Is it a blog? Is it a review? Manual Facelift Mk1 Freelander TD4...better than my 03 Hippo?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2023
- My mk1 Freelander TD4 auto has been a faithful friend, but let's check out the facelift version and is the manual going to a better drive? Plus someone else's very silly project idea
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @furiousdriving
Proudly sponsored by Diamondbrite - Clean, Protect and care for your car - diamondbrite.co.uk and get 10% off your order with code FD10
Check out my Amazon store for all the Draper tools used on the channel www.amazon.co.uk/shop/furious...
Theres a Merch store!! Head over to www.furiousdriving.co.uk to find the T shirts, hats, mugs, key rings, badges and more soon on there!
All the other Furious Driving, Rover, Alfa stickers, mugs, T shirts HERE - rdbl.co/3AhvDLL on Redbubble
Hit the Channel Member JOIN button and become a Furious Driver or help support the channel on Patreon here: / furiousdriving
Post me stuff for Junk in the Trunk post bag section!
Furious Driving
PO Box 477
AYLESFORD
ME6 9LE
Check out my new Photography channel 'Click Bait' - bit.ly/2Xek1Y1 - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
If your auto Freelander is not responding well you need to:
1 Clean the EGR valve
2 Clean the plastic intake manifold.
3 replace the turbo hoses.
4 optional, put a tuning box on it.
When I had mine I did all these, and the engine and gearbox responded as when it was new.
You could also stick it in manual mode!.
Also the Auto box is a Jatco, not a getrag.
Lastly the gearbox holds onto 1st and 2nd when cold to heat the ATF fluid, it's not a fault.
To me facelifts look good when new however after 20 years almost all original pre faceliftl models look better becausr they are closer to what the designers wanted. Pre facelifts are also often better to drive because they are usually lighter and the suspension settings are set up more for the press release.
The most overlooked feature of the Freelander is how good it is for developing one's leg muscles thanks to how often it needs to be pushed.
I had a 2.0 diesel manual the previous owner had put a tuning box on it it was pretty quick, mine was the face lift because the dash was higher like you described thanks for that explanation
Hi and I love your very positive Hippo review! I have a 2004 facelift TD4 auto and I just double-checked on Landzone. The autobox is actually a Japanese "Jatco" [ Japan Automatic Transmission Company ] as I always thought, used worldwide by many big manufacturers. ( LZ Nodge68 says " All autos KV6 or TD4 use the Jatco box. The TD4 manual is a Getrag.") As a precaution I had the fluid changed by my local garage when I bought the car in 2016 and I love it and the car generally. So Hurah for Hippos!
Clive, Aintree, Liverpool.
I had one of these for 4 years or so . Replaced the egr valve after my only major breakdown on the M 1. Also the propshaft u joints. Had a misfire that a great company swadlincote diesels near Burton on Trent sorted for me . The only minor irritation was that a previous owner had the clutch changed but not the release bearing . Changing gear was a chore at times. And yes a 6 speed was needed. All in all a good motor.
Was at my local MOT centre over in Northern Ireland, over 20-30minutes I saw majority of the cars pass apart from a Range Rover L322 and two other Land Rovers which both failed. Owners didn't seem so surprised it was almost like they knew they would but put them through anyway to see how much work needed to be done.
That box under the boot floor will be full of subwoofer on that car if it has Harman Kardon (or a mixture of subwoofer and water in the case of my Mum's old Freelander!). She had hers for about 5 years in exactly the same spec as that (but with the more modern alloys that I think that car would have come with) and it was actually an excellent car for her. I've enjoyed watching the progress with your own Freelander.
Good spot regarding the dash / instrument binnacle layout on the Mk1, Rover is still very much with us in Land Rover.
I got rid of my 56 plate HSE with 115k miles on last year now im upset about it 😂😂 my stomach drops when i think about how much i loved it! All terrain tyres and never even slipped in deeo snow
Had one of these in 2.5 V6 auto form.
Sold it reasonably quick as the fuel consumption was horrific and the interior felt very very cheap compared to my MG ZT and Rover 75.
MG Rover actually built a 4wd ZT-T 180 which is currently on the road somewhere.
Matt your auto box in Hippo is made by JATCo not Get Rag which is how hits meant to be said,also the auto box is supposed to hold on to the lower changes when it's cold by design it helps to warm up the fluid.
