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BUYING USED: LAND ROVER (1948-83)
GOLDEN OLDIES The original ‘Series’ models established Land Rover as one of the top 4x4 brands in the world, and they still make superb workhorses now. Tom Phillips looks back on a legend – and one of today’s most tempting used buys
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hat an icon. Designed to be capable, affordable and simple enough to be rebuilt by anyone, the original Land Rover is a classic. And it all started with what we now know as the Series I, launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show way back in 1948. With an 80-inch wheelbase and 1595cc Rover P3 engine putting out 50bhp, the original Land Rover boasted permanent four-wheel drive and proved to be a brilliantly conceived product; within a year, the Land
Rover was the best-selling vehicle produced by Rover. Just over 3,000 Land Rovers were built in 1948, a figure that had rocketed to 16,000 just two years later. And that meant it was making serious (and much needed) money for Rover – which meant more funds for future development of the range. The original of 1948 might have been rushed out as a ‘stopgap’, but success meant some serious development to make it a permanent fixture.
The first real changes to the Landie came in 1950. The headlamps were upgraded and now had apertures cut for them in the grille, rather than a mesh covering. More significantly, there was also an optional hard top, and selectable four-wheel drive was introduced. Levers with yellow and red knobs engaged the front axle and the lowrange gearbox respectively. Those changes began a programme that Land Rover would never cease. And even in those early days, the
company understood the need for continuous development. In 1951, the Landie even got its first bespoke engine: a 1997cc, 52bhp petrol unit offering 101lb.ft. of torque at a diesellike 1500rpm. The Land Rover was becoming a vehicle in its own right, rather than one made up largely of parts from other cars. The 86-inch Land Rover arrived in 1953, which increased load space by a quarter, and comfort was further improved by revisions to the interior layout and dash.
The truck cab boasted a detachable aluminium hard top, while another new engine soon followed – with the same 52bhp as before, but essential components in common with four-cylinder versions of the Rover P4. Meanwhile, the 86-inch Land Rover was developed into Station Wagon spec, complete with side rear passenger windows and a side-opening rear door. By the mid-1950s, things were moving apace. We got the 107-inch Station Wagon, and then both
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PROFILE: OUTLANDER / 4007 / C-CROSSER
MÉNAGE A TROIS When France’s PSA giant collaborated with Mitsubishi, the result was a trio of new SUVs. Four years on, Tom Phillips examines these Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Citroen cousins – both new and used
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eveloping a brand new SUV from scratch is an expensive business, even for a company as big as France’s PSA – owner of the Peugeot and Citroen marques. So when the firm finally decided to join the 4x4 scene a few years back, it needed a cost-effective way of doing so. And that’s where Mitsubishi – experienced manufacturer of 4x4s of all types – entered the story. Mitsubishi was busy developing a second-generation version of its Outlander, a model that would become far more viable if also produced in Peugeot and Citroen guises. But how could just one car be made into three separate ones with their own individual identities? With clever engineering, that’s how. Mitsubishi made sure the front end of each would be bespoke, as well as ensuring enough flexibility elsewhere to fit separate trim components and distinguishing features.
