Faults:

Electric window mechanisms, speakers corroded, rear exhaust rusted away, VCU needed replacing. General maintenance to suspension and steering. Heater matrix clogged up.

General Comments:

It's an extremely useful vehicle, comfortable and feels solid over rough roads, and the view in poor weather on the motorway is excellent. Not a modern car necessarily, but everything you need unless gadgets are the primary focus.

It has had some minor issues of course, it's old. Window mechanisms are weak, the sunroof broke and it had to have the driveshaft replaced. Again more due to age and mileage than a fault. Crucially however, despite these minor issues, the engine and transmission are completely leak free, it has never ever failed to start and it has never broken down or failed in any major way. Much better than so called reliable brands after 20 years and 152k miles. Great fun, and very tough and useful for family life.

Faults:

Central locking... Electricity is a strange and mystical power yet to be fully mastered by Land Rover.

Other than the highly capricious electricity, nothing has gone wrong at all.

General Comments:

Grizzles first. The car's a Booze Hound. 27 MPG is about as good as you'll get... You might get more by cruising at 56mph, all day long on a motorway.

Busy. The engine, even though it claims 115 horse power, makes lots of fuss without actually moving you along very quickly. Cruising over 70 makes conversation a bit shouty.

Likes a fight. The gear shift... You need some determination to change into first and reverse in particular. We took 'Florence' (My wife insists that's the car's name) to a mechanic and he assured us 'They're all a bit stiff'... A bit stiff!! Right.

The good bits. The seats are very comfortable although there are only four in the serengeti... Rear seat access is easy, even though the car only has two doors.

The boots space is very good, but I'm not a great fan of the rear door... It open out like a Discovery's... It's heavy and cumbersome.

I love the removable roof... Great fun, but when it's off, it's off for a while... You really have to struggle with it as it is very heavy... Definitely a two man job... or person job if we're being PC.

The little Free Lander is surprisingly GOOD off road... I'd go as far as to say, very capable... Much better than most other so called off roaders. Proper 4x4 stuff with hill decent mode. The Freelander won't match a 110 or a Suzuki Jimny, but you'd be amazed at what it can do!

I like the car, I really do, but you do have to 'DRIVE' it... Good fun, I approve.

Faults:

This vehicle was purchased as a used vehicle at the purchase price of $21,000 ($28,400 when paid off, which is about $800 shy of its new sticker price). The Carfax Report was sterling (no marks against it).

I am the second owner. The records show it has been serviced. I have also kept up with the maintenance and having it serviced as well.

*Manufacturer Warranty up to 50,000. NO Extended Warranty is available on this model vehicle if purchased as a *used vehicle and not from the original dealership. **Competitive Extended Warranty Companies DO NOT OFFER any extended warranties on this particular make and model. I have been contacted by 3 separate companies in the past wanting to offer me an extended warranty, only to find out that none of them will offer an extended warranty on this make and model. None were able to offer an explanation.

Upon taking ownership, the front brakes were shot after driving only 100 miles.

At around 52,000 miles:

The back passenger window regulator stopped working.

The sunroof started making a horrible 'off track' sounding noise every time it was closed, to the point you had to manually force the sunroof shut from the outside while someone on the inside pressed the 'close sunroof button' in order to bypass the grinding sound.

The back headliner detached from the ceiling in the cargo/backseat overhead area. I had to use paint stir sticks to smooth it and support/hold the liner back in place until I can afford to have it 'professionally' repaired.

At 67,809 miles I had the SUV checked for strange noises coming from engine area. Also performance seemed sluggish/moody at times, like it lost its 'pep.' SUV checked out OK.

At 71,000 miles, I had the timing belts changed and serviced. SUV kept at dealership for 10 days. I had to pay for a rental car.

At 71550 miles, the SUV started jerking horribly, like I had just been rear-ended. Dealership tested all possible diagnoses. Suggested faulty transmission that likely could require internal repair, second and third gear shift hard, suggested changing transmission fluid AGAIN. This cost money as well as the cost for another rental car for 9 days.

At 74,925 miles, while driving back from another state, the SUV began jerking again, and this time at a traffic light in the middle of rush hour afternoon traffic, it broke down. I had to have it towed to the nearest dealership. I had to pay to stay in a hotel for 3 days. It was myself and my 2 year old son. It was determined that the fuel pump AND the transmission had to be replaced. No warranty. THAT costs A LOT OF MONEY!!!

Since that breakdown, there has been a recall on the fuel pump. Currently the vehicle still runs. The new 'wrong with it' now is I continuously smell anti-freeze. The technicians cannot locate a leak, yet I have to fill the cooling system reservoir about every 2 weeks (sometimes more).

General Comments:

This SUV is the WORST vehicle I have ever had the misfortune of owning. It states on the window decal that it's 'the best 4x4xFAR' It can't even handle a pothole without a gag or a sputter. I do not have any confidence in this vehicle when I have to go anywhere, because it has had so many problems already. These are issues seen in vehicles typically that have been driven over 100,000+ miles, and this SUV has been babied.

Another quite annoying mark against this SUV is the backseats and cargo area are actually quite confined. This is very much in comparison to a sardine can.

I am very disappointed in this model. Although the Land Rover commercials tout how tough, reliable and rugged these vehicles handle rough terrain and off-road performance, like I said, this model cannot even handle a pothole without triggering another 'problem'

I wish Land Rover would replace this model with anything else but this particular one. Even better, offer an exchange for another vehicle completely different. I would drive a cheapo car even before ever owning another one of these SUVs. I have owned 3 SUVs in the past (all Isuzu) never a problem. Then a used Geo Prizm bought at a car auction with 89,000 miles, and it made it to 197,000 miles before having a transmission rebuild - before that - NOT one problem!

I have nick-named my SUV Posh. Although the word itself offers a fashionable, prestige-like connotation; my SUV's name Posh stands for

Piece Of SH--.