2009 Landrover Freelander 2 – Long Term Review and Road Test
April 27, 2009 by Anthony Crawford
“Easily the most accomplished and prestigious compact SUV package on the road today – bar none”
The CarAdvice long-term garage has been home to Land Rover’s smallest vehicle, the Freelander 2 in HSE TD4 guise and I’m pleased to report it’s been a thoroughly pleasant experience, so far.
More like a junior Range Rover is how I’ve been describing the Freelander 2, to the countless friends and admirers who have asked my opinion of the vehicle.
Let me say, there is absolutely no shortage of on-road presence and cachet, when it comes to the entry-level member of the Land Rover SUV range.
Moreover, why wouldn’t I describe it as such, with standard features which include; an all leather interior (including door trim), electric front seats, six-speed auto, rear park distance control, rain sensing wipers, dual automatic climate control and just about every safety and electronic on road, off road system ever developed, its not hard to see why the Freelander 2 is currently Land Rover’s most successful model, worldwide.
However, it’s a tough market out there, and there’s a stack of compact Sports Utility Vehicles in this particular segment, in fact, I counted seventeen brands and near enough to seventy individual model variants within the category.
Australians have taken to compact SUV’s like ducks to water, and that’s hardly surprising given the many advantages they have over sedans, when it comes to the needs of lifestyle conscious families and singles alike.
It’s not so easy loading a mountain bike, stroller, or even a small surfboard into a garden-variety four-door sedan. That task is far easier in an SUV, especially so, if the vehicle has flat folding rear seats similar to the system in the Freelander 2.
Whereas some split fold systems are cumbersome and overly fiddly for the user, the Freelander uses a simple, two-stage process, which requires minimal physical effort, at least when collapsing.
Whilst you can get away with using just one arm to lower the seat-back, you will most definitely need two strong arms to raise it, unless you’re a Fitness First junkie, and one that pumps iron at least several days a week.
The upside is that the rear seats are far more comfortable and supportive than anything I’ve sat in, within this segment.
Make no mistake; this is a significantly improved vehicle over the first generation Freelander, which although quite successful for Land Rover, just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Too small, not aggressive enough, and lacked that essential Land Rover DNA, which the Freelander 2 has in spades.
The front of the new car especially does it for me, with that Range Rover Sport-like metallic grille and side vents, looking every bit the prestige ride.
It’s also the upright and boxy design, which although not as contemporary as some of its competitors (think XC60 and CX7), offers a large interior load space and better all round vision, due to the increased window area.
While its not as large or quite as roomy as the Discovery line up, there’s not much in it, given the Freelander 2 can easily accommodate five adults in sedan like comfort.
For the active lifestyle crew, I regularly piled in a Mongoose mountain bike, two surfboards along with wetsuits and towels with one of the kids, which took all of a couple of minutes to load.
You also get that unique ‘Command View’ driving position and signature individual armrests, which has been synonymous with Land Rover’s upper class siblings from day one of their existence. This allows for superb high-up vision forward, without feeling like you are behind the wheel of one those impossibly tall iron ore rigs.
And then there’s the Freelander’s robustness and practicality, things like the super-size door handles, which are both easy to open and virtually kid proof.
It’s the same story on the inside, large door grabs for an easy door close, something very few designers of competitive SUV brands seem to have recognised. I suspect they’re either single or childless.
While the leather upholstery inside the Freelander is not as soft or as sumptuous as I have sat on, it does feel thicker than most, and should be highly durable over the long term. These are also some of the most supportive seats as far as anyone with chronic back pain.
I’m not so praiseworthy of the rather high sill once you’ve raised the large tailgate. It certainly presents a struggle if you need to lift an arm full of heavy grocery bags onto the rear load deck.
The upside is, that you get a full size spare wheel across the entire Freelander line up, and that’s essential if you ever want to veer off the beaten track.
Not enough of those baggage hooks in the rear cargo area either I counted just two. These simple plastic additions are a terrific idea, as they secure groceries well enough, allowing you to take a few tight corners without losing every can and Granny Smith. You know what I mean.
There’s a premium feel to the cabin too and it’s not just the leather or other creature comforts. There’s a lot of Land Rover Discovery inside the Freelander, the centre console, steering wheel, and even the shifter, all look decidedly similar to the Discovery interior.
The front seats are especially supportive and long stints behind the wheel are back pain free. There’s plenty of leg and headroom front and back, along with a tonne of space between the driver and front passenger in the Freelander 2.
