Land Rover Freelander (2006 - 2014) 2.2 Td4 e HSE 5d Owner Review

This has been my first larger car, after five years of small cars. I had always wanted a 4x4 and insurance was now cheap enough to do so. Admittedly I was lucky in that I got the car from my father, so I had faith in a lot of its history. However, he also bought it used, and never had issues either. I’ve had it about 4-5 months, and unlike previous cars I still love it as much as the day I got it. It’s very nice looking, being a good balance between the boxy look of older Land Rovers and the newer, more curved designs today. Many handy features, such as automatic headlights when its dark, and the wing mirrors dropping when you put the car into reverse. But the biggest surprise it has given me is its on-road ability. It is great for any type of driving, with a very smooth, pleasurable ride and relatively light steering given its size. It also corners very well, all of which means you also get used to it quickly. It doesn’t take too long to get going from traffic lights, and for things like overtaking it has more than the necessary power to speed up quickly. Running costs aren’t bad either, although being a diesel car you will get more for your money if you do more longer drives. I have the manual edition which seems to be rarer than the automatics, but I’m sure the overall experience doesn’t differ too much. The boot is more than big enough for my needs; for things like supermarket trips and camping holidays I’ve always had enough space. The same can be said about the back of the car, in which three adults can fully relax due to its size. I haven’t really had any off road experience yet, but it breezed snow in which my mother’s BMW X5 really struggled. Perhaps my only problem with the whole car is a lack of bluetooth streaming, despite having hands free! However, I know some newer models than mine do have it, so it may not be a problem for potential buyers. My advice would be to obtain a HSE model or another of the higher trims, as some of the extra features like the Alpine audio system and multiple memorised seat positions have been an huge bonus. Overall, it’s a car that I’m proud to say is mine and can see myself keeping for a long time. It has pretty much all I could want, and given the fact that most of them are still not that old, it seems like a really good buy.