My '09 FL2 TD4 HSE is in the LR garage having a couple of faults (as described in another thread) sorted out under warranty (I hope). I have been given a courtesy car for two days and I have just driven a little over 100 miles in it today. It's a 2013 FL2 SD4 Sport, with 850 miles on the clock.

Q: Would I buy one as an upgrade to mine?

A: Short answer, No.

Long answer; It is the same argument which, for example, people considering an upgrade from the iPhone 4 to the 4s had when the 4s was released. The differences are subtle, very subtle and an 'upgrade' would be an expensive one. Okay so i'm comparing a TD4 with an SD4 and the obvious differences (aside from the 'chromed' trim on the boot etc) are in the turbo (2013 SD4 has a 'lag'), the extra horses etc. How it develops that extra B.H.P, I find makes the SD4 definitely more lively than my TD4, though I also have to consider it's relative age to my car. The differences between a new TD4 and a new SD4 aren't that astonishing in everyday driving. The differences between my TD4 and a new SD4 are bound to be greater but the same would be true for any old-for-new car comparison.

The SD4 is a bit quieter than the TD4 and the new internal upgrades aren't exactly breath-taking or worth whatever these cars cost new. Some buttons have been moved, the handbrake handle is no more and it has a keyless start. They didn't go to too much trouble to hide where the old key fob used to go either! Titilation!

So my overall assessment of the new FL2 SD4 Sport is that I don't think it's worth changing to if you already have an SD4, from a purely financial point of view. You probably already knew that. If the new Sat Nav etc module and rounded steering wheel buttons are something you absolutely need instead of the older style blocks on your steering wheel, then you could easily buy mostly any other car with those functions for much less. LR have not created a new generation of LR or even FL2, as they sort of did with the Evoke, they have tarted up the old FL2 SD4 with a few gizmos and in my opinion haven't really brought the FL2 upto date such that I would rush out and buy one. In a couple of years, the 2013 FL2 SD4 might be worth looking at if you can't think of another car which would do whatever you use your FL2 for now but I would hope that by then, LRUK would have given the good people of Halewood something stunning to build.

If you have any questions about how the car handles, please ask here and i'll do what I can to answer them. Whereabouts unknown stop going to follow stream until reach civilisation stop message ends

Interestingly since the 'upgrade' of Freelander 2 sales have increased markedly and for the first 4 months of this year it outsold the Evoque. So while the upgrades have not tempted you into making the change they have tempted many other buyers.

I owned a 07 TD4 manual and currently own a MY11 TD4 manual and have use of a MY13 SD4 auto at work. The SD4 is quieter and quicker but if I were to change mine for a newer model I'd probably still go for a TD4 manual again.

I also had a MY13 SD4 Dynamic for 24 hours last week courtesy of Enterprise and while it was a nice drive I for one will not be buying one of those, didn't like the black door handles and body styling at all.

Nice write up.

Personally I don't see the point in upgrading to a MY13 if you already own a MY11. When I bought my MY11 back in July I new that the Freelander was going to be updated, but I didn't want to wait. As much as I like the updates that the MY13 brings, I wouldn't go and spend an extra £10k on a new car with a few minor tweaks. I may upgrade next year when my car is 3 years old but I might wait until the FL3 comes out.

We had a new td4 for a week, it had 450miles on the clock, whilst ours was having a tad of bodywork done( couple of scratches) wife liked the new one, I liked the seats but found the rest overly complicated, I wouldn't trade my my11 for one,

Liked seats, rear camera ,

Didn't like the rest. My11 freelander 2, xs, Manual, 18" hse sparkles, sidesteps, privacy, zermatt silver metallic, almond nutmeg alacantra, twin electric towbar

Gone my09 xs D3

rchrdleigh wrote:

Interestingly since the 'upgrade' of Freelander 2 sales have increased markedly and for the first 4 months of this year it outsold the Evoque. So while the upgrades have not tempted you into making the change they have tempted many other buyers.

The same can be said for all Fl2 model years the only difference (besides the SD4 engine) between my 08MY and 11MY was a new front end and a shiny bit on the boot lid, the interior was still the same

I bought a 11MY when first launched and to be honest it was a big disappointment, externally it looked good but the interior hadn't been touched apart from new dials. For me the 13MY is the best yet, it's how the 11MY should have been but for obvious reasons it couldn't.

I think LR could've went a bit further with 13MY and got rid of the tacky green backlight from the steering wheel and centre console and made it white lights like the dials. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Some people will buy a new one just to show the neighbours they have the latest registration number, my neighbour buys a new one because he says if I leave it too long there will be too much money to add to get another new one.
My cousin has a standing order at his dealers every year for a new one, same type, same colour, same trim level.
He never cleans it so its his way of getting a clean.

Some people arent interested in whether their current one is better than the latest one, they just want a new one, its like a hobby to them,

j77 wrote:

The same can be said for all Fl2 model years the only difference (besides the SD4 engine) between my 08MY and 11MY was a new front end and a shiny bit on the boot lid, the interior was still the same

I bought a 11MY when first launched and to be honest it was a big disappointment, externally it looked good but the interior hadn't been touched apart from new dials. For me the 13MY is the best yet, it's how the 11MY should have been but for obvious reasons it couldn't.

I think LR could've went a bit further with 13MY and got rid of the tacky green backlight from the steering wheel and centre console and made it white lights like the dials.

