freelander?..... can you tow with one?
Submitted: Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 18:48
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Chipsy
having searched around the net a bit there are a few good reviews and a few not so good reviews. we are a family with three small kiddies currently own a 2wd Kluger towing an aussie swag and wanting something that will still do the school duty around town but will take us out further than the Kluger can. were not setting out on any great journeys just weekend away and probably a few weeks at a time as leave allows us.
the specs say it can tow but I would love to hear any experience real people have had in the real world.
please dont tell me look at prados I just cant come at them, everytime I think they are the answer I look again and I just have an aversion to them. I dont want a cruiser or patrol -too big, and a new discovery would be nice but too $$$ and I would prefer a new car. the freelander might be a little squeezy but it seems we have to compromise somewhere. the perfect car alludes me.
your thoughts would be appreciated.
Reply By: Member - Brian R (WA) - Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 19:49
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 19:49
Hi Chipsy
It sounds like you are not into the real "outback" hard stuff but would like something that might go between a nice family sedan/station wagon and a heavy 4x4 ??????
We have owned a Forester for just over 3 years and with it's constant 4 wheel drive and the addition of a LOWER ration gear it might be the go for you PS the salesman was no differant to any other and I don't favour the dealer above othres : - )
Brian
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Reply By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 20:14
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 20:14
I have to laugh!! A few years ago, it was reported that the Freelander was the gay mens vehicle of choice for an outdoor lifestyle.... Probably say it all about Freelander. LOL!!! Michael
| Patrol 4.2TDi 2003
Retired 2016 and now Out and About!
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Follow Up By: Chipsy - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 13:57
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 13:57
I didnt realise that camping, touring and 4wding was just for straight people.
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Follow Up By: feraldisco2 - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 17:12
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 17:12
useful comment...not...
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Follow Up By: Ino - Sunday, Jul 25, 2010 at 00:55
Sunday, Jul 25, 2010 at 00:55
Oh bra-vo Michael! you da' man, buddy! I guess, your patrol gives you a sense of superiority and the right to diss out the original poster's vehicle choice!
Bra-vo again! now put your prejudice back in your pants buddy - it's showing and it's not a good view.
Ino
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Follow Up By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Sunday, Jul 25, 2010 at 13:10
Sunday, Jul 25, 2010 at 13:10
Ino!! Lighten up!!! I only posted what i read in a newspaper article. That political correctness will eat away at you if it gets a hold!! Michael
| Patrol 4.2TDi 2003
Retired 2016 and now Out and About!
Somewhere you want to explore ? There is no time like the present.Member
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Reply By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 20:28
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 20:28
Well you say everything EXCEPT what you want to tow with it Oh an Aussie swag How heavy are they and what do the specs for the Freelander say.
Not having a shot at you but I read that the Freelander was the worst model Landrover ever produced.
Probably not a very good recommendation for going remote.
Imagine trying to get parts for it in
Kununurra for instance.
At least with Toyotas and Nissans they are like you know what. Everyone has one.
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Follow Up By: Chipsy - Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 21:34
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 21:34
the swag is about 1.2 tonne and the specs indicate that it can tow this. I guess I wasnt looking to know what people have read about them but someones actual firsthand experience... thanks though.
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Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 21:59
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 21:59
Fair enough but possibly for the reason I stated hardly anyone uses them and I wouldnt like to see anyone knowingly buy a lemon.
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Follow Up By: feraldisco2 - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 17:16
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 17:16
"the Freelander was the worst model Landrover ever produced"
Graham's got a point, but it really depends what model Freelander you're talking about - the current ones are great to drive and proving to be pretty reliable
Chipsy - you're better off going to the Freelander section of the AULRO website if you want some comment from actual users
cheers
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Reply By:- Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 20:49
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 20:49
Hi Chipsy,
We had a tD4 and towed a
Kimberley Kamper (about 1.4 tonnes plus when set up and loaded) from
Adelaide-
Broken Hill -
Innamincka- and back down the Strz Track to the
Flinders Ranges (I think about 3500kms). I was amazed with the performance of it - 110 kph on highway, and very strong and comfortable on the dirt roads. The only reason we sold it was to get something which had higher ground clearance for some further travel where I felt the Freelander may struggle. The other issue we had was the towball rating of 120kg on the car, requiring a fair amount of work to balance the KK which starts out at 160kg on the towball.
