looks good, drives good so far.

a/c is weak in hot temp.

Purchased the freelander trusting in the name without doing any research just like I did with the jeep liberty. I am stund with the reviews I have been reading because so far it has been running great. It has 22k miles on it and I am guessing that the trade in now is lower than I paid for it. If I have problems with it I hope to be able to trade back in. I will write another review later down the road on the freelander with more experience. (hopfully good)

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jeep liberty

looks good

everything other than looking good - mechanically a joke - a british car company stuck in the 60's where poor detail, mechanical issues and a degree of unreliability were accepted - sorry guys it is a different era - you can get much more bang for your buck nowadays

A joke - in first 18 months needed roof lining repaired (restuck), warning light for hill descent coming on - reset as couldnt determine problem, quarter panel speaker on passenger door drops off still to be replaced, driver power window inoperable, glass on one window was scratched on delivery (noticed same day) 18 months later still waiting for resolution!! Landrover Australia dont give a toss. New brakes after 15,000km. I should have known better - worked as Geologist in Tanzania and we had 3 landrover 110's which disintegrated literally after 2 years - we swapped to landcruisers and brilliant. My car - Subaru Outback 2004, $160 per service compared to >$400 and no problems after double KM (35K) and service is brilliant by staff - landrover attitude - take the money and run. I would never buy another again - have even got company fleet moving away from discoveries to other vehicles

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Landrover Discoveries (just as crap) Toyota Landcruisers, Landrover 110's (back to stoneage), Nissan Patrols, Toyota Hilux

Suprisingly good off road performance. Good handling on bad roads. Responsive V6 engine. Versatile space. A fun car in all road conditions.

Slightly idosynchratic vehicle.

I purchased an ex-demo freelander with 3000kms on the clock and in the last 6 months have done a further 20000km's with a lot of highway driving and driving on gravel roads. I have decided to write this review having come back from a day at a 4wd proving ground, because I was so impressed with the car. The Freelander really is remarkable off-road for its size and its soft-roader tag. It is able to tackle trails, inclines and water crossings that one simply wouldnt expect. If you are looking for a 4wd that is easy to drive and park around town while having good off road capability this is it. The car is smooth and responsive on the highway with plenty of power. Its also very stable and responsive on gravel roads. It feels and is a very safe car on the highway in poor conditions. While the storage space is not as long as say the likes of a Subarau Forester it is high which allows a fair degree of versatility. So far I have had a few niggles with the vehicle (it is a Landrover after all) but we have recived very good service from the dealership and there has been no major problems.

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Subaru Forester.

outstanding design, extraordinary feel of safety and fun of driving

a/c...ive reached to prefer openwide windows, poor brakes

im an owner of the above descripted car...i am from athens Greece and im been using it since 2000. Many things have been said for this model.beeing the owner of an frlndr of the first generation i believe that i have well experienced the capabilities of this automobile.Yes the brakes overheat...the pads need replacement after aproximetely 12000klm...about the rotors i will now proceed to the replacement of them after 60000klm...the a/c it trouly very poor but can be well managed with a painless 30 euro adjstement...the 1800 cc have carried me in a satisfactory way...the majority of the above had the 2.5-2.3(in europe)i cant understand what we must ask of an suv?? 0-100 11,9'' final speed 165klm/h...if u wanted to rule the roads go ang get a skyline or a cupra...off road and preforms smoothly and the easy descent shift helps very much...yes i expected more than a LR but i strongly believe that the new generation of FRL is a very good and reliable car...it must not be unsaid that the FRL is a new concept its out in the market for about 6 years or so...cars like VW golf that count on their backs 25years and more confront similar problems...i just want to say that it was expected (from my behalf)that i would had to deal with problems more severe from the average...by the way i retired from the off road trips and put some medium Koni suspension and it u can really play with the car inside the town...as for the brakes...the company have puted at least at the model of 1999 disc brakes from 4 series of rover...i gave 1500 euros and puted the brakes from the range...i have 17 mags so i managed to adjust them pretty well

We loved the off road capability and the power of the drive for such a small SUV. However, the maintenance problems never allowed us to take the car camping or to any of the fun areas you'd want to test your freelander on.

Not reliable and expensive to maintain. Land Rover as a company is not dedicated to making it's owners happy as a company such as BMW is.

We have had a terrible time not only with our Freelander, but with dealing with Land Rover as a company. As a brief summary of our maintenance problems with the car, it has needed major transmission work, major brake work and has needed the gear box replaced several times (even after the recall work was done on it). For us it has been an unreliable and unsafe car -- it is January 2005, and in the past six weeks the car has been in for work no less than 4 times. I am the mom of an 18 month old son, and I had to give up driving the car and leave it to my husband -- it was too unsafe and unreliable with a child in the car. It has broken down suddenly on the freeway several times, blown hoses in traffic, had strange electrical malfunctions resulting in smoke, 'air bubbles' in the engine, etc. We cannot drive this car without assurance that our spouse will be ready to come pick us up when it dies. This is a leased car, three years old with fewer than 22000 miles on it. We have gotten it serviced more often than is routine in terms of normal care and maintenance -- it is a well cared for car on our end. We have been told repeatedly by Landrover that our car doesn't have a noticably worse service record than is average for Land Rovers, which frankly is appalling. We have been driving rental cars for approximately a quarter of our lease time due to the car always being in the shop. Finally Landrover has made a concession, and along with our dealer, is paying out the remainder of our lease, as they have never been able to fix the car so it is reliable. A friend also drives a freelander and cannot wait for his lease to be over -- he has not had the same extent of problems with his car, but he has also had to have the transmission replaced, brakes re-done and a few other assorted repairs in the 2 1/2 years he's owned his.

