Freelander 2 v Antara my thoughts

[TonyM]

Been busy lately but thought I would come back and give an update on the Freelander I bought to replace the Antara.
Now I think after a couple of months ownership I have a fair view of how it runs and works and can give a comparison.

Fuel Consumption and power. I had the 2.2 163bhp Anatar and fitted the Race Pro2 chip box, this improved the power to around 200bhp and upped the fuel consumption so I was averaging around 42 mixed driving. The Freelander TD4 has 150bhp from its similar sized lump and although is not slow I would say is a little bit down on the 163bhp Antara, fuel consumption is around the same 42 after a run to and from Wales with hills etc to deal with. I reckon over all I would guess it may be a tad thirstier. The gear change is not bad no notchiness in getting into gear like the Antara can suffer from (2nd gear) however I can if I dont smooth it out get a slight judder when changing from 1st to 2nd. The gear ratios seem lower than the Antara as I find 6th gear is ready a lot sooner than the Antara, which may account for a slightly higher fuel consumption.

Driving and accomodation. Both cars have plenty of room in the front and rear, the Freelander has all leather seats which is nice but the half leather on the Antara was more than good enough for me. They both have the abomination of an electric hand brake, call me old fashioned but I like a manual lever to grab hold of! The main difference in the cars is the boot, the Freelander has a bigger boot so I can fit in the daughters Otterhound who is a big lad, the rake of the Antara rear door window made that bit of the car useless for the dog. The Freelander also has a full sized alloy spare wheel. Down side is its a bit higher to the entrance of the boot/hatch over the Antara. The interior of the Freelander has pluses and minuses, the radio DAB and Sat Nav are very good and placed ideally over the Anatara so your not looking down to read the Nav, it also displays on the drivers dash both radio/ipd and nav. The dials are not ideal though they are rather bland with no Km markings and I feel they are a little dimmer. However the MPH or KMPH is displayed on the dash, as are the fuel and trip computer. The nice bonus is an electrically heated front screen, plus very good visibility, the ride is a little higher but the steering feels a bit more vague and suffers typical LR body roll, nothing concerning and just a difference you get used to. This car has 4x4 which is not permanent but is automatically selected by the Haldex unit should it feel it needs it, I know there are terrain controls on the center console but I dont expect I will be moving it from normal!
One thing I notice is a very quiet cabin, the engine noise is less and the lack of rattles of the trim etc makes it feel a bit better put together.

I fitted side steps on the Antara but wont on this Freelander, likewise I wont be fitting roof bars, reason being it suited the Antara looked good and the factory roof rails look great. I have seen a Freelander with both fitted and it doesn't do it for me...

So overall I think there are good points for both cars. I have not mentioned reliability or dealer service as we all know that all cars have issues and some dealers lack the old style of fixing a car without having to believe that the computer diagnosis is the be all and end all. I will mention the DPF though... I know of the issues I had with the Antara and was concerned with the Freelander, but I noted on the journey to Wales I only got 40 mpg so I guess it did a regen, the trip back was nearer 43 mpg. It seems there is no fixed mileage and it does it when it needs to, I just wish all cars had a DPF gauge as standard that would tell you when the DPF was getting filled up so you can get it on a run and select a cleaning setting. But that would make life too simple!

Ok so the crunch, did I do the right thing in swapping. Well the cost of the Freelander was very high, being the last of the models and very low milage 13k only it was not cheap, the Antara is a cheap SUV no doubt about that but the resale value is a joke, such a shame as its a very nice motor not a class leader but a lot better than some I looked at. If you have a good one and trouble free then I would say stick with it. I do not regret the change as it was to serve a purpose of having room for the big dog and if we do ever move to the sticks the 4x4 will be useful. I hope also in a few years it will have a decent value as I doubt I will put more than about 8k a year on the mileage. I enjoyed driving the Antara and I enjoy this Freelander, both drive differently but both are good fun. I guess its all down to you pays your money you takes your choice. One thing is I will find a very good indy to service it as it looks a cow to change the oil filter etc and I am not paying the LR dealers silly money!!

