination is the best FL2 combination, and gives the proper mini RR experience.

To complete the experience then the Metropolis has all the 'necessary' luxury kit to complete the impression.

This question has been discussed many times.

https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic30979.html?highlight=metropolis FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 79k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

My old FL2 was a 15my SE Tech and was very good. The only thing I could have wanted was Xenon lights. The halogen lights are rubbish. I upgraded my lights. It’s well worth making sure your chosen car has Xenon, especially after coming from a BMW setup.

The lights as standard halogens are poor but there are options to improve this easily.  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)

Poor by what standard? compared to tungsten headlights supported by a dynamo they are f....ing fantastic  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Regarding the Haldex and servicing I see your only
about an hours drive from the go to man.

at http://www.bellengineering.co.uk/

certainly knows the Freelander transmissions and easy to talk with.
Dave DAVE.