New Freelander Owner

Just picked up my 05 plate TD4 at the weekend. I must say, I'm quite impressed...here are my initial observations:

• not as torquey as I'd hoped but still enough to give me confidence if I'm in the right hand lane at traffic lights and there's a boy-racer on the inside revving away...will look into Synergy
• not sitting as "high up" as I thought I'd be, which is nice
• great visbility all round....not many blind spots...great for motorway driving
• seems to be pretty good MPG...more science required to support that statement but did over 250 miles over the weekend and the fuel tank was still registering half full (I know that doesn't mean I have half a tank left, but still, a good sign)
• heated seats...never had them before, now wouldn't ever buy a car without them!!!
• the auto-volume on the stereo was a bit of a shock at the start, then quickly became a nuisance, then very quickly became a nice little feature
• noticed that other road drivers give you more space (given my other cars are a Golf GTI and a 911, I tend to notice how other drivers treat you differently!)
• engine was a bit noisier than I was expecting, especially at cold temp and at low speeds, but nothing to be of any concern
• it cruises really well at dual carriageway/motorway speeds and even in 5th gear up a hill doing 65 I was able to put my foot down and still accelerate better than expected...presumably my MAF is ok!
• annoyed that all the snow has melted round our way and now having to wait 11 months before it snows again to really play with it
• does anyone use those bottle holders at the base of the front doors and are they any good?!!

Anyways, thanks to all of you all your helpful posts over the past few years that I read through over the past couple of months and decided to take the plunge and buy a Freelander!

Welcome, and glad to hear you're enjoying your Freelander.

I have a slightly older model, but with the exception of the auto-volume stereo (which I changed anyway) I agree with everything you've said.

When full, my fuel gauge registers about 2-3mm over the top of the 'full' mark. I usually get between 170-190 miles on the trip before it indicates 'Full' - LOL, God Bless Land Rover!!

I find if driven thoughtfully ie, not clogging it, I can get anywhere between 340-380 miles as it reaches the 'red' zone on the gauge, which is translating into 37-39 mpg. I'm happy with that! (My Mercedes auto gave me no better than 29mpg). I try not to let it get down into the 'red' zone before refilling.

I ocassionally add Lucas Oils upper cylinder lubricant to a tankful, and I think it has contributed to the mpg and the performance (no modifications) since I've had it.

Just follow the help here, and you'll find there are plenty of guys who know what they're talking about, plus a few idiots.

Generally, everything comes with a liberal dose of banter, just don't take any of it to heart.

The only rough ride Freelander owners get is from Series/Defender owners (or tratters) on this forum (it's only jealousy - we don't have to fix it to use it on a daily basis ) but not from their Freelander!

Cheers, Mike.

Hey what about wanna be tratterers, discoboys like to laugh at gaylanderers too you know,anyway :welcome: to the zone

Alien Ghost said:

Just picked up my 05 plate TD4 at the weekend. I must say, I'm quite impressed...here are my initial observations:

• not as torquey as I'd hoped but still enough to give me confidence if I'm in the right hand lane at traffic lights and there's a boy-racer on the inside revving away...will look into Synergy
• not sitting as "high up" as I thought I'd be, which is nice
• great visbility all round....not many blind spots...great for motorway driving
• seems to be pretty good MPG...more science required to support that statement but did over 250 miles over the weekend and the fuel tank was still registering half full (I know that doesn't mean I have half a tank left, but still, a good sign)
• heated seats...never had them before, now wouldn't ever buy a car without them!!!
• the auto-volume on the stereo was a bit of a shock at the start, then quickly became a nuisance, then very quickly became a nice little feature
• noticed that other road drivers give you more space (given my other cars are a Golf GTI and a 911, I tend to notice how other drivers treat you differently!)
• engine was a bit noisier than I was expecting, especially at cold temp and at low speeds, but nothing to be of any concern
• it cruises really well at dual carriageway/motorway speeds and even in 5th gear up a hill doing 65 I was able to put my foot down and still accelerate better than expected...presumably my MAF is ok!
• annoyed that all the snow has melted round our way and now having to wait 11 months before it snows again to really play with it
• does anyone use those bottle holders at the base of the front doors and are they any good?!!

