Best Freelander competitor?

Which is the best Freelander 1 competitor and why?

Of course, I'm talking about the same class. No point comparing apples with oranges, so obviously the answer is not a Defender, a Series or a Disco simply because they are all in a different class, and serve different markets.

Rav 4.2 a proper central diff and permi 4X4 plus reliability.

Honda CRV again reliability and a Haldex rear diff.

But I do like the Hippo`s looks and it does run quiter with less road noise than a Rav 4.2, I`m really impresed at just how quiet the TD4 Hippo is for a 4x4 Diesel, and the ride is very smooth too, the Rav 4.2`s ride is a tad harsh and the D4D engine is noisy.

its top of its class . . . . . .

ming said:

its top of its class . . . . . .

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I may have too agree!!!!!!!!

jedi said:

it does run quiter

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you aint heard my hippo running

Rav4 for me (good old constant 4 wheel drive) though I agree that the ride will be a lot harsher if the mark 2 is anything like the mark 1. Forget the diesel though, they have a cambelt & more worryingly a dual mass flywheel which Toyota have definitely had problems with & there were no official mk2 diesel automatics here in the uk. The petrols are very good with excellent performance though & would be my choice except for price. Watch out for the Honda CR-V though as the four wheel drive is not constant & is automatic via electronics which can fail. Also some of the engines (I believe the earlier ones are ok) had problems around the valve area - can't remember if it was the heads cracking between the valves or some other valve issue. They also don't have the economy of the Rav.
Suzuki Grand Vitara is another option -manually selectable 4 wheel drive, but I believe they have a more wallowy feel to them & am not certain on the reliability or fuel. Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin next but they do rust & can look quite tatty if not looked after. Some of the ones I looked at were low mileage but dreadful. I believe they are reasonably reliable though & are manually selectable 4 wheel drive - just use plenty of waxoyl.
The Freelander is way ahead on ride & handling but loses out to the Rav on engine performance & reliability. Price wise though it's an absolute bargain in comparison which is what won me over & I'm very pleased with my Td4 Auto over 2 years on.