I always thought the Freelander had the 5 SPD jatco auto same as X trail 1. They are very special. Nothing like them now in terms of character
Nice motor, I own a '55 reg Td4 SE manual, soon to turn over 54K
Nearly bought a Freelander back in 2016 was a manual facelift with the TD4, another itch i need to scratch one day!
I have to confess that I like the facekift version better, it looks just higher quality and more modern.
Yep I love my old Freelander...pre face lift...basic no frills does what it says on the tin...no silly gizmo just get in and drive....
And the TD4 MK 1 Facelift "Jatco" autobox has Sport Mode which includes the option of sequential "semi-auto" shifting. Clive.
6:00 “feels very American”. That’s because they actually were! They were recycled from the American Ford parts bin
There is at least 1 4wd rover 75 that uses a freelander ECU over on the 75zt forums.
Electric window switches on the door and center console?
All good stuff. Lots of topics in there.
The newer interior is nicer….but lacks some of the character of the original. The original interior dashboard is a bit smaller in places and makes the original look more roomy and a bit more car like.
The exterior of the newer one does look very good - this really still looks contemporary in 2023.
Personally I prefer automatic…I started in manual cars and went thru a phase where similar to the video i was 50/50……the traffic has since gotten worse and I wouldn’t consider going back to manual or stick now.
….that said it isn’t as simple as saying one transmission type is always better than another…..there’s good and bad in both. Part of the is down to which type of automatic, traditional torque converter, CVT, or automated manual (VW DSG, ASG, FORD POWERSHIFT and so on) - I’ve owned all 3 types. Again it depends on the age of the technology when u experienced it. CVT on a Honda is way better than what it once was on other cars in years past…..it can almost fool someone into thinking it’s a traditional automatic. It even has a pretend torque converter…..yes with the Honda CVT or a traditional automatic I would go with those off road and not the manual…..because torque converter and seamless drive + that accurate control when barely moving or the transition between not moving and moving. Add on Winter mode and other programs and its job done. But unless a VW DSG or Ford power shift automated manual were fitted with those programs, I wouldn’t want one. My VW DSG couldn’t deal with slippery surfaces - pulling away on them especially up hill. It was like a switch…..and the computer was dimwitted….struggling to keep up. It was actually slower away onto fast roundabouts because the computer needed a second to figure out what was needed. Compensating with your gas pedal didn’t fix that and resulted in wheel spin. The CVT Honda is actually quicker off the line because the power is always on the wheels in D or S. push your foot down, the car moves, simple. No DSG computer engaging temp neutral (even tho still in D or S).
Also driven some poor manuals too, where gear levers didn’t self center (5 speed)….and going from 2nd to 5th was an easy mistake. Others inc the mk1, mk2 Ford fiesta, Ford Orion 1.6i petrol 5spd, 2000 era original Toyota Yaris 1.0 & 1.3, and the manual version of my 2019 Honda Jazz (Honda Fit) were/are horrid to drive because their clutch is unforgiving….like a switch…..car won’t move an inch w/out plenty of revs. Nasty to drive slowly. Whereas a mk2 2000 era corsa has a perfectly easy clutch and gearbox.
Because of compulsory net zero regulations, the move to hybrid and then fully electric cars means manual gearbox won’t be around for much longer on new cars. We are now in that transition period.
Nice one!! Cheers
Had 2 Freelanders, both broke, weird problems. Strangely I still like the way they look and I miss them. My 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe beats them in to a pulp. Comfort, speed, reliability. Try the Korean way, Matt?
If the Freelander Auto is anything like my w124 auto, it'll hang onto gears longer when cold to speed up the warming up process
I had a brand new Discovery 2 ES which by definition meant I drove more Freelanders than Discovery's. The TD4 Sport auto was quite cool. I also liked the 2003 2.5 V6. Although that was more unreliable than the Discovery. I did more recently buy a 2018 Disco Sport which was nice . I now have a Honda CR-v 2023 which is very like the Disco Sport but without all the warning lights and 45 mpg not 36 mpg. I still love Land Rovers but I would never buy another one.
Id like a Disco 2, they look so good but I dont know how expensive my local LR specialist is so dont dare!
A very clear explanation of a Land Rover ownership experience 😂
as the owner of both a pre & Facelift freelander , i always thought the center console was moved to allow fitting of a double-din stereo ..... and for me pre-facelift 3 door FL1 is the best looking of them all
Yes! That would be my perfect one as well
My facelift one had a CD autochanger built into the dash, so I guess that would have needed a fair bit of space.