Anyways, thanks to all of you all your helpful posts over the past few years that I read through over the past couple of months and decided to take the plunge and buy a Freelander!

Click to expand...

Hi,
Try fitting an EGR by-pass mod and running on a mixture of 2 stroke. You will be amazed!
This forum will help you with most problems you may encounter and toughen your skin for you!
Good luck.

Hi, and welcome,

The good thing is you are fully aware of the quirkiness of Freelanders and you know what you were getting into.

I agree with everything you say.

To answer your points.

My seats have heated back-rests too which was a surprise, I agree heated seats are essential as is an fbh.

The 2nd half tank seems to be used up quicker than the 1st. Again you learn how to 'interpret' the reading shown.

Noise on start up - add 2-stroke - most folks are pleasantly surprised at the effect and swear by it.

The lack of torque is history once you fit a Synergy2a+

I initially laughed at the door cup-holders, but now I love them - they are great for the thermal mugs my wife loves, and in summer they take Coke cans perfectly. You can put the can or mug into them without any fuss or having to look down, after a short while.

I'm sure you know about, and will get round to checking the EGR and replacing the pcv with the BMW vortex bit.

I've been driving Freelanders for over 10 years and still enjoy it, as much or even more than my BMW, and actually prefer it for really long journeys.

I just wish I had bought a Synergy and done the mods years before I did.

Enjoy!

Singvogel.

What is the deal with the 2-stroke? Do you say put 2 - stroke oil in the engine and this should make it quieter on startup?

know goes in fuel tank

how much do you put in?

nitropaul said:

how much do you put in?

Click to expand...

Ratio of 200:1 so that means 250ml for 50 Litres, which is what I usually buy.

You don't need to be over-accurate though.

S.

And putting the oil in wont damage the engine?

Singvogel said:

Ratio of 200:1 so that means 250ml for 50 Litres, which is what I usually buy.

You don't need to be over-accurate though.

S.

Click to expand...

just started doing this wow it works

no many people been doing it for years

does it make the engine smoke much more?

yes mine is on 20 bh every 3 days

nitropaul said:

does it make the engine smoke much more?

Click to expand...

NO - it does exactly the opposite - it reduces the smoke.

But then I only get smoke with supermarket fuel, which I don't buy any more.

Be sure to get mineral-based, low-ash 2-stroke - none of the Synthetic stuff - that's too high-tech and has additives that will NOT help.

Usually the cheapest 2-stroke is the stuff to get from Tesco, Halfords, Asda, Morrisons and the like.

A few folks say they don't know any difference - but hundreds of others swear by it - including me.

Singvogel.

Singvogel said:

Be sure to get mineral-based, low-ash 2-stroke - none of the Synthetic stuff - that's too high-tech and has additives that will NOT help.

Usually the cheapest 2-stroke is the stuff to get from Tesco, Halfords, Asda, Morrisons and the like.

Click to expand...

Popped into my local Halfords yesterday and the only mineral-based low ash 2 stroke they had was for lawnmowers....£6 for a litre. Is this the right stuff?

I also bought some injector cleaner at the same time so will try that at some point in the near future!

Alien Ghost said:

Popped into my local Halfords yesterday and the only mineral-based low ash 2 stroke they had was for lawnmowers....£6 for a litre. Is this the right stuff?

I also bought some injector cleaner at the same time so will try that at some point in the near future!

Click to expand...

Absolutely right - lawnmowers, chain-saws, mopeds - anything with a 2-stroke engine.

Halfords is good because it's green. I like green!

Tesco's equivalent is cheaper - but red.

Cheers,

Singvogel.