Land Rover Freelander 2 review: cheap, capable, and a genuine gamble by 2026
2.8/5motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy a post-2012 Si4 facelift car over an earlier 3.2-litre six or 2.2-litre Td4 diesel — the Si4 is the most reliable engine the Freelander 2 offered and the one with the best parts support left. Budget for electrical faults as a certainty rather than a possibility: window regulators, the Haldex coupling and various body control modules are the recurring complaints in owner forums. At the prices these now trade for in Bahrain the car is close to disposable, which is honestly the right way to own one at this age.
Pros
- Haldex all-wheel drive and Terrain Response give real off-road ability few compact SUVs this size still match
- Si4 turbo petrol is the most reliable and best-supported engine the Freelander 2 offered
- Bahraini used prices are now low enough to make it a genuine budget weekend vehicle
- Independent Land Rover specialists in Bahrain know the car well
Cons
- Electrical faults — window regulators, Haldex coupling, body control modules — are the norm, not the exception
- Official dealer parts support is effectively gone for a car this old
- Pre-2012 six-cylinder and diesel versions are harder and more expensive to keep running
- Road and wind noise are noticeably present next to anything newer
By the time Land Rover stopped building the Freelander 2 in 2014, it had quietly become one of the more capable compact SUVs of its era — genuine Haldex all-wheel drive, Terrain Response with a sand-specific setting, and a chassis that could follow a Defender through soft ground that would strand most crossovers of the same size. None of that shows up in a spec sheet comparison against a modern compact SUV, which is exactly why used examples are so cheap in Bahrain today.
What the Si4 facelift fixed
Earlier Freelander 2s came with a 3.2-litre Volvo-sourced inline-six or a 2.2-litre Td4 diesel, neither of which aged especially well and both of which are now hard to get parts for locally in a petrol-preferring market. The 2012 facelift's 2.0-litre turbocharged Si4 is the version worth seeking out — it is quicker, more efficient, and shares more components with mainstream Land Rover and Jaguar four-cylinder engines of the era, which keeps independent workshops able to source parts.
The reality of buying one now
This is not a car to buy expecting Toyota-levels of dependability. Electrical gremlins are the defining Freelander 2 experience: window regulators failing, the Haldex coupling needing periodic fluid changes it often does not get, and body control module faults that can cause anything from a stuck sunroof to a warning light cascade. Bahrain's independent Land Rover specialists know these cars well and can keep one running affordably, but official dealer support for a car this old is effectively gone.
On the road it still drives better than its age suggests — the ride is soft but controlled, and the Si4's turbo torque makes it feel brisker than the numbers imply in town. On the causeway it is composed enough at 120 km/h, though wind and road noise are more present than in anything newer.
Buy one as a cheap, genuinely capable weekend or beach vehicle, inspect the electrics thoroughly before handing over money, and do not expect it to be your only car.