I got a question, i'm about to buy freelander restyling with 109hp and automatic gearbox?Is it slower than regular manual gearbox?I mean 0-60.
The 75 rear axle is derived from the rwd e46 axle I believe so maybe you can fit that
it is, thats a good idea
If youre ever out of Kent and come to the midlands then you can drive my disco mk 1 with the 4.0 v8 and a 5 speed manual
Drop me an email please!
I like the facelifts version tbh
Getrag with a ‘Guh’ make gearboxes in the old Ford gearbox factory in Halewood, next to the JLR former Escort factory.
I remember changing the bulb in the clock was a real pain in all Rovers/Land Rovers of this era.
Thanks for letting me mess with your 75
Anytime, hope it helps
I just managed to get my Rover 75 ECU to switch the A/C on, with the ECU on the bench, using the data I collected from your car 😊. Now I know why it wasn't acknowledging the Freelander system.
`there was a 4WD 75 prototype with freelander bits iirc
so it can be done...
Yep MG Rover built one, I think it survived after MG Rover went into administration, now possibly owned by someone from the 75 owners club ? It looked pretty stock from the outside, plenty of images for it on google 😊
The manual box is by Getrag, the Auto is made by Jatco, two different companies.
Nice review though.
but they sound so similar...And Ive even taken my Jatco box apart
I do prefer the facelift freelander I think the interior looks a bit more high quality especially if optioned with a light coloured interior. In terms of 4wd 75 Rover made ZTT AWD protype using the freelander 4wd system. There is thought an easier way to have a petrol powered auto its the v6
Ah, good old ULEZ: I’ve been living that dream for a while now. Luckily, I do have a three door, 2001 1.8 manual Freelander that is ULEZ friendly. And a 2004 1.4 ZR105 that’s ULEZ happy too. Shame my 1996 MGFs fall fowl 👎
try these guys, they might be able to get you a doctors note for the MG www.mgrccservices.com/services/european-certificates-of-conformity/
The face-lift model has an inferior dashboard in my opinion
@@furiousdriving thanks - I’ll try them 👍
@@Andy-sh9eq I agree - especially the earlier ones with the funky beige and teal green colour combo - that’s part of h th r reason for buying my Hippo! Plus mine has the crazy Gerry McGovern body kit, which is fun… lol
@furiousdriving would you be up for swapping hippo for a 57 reg R56 mini ? Ulez compliant and had clutch, tyre and and timing components changed in last 12 months of my ownership, 97500 miles
Thanks but I’ll probably swap it for an off roader of some sorr
Matt you obviously enjoyed yourself in that manual freelander and l have owned an automatic Hillman Gazelle and an automatic Hillman Gazelle it was back in the 1970s so l have no idea which one l preferred and with my 1997 Toyota Hilux the manual ones are worth more and sell quicker than the automatic ones l have not driven a 1997 hilux with an automatic transmission but l did drive an automatic next generation Toyota Hilux automatic and it was awful at the time l had a manual Mazda Bravo much much better
The 75 evolved into the ZT v8 - longitudinal engine rear drive. Only 883 were made
All well and good modifying a car to be compliant but will it be recognised as such even if the registration details are changed? Red tape doesn't often bend. Maybe just wait until it becomes age compliant. A 70's/early 80's Range Rover would be the obvious alternative choice for me. I imagine cars that are now 40+ are rocketing in price.
The car is already compliant. He is just converting it to automatic.
Can you talk more about the rover engine? There's little information on it on the interwebs 😅
We were using skoda Octavia Vrs estates as paramedic cars, we then switched to a fleet of 6 first generation Freelanders, straight away the drivers all hated them said they were slow and handled like boats, we then saw over the year atleast 3 engines failures and 2 gearboxes, they were crap, over the 3 years we had them we never had all six running at the same time. I couldn't see why management went for them as they were terrible for the job of being a fast response vehicle. We now have a mix of octavia and superb estates which are far better for the Job.
Picking these as fast response is a very odd idea. You can make progress and I often pass traffic but it's not something the car was designed for at all. Were they expecting alot of off road accidents? Had they been watching too much Casualty on TV?
@furiousdriving yeah we all thought it was odd idea, we had absolutely no say in the matter. They turned up one day out of the blue, the hate they got meant the managers took notice for the replacements with were V70s and Octavias till we moved onto superbs which have been perfect for the Job.