Any questions fire away

[Dulac]

A good summary Tony. Yes, the Antara resale values are a joke; great if you are a buyer (like I was) but I made my mind up to keep the car for seven years - principally as a towcar and also for longer trips. We drive a Smart ForTwo as a general runaround and the cost of the two cars was less than a newish SUV 4WD. Both cars were a couple of months old. The cost of genuine GM parts is high for an obsolete car but I find Vauxhall's service costs tolerable compared to my local independent, with the added knowledge of technical back-up from GM. However, from other owners' reports it seems there are some crummy Vauxhall dealers out there with limited workshop skills as far as the Antara is concerned.

[victor]

Interesting to hear about your Freelander Volrider and glad it isn't giving you any major grief or buyers regret. I looked at a new one myself before I bought the Antara and discounted it because of the lack of room inside the cab, especially around the back seat and boot area where the wheel well and furnishing panels intruded. I was looking for something that would seat five occasionally and the Freelander didn't cut it. I also felt for the money (around £27k for the Auto) it just didn't appeal to me. Don't mean to criticise your choice, to each his own.

re the DPF, doesn't yours have the EOLYS or PATS fluid system on it? Makes for much lower temperature regens but brings in the replenishment of fluid and the possibility of other errors within the system (pump, contents gauging etc). The Antara's system is a PITA but usually can be cleared by sacrificing a few gallons of diesel. Surprised it's only 150bhp but I believe there was a Sports version with higher rating.

Mines has gone through its first MOT no problem and got it serviced by one of my independents with me supplyig the parts. On the way back I had a little fun with it, she went up to about 85 with no probs (on a private road of course ) as usual it handles really well. In fact it's doing so well that I might just sell it - ha ha. Only done about 20k in it, still clean as a whistle but might keep an eye out for a set of winter tyres on 18's.      

[Dulac]

Victor - take a look on the Internet at the average resale price, you might be in for a shock. Interestingly, the prices of used breakers' bits are high so the deal seems to be to run the car into the ground then sell the bits to those of us who need a decent size car to tow a family caravan (and can't afford a Tesla or whatever in a few years' time)!

[victor]

I had a price quote from a couple of on-line sources and they came up with ~ £8,200 for a private sale which isn't bad considering I only paid £14k after £2k trade-in on an old car which owed me nothing. Within the first three years most cars are reckoned to be worth less than 50% of their original price - some down to about 30%-ish, it's one of the worst investments you can make. In any case the price of your car is as academic as the price of your house if you ain't selling it.

[TonyM]

I found that when I tried to trade it in the prices were around 6k for a low milage 2.2 exclusiv with less than 24k miles and a month short of three years old, that was a whopping 50% value chop from the 12k I paid for it when it was just over a year old.... However looking at it in full the price I paid was a lot less than new so I cannot complain although they seem to drop in value throughout the first few years quite a bit. I would say if your happy hold on to it until its about 6 or 7 years old when the value will have stabilised. All cars drop in value hence why I would never buy new again...

[Dulac]

I suppose a great deal depends on what we want a car for. Friends of mine are interested in appearance and performance and change their cars at least once a year, refusing to carry anything other than people (not even fishing tackle) and cleaning it every week. They are all happy to pile into mine however, which is more of a workhorse and carries the occasional bag of cement or 8 foot bundles of timber, as well as the usual airport run. Should a significant failure occur (e.g. engine/gearbox/transfer box) that might be the time to reconsider and balance expenditure against value, but for the time being I'll just keep it serviced as recommended and my ears open for any unusual noises. If I was a multi-millionaire I would never buy a brand new car and if I won a million I'd still keep the Antara (but might pay for valeting every now and again), plus a Citroen DS21 Pallas for fun. On second thoughts only multi-millionaires can run the Citroen properly.