PRICE GUIDE

Values of Land Rover’s original small SUV are tumbling – and it’s time to bag yourself a bargain, says Dave Phillips

FREELANDER 2 prices are starting to fall at last, with quality secondhand examples typically fetching half what they were a year ago.

This time last year you would have expected to pay £10,000 for a good one, with even poor high-mileage examples making £7000. It seemed nothing could dent the popularity of what had been Europe’s top-selling 4x4.

It was easy to see why. Despite the fact that production had ended a few months earlier, a year ago the Freelander 2 still looked as fresh as the day it was launched, a decade earlier. Better still, it had a reputation for excellent reliability, no rust issues and a bulletproof and economical Td4 diesel engine that made it the cheapest Land Rover to run. It was the perfect family car and top of its class for towing, too.

It was also groundbreaking, being the first Land Rover to be built outside Solihull, at the Halewood plant, on Merseyside. And it sold in huge numbers, which meant there was a terrific choice available on the secondhand market.

So why are prices falling now? Mainly because the world in general – and Land Rover in particular – have moved on a great deal. It is now 11 years since Freelander 2 was launched and two years since production ended.

An astonishing seven new Land Rover models have been launched since Freelander 2 made its debut, including two similar small SUVS, the Range Rover Evoque of 2011 and the Discovery Sport that replaced the Freelander in 2015. Suddenly, Freelander 2 doesn’t look quite so fresh any more.

But it doesn’t look dated, either, and unlike some modern-era Land Rover models there are no skeletons in the closet where the car’s complicated electronic bits are kept. Make no mistake: Freelander 2 is a Land Rover worthy of the green oval medal for unstinted, uncomplaining service.

So, although the Freelander 2 has gone slightly out of fashion, the attributes that have always made it so popular are still there. Go out today and you can buy one much the same as you would have bought this time last year, only for about half the price.

A quick check of ebay reveals some real crackers, including the one featured on this page. It’s a 2007 (57-plate) 2.2 Td4 GS model with two owners, full service history and 126,000 miles on the clock (below average for a ten-year-old car). It has alloy wheels, air conditioning, climate control, cruise control, electric seats, parking sensors and premium sound system.

It is on the forecourt of a dealer in Bolton, Greater Manchester, with an asking price of £4290, with an RAC warranty available at extra cost. And if that isn’t a great entry into Land Rover ownership, I don’t know what is.