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We've driven every SUV out there due to having so many rental cars while the freelander was being repaired. The Freelander has a nice drive and is a nice car -- we wanted to love it, but it has been nothing but a nightmare. I'd rather have an SUV that can get you home safely.

Looks great. Handles well.

Too many problems for a new, or old, vehicle.

Love the look and feel of car. Bought it for my wife after research on Escape, Rav4 and other mini-SUVs. She loves it. And I was actually considering getting a Discovery and selling my 4Runner. But that has all changed. We've had it 2 years and 30k miles. It has been a constant source of anxiety. As mentioned in other reviews, the dealers treat you like 2nd class citizens to the Discovery/RR buyer (not smart since the whole point of the car is to get you hooked). And they do act like they have never experienced problems with the Freelander even though you know (and have read on this forum) that they have. April 2004 the car had a radiator problem and supposedly was fixed with a new thermostat. But now, 8 months after fixing it, the same problem. And just 2 weeks ago the right wheel started screeching without warning. We called and they claimed it was a brake issue and not under warrantly. But at the BrakesPlus they said the mechanics had seized and ruined the rotors. So we called dealer again and they said that that would be covered. But then they acted like they were doing us a favor. The vehicle is currently in for 3 issues--a warranty recall, brakes sounding strange 2 weeks after fixing, and radiator problem (steaming and empty radiator overflow even though constantly filling it). No loaners for this problem so stuck with a lame rental. Again, we want to love this vehicle. Very cool and little issues like loud air blower and rattles are livable. But having stress every few weeks for a mechanical problem and whether we have to shell out $1k to fix it is ludicrous. And all of the miles are highway miles so no extra stress from outdoors. No new vehicle built in the last 2 decades should have this many problems. Again, could have sold me on a better vehicle and my wife on the next one. But too many problems. And worst part is they don't acknowledge the problems. If they said 'yea, problems with Freelander, but Discovery solid' then maybe more positive feeling. My 4Runner has 80k miles and have only had to change the tires--not even the brake pads! I've had 2 and now will probably get another Toyota for myself and my wife.

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4Runner

Excellent ballance of off and on road abilities. Can drive it through feet, yes feet of snow!

Not enough interior room and poor fuel economy.

Very good vehicle. Wish it had more room and better economy but, overall has been what I expected. No major problems. Had windshield replaced due to defogger problem, the steering wheel adjusted due to rubbing and a seatbelt tensioner adjusted. Only current problem is the dash coloring is coming off. Disappointing. Not one mechanical issue in over 33k. Having put over 200k on audis, I will wait and see but compared to the junk Fords, CHevy's and Jeeps friends have purchased, I feel confident. Just wish the unfortunate few didn't have such loud voices!

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Everything from Audi Quattros to FJ 40 Landcruisers.

Unique styling, handles well off-road and on, nice sound system, enjoyment of open-air driving.

Poor gas mileage, no low gear for off-road, no locking storage compartments.

First, this vehicle belongs to my girl-friend, but I drive it as often as she does (more so on camping and hiking trips), so she asked me to write this review. We both agree that the Freelander SE3 is a fun, versatile, and underrated vehicle, one with unique good looks and fine handling off-road and on. For those who don't know, the SE3 is a two-door, convertible version of LR's Freelander. It has twin sunroofs that pop off, and a back section that is removed by unlatching a few clamps. (A soft-top version of the back section is available.) Once these are detached, the SE3 offers the open air fun of a Jeep Wrangler, but without the same jarring, top-heavy driving experience. It handles very capably off-road (but it's not a rock-crawler), and on the highway it rides smoothly, with responsive steering and decent horsepower. I'd prefer a low gear for off-road situations, but the LR's Hill Descent Control is an adequate replacement. Although the Freelander is notorious for various problems (see other reviews), many of these difficulties were more common on older models. The '04 received a facelift, and as far as our LR is concerned, we've had no problems. Overall, the SE3, like all LRs, has its quirks (driving position a little high, no locking glovebox), but it more than makes up for them with a unique and fun driving experience. I definitely recommend it.

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Jeep Wrangler, Nissan Xterra. The SE3 is much better on pavement than these two, but is also capable off-road.

Solid road vehicle including freeway driving. Very capable offroad considering AWD only. Very comfy to drive and to be passenger. Very open and roomy inside. Stereo is great, climate control works great.

cargo space is limited. Roof rack is non existant.

This vehicle has been nothing short of astonishing. Owning two Discoveries this was a vehicle for the wife. I didnt expect much of it. However it is extremely comfortable to drive in. the interior is very well designed and ergonomically pleasing from either seat. There is adequate room for two adults to sit comfortably in the rear. Nothing has broken or failed to function inside at least. There was an issue with the CV joints up front but Land Rover replaced the entire axle on both sides at no cost immediately. No other problems since. We have taken off-road with no issues and overall been extremely pleased with this vehicle and its performance on and off road. There are some pics of it offroad at goldrushexpeditions.com

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Land Rover Discovery, Land Rover Range Rover, BMW X5 4.4.

fun to drive in the snow GPS is great

Replaced breaks at 13k (Unacceptable) Front speakers are terrible ( I will problably have them replaced) Sun roof makes a rattle Eat gas

I feel obligated to tell the existing Freelander and future Freelander owners about my exerience. At 12k miles I took my freelander in for the scheduled service at my dealer. (BTW the service manual lists the service at 12 in one place 15k in another) I paid $400 and exactly 700 miles later, my front breaks were grinding/no warning light at all. Because the dealer did not return my call I took the car to midas and found the front breaks were completly warn. They saved the rotors by grinding them down and replaced the pads. $300 got my care back on the road. New breaks at 13K miles is unacceptable. Time will tell if this car was a bad decision, but I will get the extended warranty, although brakes are not covered.

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Used to own a Saab and switched to a Rover.