THE DESIGN The result was a pair of French-badged newcomers – the Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C-Crosser – based around the all-new seven-seater Mitsubishi Outlander. But it was the Outlander that arrived first, going on sale in the UK in March 2007; and although it was a pleasing looking design, it didn’t break any new ground. Power was supplied by a well-proven 136bhp TDI 2.0-litre from VW, while suspension consisted of a conventional MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear end. The ‘semi off-road’ stance gave 178mm of ground clearance, with approach, departure and rampover angles of 22, 21 and 19 degrees respectively; a decent quasi-off-roader, in other words. This halfway house status was confirmed by the choice of off-road technical gear used. There was no lowrange setting for the electronic four-
wheel drive, but there was a setting that locked a 50/50 front/rear split via an electronic rotary control on the dashboard. More tellingly, 2WD could be permanently set to save fuel – though the default setting was ‘4x4 Auto’, with front-drive leading to engagement of the rear wheels when a loss of grip was detected. The new Outlander’s lines were clean and modern, without being particularly outstanding. A neat feature though, was the Range Roverstyle horizontally split tailgate, which could withstand 200kg being rested (sat?) on it. Accommodation-wise, the latest Outlander was more of a ‘5+2’ rather than a true seven-seater; kids were fine sat on the third row, though, leaving the front and centre seats for adults – with plenty of space on offer. When not needed, the rearmost seats folded into the floor via a new twist on Mitsubishi’s ‘Hide&Seat’ system – fitted to Warrior and Elegance versions, but not the cheapest Equippe. With its 18-inch wheels, body kit, Bluetooth phone and extra airbags, the smart-looking Warrior was the ultimate Outlander. By the summer of 2007, the Mitsubishi’s sister cars were being introduced, the Peugeot 4007 arriving in the June, followed by the Citroen C-Crosser the following month – both versions featuring a 156bhp PSAsourced 2.2-litre HDi diesel (which, incidentally, is the same basic unit used in the Land Rover Freelander 2) shipped over to Japan. The 4007 came in two trim levels: standard SE or posher GT, the latter adding full leather, 18-inch alloys, more chrome and dark rear glass to the mix. A Sport Pack came in mid2008 for the SE, giving racier looks, while the 4007 SE Irmscher was a lowvolume special with 19-inch alloys, roof spoiler and flash rear exhausts. In April 2009, Peugeot introduced a Sport XS, which also got 18-inch alloys,
Citroen C-Crosser
Mitsubishi Outlander
Peugeot 4007
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USED TEST: FREELANDER 2
NEARLY-NEW SALE? Fancy a low-mileage nearly-new Freelander? So did Frank Westworth; he found a nearly posh one, too… Photography: Rowena Hoseason, Frank Westworth
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reelanders are ace. We should get rid of all that impartiality nonsense straightaway. The first Freelanders were completely startling and ace to drive, and they got steadily better. Okay, so they had reliability issues; but they only affect owners, not demon road testers. Demon road testers care not if the head gasket expires in a burst of steamy flatulence at 35k miles. In fact, it’s quite entertaining. Demon
road testers remember only the good bits, which is why we do what we do, of course. This one, anyway. My favourite of the dozen or so Freelanders I’ve written about since they arrived in a stylish manner – way back in 1997 – was the van. Tremendously capable and fabulously light, it was. Chuck out all those irritating seats, carpet, trim, electrical fripperies, nonsense like that, and you ended up with a true hoot of a vehicle. And good off-road, too. In reality though, the last of the firstgen models were the best. And in the great British tradition with which we are all familiar, Land Rover promptly launched a new and completely different car at that point. It’s as though there is no more challenge once the car has been properly sorted; as though there’s no point in carrying on with it once the fun of problem-solving is over. At that point, the only thing to do
is launch a new vehicle with the same name but with a whole new range of entertaining flaws. Except that the Freelander 2, in fact, is hardly flawed at all. It’s not a joke Land Rover in any sense. It is not even faintly in the same light-hearted mould as the first version. It’s not funky, it’s not outrageous, its doors go ‘thunk’ rather than ‘clang’. And it most certainly is not the kind of car that a road tester – be he demon or otherwise – would take bounding off across his local farmer’s fields. Oh no. Although, strangely, it would be able to handle that muddy messing at least as well as the original. If not better. None of this is new. The Freelander 2 has been around for a few years now (at least four, I believe), and there are a lot of them dripping onto the secondhand market. And so your steamed editor and I decided it might be amusing to take a spin in a low-mileage, one-
careful-owner example to see how it’s fared in actual use. And this is a real world vehicle too, not one smiled upon by Land Rover’s excellent engineers.
