Bye CR-V, hello…

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Tue 9 Nov 2010 09:09
Bye CR-V, hello… - andyfr

Three years ago we bought a new CR-V and I have to say it was a good car. The only problems were the rear diff making a “groaning” noise, this was sorted by changing the diff oil for a different spec. All four alloys started to bubble so were replaced. The worst problem was the battery going flat. This was last winter and the ECU didn’t shut down the electrics so there was a constant drain, after three days it wouldn’t even turn over. This was sorted with a software update. All the above were done without question under warranty.

It was very comfortable, even long journeys were done without any aches or pains. The economy was good, averaging over 40MPG during the 22,000 we covered.

So if it was so good why did we change? Well we live in the Highlands, down a single track road and have a long steep drive, we also get a lot of snow every year without fail. The CR-V just wasn’t as good in the snow as the Freelanders we had before. Also it was a victim of its own success as it had held on to a high proportion of its value so the price to change was very good.

So what did we get? Well we went for a 2011my Freelander GS auto. It’s the facelift model so not only does the front end look better IMHO but the engine is more economical and the emissions are lower than the previous model. Although we have had it over a month we haven’t been very far as we have been too busy doing things around the house, but first impressions are very good. It is very quiet and smooth and the auto box is exceptional. We have a long trip coming up so will be able to give it a good run then.

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Tue 9 Nov 2010 12:16
Bye CR-V, hello… - injection doc

we have the pre-facelift freelander 2 auto and I have to say we are really pleased and it will be 3 years old end next year.

Its extremely quiet and smooth and plenty of grunt and the autobox is exceptional, best ever autobox I have driven.

When mine was new the MPG was in the low 20's & on a run 30 ish but after 10k it now gets 42.2 on a 300 mile staedy run which i think is very good for an auto

My Freelander was excellent in the snow last year but did experience one issue and that was that snow built up under the wiper whilst on the motor way in a heavy blizzard and it was not safe to stop to clear but it bent the mechansim and Landrover refused to pay under warranty!! so less than impressed with a 4X4 that you can't use in heavy snow on a motorway so watch out.

i did find another dealer who was most helpfull and eventually replaced it under warranty but it just seemed ironic that you can't drive in heavy snow unless you want to run the risk of damaging those huge wiper system.

My emmsions are higher because i opted for a model without a DPMF as the economey is better than with a DPMF and more reliable and i won't need to pay for another DPMF when it blocks up. When manufactures master the DPMF system then i don't mind reducing the emmisions but darned if I am going to pay for it whilst its all still experimental

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Tue 9 Nov 2010 14:02
Bye CR-V, hello… - andyfr

Thanks for the feedback!

I had two of the Freelander 1s, a 1998 and a 2002, both were very good. When we were changing in 2007 I decided to try a change and go for the Honda.

I haven't owned an automatic since the 70's but after renting SUVs in the US found that they had really come on a lot and that I liked them. I didn't even test drive the Freelander auto as they only had manuals in but I have to say I'm very impressed.

As I have only done just over 200 miles I don't know what the MPG is but the readout says 36MPG. Normally I would brim the tank and then calculate the consumption in Excel but until we have a long run I can't to do this so won't know how accurate the readout is.

Edited by andyfr on 09/11/2010 at 14:04

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