So it was my first full day with the Freelander today, and it turned out to be a very nice day. I bought this FL2 yesterday with 8000km on it, first registered in 1/08. It looks almost new inside and out. I got a great deal, and I am extraordinarily happy. When I first moved to Iceland I was not able to afford a good 4x4, so I just brought my old road car with me from the US. But with the state of the Icelandic currency, I was able to afford a nice used FL2.

So anyway, today was my first venture out. I must say that I really love the car -- it is so comfortable, pleasant to drive, and well thought out. But as soon as I got off the tarmac I realized just how much better this car was going to be for me. I am a photographer, and in the past I have been constrained by the fact that my car could not really go much further than gravel roads (and it did not even really like them very much...). So many of the interesting places here are unaccessible but for rough dirt roads or trails, and having something that can tackle them confidently is a great benefit. The car just glides over the gravel roads and potholes -- they were not an effort at all, which also means that they are not an effort for the driver. You could be on these roads for hours (and they do last that long in places), and in the FL2 they are going to be much less fatiguing.

I also took it over some quite rough terrain...well at least compared to what I am used to. I had a muddy, rutted dirt road, a black sand beach, and one rather deep puddle (heh...maybe 10 inches or so)! I went extremely slow on the rutted road, but I never bottomed out (was close a few times), but the terrain response system seemed to do a great job. It was interesting to see how differently the car handled depending on the setting -- extremely slow and steady with the mud ruts program, and of course the exact opposite on the sand!

In any case, enough talk. Here are a few shots -- I did not take any of the actual obstacles, as I was in the car! This is just on the road on the way out there, and at the beginning of the dirt road. This is all about 30 minutes outside downtown Reykjavik. Despite the off-roading, I still managed 29mpg...not bad!
So, some photos...nothing too fancy, just the car and the landscape!

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Looks like you have been having some fun whilst getting to know the new car

Now remember, if its glowing red and smoking hot, the FL2 can not drive on it although you feel it would make it easily  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Great pics!

This one is so good, it could make the cover of a Land Rover brochure!

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Just been looking through your website

Amazing photos on there Something I'll never be able to do with my Lumix point and shoot

Especially like the ones with Noelle , Svana & Irina  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I am so jealous... Iceland is just the right country for the FL2 (didn't LR made the introducting film and photo's over there?)Finding (legal)offroad in Belgium is so hard! Was recently in Afganistan (I am military photographer) and they have also great offroad over there, but is a bit difficult to get there with my FL2.
All the best with your FL2 and let us enjoy time by time your (great) pictures!  Fl2 zermattsilver TD4 S man

Thanks guys -- yes, I think Land Rover made some of the introduction films here. Frankly, a lot of people do. Once you have lived here, you notice that so many of the car commercials you have seen were filmed here. One thing in particular to look for is whether or not the roads of yellow posts on either side of the road -- you can see one in the background of the second photo. They are all along the sides of the roads here to mark them in case of snow, and they are a clear giveaway in car commercials.

Shows like Top Gear and Fifth Gear are here a lot too...the lake behind my car in the first two photos is Kleifarvatn -- it is where Top Gear drove the nitrous jeep vs the snow mobile over the water. But yes, if you like driving (any kind of driving), it can be somewhat of a paradise here -- incredible countryside, no traffic and enormous variety in road types.


And good to know about the overheating! I have never had a car overheat, but after reading the manual (well, I am 80 pages through so far) and hearing your comment, I will turn the car off immediately if it starts to get too hot. Anyway, glad to hear you liked the photos! Svana is my best friend her -- she is amazing -- businesswoman, opera singer, Land Rover fan (she likes the Disco 3 best...I have some time to convince her yet though)...


JBVox -- your photos from Afghanistan must be amazing. It's so sad there is so much turmoil there, from what I understand it is an amazing country.