Around town the tD4 was great, with good performance and economy, always better than 10l/100km.
The vehicle we replaced it with is a DiD Pajero, and we are very pleased with this. We have just returned from a 6 week trip to the
Kimberley in it.
Incidently, we purchased the KK through EO trader August last year, and have already clocked up 15,500kms with it.
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Follow Up By: Chipsy - Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 21:37
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 21:37
thanks this is exactly the kind of info we were hoping someone would provide. the KK is a simmilar size and weight to the aussie swag so your response is really helpful. cheers.
did you put a weight distribution bar on the KK? and did this solve the problem?
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Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 22:03
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 22:03
Just to clear that up
A weight distribution setup does not in any way alter the ballweight or allow you to overload the specs for the wehicle
The ball weight is always just that
All the hich does is straighten the join and does shift a bit of the weight forward again but not enough to alter allowable ball weight limits.
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Reply By: garrycol - Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 22:03
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 22:03
I have a FL1 Diesel and have towed its max tow weight of 2 tonnes on a number of occasions - all car trailers with a series 1 landrover on it.
It tows
well - being very stable - it will cruise at 100 on the flat but with that weight does die off a bit on hills. Is also economical giving 35-40mpg when not towing and about 25-30 when towing. The tow ball weight is 140kg.
I have had my car for a number of years and is one of the most reliable I have had. The horror stories you have heard relate to the petrol engines not the diesels. Ground clearance is better than most of the softroaders but is not as good as the big 4wds. It does have all the traction aids like traction control and
hill decent and a bit larger tyres improve the ground clearance.
If you want a softroader then I would definitely consider a diesel Freelander.
Garry
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Follow Up By:- Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 23:12
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 23:12
Re KK and WDH. I balanced towball weight by loading extra fuel and water Jerry cans at back of trailer's top rack, and any heavy stuff like food, tools etc inside rear of trailer. In other words, get anything heavy behind axle centre as far as is practically possible, and keep all light stuff in the back of the vehicle. Every little bit helped, and the tD4 and trailer travelled quite level. Dont be discouraged by people who talk of poor spares supply in remote areas. It takes no longer to get LR spares to these
places as it takes to get Toyota etc. It can be beneficial to carry a workshop manual and contact details for a good spares source.
Bob.
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Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 09:57
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 09:57
A recipe for disaster if ever I saw one
Why do you think everyone else advocates keeping heavy things in the centre near the axles and light things at each end.
Its for stability.
Loading up the rear end will lead to snaking and ultimate severe problems.
ALL Caravan manuals specifically advocate not adding weight to the rear end for that very reason.
There is a famous Coroners report from SA a couple of years ago that showed a caravan sitting in a
police yard with NO JOCKEY wheel and the A frame was sitting level.
A classic case of bad weight distribution.
Perhaps thats why the van went 150 mtres into a tree after becoming disconnected from the van after the tug got wobbly when a roadtrain sucked it in and crushed it and killed all in it.
Most vans would stop really quickly in that situation as the A frame would drop and dig in as it should..
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Reply By: mikehzz - Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 23:18
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010 at 23:18
I have a Freelander 2 td4 08 model and it's the best car I have owned. It's been everywhere that people think it won't go, 71000 on the clock and still drives like new. Towing is easy, it feels like it will pull the Queen Mary. I don't know anyone who has a Freelander 2 who doesn't think it's a fantastic car. I've had nissans, toyotas, subarus and suzukis and it absolutely craps all over the lot of them. Still you only know if you own one. I've never owned a Freelander 1 model but heard that the td4 is the wise choice there. Mike
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Reply By: Member - Tour Boy ( Bundy QLD) - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 08:07
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 08:07
If you like the Kluger, why don't you just upgrade to the AWD?
Cheers
Dave
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Follow Up By: Wherehegon - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 10:14
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 10:14
Got to aggree with Dave there Chipsy, our friends have a Kluger AWD it has been on a few trips with us and except where low range is needed the thing goes everywhere with plenty of power to boot, it has done
Stockton beach with us many a time now and is a ripper, no auto overheating, great on fuel (better then my turbo diesel prado) Only thing that lets it down a tad is ground clearance but nothing a lift (which is available) and some off road tyres wont fix. Great family car with the ability to zap around town for 90% of the time and the rest going off road eg fire trails, beach some harder stuff but obviously no
rock hopping or any thing requiring low range. Regards Steve M
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Follow Up By: Chipsy - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 13:56
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 13:56
dont get me wrong, I think the Kluger is a great car it meets my every need except cant go everywhere we want to get to, and I dont think that upgrading to the awd will take all that much further so for the money spent on the upgrade we wouldnt really be getting what we want. Im not at all sure that a freelander is the answer was just hoping to hear from some owners especially about towing. we live in
darwin and there arent any to have a look at at the dealer.
