Hi, new to the forum and first post. Any/all help greatly received.
I currently own an early ('99) Freelander 2.0 XEDi. Bought new (ex dem) from Rocar Moores in Huddersfield its been a fantastic vehicle. This is the old and much loved bus:



We weren't looking at swapping (recent underseal and other work with keeping it another year or two in mind) but given the prices at the moment we're going to.
We briefly considered a BMW X3 just for a change but even though by comparison they are a little cheaper they appear very basic. With cash and part ex (although we will probably sell ours so its just cash) we will be looking at 2007 SE or 2006/2007 HSE. The HSE will be a stretch whereas the SE would be a more comfortable purchase.
The SE doesnt look to be too far off HSE spec but is generally a couple of grand cheaper. (SE £15k ish, HSE 17k ish screen prices through Landrover.co.uk used car finder). I did go to a Landrover dealer (Guy Salmon in Stockport) but the salesmans ego was like their car prices - over inflated ... so I'm unlikely to go back there again.

For this ^^ reason I was wondering whether people feel the HSE is worth the extra money?
Are there any 'must haves' on the HSE that arent on the SE?
(If I get the SE I'll be fitting a console/armrest so the seat arms arent too much of an issue tbh).

With regards to the SE - does it have leccy seats? And are the mirrors powerfold?

What kind of cost is the Landrover twin electric towbar plus fitting? Having read some of the threads where folk have had problems with sensors etc. with aftermaret towbars. I'm thinking getting one done at the dealers would make sense. (Maybe financial aswell if part of the deal). Is the fixed one best? I'm not bothered about it being visible. It would be used with an Alko hitch. Is there a better aftermarket alternative?

Any other general advice from folks who have been in same/similar position would be welcomed.
Would also appreciate any recommendations on a good dealer to talk to who is realistic on prices after our experience with Guy Salmon.

Many thanks.
Kingy.

Hi there, I have the gs spec and i beleive that all models have the powerfold mirrors .

As for the towbar we had the LR detachabel fitted and have no issues with the reversing sensors we also have the alko tow hitch and it's fine,

I am sure the other guys with the se/hse spec will be able to telll you more model spec ,i had a hse courtesey car for a few weeks and the only thing i did not like was the sat nav system but maybe thats cause i am used to the tom tom.

And welcome to the forum

You have 2 choices re the tow bar. Firstly you can go to an LR dealer and get them to fit an LR tow bar and the LR towing electrics. They also have to do a software update, following which the parking sensors will auto cancel when you select reverse, and the trailer turn signals will work on the dash if you are hitched to a trailer or caravan.

Alternatively, you can go to an independent tow bar fitter who can do the towbar and electrics bit but maybe not the software update (although some do, most do not from what I can see).

I had a problem with my tow bar where the LR dealer suggested an independent fitter as it was cheaper (the LR dealer quoted me £500 for a dealer fitted LR fixed swan neck bar) but didn't say that the independent's price did not include the proper towing electrics kit (which is basically a module to which the wires to the 12N/12S or 13-pin sockets simply plug in to, and from which some wires plug in to the existing FL2 wiring, plus a couple of extra fuses). Instead, they simply cut into the existing wiring! I've since had another LR dealer sort things out properly!!

So, knowing what I do now, I would go for the LR dealer fit option as it's less grief for you if you have any problems. You must make sure that you get the LR wiring kit fitted as well as the tow bar so you don't have the parking sensor problems etc.. Hopefully you can arrange something as part of the deal

BTW my caravan has the Al-ko AKS3004 stabilizer and this is fine with the fixed swan neck Brink tow bar that I have (I believe that the LR towbars are actually made by Brink and re-badged). GONE - 2011/11 Freelander 2 SD4 XS Auto
Bali Blue
Rear Spoiler
DAB
Arm Rests
Privacy Glass
LR Tow Bar & Electrics

Hi I have the SE auto which in my opinion(for what it is worth) having driven both is a much better car that the manual.

If you get the spec sheets the difference in price between the SE and HSE is not worth it.

The SE does have electricaly heated sets and the are very good with two heat settings.

Only downside to SE is the steel spare wheel but if you dont have a hang up about this go for it.

Towbar. If you find a good independant you can get a detachable unit with 13 pin plug(and in my case the correct 7 pin adaptors) and software upgrade for less the £400.00 If you do not trust anyone local have a day out in Chester and go to Chester Towbar Centre.

