Land Rover Freelander 2.0 TD4 GS Review

I've had my Freelander 2.0TD4 SE Hardback (facelifted 2004 model) for getting on 7 years now and it has exceeded my expectations in almost every aspect. Let's face it, when you buy a vehicle like this you don't expect it to get 60mpg and 0-60mph in 6 seconds or be decked out like a Mercedes Benz. There have been a few niggles but I expect this with most cars. If you look after the vehicle, don't thrash it around, and have it properly serviced each year it should give you years of trouble-free motoring. Being "horsey" my Landie goes off road occasionally but nothing that it finds terribly demanding. It's great in the snow too when you can smirk at all the stranded BMW and Mercedes drivers. The steering feels positive and it handles well unlike the Jeep Cherokee which I've just test driven. I haven't towed a horse trailer with it (only a DIY trailer) as I feel it's a bit border-line on power / weight and I won't put my horse at risk but I know plenty of people that do with no complaints. As far as problems go, very early on a I had to have a warped brake disc replaced under warranty; just after the warranty expired the rear window regulator started playing up preventing me from opening the back door (quite expensive to replace); and just in the last few months my reversing sensors have starting playing about so i'll need to have this looked at. Other than that it's been absolutely brilliant reliability-wise. Had the engine chipped at 3 years old which improved performance noticeably, particularly in 1st and 2nd gears. It didn't seem to improve economy a great deal though but I reckon I get an average mpg of 34/35mpg and I do a lot of driving down country lanes and a fair number of short journeys too; so not bad in my books. Motorway driving you should get well in excess 40mpg as long as you keep within the speed limit! I'm just about to replace mine only because I need something bigger to tow with otherwise I would definitely keep it. With only 41k on the clock and still looking as good as new ... I MUST BE MAD!