Land Rover Freelander 1 is now a Land Rover heritage vehicle

The first Land Rover Freelander – the Freelander 1 – is now a Land Rover heritage vehicle, meaning full parts support from JLR’s Heritage programme.

The Land Rover Freelander has only just been replaced by the new Discovery Sport, but the original Freelander – the Land Rover Freelander 1 – went out of production a decade ago and has now become Land Rover’s latest ‘Heritage’ vehicle.

Launched in 1997, the Freelander 1 stayed in production until 2006 (when it was replaced by the far better Freelander 2) and was the best-selling 4WD vehicle in Europe for its first five years.

But despite its sales success in Europe (not something it managed to replicate in the USA), the Freelander 1 had its share of problems, with rear suspension fracturing, complete electrical failures not uncommon, dodgy head gaskets on the 1.8 litre petrols and a raft of other irritating issues too.

But Freelander 1s still on the road will be a long way past the issues, and the original Freelander has now become another much-loved Land Rover from the past, with many passionate owners intent on keeping their price and joy in top nick.

So the news that the Freelander 1 is now part of Land Rover’s Heritage scheme is good news, with support for parts and service now guaranteed for the future, with over 9,000 Land Rover Heritage parts available to ensure whatever needs fixing can be fixed.

Tim Hannig, JLR Heritage Director, said:

With the addition of the Freelander 1 as a Heritage model, Land Rover is reaffirming its support and commitment to its loyal customers by providing exceptional cars, services, parts and experiences for models more than 10 years out of production. Genuine Land Rover Heritage Parts for Freelander 1 have been engineered and tested in extreme conditions. As such it gives our customers total peace-of-mind that their vehicles are maintained to the highest possible standards.

The Freelander 1 joins Land Rover’s Heritage scheme alongside the Series I, II and III, Discovery 1 and 2 (the Discovery 3 should join the Heritage scheme in three years), Range Rover Classic and the Range Rover P38, as Land Rover continue to celebrate their heritage with proper support for the future.