Most prestige carmakers like you to tick as many options boxes and you can afford, and Land Rover is no different in this regard.
The pick of the bunch is the Alpine audio system with 7.1 surround, 12×40W amplifier, Subwoofer and 13 speakers. I sincerely doubt whether you have a system in your living room, which delivers such depth of clarity and power, as this unit does.
Not so good though, is the lack of proper iPod connectivity, all you get is a simple auxiliary input and that means that you cannot change tracks or alter the volume from the buttons on the steering wheel and frankly, that’s a bit of a pain.
As part of the same Technology Pack you also get an easy to use touchscreen Satellite Navigation system although, it is DVD based and not hard-drive, but it certainly gets you where you want to go without any drama.
Bi-Xenon headlights are far superior to the standard Halogen powered headlights and if they’re adaptive (move with the steering wheel) as they are in this particular Freelander, night driving doesn’t get any safer.
But all this additional technology comes at a cost, in this case, a substantial $8350, which of course is all worthwhile provided you have the funds.
With parking spaces becoming increasingly smaller these days due to those overly capitalistic local councils, you’ll find the Power Fold side mirrors particularly useful. When you hit the lock button on the remote key fob, both mirrors fold in so as to make it easier for those parking next to you. Consider this feature extra insurance for you car.
And while you don’t get a smart key in the traditional sense, (you need to insert the fob in to the dash and hit the start button) few other SUV brands can boast a fully waterproof fob, which I successfully tested in a two-metre swell at Manly Beach.
If I told you that the Freelander has the same wading depth as the ‘go anywhere’ Land Rover Defender, that’s 500mm, you might think that climbing aboard might be a tad difficult for some.
Not so, in fact, it’s actually easier than climbing aboard most sedans, which require you to lower yourself into the seat, but with the Freelander you just step in and sit, almost perfect.
Hit the start button in the HSE TD4 and you awaken a rather agricultural sounding 2.2-litre diesel engine, which will change your view on the so-called oil burner, forever.
It may not be the quietest of turbo diesels at least on start up, but the way this thing climbs steep tarmac slopes, probably isn’t legal.
Most people tend to look at the diesel option in an SUV of this size, purely on fuel economy, and while that makes perfect sense, it doesn’t take into account the driveability benefits of a modern diesel due to the massive dose of torque available (400Nm) from very early in the rev range.
That means that even with an average fuel economy of around 10.5 litres per 100kms (ADR combined), the Freelander can climb hilly terrain all day long with more aplomb than most V8 powered sedans.
There’s a slight pause when you drop the right pedal, but from the moment the rev counter nudges 2000rpm, the Freelander just takes off and feels a whole lot quicker than the published 0-100km/h figure of 11.2 seconds.
Freeway cruising is even better, very quiet and very non-diesel like. At our national speed limit of 110km/h, the Freelander is barely ticking over at 1800rpm and using 9.0L/l00kms; you’ve got to be happy.
The six-speed auto transmission has been well matched to the 2.2 litre, turbo-diesel and although, you have option of a sequential manual shift, you probably won’t use it as the standard shift pattern works so well, with perfectly placed ratios whenever you need them.
You don’t expect a compact SUV of these dimensions and one with ‘best in class’ off road capability to deliver a car like ride, but that’s exactly what you get with a Freelander, regardless of the road surface.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re charging over shopping mall speed bumps or crash tackling Sydney potholes; the ride in the Freelander is always compliant, if not supple.
Even more impressive, when you consider our vehicle is running on the optional 19-inch wheels. That said I would expect even more compliance with the standard 17-inch kit.
Land Rover are always beating the drum about “breadth of capability” and after living with the Freelander for the last couple of months, they have every right to keep on beating.
I’ve driven the Freelander 2 from Alice Springs to El Questro in Western Australia, but oddly enough, it was an all too easy experience with little if any challenge.
On the other hand, my colleague Alborz has had the vehicle on some very soft sand dunes in Queensland, and says that it handled the test route better than some of the larger low range equipped four-wheel-drives.
So still not satisfied, I sent the question as to how well the Freelander 2 actually handles severe off road conditions to an insider at Land Rover in the Britain, and this is what I received in reply:
“Probably the best thing about the Freelander is it’s off road capability. It can get through the entire off road course at the proving ground without any dramas. So generally anywhere the Defender can go so can the Freelander, albeit slower and more carefully. This ranges from muddy ruts, deep sand, boulder crawl, steep grades, wading etc. Hard to believe but I’ve seen it done”.
