1998 Land Rover Freelander XEi review from Australia and New Zealand
"An under-engineered, underpowered mistake"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
A loud rattle from the gearbox that only disappears when the clutch is depressed (? idler gears).
Various parts of the interior plastic come off in your hands.
The left hand side door mirror cover fell off (luckily in a friend's driveway and not out on the road somewhere).
The display for the radio/clock faded from about 70% effectiveness to 5% effectiveness, at random.
The new remote supplied by the dealer was 5 years old and came complete with flat battery.
The interior was full of rattles from doors (loose on their hinges), speakers, dashboard, front seats, seat belt mountings, etc.
Engine noise was excessive, with vibrations when stationery at traffic lights being able to be felt (and seen, via a wobbling bonnet).
General comments?
As I suspect many others have, I bought this car based on looks and on legendary off-road performance.
To be fair, the vehicle was excellent off road and handled an upriver wade of 20cm and shingle admirably. Part of this success was probably due to the annoyingly low gearing, which whilst good off-road, contributed to poor acceleration and noise levels on road.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 petrol Manual |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 44000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 49800 kilometres |
| Previous car | BMW 3 Series |
| Date of Entry | 20th March, 2003 |