17 replies to this topic

[Lilian1952]

I drive a freelander 1.8 petrol ...,question,are they any good for towing a swift challenger ??
A neighbour said they had freelander and it was no good for towing although fine on the flat !!
the dealer were we are getting our van from checked online and said it should be fine ....any thoughts
                                               Cheers Lilian x

[bi6als]

You should state which Swift Challenger...........there are quite a few different sizes and weights

[Brassneck]

Lilian1952, on 19 January 2012 - 06:29 PM, said:

I drive a freelander 1.8 petrol ...,question,are they any good for towing a swift challenger ??
A neighbour said they had freelander and it was no good for towing although fine on the flat !!
the dealer were we are getting our van from checked online and said it should be fine ....any thoughts
   Cheers Lilian x

Very very underpowered even without a van on the back.

The 1.8 K series engine has always suffered from head gasket/over heating problems, putting it under strain will show this up if not already.
If your van, which is the important consideration, is an older one then it may be a fairly light weight model and the Freelander will be adequate at best. After adequate it will be a waste of time completely.

If you look through the towcars just on here, very few are 1.8 petrols and thats as a standard weight car, the Freelander is knocking on the door of 1800 kgs which is very heavy for a small engine.

[MONTYSA]

Hi

I would not use one as tow car, as already said Head gasket trouble 1.8 petrol terrible car.

I try and steer my customers away from the k series petrol.

I will not take on headgasket repairs on any K series as had lots of problems after repair.

Happy Caravannig

Monty

[Gareth]

If it is a K-series 1.8 and has been fitted with the improved headgasket, then there ought not to be a problem with the car. IIRC the engine has 120bhp and although this isn't much in today's standards, it could be okay depending on the weight ratio.

The two things we really need to know (to avoid everyone and his wife chiming in about shoddy Rover build-quality and the K-series in general) are the year and weight of both Freelander and Challenger.

What I will say is that diesel engined-variants of most vehicles seem to be the preferred tugs on here. There are a few petrol models but they tend to be either very large or much newer in design than the K-series.

[Challenger]

We had one and it was the worst towcar we ever had, The ride even made me feel car sick and I was driving. The 1.8 petrol couldn't pull the skin of a rice pudding.

[bi6als]

My mate bought one nearly new years ago 51 plate. He ran it in a few weeks ago. Not a mark on it, very low mileage, condition was like new (he obsessively looks after his cars). He got £600 part ex

£600 thats all

He had 3 cylinder head jobs done, last one cost £2000, first one was when it was less than 2 years old

It also had clutch problems, brake system problems and thats just the major issues.

[Brassneck]

Gareth, on 22 January 2012 - 03:14 PM, said:

If it is a K-series 1.8 and has been fitted with the improved headgasket, then there ought not to be a problem with the car. IIRC the engine has 120bhp and although this isn't much in today's standards, it could be okay depending on the weight ratio.

It IS a K series, Land Rover never fitted any other 1.8 petrol in the Freelander.

120 BHP is not worth a carrot. Torque is far more important, and at this level of petrol engine is paramount. 120 BHP in an 1500+ kgs car isnt worth a carrot BEFORE you stick anything on the back, then when you do BHP isnt a factor, torque is. And the K series just doesnt have it.

[avtur1]

I appreciate that everyone is giving their own honest perspective on this matter ... but can you see how this looks to the OP, this was their 4th post to the forum and there has been nothing but a wall of negativity. There are many times in life when bad news has to be delivered, but the way it is delivered can have as much impact as the news itself. If I was the OP I don't think I'd spend much more time here ... I know full well the problems associated with the 1.8 K series (not owned one myself but a very good friend did so know about the problems) ... may be I'm too soft ...

[Brassneck]

Point taken Paul.

But i'd rather be voracious with my comments on this matter than give a wishy washy answer. Fact is they are putting their lives in that car and are asking for advice on it's suitability. Thats extremely sensible, but that particular car with that engine is a potential nightmare.

[Lilian1952]

Thanks for all of your comments.....hoping to change car !! Question is now, what too ? Lol
Ps. Thanks Paul ,i think this is a great website and I'll prob be back asking more questions !!!
                                     Cheers Lilian x

[bi6als]

Lilian1952, on 26 January 2012 - 10:13 PM, said:

Thanks for all of your comments.....hoping to change car !! Question is now, what too ? Lol
Ps. Thanks Paul ,i think this is a great website and I'll prob be back asking more questions !!!
Cheers Lilian x

If youre looking for something similar the X Trail seems to generate a lot of love

Been on a few rallies recently and nearly all had X Trails, and nearly all grey metallic

[Lilian1952]

Cheers Alan x

[shakermate]

Or a Kia Sorento, very good write ups, though the parts are a bit expensive if you have a ding (As i just found out :-(  )

Lance

[RogerL]

Or a Hyundai Santa Fe, excellent value, very spacious from 2006 and used as the basis for Kia Sorento from 2010.

If you want something more like the Freelander in size, the Hyundai Tucson/iX35 is good value and again is the basis for the current Kia Sportage.