I bought this vehicle as an ex-demonstrator from Lakeland Land Rover back in the summer of 2013, and it was one of the first MY13 facelifts off the line at Halewood. I part-exchanged my MY12 HSE for this, and the step up in build quality was noticeable from the moment I got in the drivers seat. More comfortable, quieter, better infotainment....switches and buttons more thoughtfully laid out, and less clutter than its predecessor.

In the 5 years approaching that I have owned it, the only problem that I have encountered are a split turbo intercooler hose (common fault) and a sticking turbo actuator arm. Nothing, repeat nothing else has failed on this vehicle - it starts first time every time, copes with the wilds of Warwickshire with aplomb, and snow, ice and general bad weather as well as muddy tracks and fields pose nothing of a problem to it whatsoever.

By contrast, during the recent 'Beast from the East', it's stable-mate, Discovery Sport MY17 HSE Luxury sat on the driveway for a month unused. That vehicle is a whole other story in itself, and I shall be reviewing that in due course.

The rear diff issues haven't reared their head on this model for me - it helps that I have the Haldex and Diff overhauled regularly, despite LR claiming that they can go 10 years between services - what utter r******!

The downsides of ownership are that the Dealer Network appear to be universally c*** and incompetent. They charge the earth yet really don't seem to give a flying fairy about fixing any issues and niggles (not that this particular vehicle has given me any) - it's a big problem that JLR need to get a handle on. Fortunately, I have an excellent (rare) LR Approved independent in Banbury that know what they are doing, indeed the owner drives one of these himself, as reliability speaks volumes. For me, I love driving the Freelander almost daily, it still puts a grin on my face 5 years down the line, still looks like a Land Rover, and still performs as it should. I never generally keep vehicles as long as this, and it was too good to trade when the DS was purchased last summer, hence why I kept it, and personally I think that I will still have it on the driveway long after its alleged "successor" has left my stewardship. I have total confidence in the vehicle whenever I get in it, to get me to wherever I am going, whatever the conditions.

*October 2019 update*

I thought that it would be an ideal point in time to update my original review, as the vehicle is now 7 years old, and as you might have gathered, I have kept hold of it.

No problems whatsoever. In all the 6.5 years that I have owned it, it has cost me the grand sum of a pair of front and rear pads, a new battery (precautionary measure), and a complete set of tyres front and rear. Plus a turbo intercooler hose. And that's it!

It was serviced last week, and the technician noticed a very slight coolant leak from the gasket at the EGR Cooler which is being done this week - a sub £100 repair including labour.

The vehicle continues to astonish me with its utterly perfect reliability, and despite the governments attempts to tax it off the road owing to it being Euro 5, I cannot help but feel that the extra VED is worth paying out for, given that it's still, at seven years on, totally dependable and reliable, and quite literally, bang on the button. No wonder the residuals are rising, rather than falling like its shoddily-constructed L550 replacement!