Stuart,
Great pictures and amazingly they have been posted nearly twelve hours without the usual silly comments about the car being the wrong colour.!!!
Rog.

stuartr, I have to stay whitin the compounds in afganistan, where the Belgians are, and to often I am following our MOD (minister of defence) so I see a lot of briefings, office calls etc. When we are going outside we're still inside (armoured cars, no LR ) I have been several times in Iceland for excersises so I know a bit of that country (did once a 10 day drive around in a toyota with the big glacier tyres, not as good as the top gear challenge to the northpole...) and I prefere the cold over the heat in afganistan (not forgetting the war in the last one) some pictures you can see on the "www.mil.be" website, and on the site of the MOD (www.pieterdecrem.be) It's in dutch or french, sorry.
Just look for Jürgen Braekevelt (that's me) as photographer Fl2 zermattsilver TD4 S man

npinks wrote:

Just been looking through your website

Amazing photos on there Something I'll never be able to do with my Lumix point and shoot

Especially like the ones with Noelle , Svana & Irina

Grumpa 2 wrote:

Stuart,
Great pictures and amazingly they have been posted nearly twelve hours without the usual silly comments about the car being the wrong colour.!!!
Rog.

Maybe because of "his" bad back

or rightly as it is the correct colour  2007 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Manual with Premium Pack & Moonroof.
Stornoway Grey with Ebony Black Pleather, Clear Indicators, Body Side Mouldings etc.

Chris -- I meant to thank you for the compliment as well...hopefully I could get in a Land Rover brochure! That would be a great job...driving out into the Icelandic countryside in the newest Land Rovers, taking pictures....

Oakwood -- don't worry about breaking my cover...I was not worried about it in the first place. I figure the more people see my photos, the more jobs I get. I have already gotten jobs for guiding and shooting a wedding for people traveling to Iceland who had seen my photos. But I look forward to seeing the exotic corners of Belgium. Unfortunately I have not been there myself, but I do know that I love your beer (particularly Chimay and Orval), and in New York City there was a belgian restaurant that had the best mussels and chips that I have ever had.

Jürgen I went to those sites, but could not find your name listed on pictures...some of the pictures were very good though! Unfortunately I don't speak Dutch or French...I have a few others, but none that will help me here! But I think you will love your Freelander....I am shocked at how good of a car it is so far. I loved my passat on the road, but this really is in a different league.

I have my FL2 since august 2008, done 32.000 km since and enjoyed every meter. Did some soft offroad on the annual "landrover day" here in belgium (see : http://www.landrover.be/be/nl/go-beyond/ex...ew.htm)and did some driving in the south of sweden, denmark, netherlands, germany and france. As you can see I like to take my car abroad. I've been looking for quite some time now of taking several ferry's (belgium to UK to Iceland) and visit iceland with my own car, but i am still looking for some money. When I decide to make the trip, I'll let you know, and maybe we can RV somewhere... Fl2 zermattsilver TD4 S man

I wouldn't mind been able to take descent photos, and nearly bought a SLR with about 4 lenses which was a desent spec at the end of last year (2nd hand)

but thought though the camera is able to take the great photos the user would let it down and not do it justice (that and it's rear screen was only for reviewing, unlike the latest model)

I have a laptop which is full of pics which i have taken and i never look at them again  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

great photos Stuartr til hamingju with u new car fantastic collor i see u have driven to Krísuvik and green whater to Kleifarvatn its a nice plase

Stuart,
I appreciate the concern you have with cost of the orange side repeaters but I spotted these on ebay and they might be more cost effective and it will stop anymore aggro from the forum on the dreaded orange repeaters.
Site link is: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Clear-Side-Repeaters...C294%3A50.
cheers! Ralph
Zurmatt Silver, Diesel, Automatic, side steps, mud flaps, mats, boot liner, TomTom Start 60 installed, rubbing strips, removable Brink tow bar, after market tinted glass, front styling bar, Rear spoiler, Motorlicious tail pipe trim. Wood Company centre armrest