I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

I'm looking for a Freelander for the sort of occasional "muddy car park in a sloping grass field" and long potholed farm tracks, I'll be doing a low mileage, and I know the greater ground clearance will help with the potholes.

I don't want Sat Nav - I would much rather add my own. I don't want heated seats or twin climate control or leather seats. I'm not interested in glass roofs, nor heated windscreens. I don't want a permanent tow bar sticking out at the rear.

There's a very clean light blue 2007 S with a removable towbar, 16" wheels and 92,000 miles.

And a black 2008 SE with the climate stuff, part leather seats, posh stereo, 17" wheels, electric seat adjustment and heating and Sat Nav. It also has Terrain Response. It's a couple or so hundred quid more.

The blue one feels in slightly better nick.

How much of a real disadvantage are 16" wheels and lack of Terrain Response?

16 inch wheels are probably better for rough roads, terrain response wont make a huge difference either way, it does work but isnt going to let you drive anywere you cant without it it. At work
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winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

charlesp wrote:

I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

I'm looking for a Freelander for the sort of occasional "muddy car park in a sloping grass field" and long potholed farm tracks, I'll be doing a low mileage, and I know the greater ground clearance will help with the potholes.

I don't want Sat Nav - I would much rather add my own. I don't want heated seats or twin climate control or leather seats. I'm not interested in glass roofs, nor heated windscreens. I don't want a permanent tow bar sticking out at the rear.

There's a very clean light blue 2007 S with a removable towbar, 16" wheels and 92,000 miles.

And a black 2008 SE with the climate stuff, part leather seats, posh stereo, 17" wheels, electric seat adjustment and heating and Sat Nav. It also has Terrain Response. It's a couple or so hundred quid more.

The blue one feels in slightly better nick.

How much of a real disadvantage are 16" wheels and lack of Terrain Response?

I've owned 3 x FL2's - one with 17" wheels, one 18" and one 19", but never with 16" wheels. The 17's were great for off road work and driving briskly on rough country roads, but left the steering a little vague around the straight ahead. The 18's handled significantly more like an ordinary car at speed, but lost some of that rough road capability, while the 19's were too compromised for style to be practical. The 17's would be ideal for the use you've describe (they'd be my first choice if I needed to buy again), but I'd be concerned about the 16's being too flexible in the side wall for road use.

I was genuinely surprised, on a LRE training session, where we were shown how to use TR properly, at just how much easier it made to drive the car through some of the really tricky bits. If I'd never been shown how it works and how to use it, I'd have thought it was a useless gimmick and ignored it! The FL2 is hugely capable off road in any spec, but the lack of low range and a manually locking centre diff does mean that TR really has its place.

If you're planning on off roading (but still intend to use it on the road), I'd go for 17" rims, the minimum spec to give you TR, preferably an auto 'box (it's more robust than the manual's clutch) and I'd fit a Mantec sump and fuel tank guard. Then, have fun!

I've had 3 Freelander's, a S and two HSE's. The 16" alloys on the S were not a problem either on or off road. The tyres are cheaper too. Comes down to personal taste really. The S is basic but has less to go wrong. My choice would be the higher spec one though.

Agree with CG.

My Mrs would not turn the TR on if her life depended on it. She has never got stuck . We have 17" wheels they are just fine our house is off an unmade road just as you describe . the 16" will be fine too. I used the Freely this morning to drive up a steep field with 400kg of postcrete in the boot. Didn't bother with TR despite the sodden grass and a huge pond of thick mud where we had a gateway dug out on Sunday. Your Tyre choice will make more difference than the TR. get some good AT tyres like Pirelli scorpion and you won't have a problem anywhere on a 10 year old car I'd go for the lower spec. Less to go wrong. 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 .

Dilemma now solved in the time honoured fashion.

The Missus doesn't like the interior of the S, and the other one doesn't drive quite as well, so the search continues.

I agree with your missus! Nothing at all wrong with the S spec other than the seats. Try and find a GS with leather if you can. The seats in SE/XS/HSE are standard half-leather/leather but you are also paying for other things you may not want or need. My cloth seats in the S were not as supportive and went all saggy-not a good look!

if it hasn't got terrain response,doesnt that mean its only 2 wheel drive?

It is indeed a 4 wheel drive vehicle, the rear wheels being kicked into action when the front ones start to slip.

The Terrain response thingy is a refinement, which tweaks the system according to which setting the driver selects. I had a quick read of the relevant bit in the handbook, which tells us that the normal mode should be quite adequate for most situations, but the terrain response can improve matters a bit in certain extreme situations.

My son is an agronomist so spends a lot of time driving around farms, he had an S and found it worked fine off road, in fact when he moved to a GS he hardly ever used the terrain settings and found that the car would generally sort itself out. He managed to get both types stuck occasionally and always carried a long towrope for when a tractor would be required to get him out. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

Settled on a 2008 HSE, pickup is scheduled for Monday.

As this is a purchase from a private individual I'm currently puzzling my way through the transfer-tax-insurance schedule.

It was, I must confess, my dear wife who found the vehicle and pointed it out to me.

An oft forgotten bit of utility, is the Hill Descent Control. This is great on slippy hills in winter. As you get used to the system you can change the speed of descent with the +\- buttons on the cruise control . Not needed every day but very good to know how. Try it out on a steep dry hill to get used to it  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 .

good choice,i think the hse is 160bhp,a bit more than standard.

MartynB wrote:

An oft forgotten bit of utility, is the Hill Descent Control. This is great on slippy hills in winter. As you get used to the system you can change the speed of descent with the +\- buttons on the cruise control . Not needed every day but very good to know how. Try it out on a steep dry hill to get used to it

Well I've picked it up and fiddled with everything, and I have to say I'm delighted. It's a 2008 HSE in Stornoway Grey - at least I think so there's no paint code that I can find. It lived on a farm, and it's in excellent condition for its age, especially when one considers that it hasn't been through the hands of a gang of vehicle valets.

It has 90,000 miles on the clock, just serviced at a local garage that specialises in Land Rovers and has four new Pirelli Scorpion tyres. It drives well, and it has taken me this long to work through the buttons finding out what doesn't work and what's wrong with it. The list of faults is small:

Scratches on the rear bumper cover - most are shallow, a few are into the paint. These were obvious when I looked it over, and I don't see it as a real problem. I may just leave it, I may take it to a nearby body shop. Haven't made my mind up. That panl is displaced by maybe a couple of millimetres so maybe he could sort that at the same time.

The offside rear window only moves a couple of inches at a time. I've tried a reset, I'll try again tomorrow, at any rate it's hardly a real issue.

The spare key is feeble. The previous owner had split the casing with a view to replacing the battery but I suspect gave up when it was apparent that a soldering iron would be required. The fob does start the car, and it recharges as usual, but it doesn't recharge very much,so I'll be having a trip to Maplins tomorrow looking for the right battery.

And that's it. I have yet to travel in such a manner as to check out the cruise control, TRS, HDC etc, so I have no idea if that's all functioning. I can say there are no knocks or rattles, no black smoke, and the vehicle is an joy on the road. I am astonished at the power available when overtaking, and am genuinely very pleased.

I still have no idea if its posh audio system features a DAB radio, I sort of hope not as I'm an FM fan!