I had the commercial so the hard top cheese wedge thing but with windows, took it off once, decided it looked like barbies car and put it back on.
it didnt have the rear surround bars either At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

it looked better with bars, some uneducated souls referred to it as a roll cage

The commercial hard-top never had side windows, and the body windows between the B and C pillar were omitted also.

The hard-top of the 3dr car had side windows and fitted the commercial.

Early commercial hard-tops had aluminium blank windows, later LR changed these to fibreglass.


IN Holland the commercial had an extended upper roof .....




.... this was to get around tax rules.




I had a Hard-Top that had pop-up sunroof, side nett'ed widows and full glass panels.


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Those Dutch commercial hard tops in reality were really a waste of time . They actually had no extra real "useful" capacity. IIRC , the Freelander 1 didn't quite have enough capacity to be classed as a commercial vehicle in Holland, but by increasing it by a certain amount meant it could be. Hence this style hard top.
The roof section was silkoflexed to the original hard top with just a cavity cut into the centre of the original hard top around 20 or so inches wide , with an inverted tray of around 2 or 3" deep at most, self tappered into the cut out hole. Very crude indeed. Saw some Dutch guys with one at one of the LRO shows in Peterborough. I asked them about obtaining one. With shipping , they reckoned about £1600 !!! Found mine on a LHD car being broken by Equicar, paid £45. Like the Discovery style "Stepped" roof look it gave. It was also a to get on and off because of the extended front.

Hi, On a (non-related) business trip to Holland, I found the factory that made them, the guys even gave me a tour. Yes they were crudely built. The left and right side panel cheeks were standard build, but the centre roof was just like in upturned tray. (as RealBeale says)
This was definitely done for 'vehicle taxation class'. Just that small increase in VOLUME put the FL1 commercial .... in a lower class.




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Tigger wrote:

Doesn’t “dated” refer to some pointless fashion bauble being superseded by an equally pointless (but more “up to date”) bauble?

Good design should never date...

One looks like a 4WD & the other looks like a hatchback!

Click image to enlarge

I always look at the RR Silver Shaow and it's derivatives then look at the following models including todays monstrosity and think it was a very classic almost timeless 3 box design but isn't it small now, the latest Mondeo is probably bigger. It is said if you can't wear a top hat in the rear seat it is not up market, you might just get away with one in an FL2 but not in an Ewok or DS  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Last edited by Dartman the one on 13th Mar 2018 10:54 am. Edited 1 time in total

Lol! I’ve spent too much time on LR forums! I read RR Silver Shadow and was trying to remember that Range Rover version!  2005 D3 2.7 Auto
Previously:
2010 MY FL2 TD4e GS - Now gone at 199,500 miles, about 135,000 of them mine.
‘93 Defender 110 200TDi CSW
‘87 Defender 90 4 cyl Petrol
‘83 110 CSW V8 - best ever!
Range Rover 2-door V8 (not sure of year - 4-speed box and vacuum diff switch)
Series III SWB Diesel

1926 RR Twenty Horsepower 6 cylinder 3127cc, for the smaller prestige market! A bit like the smaller Land Rover aka Freelander!

Click image to enlarge

I can imagine the same conversations took place amongst FL1 owners when the FL2 came out. No doubt you’ll all change your opinions the day after you no longer are FL2 owners and see the light .........  Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

My sister has an Evoque, the roof is so low and the sides are so high, you feel like you are peeking out over the edge of a coffin with the lid resting on one's head! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Coffin. That will come all too soon enough.  FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Having had a Disco Sport as a courtesy car I have to agree with Lightwater, the newer model feels like a normal hatchback not a Land Rover. Getting back into mine felt like stepping up in the world, a feeling I haven't felt since as a kid we bought an ex army 2A 109 as the family car after running a normal car for a while - that first ride during he test drive with my dad felt like I was in a HGV - great feeling.

Never driven an Ewok but having been picked up from the station when collecting mine in one the coffin with lid on comment isn't far of the mark either, not for me at all.
Shame the rest of the range is going the same way is all I can say

I am pretty ambivalent over the Freelander 3 (AKA Disco Sport). The engine is nice and the interior inoffensive if not quite pleasant. The back seats are much better (but who cares if the hangers on are happy in the back?). It seems a bit big and bulbous although the dimensions, when compared to FL2 would suggest otherwise.

The main issue I have with FL3 it is it isn't "Special". We have a V8 90 and, while neither comfortable, quiet or anything else which might be considered nice it always raises a great big grin. By comparison to FL3 Terry The Tangerine Truck is like the 90. Driving it is like a sense of occasion. It is nosier, and slower and more cramped than the FL3 but still makes me smile.

So, back to the original question "How dated is FL2?" funny thing, I think the original FL2's look less dated than the face lifts. The originals (like Terry) have a cohesive design which may yet become a Classic. The facelifts have all sorts of design elements bolted on from other models in the range to try to make it look more contemporary which, I think, actually spoil the look of the vehicle and make it look like too many trips to the Halfords styling department.