Freelander Question re Towing

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amberhargreaves

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I am thinking of buying a 2.0 Diesel freelander to tow my horse. Does anyone have one, and how good are they at towing 1 horse. I looked at the car review last night and saw that it only has 95 bhp (brake horse power). Is that enough power to tow up and down hills OK?
Any help much appreciated.
 
I thought Freelanders were designed to be driven around Chelsea carrying a couple of kids. Don't think they are the best cars to tow with.
 
I wouldn't, Buy a real car go for a Disco!!!
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(biased, who? Me!)
 
Someone on this forum (S_V I think) used to have a Freelander for towing, and as far as I can remember got on ok with it. On paper they have the capacity to tow a trailer with one horse, but they aren't the heaviest of 4x4s. The idea of having a weighty tow car is that there is less chance of the trailer pushing the car, eg when going downhill in the wet. When working out your weights, remember to add in water, tack, extra people etc. as well as the weight of the trailer and horse. Personally I would go for a Discovery - they are equally unreliable but roomier!
 
We've got a Freelander and a Discovery - the Freelander nearly didn't make it up a hill with the trailer empty so we've never tried with a horse IMO they are too light for towing!
 
Ok thanks everyone. perhaps I should look for something else. I just wanted to get something that wasn't a tank cos I'll have to use it as my everyday car too. What about a SWB Pajero/shogun. Do you think they would be better?
 
My mum has a Pajero, they are good and not too pricey! Not so good with 2 big horses in (make it but labour a bit compared to my Land Cruiser).

Should be fine with 1 tho or 2 if ur not in a hurry!
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Only thing you have to watch with imports is lots of garages wont do them as some parts are different. Check with local garage first!
 
All the larger 4x4s are pretty good for towing, but for everyday road use try and get one that is permanent four wheel drive. Ones that aren't are rear wheel drive, and can be a bit skittish in the rain. My daughter went from driving a Renault Clio to driving a Discovery with no problems, and uses it every day for work. They are one of the more economical 4x4s too, doing 27mpg round town. Also, an automatic gearbox can give a smoother ride when towing.
 
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Stay away from Freelanders, please! I had one for 2 years it was a nightmare from beginning to end, it spent more time at the garage than it did being driven. Mine was a second hand sporty type with body kit and loads of chrome it looked amazing but was nohing but trouble. I used it to tow 1 horse and bateson deuville trailer (quite light), it really seemed to struggle. I returned to it one night after a lesson and there was power steering fluid allover the carpark, it had dodgey electrics and was always tripping and on 2 occassions I was locked inside it in asdas car park because apparently BT signalls are on the same radio wave as the automatic key and it messes with the electrics, it was a nightmare!

My parents traded it it for a Mitsubushi shogun (slightly different price bracket!) and I borrow it to tow, use my mini everyday. The difference towing with the shogun is amazing you can't feel the trailer plus its automatic so you don't have to stress about which gear you should be in for hills, and I can tow 2 horses woo hoo!! My Dad swears by Mitsubishis, a lady at our yard has an old shogun sport and all its needed is tyres.

Sorry to burst your bubble but I am quite passionate about the unsuitabity of Freelanders for towing!!
 
Of course they are! I have a Disco for towing but as I live in rural Kent and have no kids, the Freebie is for going to work and taking the dog out - but it is reasonable off road for shooting etc. Would never tow with it having moved an empty IFW 505 with it and noticed some unpleasant braking effects!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't, Buy a real car go for a Disco!!!
grin.gif
(biased, who? Me!)

[/ QUOTE ]

100% agree! I have had both and Freeloader was just about ok to tow one horse (didn't feel nice going down steep hills though) whereas my lovely disco was absolutely fine with two on board.

If you drive a Freeloader in rural areas people may think you have escaped from London for the day and treat you like a grockel.
 
I used to have a freelander and used to tow an Ifor with a 16hh in the back. It was fine on the flat but struggled with hills, often ended up in 1st or 2nd on some of the very steep hills, but more alarmingly coming downhill the weight of the trailer combined with gravity used to make the trailer "bounce" on the back of the car when braking so had to very careful coming downhill.
Although it was lovely to drive it went through tyres like nobodies business and the wear and tear on the car was really high so I traded it in for a Defender 90. I know Defenders are not everyones cup of tea and it took me a while to get used to it but its fab for towing and getting through muddy gateways etc and although not zippy like the freelander I really like mine now. Not for everyone though as not designed with comfort in mind and not ideal for travelling long distances.
 
I have a friend who has a Freelander, and she is now looking for a new gearbox for it - not a good reccomendation for reliability.

My trusty old Disco tows 2 horses in an Ifor 505 and now has 300'000Km on the clock.
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I disagree with some of the posts - my Freelander was good at towing one horse. Had enough in it to cope. Many people relay second or third hand stories, but when you actually speak to someone who has towed with one they seem to have quite positive views. The only criticism I had was that it was a bit light on the Motorways at higher speeds, but as long as I was sensible then there was no problem. This is where I now prefer my Disco TD5, but if you're on a budget need a towing vehicle as well as an every day car I would recommend the Freelander if you only ever intend on towing one horse.
 
My freelander is great, I only tow one horse at a time. Its a five door 2.8 turbo diesal and I live in a very hilly area and it pulls my fresion stocky 15.3 or my stocky 15.1 welsh horses individually and my Iforwilliams 505. If I need to take the two horses my OH landrover is used. With one horse the kerb weight is within the law. I have no problem at all. However my friend has the three door sports freelander and its towing capacity is not very good.
 
The Freelander is ok with a reasonably light trailer and one horse but they do struggle with more than that.

For more than the occasional family pony I would be inclined to look at a Disco or a Shogun.
 
I can't comment on towing a trailer as I haven't got one but I have got a Freelander and so has my husband. We have never had any reliablity issues and definitely don't get treated like "townies". Good job really as we live somewhere so isolated that it doesn't even qualify as a hamlet.

Also, we have both taken 4x4 driving courses using our Freelanders and had loads of fun. I was totally amazed at what they could do. We were driving in thick mud up and down steep slopes in and out of a quarry and going on what seemed death-defying angles etc. They are just mini 4x4s, not Chelsea tractors.

Sorry, doesn't answer OPs question but I felt like putting in a good word for Freelanders 'cos we love ours esp mine as it only has two seats so tons of room for all my tack in back.
 
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