Bill Turner Life Honorary Member of Wallasey Motor Club.
Licenced MSA Radio Operator for 35+ years.
Rallying is the only sport.

Contact our site sponsors CHPR who will be able to sort out a deal and will look after you without the ego Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

The HSE also gives you full leather. Most SE models I looked at had part leather in a dodgy blue colour, horrid.

The Sat Nav comes in both and is not particularly user friendly in my view but I am used to Tom Toms. HSE also has a top notch sound system over the SE.

Also, with the HSE you get a nice HSE badge on the rear. On the SE you only get an SE  TD4, HSE, Santorini Black, SS side protection tubes, clear side repeaters, chrome wing mirror covers

The sound system in a SE is just as good as the HSE, 5.1 is worthless in a car IMO

If your looking at a full leather interior, you would be better going for a SE and having it converted by a coachfitter as then you would be at least having full leather instead of leather and vinyl.

HSE has auto dipping side mirrors too, which point to the floor when you select reverse, but when your reversing your not always parking, so you have to adjusted them to see which is annoying

I think in todays market, you could get a good deal on both the SE & HSE, with a little difference in mileage between them.

You could always have a look in the for sale section of the forum as i think there is a couple in there  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I have the SE but I did end up adding most of the HSE toys (full leather, so I could get the arm rests! which had the bonus of coming with electric seats, dipping wing mirrors etc) – I think the only thing that is missing on mine when compared to HSE is the Dolby prologic surround sound (2 additional rear speakers) and something to do with the aircon / heating ventilation although I can’t remember exactly what now!

If the leather and electric seats are no big deal then the SE does seem good value for money… To think I paid in the region of £27k all in for mine in December 07, which at the time was a cracking deal considering the additions… but hey, I’ve had the best 12 months of motoring since!… a great car!

Grab a bargin! 2008 SE, HSE wheels, Black Premium Leather, Privacy Glass, Sports Kit, Side Steps, various LED upgrades and Clear side indicators.

Hy Kingy,

I had exactly the same question a month ago and did not know what to go for (SE/HSE), then I found my "baby"- means the right colour, the main features - and I went for the SE:

My tonga-green SE TD4 has
- manual gear box (I prefer this consumption saving and more challenging driving mode)
- marvellous leather/vynil seats in Alpaca/Tundra green, which is just great concerning sitting on more temperate vynil seats rather than on leather seats in hot summer or cold winter. Though it has 2 step-seat heating system, the first 60 sec. are crucial .
- the SE has electric seat adjustment but no memory function (I do not like e-seats at all, since it is long lasting (manual adjustment is much easier) and eventually risky, if a failure with the system occurs).
- I just ordered an armrest with an extra storage box.
- It has the audio system plug in for the rear seats (which our dog does not really need, an airconditioning outlet/fan (?) would have been much more appreciated.

Well, I would have gone for the HSE, if I would have found it in "my colour" outside as well as interior - since most of the time I see my car from inside only ! Thus I appreciate a nice working space / traditional British Club Atmosphere in my beige/green armchairs !

I hope this helps a bit when making your decision.

Best regards
FreeGreen

Hi Kingy, welcome to the forum.
Mine is a 2007 SE, and as others have said has most of what an HSE has. I have a removable towbar on mine (original LR fit) and now have an issue of a bit of play in it while locked in- see my thread in the technical section. As far as the spare wheel is concerned, I did order mine with the 5th alloy as I think a few owners did, so you may be lucky and find one.
I did joke to the Mrs the other day as it clocked over 20000 miles that it was time to get rid of it, her response was "its built like a tank so you can wait until it has another nought on the end". Thing is I wouldnt be surprised to find that it would do it.
Good luck with your search, dont take any notice of the dealer prices. If you go in having already sold your existing one you can try naming your price and see if the salesman calls you back as you head for the door.
Pity your'e not down in the South East, I'd recommend the dealer that I use.

Thanks for all the replies and advice so far. Much appreciated and very helpful.
Looks like an SE would be best value for what we want and dealer fitted fixed swan neck towbar (or equivelant).

npinks - Thanks for the link to CHPR. I had a look, but they are a bit too far from me tbh. I wont discount them though. Once I've made my decision, if they have a vehicle I'm interested in I'll phone them and mention the forum.

