Landrover Freelander for towing......

joey_olop

joey_olop

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Jul 15, 2003
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Me & OH are looking at a new car so we can pull our trailer with & I have been looking at the Landrover Freelander the 1.8 version.

Our trailer is very light & we would only be carrying Blackie(lightweight tbx type 14hh) Would this car be capable of doing the job??

:)
 
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Personally I wouldn't, as they are not really towing cars - max towing weight though is 2000kg (so could do the job). Freelanders are not known for their stability. Sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear. IMO they are just cars that are higher up, if you phone your local Land Rover dealer they will advise you honestly but I would bet they'd say best not to.
 
echo the above, technically they could with a max towing weight of 2000kg across all the engine ranges BUT would i tow with one? no. I seem to remember reading somewhere they aren't even recomended for towing a caravan, and i know they consistantly come bottom of reliability surveys. My friends brother has one and it's the bain of his life! i think there are better tow cars out there. Have you looked at the hyundai santa fe? or something like the terrano or maverick?
 
eventerbabe said:
echo the above, technically they could with a max towing weight of 2000kg across all the engine ranges BUT would i tow with one? no. I seem to remember reading somewhere they aren't even recomended for towing a caravan, and i know they consistantly come bottom of reliability surveys. My friends brother has one and it's the bain of his life! i think there are better tow cars out there. Have you looked at the hyundai santa fe? or something like the terrano or maverick?
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Not looked at those ones, thanks eventerbabe. Am only looking around at the mo so any suggestions grateful :)
 
Ditto above, I would go for a discovery anyday over a freelander. I would also aim for a bigger engine than a 1.8.. alougth will get you there you will be putting the engine under alot of pressure pushing it to its limits. I like to have plenty of engine grunt, recently I was towing Kai up a very steep hill and it was also covered in wet leaves. My wheels started spinning and I stopped the car. Was quite a scary moment, however I let the car crawl up the hill in High ratio and from a standstill on the hill the car managed it very well ( 3.0td)

Its moments like this you need to ensure your towing weights are not brinking on the limit. We could of very easily be pulled down the hill...handbrake or not! :eek:
 
My OH is in the car trade and regularly gets PX's which are suitable for towing if you PM me your budget I can ask him to keep an eye out. If you are willing to take one trade condition (few scuffs no professional valet etc) he might be able to find you something cheaper than forecort price as he usually ships them off to auction, no promises though.
 
mikh said:
My OH is in the car trade and regularly gets PX's which are suitable for towing if you PM me your budget I can ask him to keep an eye out. If you are willing to take one trade condition (few scuffs no professional valet etc) he might be able to find you something cheaper than forecort price as he usually ships them off to auction, no promises though.
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Thanks! We are looking for one from 1998-2001 reg, so not looking for brand new one!! I have a car I want to PX with as its worth quite a bit of money & I think I would only have to put a few hundred up to cover the excess, does your OH accept PXs????
 
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No a Freelander wont do the job to be honest. I know its gonna be cheap to run on the days where you arent towing but you may as well buy youself a Mondeo DCi estate to be honest. Far more economical and more wheel base to secure your stability.
 
i'd take a look at the santa fe, they came into production 2001 so you should find one! probably set you back about £3000. Isuzu troopers are fab, they'd be my first choice. Again looking at £3-4000 on a 2001 although i have seen 2004 reg models with 100k on the clock for about £3500. Discos are ace, i've a ton of info on models to avoid at home i could look out for you. 4x4 mag did a really interesting article last year on common faults and what to look for on a second hand disco. Jeep cherokees, vauxhall monterys and shoguns are also worth a look. Previously i'd have said the navara aswell but having seen the recent furore on their safety (or lack of it) i think they'd be one to avoid. The terrano would be my pick of the nissans.
 