While there is absolutely no doubting the Freelander’s off road skills, I wasn’t quite so sure about its driving dynamics on the tarmac.
After all, it’s a large, practical and boxy design, with a solid 4WD pedigree but then so is the Range Rover Sport, which dispenses with chicanes like a Lotus Elise S.
Freelander 2 also has a very stiff body, so there is very little flex in it’s monocoque construction, meaning you can put it through just about any twisty bit of road and the vehicle remains firmly planted and feels almost sports car like.
The steering has a superb feel from dead centre to lock and only serves to inspire the driver to treat this SUV more like a well sorted sports sedan.
It’s the same story with the brakes, which are equipped overly large vented discs and haul the Freelander up with the same confidence, as you expect in a performance car. Pedal pressure is also nice and progressive.
With sports car like driving characteristics, Land Rover have clearly thought long and hard about driver and occupant safety, adding a list of on and off road safety features that would rival most prestige cars with a price tag twice that of the Freelander 2.
Active safety systems include; Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD), Electronic Traction Control (ETC), Corner Brake Control (CBC, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Roll Stability Control (RSC) and Hill Decent Control (HDC).
Coupled with seven airbags and full-time 4WD, I am more than comfortable taking my family on our annual pilgrimage from Sydney to Gold Coast this year.
There’s actually very little negative feedback to report with the Freelander 2, as it is such a well sorted all round family ride, with plenty of prestige cachet to boot.
Stay tuned for my next report from the Stockton sand dunes next month.
Print it: 
Sounds absolutely great, which is surprising. Have Land Rovers reliability issues improved over recent years? Not meaning to be antagonistic, just curious as I have little experience with the brand myself.
Anthony,
The Freelander 2 has an impressive claimed towing capacity.
Any chance of some feedback on how it actually copes towing something over 1500kg??
Just a bug-bear of mine…those tiny, fiddly buttons & dials located so far down on the centre console. When will car makers’ realise how dangerous this is? So many safety features in today’s cars & yet you have to take your eyes of the road for so long to search for these basic comfort controls. They should be up level with the speedo etc & large. I would love to see more written about this obvious safety issue.
Bret, I’ll organise a trailer test with my next report, perhaps a jetski if I can get hold of one.
its hardly compact.
I’ve had mine for 18 months now and am very happy with it. It really is a very versatile vehicle. It tows well, handles the commute in comfort and on the weekend you can have some fun off the tarmac.
HAL, I have lots of experience with Land Rovers both new and old and I can tell you that the ones that they have been making for the last five or six years are a massive improvement. They’re still not the world’s most reliable brand but there’s no reason to be scared of buying one anymore. They are fantastic cars. Some of the best all rounders on the market with some of the best build quality.
I have had no problems with my Range Rover or my Discovery and they have both gone a very long way. The Discovery has gone over 200,000 miles! I also found out the other week that my mother has had a Freelander 2 for a couple of years (how did I miss that?) and she hasn’t had a problem with that either.
You’ll hear from others telling about their Land Rover nightmares but the fact is that it’s only the people who are having problems that go and vent on internet message boards about how bad their car is. Every brand sends out some lemons here and there but I reckon that about 95% of Land Rover owners are probably perfectly happy with their car.
At the end of the day, they’ve just updated the interiors (which most likely means new electric systems) and have had brand new engines from Jaguar who just beat Lexus in US reliability surveys. Most are just carrying stereotypes from the late nineties.
In the 2009 initial quality survey by JD Power (US) Lexus came out tops. See http://www.jdpower.com/corpora.....009108.pdf
Jaguar was way down and Land Rover the second worst, just above Mini.
I do not know which survey Alex is referring to, but JD Power is well respected and widely quoted. Not by Land Rover and Jaguar, of course.
the background photo where the car is been shot at is very familiar to me, is that being shot at International College of Managmenet in Manly or am i been mistaken
Cheers Alex. Good to get some feedback from someone who has actually had some first hand experience with them. A guy I used to work with is a Land Rover tragic, as is his whole family. They are serious 4WD nuts and swear by them, but I also think their love of them sweetens some of the mechanical issues they seem to have had over the years. But this Freelander 2 seems like a car worth considering for the purpose of, as you put it, a good all rounder.
Thanks again.
Anthony- did you know you can get a flat rear load floor by removing the rear head rests and storing them in the holes provided in the base of the seat (now upright).
