I've come from a Rav4 (followed by a daft buy Alfa 159) to the Freelander 2.

What a difference I've seen in how people treat you on the roads. The Rav 4 used to just blend into the crowd and folk would let you out at junctions and gererally just let you join in the day to day traffic fun.

The Alfa was let out of nigh on every junction as it was so beautiful/unusual, that folk just liked to look at it - people would even take pictures of it too?! The outside that is - not the interior trim falling off like confetti.

Now after 1 1/2 weeks of FL2 ownership I've had 2 seperate fists shook at me and a small Corsa boy (dressed as like Maverick off Top Gun) make Ginola style hand gestures at me. In 8 days!!! I'm no longer allowed out of junctions either!

Now, before you blame my driving style, it hasn't changed, exactly the same but I now sport a LAND ROVER badge and folk now hate me and my car - what's all that about then?

Its a 4x4 Simples

When I had my Alfa 156 GTA it was always let out at junctions as was my last car and XF, my BMW's well they were another story lol they have got a hate following must be all the Reps driving them thinking they own the road thats given them a bad rep over the years lol good care though. HSE TD4 Stornoway Grey ★ Rear Spoiler ★ Black Leather Interior ★ Panoramic Roof ★ Navigation with Bluetooth ★ 19 " Alloys ★ Alpine Stereo 10 Disc Auto changer and Ipod connection and lots of other nice toys ★

Jealousy does strange things to the mindset of Human Beings...... Foraging near Gaydon....
——————————————
MY13 HSE Lux SD4, Baltic Blue - current, 30,000> miles without fault
MY12 HSE 2.2 SD4, Sumatra Black - gone after 10 months/43,000 fault-free miles

it's just a shock going from Alfa (loved and let out everywhere) to Land Rover (seemingly hated and publically shunned)!

This must be a city phenomenon. I seldom drive in big cities, but over the last year or so I've covered a good part of the country (from the North where I live to Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, etc) and never had a problem. People are nicer in the countryside!

Give it a few weeks, when the white stuff falls they will all want to be your friend  p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

There have been Land Rovers on the roads since 1948 so most people alive today have become used to seeing them to the point where they just dont notice they are there. Until that is, as post above points out, nothing else on the roads is moving! Everyone can spread it - Anyone can catch it. Stay home - the life you save can be your own!

Cant say I have ever noticed anyone 'hating' mine, but then again I only had it 6 weeks or so. Driven an X trail and a CRV some as well not noticed it with those either, but then again I was never tailgated in my mini cooper S or a few other smallish cars. Maybe its just my observation skills, or the fact I live in Suffolk where turnips on the road are the biggest hazard

I would have thought that most of the angst would be against the BMW/Merc/Audi/Porsche soft roaders with shiny wheels and stuff, for a first impression at least in the LR you may be a farmer or someone who actually uses it off road, shrug.

Hi Yeoman, welcome to the Land Rover fold.

I bet you live in a city. We've moved, in the last fifteen years, from Sheffield to Runcorn and now to Cornwall. In that time I've driven Shoguns, a BMW 530d estate and my current Freelander. My daughter lives in London and we visit reasonably regularly.

The difference in driving standards and courtesy is that they reflect the population as a whole. Folk in the cities seem to be more arrogant, selfish and in-a-hurry than in the smaller towns. When you get down to Cornwall almost everyone is friendly and they have time to be sociable and courteous.

I don't think it's the car you drive, it's the people around you that make or break the life experience.

Come to Cornwall and enjoy life  Ours - 2008 Stornoway Grey HSE Auto
Tricia's - 2006 Royal Blue Beetle Cabriolet Auto
Mine - 2014 Vespa GTS 300 Super Sport Matt Black
Ours - 2007 White Bailey Pageant Champagne

Try driving a bus, everyone hates us  21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Easily sorted English Yeoman, just move house. Down ere in Cornwall there be 4x4s everywhere. In my village the Freelander 2 is possibly the single most popular vehicle with residents, not talking about the Rangy and posh Porsche Cayenne city folk on holidays. We always wave to each other and bees polite, and we like pasties but have to be careful not to leave pasties in the vehicle overnight........
Robin

sounds like Cornwall is the place to be for FL2 driving then! I'd not exactly call Whitley Bay a big city mind you. Gonna take a supply of old golf balls in a cubby hole and hoy them at LR haters.

pab wrote:

This must be a city phenomenon. I seldom drive in big cities, but over the last year or so I've covered a good part of the country (from the North where I live to Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, etc) and never had a problem. People are nicer in the countryside!

It's not just cars, I was driving down a local country lane and a cyclist coming towards me started shouting using quite offensive language at me (the window was open), the wife asked what I had done, the cyclist said I should pull off the road so he could have a clear run without having to slow down to pass close.

I ask you, a flipping cyclist wants a license paying motorist to pull in onto the grass verge and stop to give a cyclist unhindered passage without him even having to slow!

Unlike them, I actually do own the road, I have paid enough tax over the years!  MY2014 SD4 XS
Ipanema Sand

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

my house stands on a hill overlooking a minor road 600m away, groups of cyclists use the round most sundays always in a swarm 4 or so abreast. fair enough no bid deal they stick to there side of road and wear dayglo. but on calm days you can hear their shouts nearly everytime a car comes the otherway, normally offensive and very loud,,

They get so stressed about the whole car on road thing,I dont see why they are so surprised , why cant they just chill and enjoy their Sunday cycle? If the proximity of cars is so bad they should slim down the pack to 2 abreast or single file.

when they are racing or time trailing the marshals set cones out on the road and get furious and foul mouthed with any car driver who doesnt obey their bossy arm waving instructions.
Most locals are sick of it all and simply ignore the marshalls now, not a safe position for the cyclists the marshals are supposed to be protecting.
The 1st logical rule of marshalling should be ' avoid setting up time stops just around bad bends ' At work
At home

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