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joey_olop said:
Thanks! We are looking for one from 1998-2001 reg, so not looking for brand new one!! I have a car I want to PX with as its worth quite a bit of money & I think I would only have to put a few hundred up to cover the excess, does your OH accept PXs????
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He won't on another PX he has taken in but would if you bought brand new off the forecort
 
Hyundai does a Tarracan which is very robust and 3.0 D but not sure on prices.
 
i tow with a freelander (please dont all jump on me:eek:) i have a 2.0 diesal - i wouldnt tow with a 1.8 though - i know that they arent the best towing vehicle to say the least but we dont have many big hills and i only tow one horse. I have an anti snake bar, which i wouldnt tow without, and i have to say that i havent had any problems, the car has done what i asked of it ok. i dont go out very often and i have to say im a bit of a 'driving miss daisy' driver when i have a trailer on the back anyway.
 
A friend of ours has a Nissan Navara - the furore over the safety was a disgrace put out by the NCAP safety people.

The airbag took a fraction of a second longer than it should have to deploy and that's why they gave it 1 star. Fair enough.

Nissan did a service campaign at the end of last year to adjust the reaction time (friends Navara was only in the garage for 35 mins) and NCAP retested the Navara - it looks like it might get a 3 star (much better!), but it also looks like NCAP may have withheld this new test result to make a bigger impact on their original test result.

I adore my matey boy's Navara! If I had the money, I'd have one tomorrow!:D
 
I wouldn't be concerned too much about a NCAP rating, when you look into the tests they actually do they are pointless which is why one of the market leaders in car safety (Volvo) don't bother putting their cars through the NCAP (NCAP doesn't even do crash tests on the back of the vehicals, and how many times have you seen a shunt!). It tends to be mass market brands who put their cars through the NCAP test and fine tune the parts they need to get high passmarks.

I rate Hyundai's with a 5year unlimited milage warranty it does give a lot of peace of mind. I think you've picked a good choice Joey.
 
If you really want a freelander get the diesel version and not the petrol one, petrol ones are a nightmare! My diesel one was awesome I kinda regret selling it but I was only using her for a run around so I got a cheapo corsa now.
 
joey_olop said:
Thanks everyone-Ive got my eye on the Hyundi Santa Fe now, although I can only find ones with high milage in my budget, will have to look around:cool:
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Weve got one, absolutely fantastic car. Had ours 5/6 years now. Tows well and good to drive, not bad on fuel either considering my OH drives to Luton/Birmingham/London from Northampton every week. Unfortunately we are about to trade it in, not the cars fault-high milage-but we are hoping to stick with the same type.
 
Little Mermaid said:
A friend of ours has a Nissan Navara - the furore over the safety was a disgrace put out by the NCAP safety people.

The airbag took a fraction of a second longer than it should have to deploy and that's why they gave it 1 star. Fair enough.

Nissan did a service campaign at the end of last year to adjust the reaction time (friends Navara was only in the garage for 35 mins) and NCAP retested the Navara - it looks like it might get a 3 star (much better!), but it also looks like NCAP may have withheld this new test result to make a bigger impact on their original test result.

I adore my matey boy's Navara! If I had the money, I'd have one tomorrow!:D
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Interesting, but what you fail to mention is that the Nissan Navara is a pickup and just over 5 metres long - try parking that at Tescos on a Saturday !! :D
(been there with an L200 - Mitsubishi equivalent)
 
Hi
I have a 2.0L TD4 Freelander.2003.
I tow a L/weight trailer, with a horse weighing 550kg.

It defo doesn't have the grunt of my old Diahatsu, or cherokee jeep- but for reliability/cheapness it suits me.
I get approx 35mpg when towing, YES hills can be a bit slow in getting up- but we eventually get there !!

I tow 1-2 times in a week in summer, but overall wanted an economical 4x4 for using for work aswell, unlike the diahatsu/Jeep- the freelander is fairly economical, to run every day.

At the end of the day- there will always be critics/ sarcastic comments made about any vehicle- but I love my Freelander.

Hope that helps- decision is yours !!!
 
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