2000 Land Rover Freelander review from Portugal
"Forget the models before 2000"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The LCD display had to be replaced, what else is new?
The a/c motor failed, after being flooded with engine coolant. It seems to be a common problem. Coolant descends trough the electric wires and gets into the motor. I cleaned up the motor using solvent for electric motors, and it was like new, then sealed the hole trough where the coolant was getting in. I never had that coolant smell again.
Sometimes the level on the coolant container goes down, and a few kilometers later comes back up misteriously, if I had filled it up meanwhile it would have blown up.
I got stuck in mud once, and was pulled out by a friend. That small hook on the front bumper is only there for decoration, it's not strong enough and will twist and bend deforming the plastic around it.
When going uphill, tell the guy that follows you to keep a safe distance of at least 50m, if you let the engine go off, you will instantly loose all brake power and go backward without any brakes at all until you manage to start the engine again, I don't know if other SUV's behave like this, this can be very dangerous.
The mirrors won't bend and stay bended, which means that you just can't go trough certain narrow places. Eventually a mirror will be taken out by a bus or a tree, and it will cost you 150€.
The real big problem with the Freelander are the maintenance costs. It's not hard to find a shop specialized in Land Rovers, find a serious and experienced private mechanic or sell the car, just don't go the so called 'official' shops. Changing the engine belts will cost you 900€ and a week without the car. I found a local guy who replaced the 3 belts and all bearings in one afternoon charging 150€. It seems that the only thing that keeps Land Rover from bankruptcy are the absurd maintenance costs.
General comments?
My Freelander has taken me too many interesting places with comfort and economy.
It has many off-road limitations, but enough to absolutely overcome it's closest competitors; the Toyota Rav4 and the Honda H-RV.
And it has the nice Land Rover logo on it.
It's the perfect combination of road and off-road capability. It's one of the few SUV's that you can drive in the city without looking ridiculous.
The 2.0 diesel engine (not the td4) is very economical, however it could be more powerful.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9 diesel Manual |
| Performance marks | 4/10 |
| Reliability marks | 6/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 60000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 120000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Opel Corsa |
| Date of Entry | 7th March, 2005 |