Had a 07 SE and 11 XS and find it hard to distinguish between the 2. In my opinion the Alcantara part leather seats on the XS are better than the one's on the SE. Also my XS came with OEM Armrests which are a nice to have, DAB radio. While the SE had rear audio controls.

Solution to the boot size is a set of Thule roof bars and feet and a roofbox for when you need the extra capacity. I've got roofbars and box and have used once on a trip to the Alps, kept the inside free of clutter but fuel consumption took a bit of a hit.

I've a 57 SE and in summary compared to HSE it hasn't got;

Extra speakers flanking the boot lid and the bigger amp
18 inch wheels - although these are easily retro fitted
The auto recirculating heating system
Memory seats and dropping Wong mirrors in reverse
And unless you have full leather like mine you dot get the arm rests

As for the boot - lift up the rear headrests, taken out the parcel shelf and it did me my wife and the three kids to France for two weeks. Also if you are looking at the e53 x5 the boot ain't that big - in fact the first x3 had a bigger boot! Freelander 2 TD4 Auto, SE, Narvik Black, Alpaca full leather, Rear Headrest Entertainment System, 6 CD, 18 HSE Wheels, Privicy tints

Captain Worm wrote:

I've a 57 SE and in summary compared to HSE it hasn't got;

Extra speakers flanking the boot lid and the bigger amp
18 inch wheels - although these are easily retro fitted
The auto recirculating heating system
Memory seats and dropping Wong mirrors in reverse
And unless you have full leather like mine you dot get the arm rests

As for the boot - lift up the rear headrests, taken out the parcel shelf and it did me my wife and the three kids to France for - two weeks. Also if you are looking at the e53 x5 the boot ain't that big - in fact the first x3 had a bigger boot!

Hotspur wrote:

D99 wrote:

i too have an SE and yes they are a good spec, and my only guess is they dropped the SE and upped the XS because there were too many different specs!

yeh that makes sense D99 coz i think they dropped the HST aswell....to streamline the range I guess......presume you love your motor? any regrets?

Just adding my 5 penneth. Have a 57 SE Manual too. In a previous life I've had 8 Landrovers, from S1's through to 3's., SWBs and LWBs. We used to love them but ended up getting hooked on Volvos for the past 30 years primarily because of their carrying capacity and comfort. The death of my wife back in February has led me to try to find some mental distraction (42 years of really happy marriage is hard to leave behind) so, I guess in an attempt to regain something of my earlier life, I bought the Freely. Instant rapport. All of the "luxuries" of the top end Volvos plus more, and with the ability to rough it where necessary. I considered the Volvo XC90 and XC60, but ended up with the FL 2 SE - and am really glad that I did! More expensive to run, but, hey, back to the high driving position, great visibility, pothole shunning tyres, and the all important feeling of being able to cope with most any form of driving in a vehicle with genuine, proven off-road ability. SE as good as HSE (having used the LRE HSE and dealer courtesy HSEs) - full leather, double sunroof, ac, upgraded sound system, etc etc. Totally pleased and, when I feel down, I go and waste some diesel and just drive around my county til I feel better. Only two small criticisms, the Satnav isn't as good as my portable Garmin and can get me lost even on known roads, and the parking sensors don't like rain or dirt (?!), but otherwise, a really good buy.

Hi Crockett- really sorry for your loss. Glad you are getting some distration from your FL2!!!!.............thanks everyone.....

WE DID IT!!!!!! now the proud owners of a MINT!! black 07 with only 46K mles SE.......well chuffed nice price somewhat spolied by my mrs insisting we buy a 2 year AA gold warranty but got that at cost and could (hope not) be a wise extra which is transferable if we sell before............its perfect for us with 2 young yuns.........the boot is but if we wanted a huge car we would have bought one its as simple as that..........in all honesty if my kids (1.5 and 2.9) were 6/7 we would need bigger......loving it so far......ONE niggle is that my blackberry curve wont pair with bluetooth.....te Mrs's samsung glaxy does.....i went on LR site found Vin number on car and told it is compatible..and following instructions to the letter managed finally to see the device on car display but when confirm paring it just says it failed.........any advice appreciated. all the best

With pairing the Blackberry, it's a while since I've done it but, sometimes it works getting the Blackberry find the car or vice versa

Not read all replies so may be being repetitive but when i brought my price range was where the SE went out of production and XS was up specked. The reason was to reduce the different production runs that causes a drop in plant efficiency.

The XS didnt get everything the SE had but did get the one thing I most wanted which was the cold climate pack. To get the extras on the xs it has to be a 2009 production car. Be careful because it is not always reflected in the price. The dealer at Hunters Derby gave me all this info and what will give you the production date at a glance.

Look at a photo of the dash and if the temp. knobs have a heated seat symbal in the middle it is a 2009 model.

Please note it has to be a 2009 production date as many 2009 plate cars were built in 2008. I.e. Production date not first registration date.

There are other things to look out for, such as different leather/cloth seat design, stereo, anti dazzle rear view mirror, auto lights etc. The thing I miss from the SE is the multidisc stereo. I would happily swop that for the satnav anyday.

I know its another subject but I put a post code in the other day and it came up with the message "there is railway lines all round that destination, please choose another one". Made me laugh but its bloody useless.

My MY11 XS has 6 CD autochange, DAB radio, sunroof, electric heated part leather seats, armrests, leather steering wheel, puddle lamps, Satnav, auto dipping rear view mirror.

The differences between my MY11 XS and 07 SE are the SE had no leather steering wheel, no armrests and a different cloth on the non-leather part of the seats. Admitedly I added the 6xCD, DAB radio and sunroof to the XS spec.

Biscay wrote:

I know its another subject but I put a post code in the other day and it came up with the message "there is railway lines all round that destination, please choose another one". Made me laugh but its bloody useless.

That is just soooo true! Useless Sat Nav!  10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)

rchrdleigh wrote:

My MY11 XS has 6 CD autochange, DAB radio, sunroof, electric heated part leather seats, armrests, leather steering wheel, puddle lamps, Satnav, auto dipping rear view mirror.

The differences between my MY11 XS and 07 SE are the SE had no leather steering wheel, no armrests and a different cloth on the non-leather part of the seats. Admitedly I added the 6xCD, DAB radio and sunroof to the XS spec.

I agree. You can prioritise motorways etc in the settings, but I guess it thinks M3/M25/M1 is prioritising motorways, notwithstanding taking you way out of the way when A34/M40/43 etc is more direct. I find it exasperating and prefer my TomTom Go740 live when going any distance. In addition I get more up to date traffic and speed cams! 10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)