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Follow Up By: feraldisco2 - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 17:24
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 17:24
personally I think the Kluger is like most Toyotas - boring exteriors, boring interiors, boring to drive, ordinary handling, overpriced - however, I agree that they are reliable and will tolerate a more "lax" attitude to servicing than Land Rover product will (LRs can be made reliable, but you have to work at it and know what you're doing!)
not sure about the latest Kluger, but the original one was based on Camry platform, so very much a 'softroader' - if that.
Even though I like LR product, if you're looking at softroaders, I'd personally go for the Hyundai Santa Fe turbo diesel - a good drive, at least as capable in any rough stuff as a Kluger and awesome motor for towing torque and economy. The Freelander would be better on firetrails, but for everything else, I reckon the Hyundai is a practical cost-effective option
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Follow Up By: Chipsy - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 17:57
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 17:57
I dont think we'll ever be buying a hyundai anything no offence!
its not that we want a soft roader as such just that I dont want to be driving a tank around town with the kids. we used to have a patrol and I hated driving it. we loved the discoverys but I just cant justify the cost to upgrade to one when for most of our time my Kluger is a perfect fit so just for going out bush an extra $50k or $60k just seems too much at this point in time. maybe one day or maybe we'll have to buy a second hand one.
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Follow Up By: feraldisco2 - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 18:32
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 18:32
no offence taken - I don't personally have one...
however, I think you should keep an open mind - you might surprise yourself with the QC of Hyundais these days...take one for a drive to see what I mean. The Koreans are doing it as
well as most Jappers these days... The new Kia
Sorrento TD is also a nice bit of kit. I'll keep my Disco because I want to do more difficult firetrail work; however, if I was happy with milder firetrails and some beach work, the Hyundai or Kia would be my picks - cheaper than a Kluger and better than a Kluger in many respects.
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Reply By: garrycol - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 11:28
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 11:28
Noting that the FL2 is about the same price as the Kluger, it has the same width as the Kluger, is a little shorter with better departure and approach angles, has better ground clearance, is arguably better offroad and does have a diesel engine if required.
Oh - the FL2 does look better.
Why would you go with the Kluger?
Garry
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Follow Up By: Chipsy - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 14:00
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 14:00
The Kluger has the third row seats so the boys dont punch on while were travelling. thats a good feature. its actuallly a brilliant car to drive -I love it. which is why I am struggling to find a replacement for it.
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Follow Up By: Madfisher - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 20:14
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 20:14
Chipsy have you driven the latest awd 3.5 Kluger, very powerfull and econimical, but they have become a bit of a tank as
well. The awd is much better to drive then the 2wd, no torque steer. Believe me in muddy conditions any 4wd will go a hell of a lot further then a 2wd especially a front wheel drive 2wd.
Cheers Pete
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Reply By: Chipsy - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 14:01
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 14:01
thanks everyone for taking the time to pass on your thoughts. I appreciate your efforts.
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Follow Up By: Madfisher - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 20:16
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 20:16
Good on you for having the manners to thank posters, to many people lately ask questions with never a thank you.
Cheers Pete
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Reply By: Nomadic Navara - Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 15:44
Friday, Jul 23, 2010 at 15:44
I note that from the 06/2007 model the tow ball download rating has been increased The tow rating in the RACQ guide is given as 2000/250 kg. Makes this the only vehicle with a ball weight of more than 10%.
PeterD
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Reply By: pgiles - Sunday, Aug 01, 2010 at 22:00
Sunday, Aug 01, 2010 at 22:00
I am in a similar position. Have a Tribute, overall am very happy with it (just back from Central and
South Australia) but the lack of low range and not so great clearance I have been wondering what might be a better alternative. Something that is a daily drive but able to cope with the great outdoors a bit better. Like you can't stand Prados. The two that interest me are the Pajero or the Pathfinder. If only money would allow! Maybe one day.
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