Reading other threads on here (generally) there do look to be a few ongoing faults. We will be looking at keeping the vehicle we buy for a fairly long time. Neither of us can be bothered swapping and changing and think nothing of keeping cars 8-10 years as we have with the Freelander 1 we currently own. Have many owners of 2006/2007 F2's had reliability issues? Particularly electric. There are a lot of gizmos on the SE which make it more attractive to buy, but I'm wondering whether or not they will be trouble free in the long term. I can imagine trips to the Landrover dealer out of warranty will come at a premium.

My heart says a Landrover F2 SE is the way forward, plus it has all the bells and whistles - which is nice. But my head keeps niggling that a BMW X3 would be more reliable for the longterm (albeit at the expense of some nice extras - and its a bit .... well .... ugly by comparison).

I tried an X3 many moons ago, its a totally different ride the the FL, it crashed and bashes along from one pot hole to the next, if you have fillings it will have them out. Just terrible. The thing is it is probably nice on high quality German roads, just doesn't suit ours. 58 HSE, auto, lago grey, tints. Mine and my dogs Storm and Sky
TT Quattro, black. Ers.
AC Cobra rep in build. Ars.

stormsky wrote:

I tried an X3 many moons ago, its a totally different ride the the FL, it crashed and bashes along from one pot hole to the next, if you have fillings it will have them out. Just terrible. The thing is it is probably nice on high quality German roads, just doesn't suit ours.

so just like the FL1 then

seriously, are HSE's £17k now  Phil

phil_wkl wrote:

so just like the FL1 then

Lol. Nah, the FL1 is best described as very comfy ... if a little vague when cornering!

phil_wkl wrote:

seriously, are HSE's £17k now

Yes mate. Screen prices .... 56 reg £16,999, 07 reg £17,481, 57 £17,995. Thats before any negotiations.
Knock roughly £2,000 off for prices on the SE for same years.

We went hrough the same quandry too. In teh end it came down to the fact that 99% of the toys are already on the SE. True we have the "part leather in a dodgy blue colour," upholstery and actually I quite like it. I know everyone says you must have leather but to be honest, I have full leather in my merc and on balance, especially in this weather, I prefer fabric. The only reason normally to have full leather is to get heated seats but LR kindly put that in with fabric on the SE. Other than that it looks lovely when new but after a few years (and you seem to be a 'keeper') it goes saggy, cracked and shiny in any car- whereas the fabric in the SE looks like it will last and last.
An arm rest would be nice, but we have one on a loaner at the moment and I find it gets in the way of the handbrake.
Auto is a good option that hasn't been mentioned. It's allegedly especially good for towing - saves that burning clutch smell as you menouver. Worth considering. Our loaner is auto and the Mrs says, after driving it for a week, her only regret on her FL is going for a manual. (I wanted her to get an auto - can't understand why anyone would voluntarily choose a manual, but I didn't think I told you so would do me any good .)

If you and the Mrs both drive it a lot, the memory seat option in the HSE is good though. SE seats are still electric but you still need to set them up each time but aside from that we couldn't think of anything on an HSE we really cared about.

Ours was an ex demo that came with a towbar already fitted (another reason we picked it) - I dare say there are a few about with bars already on so you may be able to save the towbar hassle altogether, or else 'negotiate' one into the deal.

As far as price is concerned, you can never tell. Always best to sit down with a phone book and call all the dealers in the area. Ours came from York (Armstrong Massey) in the end as when we told them the deal, Wakefield, Leeds and Guiseley all said "If that's their price, you should buy it". It all depends on what they have in stock, what it stands them at and how long they've had it on the day you call, so no such thing as a cheap dealer, only a cheap dealer on the day. Also, many hike their prices a bit so they can offer a good trade in value, so without one, you should be able to negotiate a big discount from 'expensive' dealerships.

Oh - an an X3 - really Surely not. Easy way to tell if you'd fit. Ask yourself an honest question, have you used your indicators at ant time in the last 3 months and do you ever want to be let out at a junction?
Seriously the X3 falls well short in every test I've seen or read. The ride is awful allegedly and build quality no better than the fl. I am a german car nut (won't consider anything other than a merc) and I think the fl2 is great. Rather tempted with a RR sport mind ....  07 Freelander 2 TD4SE Tambora Flame, side steps, privacy glass, mud flaps, boot liner and a tow bar. Ok it's the Wifes but she lets me drive it occasionally - if I've been good!