A Sense of Security
What do Dave and birds have in common? They both love Freelanders
WE ALL know that driving a Land Rover gives you a sense of security when you’re out on the road in traffic. Some would say it’s the high command driving position, others say it’s the build quality of Land Rover vehicles. Others might say depending on which model of Land Rover you are driving, it’s the solid steel ladder chassis construction. It’s good to be armed with the knowledge that if you are unfortunate to be involved in an accident, the chances are you are going to come off okay in a Land Rover.
Now the Freelander might not be regarded as the most rugged Land Rover made; it’s often described as the soft off-roader option in fact, and yes, it’s not the largest Land Rover or indeed SUV on the road, but it does have the accolade of being (according to various motoring surveys) the most reliable Land Rover ever built. And I must say after owning three now I would agree with that.
Recently someone told me that driving a Freelander 2 was very much like driving a classic Range Rover. This was something I’d not thought of before, but it’s almost the same length as the 100-inch wheelbase of the classic Range Rover at 104-inches and just a few inches wider, so yes indeed very similar. But the Freelander 2 would be more reliable.
It also seems we are not the only ones that consider a Freelander a safe and secure place to be. A few years ago while at a caravan site in early April our then Freelander 2 was parked up for a couple of days. I discovered a build up of grass and twigs on the top of the tyre. A bird had decided that the wheel arch of the Freelander would make an ideal spot to make its nest. We must have disturbed its plans and it didn’t return, which I guess was just as well as its efforts would have come to nothing, as we had to leave the next morning.
This year we returned to the same caravan site, now in a different Freelander 2, and I couldn’t believe it when the very same thing happened. A bird started to build a nest in the wheel arch almost as soon as we parked. Again we disturbed the bird’s plans and it didn’t return. But it shows its not just us drivers that think Land Rovers are a safe and secure place to be – wildlife does as well.