I like the pre-facelift more, much cleaner design. But the facelift version is not ugly by any means. Interior looks a bit more ''premium''.
Another good video Matt 🚘🚙🚗👍👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👏👏👏👏
No, you draw exhaust fumes in if you drive with the rear window down!
Its easy to bicker on about how manuals are better than autos when you havent had the chance to experience the pleasure driving home in a manual after an 8 hour manual labour shift in traffic every freaking day lol
The silver-ish plastic bits look very cheap and a real afterthought. Otherwise not a bad makeover.
What are you doing with all those apples ?😂
Crumble
Automatic is made by Jatco, not Getrag.
Like you Matt, I much prefer manual gearboxes to automatic as 1. You make the choices on a manual.
2. There is less to potentially go wrong .
3 I feel more in control
4.More fun to drive.
That's my story 😊
Everything you said!
That fine, but as a note, just about all "modern" (last decades) automatics provide you with the ability to chose gear yourself though
@@GoldenCroc you say that, but every one Ive tried has decided to overrule me if I try to change when it disagrees, refusing to change up or down out of its narrow accepted rev band, and my 2017 Merc will drop back in to auto and start changing if you try to hang onto a gear more than a few seconds
@@furiousdriving Dont know what to say to that, you must have had bad luck with the cars you have driven. Perhaps cars with very old gearbox architechture or "child safe" (Mercedes could be in this category, they were always "safety first") software.
I dont have the same experience, perhaps thats the difference between the average vehicle in different countries, I dont know.
What I can say for sure is BMWs, which I have owned a lot of, exhibits none of those things you mention, even if they are 20 years old. I doubt they got different software that changes that in the UK?
It would be a natural upgrade from Hippo to a face-lift FL1
maybe to a manual, I think I prefer the pre facelift - the Furious way is to go back to the original with weird colour interior!
Have a search for MG ZTT 4X4
Yes - a 4x4 75 was made by the engineering bods at the factory 👍
They should have made a 2.5L KV6 AWD ZS though: in the early naughties, that would have gone down a storm…
So people don’t like SUV’s but like freelanders? Isn’t it dafter to have a Land Rover with full cutting edge 4 wheel drive and never take it off road?
"People" love SUVs, they have more or less put every other car type out of production!
If you are talking about people that are fans of older cars, the clue as to why they might like a freelander is in the name of its manufacturer, methinks...
@@GoldenCroc well I don’t get it lol. An suv is a car with more ground clearance and is higher. Much like a Land Rover product. At least people with an suv don’t have 300 extra kg of low range and dif locks etc that most will never use. Consequently an suv will have better fuel economy.
@@JonBushell The freelander is an SUV. Perhaps you are thinking of an CUV? In any case, people love both.
Very few vehicles sold got the low range and diff locks, so most people are quite disinterested in that indeed. The freelander has neither, as far as I am aware, so perhaps theres been a mix up in what you think it is? Its very far from a purpose built off road vehicle.
Yipee I finally made it here.
Auto better off road I have 201000 miles on mine. Perfect.
Getrag, I understand it is pronounced ge-trahh-g 😊
Swap k20 and this car will be the best
Get orf my land!! 😀
Ha! I presume he didn't tell his wife there's an auto in the KV6 Freelander so he could crack on with this mad project :p
im older auto's only for me now especially now 20mph in Wales. i can say i have not missed manuals , i spent most of my driving on manuals but traffic coming home from work drove me insane
I'm 27 and automatics make driving so boring for me that my ADHD makes me dangerously overconcentrated on my thoughts + I generally love fiddling with manuals no matter what type of traffic.
Across my many cars only this and my Mercedes are auto, and Ive done close to 30k in these 2 in the last year, all its done is prove time and again how much I dont like them, and take the manuals when ever I can
@@furiousdriving Great to hear, save the manuals 😎 I've had four manual C-class Mercs, can only recommend them 😉
@@piuthemagicman 27 lucky you ...back then i only drove manuals too..... moving to auto's more often but not all the time from age 45 on..... i am 61 now and was still driving manual on times until 2 years ago when we sold wifes car. Auto only now as my daughter can only drive autos so we can drive each others car.
Noses: - Ancient Greek profiles! Real Greeks (Times: Great Migration)!!!
Land Rover....
