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Strange - I have heard many reports of Freelander problems but surely not engine-related with the L-series lump? That is the one in my Rover 45TDi and those engines are pretty-well bulletproof if serviced regularly. In the 45, I get 45-47mpg solo but only 37-39mpg towing (Elddis Whirlwind) BUT - the car has done almost 129k miles and it uses no oil between services (I service it every 6k miles) It is a great engine and I can only think that any Freelander problems must be peculiar to the vehicle and surely not the engine? The L-series AFAIK is identical in both vehicles and the parts are available from Land Rover spares sources.

FWIW

Pete 

Just seen this thread.

Don't buy a Landrover!!

Our Freelander TD4 has been in the garage since Monday, it's the 3rd time it has broken down in 3 weeks.  £600 spent so far and not even fixed.  Last year it broke down on the Isle of Skye (£750) to replace the fuel pumps.  Parts are expensive, servicing and repairs are horrendous.  If you have a bottomless wallet - buy one.

Oh, and the landrover mechanics at our dealership are useless.

We have just changed to a December 05, Ford Focus TDi 2 litre.  It is a roomy car with very comfortable seats, especially for driving my OH says, and a good sized boot.  It tows our Adria, which is a reasonably light van, easily and roars up the hills.  We took it to Sterling in Scotland and there were some long uphill drags which were a piece of cake.  OH feels it would tow a heavier caravan quite easily.  He likes the "poke" it has when driving off and the easier overtaking.  Drove around 60mph on motorway and we think we did around 33pmg. The road tax and insurance are less than for a 4x4 which we had four of over the last 20 years or so, until we retired and got a Nissan Almera, small nice car but a shock to the system after the size of the others.  The focus will hopefully see us through until we give up caravanning.

Carol. 

Quote: Originally posted by takisawa on 07/10/2009

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The Mk1 Freelander...sure, a few lucky people will tell you that they've never had a single problem. Sure they are built for towing etc, & having tried one I can confirm they have way more off-road ability than most owners will ever need. But for the vast majority of owners, the reality of Freelander ownership is contant & large garage bills that far outweigh the advantages of running one of them.
If you want a seriously good tow-car buy the latest model you can afford Mondeo 130 TDCi, & revel in 50+mpg, a ride quality & level of refinement that Freelander drivers can only dream of, & a towing ability that is nothing short of astounding for a family hatchback.

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If you are comparing the latest Mondeo you cannot have tried the latest Freelander.

Out of four items you have listed as quality items on the Mondeo the only thing that the Mondeo is better on is the Fuel consumption.