Personally, I don't think the MY13 was meant to be a great advancement, it was selling very well and still is, it makes more sense to have a commonality of parts, the Evoque was brought into the world on a new electrical platform, it makes manufacturing sense to bring the LR2 onto this platform, at the same time minor cosmetic tweaks were made, freshens it up a little.
All manufacturers go through this process, at the end of the day there is an overriding compulsion for new business over repeat business, when the new FLdiscosportlander 3 comes out that is when you may see lots of current owners moving up.

To suggest that FL2 sales are buoyant because people cannot afford the Evoque is rubbish, you believe LR dealer sales people are that good (bad?) that 1000's of people are buying second best, I think not.

That's a good point, taztastic.

I see something similar with iPhones - people bemoan the lack of improvements from one generation to the next, the vocal minority and critics expecting big leaps each time. The reality is *most* people don't upgrade their phone every year, so it's the improvements across 2 or 3 generations that is a more appropriate comparison.

I have a MY2011 and drove a MY2013 on my experience day earlier in the week. Definitely preferred the new info displays and generally tidier dashboard (although a couple of the trade offs are not ones I prob. would have chosen). However those handful of improvements wouldn't be enough for me to consider an upgrade outside of my 'normal' buying cycle...but then, as you say, I'm not really the main target market.

Coming with fresh eyes to FL2 (as I did recently) the MY13 is (IMHO) a damn nice car compared with current rivals. That's a more appropriate comparison.

Perhaps car manufacturers should adopt something similar to software to differentiate between minor and major releases. So from now on, I'll refer to the MY13 as MY2011.1 (or maybe the MY2006.2)  FL2 2011 SD4 XS in Galway Green

When the lease ran out on my 08MY FL2 and went for the facelift 11MY I was delighted to have the new front end as personally I though it looked much smarter than my old one. However internally I was far from impressed - different decals on the speedo dials and ....... oh that was about it! In comparison to the competition the dashboard / controls etc were seriously out of date - even my wifes 2007 Fiesta has better displays etc. I had a 13MY a couple of months ago for a week and loved it - the LED front and rear lights really suit the FL2 and the interior, whilst not a massive update are an improvement which should reallty have come about in the 2011 facelift than now. Im hoping the 14MY will have further improvements but I doubt there will be many as the FL2 only has 18 months left.

Would I have a 13MY, yes I would but only because it would be on a lease basis, if I was buying outright than probably not as I feel any FL2 bought now will heavily depreciate once the FL3 breaks cover.

Regarding increased FL2 sales - I am led to believe this is due to non-LR owners looking at the Evoque and then discovering the lack of space and practicality - which the FL2 has in bucket loads in comparison to the Evoque.

On a final point we all moan about new car prices but I was at a car supermarket over the weekend and they had one of the new Range Rover for sale with a couple of thousnad miles on it for £110,000!!!!  Now - 2017 BMW X3 M Sport Carbon Black
Gone - 2014 BMW X3 M Sport Space Grey, faultless!
Gone - 2011 Freelander 2 SD4 HSE Bali Blue with xenons
Gone - 2008 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE Rimini Red with bodykit

chrisr1806 wrote:

j77 wrote:

The same can be said for all Fl2 model years the only difference (besides the SD4 engine) between my 08MY and 11MY was a new front end and a shiny bit on the boot lid, the interior was still the same

I bought a 11MY when first launched and to be honest it was a big disappointment, externally it looked good but the interior hadn't been touched apart from new dials. For me the 13MY is the best yet, it's how the 11MY should have been but for obvious reasons it couldn't.

I think LR could've went a bit further with 13MY and got rid of the tacky green backlight from the steering wheel and centre console and made it white lights like the dials.

But you bought a GS, there were not any changes that made the GS different to previous MYs. The HSE had the most changes with new leather seats etc.

Tbh, I wasn't that keen on the styling on the pre-MY11s. I wasn't keen on the red rear lights and boot handle, it didn't have enough interesting styling for me. The chrome piece seemed to give the rear styling a boost. What's wrong with the green lighting? I don't find it "tacky", in fact I like it.

I really like my 2011 HSE and I'm not too bothered about the updates that the MY13 has brought, but I might upgrade next year when my car is 3 years old.

It had a different fabric design.

At the time it cost £27800, and I couldn't plug a USB stick into it, despite small city cars at a fraction of the cost being loaded with tech, I just felt the 11MY lived in the shadow of the Evoque. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Update: So a warranty assessor is going to take a look at my car on Thursday and either agree that what is wrong with the car (which was wrong with the car before I bought it) is covered by LR warranty or not. If so, they'll fix it by Friday or Saturday. If not, they can put my car back together and i'll challenge the decision via legal means. Let's hope they agree to fix it because otherwise, everything I have ever said on this forum about manufacturer and dealership extended warranties will have been spot on! Whereabouts unknown stop going to follow stream until reach civilisation stop message ends

Once you spec up a FL2 the price is not far off an Evoque. In my case I think we were talking less than 2k
However the wife did not fancy the Evoque. Talked her into a test drive and she liked it even less. 'Felt like a car' and she wanted a 4x4 that felt like a 4x4. (Coming) 2016 RR Evoque td4 180 HSE Dynamc
(Going) 2013 TD4 GS Auto - Santorini Black with black leather. Cold Climate, UK Lighting & Armrest Packs. Privacy Glass. LR Rubber Mats. Full size spare.
60 000 miles averaging 35mpg

(Gone) 2010 TD4 Manual GS - Stornoway Grey. Sold at 3yrs old & 64k miles. Final average consumption 39.2mpg.