Alex
You are spot on with regards to the pluses and minuses of the Land Rover marque. I use to visit a hill resort in Malaysia where Landies are the ONLY vehicle that can reach the hill top for the past 50 years. Forget about the Toyota Landcruisers, the Muranos, Lexus or even the VW Toureg as none can even reach the halfway house. Landies also rule the deep jungles of Borneo. Yet, I’ve friends who complain incessantly about how unreliable their Land Rovers and Range Rovers are. + & -
Excellent Wagon. I’d have no probs with a 2.2 Diesel, basically the same unit in Jag X-types and Ford mondies. It’s a stunning performer in both these cars, having driven both, I would have no doubts about towing abilities although they might struggle with over 1200Kg’s possibly.
Anthony,
Thanks. I don’t know what a jetski/trailer combo might weigh, but to be useful, a towing test MUST delve into the 700 – 2000kg “BRAKED” towing capacity range.
Cheers.
I have had my LR2 TD4 HSE for about 5 months now. Bought new with Premium pack MYO09. So far have done about 6000Kms and one long distance trip, Sydney to Melbourne and back. Yet to take it offroad, planning soon.
The vehicle drives like a charm have no issues so far. Sound in cabin is not an issues for this Turbo Diesel. Choose this vehicle over LR Discovery 3 as I have a small family and a 7 seater was not required, got the same leg room at the back as second row seats in Discovery 3. I sat in both and checked it out, being 6 feet tall; so no issues there and hence got better value for money with all the optional premium pack thrown in. Electric heated seats with 3 driver memory settings works perfect.
Did not opt for technology pack as the existing sound system with Alpine speakers were adequate for me, the optional LR navigation unit was found to be slow in response, saved $8000/- there, instead opted for a $900 flagship Tomtom navigation unit.
Power and torque to weight ratio is far better than any big SUV in the Australian market, moreover with 500mm wading depth. This is an SUV for the weekend adventurer and those who do not need more than 5 seats. There is ample boot space to load up. Very Happy…
PS:
Forgot to mention, the Freelander 2 is wider (2180mm) than its larger cousins (Discovery 3 and Range Rover), hence very comfortable seating.
Lucky you Sumeet, I saw one in the flesh for the first time in the City (Melb) the other night and I must say it is a very nice looking piece of kit. What was you driveaway price if you don’t mind me asking?
just back from the UK and Freelander 2s are taking over the streets, LR is obviously on a winner with this one, think I have found a suitable replacement for my ageing Discovery 1
Hi all,
I have driven Landrover type II, III localy rebuild at Asia and my dad’s military and his defender. I own before Discovery in 1999 and at later down graded to Freelander SE 2.5. Disco was troublesome in electrical, my local West- Queenslander can’t fixed. Freelander 2003 is nicey, On the road it was not better than Toyota RV4 2006 and towing is poor than RV4. The clibing to Toowoomba range made a dant on floor and sore my toes. My wife never been look back to Landrover and she against me NOT landrever anymore. I’m stop seeing landrover and stated looking other SUV. After the driving test XC 60 Volvo whilst wating delar to discuss at little moment of spare time I accidentaly went in to Landrover show room even my wife said NO Landrover. Again I accidentaly went out driveing test on Freelander 2, and the next day I came back and deposit given and singe contracte to buy Freelander 2 without further researching.
If you guys experienc above are become true I should not have problems with my wife. Freelander 2 weill be deliver to me at next 3 weeks. See it go beyound.
Aungtoe
Had my HSE TD4 for 6 months now. Very happy – brilliant both on and off road, city driving and country cruising. Comfortable and capable in all situations. Yes, diesel a bit noisy when cold at idle, but as soon as it’s warm, it’s quiet and surprisingly quick. The torque is fantastic! Took a guy who owns a Lexus for ride via Freeway to the city – he was totally surprised with its quietness, ride and comfort. Took the baby Rangie to the melbourne 4×4 proving ground – it conquered everything the big brothers did. Amazing! Easy cruising sees 8.1 l/100km – terrific for a small truck. Note that with the standard HSE sound system you can adjust volume of I-pod with steering wheel buttons, and sound quality is kick-arse great! Don’t bother with expensive Tech-pack!
am in my 4th discovery and I travel extensivly in outback Australia. In total I have travelled over a million klms, I am in my 4th Discovery and have travelled 1.4 million kms in them, so I know them well. Unfortunately the company in Australia have closed nearly all their country service agencies and if one gets into trouble in the bush, and I have, there is up to a week to wait for the parts and then only an ex service person has to be found to fix it. At the moment in Australia they are trading on their well founded reputation of an excellent vehicle, but now only driven by city wankers on the coast who have no idea of the Landrover capability. I hope the next owners will be a bit more proactive and promote them where they really perform. As much as I love them, I can’t afford the risk of another
Any updates on the long term freelander 2?
