im thinking of buying a Landrover Freelander, which is best, the petrol or the diesel model ?

Question

ive heard that the diesel model is a better version of the landrover freelander as the engine is made by bmw....is this true ? ive no idea.....

Answer 1

The use to which you will put the vehicle and its mileage will determine the best fuel type.

PETROL
Usually good for short runs and not too distant journeys. The engine provides you greater torque in shorter distances and hence will provide you greater pull at the start of a haulage run. But unfortunately where distance does become an issue, it starts to guzzle the fuel like a dehydrated camel just out of the desert. Cost wise, it usually tends to be cheaper but depending like I said on what its use will be for... if its a country roads vehicle, it could turn out false economy.

DIESEL
Diesel engines of today do not provide the hassle of past model where the ignition had to heat up first to ignite the diesel fuel. Diesel vehicles are work horses... newer models of diesel vehicles now provide good torque for an initial pull but you get better value in haulage over long distances. It also wears alot better where distance is a major factor in the regular use of the vehicle.

MY VERDICT
If you are buying the freelander as a town car... to whizz down the street, A roads, B roads and the not too often use of the M roads.. then a petrol is your best bet.

On the other hand if you are looking to do long distances and some possible haulage (maybe pull the tow car for you kayaks or something) the diesel is better.

Answer 2

The diesel engine in the earlier (TD) models was a Rover engine - the L-series. Its a decent engine, reasonably reliable and powerful, but a bit unrefined.

The diesel engine in the later (TD4) facelifted models was a BMW engine - more powerful, much more refined and still reliable.

The petrol 1.8 engine is a version of Rover's K-series. This is a great engine (if kept regularly serviced) in 1.1 and 1.4 versions (Rover Metro, 211, 214 and 414), but the 1.6 and 1.8 versions can have head-gasket problems. Also it lacks torque, which is an issue as the Freelander isn't light.

The petrol V6 2.5 is also a derivative of the Rover K-series.
I'm not aware of any major reliability problems with this engine, but the fuel consumption is as poor as you would expect for a 2.5 v6 in a 4x4.

Avoid the 1.8 petrol, consider the v6 if you can find one and don't intend doing many miles, but otherwise go for the diesel, and a TD4 if you can afford it.

Answer 3

go for a diesel every tI'me, trust me im a landrover owner/enthusiast. but if i was you id stretch the budget and go for a discovery TD5. get the latest one you can, don't worry to much about mileage, just make sure its got full landrover service history. there twice the car the freelander will ever be, and the depreciation is a lot less. also if your gonna use the vehicle off road, the discovery is the way forward. Ive got a modified 300TD which is used for greenlaneing to trials and events, and a 99" td5 for everyday use. and i wouldnt change either of them!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

Buy Diesel avoid the petrol engines the base models with K series engines like the plague.

Answer 5

Depends what you are looking to use it for. If it is for off-road usage in the country, then the diesel would be the better, as it offers more torque when needed. If it is for town use/the school run then the petrol engine would be better; however, in this instance, why would you need a 4 x 4?

Answer 6

Dont buy either. A member of may car club bought one just a few years ago. During it's first year it spent more time at the dealers being "fixed" than it did in his yard. Then one day when he and his wife had it on the road the transmission locked up and actually exploded, sending shards of metal about. The vehicle skidded to a halt from 110kph (68mph).

He sued the dealer under the Australian trade practices act for selling goods of unmerchantable quality. The factory took over the dealer's side of the case and they settled out of court on the day before the first hearing. He had to keep the car. I don't know what he eventually did with it but he's on his second Mercedes-Benz now.

Check "The Dog & Lemon Guide" on the net.

Answer 7

A diesel engine is always better than the petrol engine.

You could also run your diesel engine on bio fuel if you want to do your thing for the world.

Diesel also costs less than petrol.

Good luck.

Answer 8

I have no idea either my friend, however - diesel engines can be more expensive to fix, and may be harder to find a qualified mechanic, unless you just go to the dealership. Diesel gets good mileage, but sometimes the prices of diesel are much higher than for petrol.

Test drive them both!

Answer 9

Turbo diesel

Answer 10

Diesel engines are more fuel efficient.