HARDLY USED So… what are we looking at? The car is a pleasant, if slightly sombre, modest and unassuming shade of black. It first got out on the highway back in May 2009, and has covered a reasonable 17,000 miles since then. This is quite low for a Land Rover. As soon as you start trolling through the classifieds, it becomes instantly obvious that Land Rover drivers do actually drive their Land Rovers. While considering a comparison car for this very story, we looked at allegedly similar vehicles from other manufacturers – and guess what? Land Rover drivers drive their Land Rovers a lot further then several of the opposition. Which might not
be great news on the bargain-hunting front, but reveals that not all compact 4x4s are used exclusively by dyed blondes trundling their 2.4 offspring to the local private palace of education. It’s a TD4. It’s an ‘S’, which is the base model, and is the one LR expected to sell the least of. The Freelander 2 is a less modest model than its predecessor, and you might have expected it to be offered only in plush trims. And indeed, the higher-trim GS models sell better. However, they felt the need to offer a base version, and this is it. It’s an auto, too. Luckily, the original owner’s spartan instincts were less severe than some, and he (or indeed she) specified that the new vehicle was fitted with a ‘winter pack’. This is a sensible collection of add-on whizzbangs which includes a heated front windscreen (perfect for those frozen mornings) and – gods be praised – heated front seats. Not
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OFF-ROAD DRIVING E D I U G S ’ R E N N I G BE
HEADING FOR You fancy heading offroad but don’t know where to turn for help or advice? Paul Guinness offers some suggestions for first-time off-road drivers
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ou’ve finally taken the plunge and bought yourself a 4x4, probably one that you’re going to press into immediate everyday service. You’ll doubtless find it ideal for your on-road needs and will be delighted with your choice. But, as you’ve suspected all along, there’s far more to owning a 4x4 than driving it on tarmac. Or rather, there should be. It all depends, of course, on the type of 4x4 that you run. If it’s a modern crossover-type vehicle that spends most of its time in two-wheel drive,
THE ROUGH
relying on electrickery to bring drive to the other two wheels when it detects loss of traction, then you will be restricted. Sure, it’ll cope with rough tracks and slippery camping sites better than your average saloon; but with no locking diff (unless you’re very lucky) and no dual-range transfer box, your serious off-roading potential will always be limited. So before you head for the hills (or woods, or farmland, or disused quarry…), you need to get an idea of what your particular make and model of 4x4 is capable of in the rough. The last thing you want to do is inflict some kind of major damage on it, which will end up costing you serious money to put right. So the first piece of advice has to be: keep your aspirations realistic.
DRIVING OFF-ROAD Then there are the techniques needed when driving off-road, which you need to swat up on before heading for the rough. Driving off-road isn’t simply
a case of steering away from a boring stretch of tarmac and into the nearest mud. And the first thing you should do is understand the basic operation of your vehicle, as well as where the spare wheel and jack are located and where all of the jacking and towing points can be found. Before venturing off-road, ensure that the vehicle is in fine working order and make sure you check all fluid and oil levels and, of course, tyre pressures. It is vital to know and understand the strengths and weaknesses of your
particular 4x4, as this is the only way of finding its true potential. Be certain that you know how to engage low-range four-wheel drive, how the all-wheel drive system operates and how to work the freewheeling front hubs (if fitted). Other areas to consider are your 4x4’s ground clearance (the amount of space beneath its lowest point), as well as approach, departure and ramp break-over angles. These refer to (in order) the steepness of a slope you can drive up to without catching the front
bumper; the steepness of a slope you can drive from without catching the rear bumper; and the angle of a crest that can be taken without grounding the vehicle in the middle. Assuming you’re a first-time offroad driver, I’d thoroughly recommend some kind of proper training before you head for the rough stuff – and this is something that’s easily arranged and competitively priced. Decent training can be hugely beneficial to both you and your 4x4, as it means you’ll learn the safest of off-road driving styles. And you can also learn about techniques like winching and selfrecovery, essential if you’re about to embark upon off-roading as a serious hobby and you want to get the most from modifying your vehicle. So where do you go for this? A good first step is to contact the British OffRoad Driving Association (BORDA), whose members all adhere to a strict set of rules and guidelines, and offer various levels of driver training depending upon your own particular needs. Take a look at the BORDA