There has not been any updates since the first post in April… Didn’t it make it back from Stockton?
Have a Freeland 2 2.2 auto and having a diff problem and it seems that the company that supplied the diff have gone into liqiudaition with the the result that it may be up to a month or more before my lrd2 is back on the road
Hi Stu,
update coming up next week – this will be an off-road report, as we are heading into some meaty trails tomorrow in fact.
We decided to leave Stockton for another time, as we thought the sand dune thing has been done to death.
Cheers
I’ve had my F2 for 9 months with 36000 km’s on the clock (I just want to drive it everywhere). I can’t believe how good it is, on and off the road. Everything the reviewer said is correct except the fuel economy…I get 8.5 l/100km average. Also, servicing is on the pricey side. The diesel motor is just brilliant. If it had height adjustable suspension to give another few inches in some of the more dicey off road situations then it would almost be the perfect car in my opinion.
You could say I’m a fan
I forgot to mention that I traded an ‘04 6 cylinder Subaru Outback (180kw) on the Freelander 2 and I really was expecting to take a hit on the power and on road handling capabilities I was used to with the Subaru. Pleasantly surprised to report that the Freelander 2 more than matches the Subaru in these areas using less fuel in the process. And it goes where the Outback wouldn’t have a hope of going.
Starting to rave a bit, sorry.
To Anthony: Can’t wait. In particular can you give an update on how you have found the service support. It seems that there is such a massive range of opinions on LR support in Australia, and I’m a little gun shy to follow my heart with a LR if the support is lacking.
To Mike: Thanks for your comment. I am currently in the market for a 4 cyl wagon. On the shopping list is the Outback (2.5) or a SE Freelander 2 TD4 (amongst others). How does the rear storage on the FL2 compare with the Outback? Visually I felt that the FL2 was smaller than outback but I was wondering if this is your experience.
I would have to say that the Outback could fit slightly more than the Freelander which seemed strange because the Freelander reads bigger. There seems to be more thickness in the paneling/interior lining in the Freelander. I know that my golf clubs were an easier sideways fit in the Outback even though the Freelander is way wider on the exterior. The Outback I had was an excellent car and I was truly surprised to find that the Freelander was so much better (at a price!). You can’t lose with either really, unless you are looking for some off road action. I found the Outback pretty ordinary in that department. The terrain response settings in the LR kick butt.
Cheers
Thanks Mike. That has confirmed my suspicions. However it has not changed my interest in getting one!
Hello Stu
My experience with Land Rover support has been positive. I use Trivett at Parramatta and the guys there have been great. On my first service, I mentioned that one of the front tyres looked like it was scrubbing a little on an edge. They sent it off for a wheel alignment no arguments and no charge. Servicing is quite pricey $500-$800 (ouch! I suppose they can throw in an alignment at that rate) at 12,000 km/6 month intervals. They claim breakdown assistance Australia-wide no matter if you are on road or off during the warranty period. Both sales and service have assured me to call and give the GPS coordinates and you will be towed to the nearest Land Rover dealer. I don’t know if its always been like that but nobody does that unless they are quite confident that you won’t break down.
Accessories are dear…tow bar is English specially designed for the car and its electrics…$1500, no acceptable after market alternative as the plumbing is too complicated I was told. Roof racks, the wind noise is way too noticeable even with genuine (LR sales guy told me that), a real weakness there. I have the Thule square profile bar and I had to take it off as the noise annoyed my wife too much. Its ok with a pod on though. I spoke to another guy with the Thule aero profile and he said it was ok.
Even with all that, and I am not rich, the car itself is outstanding. I have a winding hill climb at Hawkesbury Heights in the Blue Mtns that I have to do every day. I was expecting the diesel to be way slower than my 6 cylinder Subaru. The FL2 gets up that hill quicker and hugs the road better than my Outback used to and thats saying something. The torque is amazing.
Last thing on the space issue. I reckon the rear passengers have more room in the FL2 over the Outback even though I said the Outback had slightly more room for luggage.
I hope all this helps.