The reason British motorways were designed with a hard shoulder
I have a freelander 1 td4 auto and mine is not slow believe me
mines been remapped and feels OK, but the un mapped manual feels much better
It's still a very pretty car. Pity it's a manual.
no, pity mines an auto!
Is the Mk1 Freelander TD4 in a high road tax bracket?
From 2005 on they have high tax, pre facelift td4 were cheaper.
My 2003 is about £28 a month, its in the old brackets
March 2006 onwards, it goes up, up and up
I thought the V8 75 was rear wheel drive?
The one with Ford V8 is
It was, but with the V8
I heard you mention the transmission tunnel, it was for the V8 I guess.
Shame Mr. PScan doesn’t vacuum his cars very often though. The dirt shows up very badly on camera.
OCD?! 😂
I needed to extract CANbus packets from a running 75, and when I contacted Matt there wasn't really time to do anything except grab my computers and tools and go. The whole thing was completely unplanned.
I was going to add Mr p scan is obviously very busy with electronics, not everything can be taken care of at times. That's life as they say 😊 wish I had that guys knowledge I am still trying to work out why my rear sunblind works sometimes then stops,then works 😮 driving me crazy 😂.
@@philip_christian I was really impressed to see MacBook Pro with Linux. I suppose Lubuntu, but I am not sure.
The only way I ever get my hands on one - only if it is with Linux.
Respect!
@@countryman3089 I put a second SSD in place of the DVD drive. It dual boots Hi Sierra or Debian with LXQT.
These vehicles, pre- and post-facelift, earned themselves an absolutely horrible reputation for failing to proceed. Why things like air conditioning and lights, not to mention door locks are run through the body control computer just proves the engineers at BMW and Robert Bosch need to be fired for following the Second KISS Rule. Instead of Keeping It Simple, Stupid they decided to Keep It Stupid, Simple.
Thats just about every car does it though, so I think you have to expand your "list of ire".
Was that your bones creaking or the cars🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
no comment!
Getrag is German, so proniunced like "gay_traag"
Terrible cars all round
I would not want to drive one to the end of my road
Surely u can't be serious!
I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.
The tea shelf? what is it?
@@furiousdrivingit's a flat surface for an in car picnic but that's not important right now
So basically it seems every car must be worse for having an automatic gearbox in your view? A Freelander 1 was never noted for having the nicest manual gearshift around, even for a compact SUV; but one aspect of your Hippo you are unhappy with is that it is an automatic. Most Merc's have awful manual gearboxes too; hence why hardly anybody has bought them in the history of the brand. But I recall you were on the verge of selling your C-Class just because it was an automatic. Can it be maybe convoluted in your own mind that automatics really are so much worse? Because I cannot imagine the driving experience of some of these cars you have driven is greatly enhanced by simply shifting your own gears.
I had a manual C Class before, the old bad Mercedes manuals is really from the old vans and W123 days. Modern cars components are so integrated that Im not sure a manual swap is actually possible, but yes any car is better without an auto
@@furiousdriving Right.. I must imagine how much better a manual transmission Rolls Royce Phantom would be I guess. I used to enjoy your channel, but this constant ill informed thrashing of cars with self shifting gearboxes is draining to listen to.
@@Jeffrey_Mwatch a different channel then it's simple
@@pk93cov I mostly do now. Thanks though for coming out and being a hero for Mr Furious. Why must every car be a manual? It's not as if we're all Vin Diesel driving in a film. Some of this stuff is bullshit that people get in their own heads and Mr Furious is spinning it.
@@Jeffrey_MHere is just a friendly (no really, it is) tip from me: Learn to ignore stuff people say, even if its often. Nobody got opinions 100% aligned with your own. I watch ton of different youtubers that are really good at some things, but absolutely terrible at others. Going on about a gearbox preference is really nothing, as far as I am concerned.
Now, your presumption is as far as I can tell correct, he really does think every car better with a manual. Thats fair enough I think, its just a quirk of his driving style. Ok, he brings it up a lot, but I am not bothered by it, once I realised thats just "how he rolls".
From your post, I get the impression its really the "pub knowledge" that automatics are bad that you dont like, and I get that. But thats not going to be affected in the slightest way by one youtuber having a preference. As a pretty technical "car guy" myself the amount of bunk info the average person got about cars is mind boggling. I habe learnt to tune it out...
By the way, I have no preference for either type personally, though I currently own 2 automatics since neither of those cars were offered with a manual.