I’m in the market for a 2014 high spec Metropolis or HSE but I’m struggling to find any with 18” wheels. It appears they all have the upgraded 19” but I’m concerned about comfort levels etc. I currently have a 2011 Passat sport which I absolutely hate because of the harsh ride. Am I too fixated on comfort and shouldn’t be too concerned about wheel size and buy a set of 17 or 18” after the purchase? Unfortunately in Northern Ireland there are no Freelanders with 19” wheels on the market to rear drive. I intend to buy from a LR dealer to make use of the 2yr warranty. I’ve had a test drive in a 2012 model with 17” and loved it but looking for a 2014. Anyone else with the same dilemma?

17" for traction 19" for bling.

We have Winter wheels on one car and they bring you down a size. Treat your possible car like that maybe and being Ireland just how many dry summer days have you . FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Yes, was kinda thinking 17 for winter. Our intention was to tow a van across Europe during the summer but comfort is my real concern. Is it a case of 18” none existent on higher spec models or are dealers putting on bigger boots to make them sell quicker?

its personal views on comfort really, im led to believe the 19's are no less comfortable than the 18's but some say its a harsher ride.
I had 20's on my Evoque, which is the same underpinnings as the FL2 and I found it comfortable. 18'' sets of wheels do come up for sale quite frequently on here and on Ebay so you could change them after purchase if you didn't like the 19's

The Metropolis is the last of the line model, and is just a rebadged HSE LUX. The only differences between HSE and HSE LUX/Metropolis is the different leather, Xenon lights as standard, a reversing camera and the 19'' wheels as opposed to 18'' on the HSE.

IMO the HSE is just as good a buy as the LUX or Metropolis

Thanks, Rog. I suppose I was looking for a higher spec FL2 instead of going for a Disco with lower spec for the same sort of price. Decided for the FL2 as the day to day running costs appear slightly less. It was a big compromise tbh as I absolutely love the Disco 4. But head ruling the heart can’t really justify the Disco. I’ve seen a couple of FL XS which have thought seriously about but kept being dragged towards a better spec. Boys and toys.......

I have an HSE with 19" alloys and find it very comfortable to drive with no harshness over bumps. The tyres are 235 55 19 and have enough sidewall depth to soak up any bumps.I think the tyre profile has more to do with ride quality than the actual tyre diameter.
In the recent heavy snow the Freelander had very impressive levels of grip and I was able to get up my very steep driveway without an issue even after my wife`s failed attempts in her Juke had polished the snow to ice that was impossible to walk on. That was with a very road biased tyre (Goodyear Efficient Grip) The 19" alloys and the Windsor leather was the deciding factor for me when I had to decide between 2 Freelanders that I was interested in.

I am a Black Leather guy so have to give all that fancy leather a miss.

2 very large allotments so interior would die if white.  FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

I did think that a cream leather interior would be a poor choice for me as I regularly get in with dirty/oily/muddy clothes and did consider fitting front seat covers that I had but the Windsor leather is actually very easy to keep clean and also wears very well and does not have any of the cracking and wear you normally get on the outer edge of the drivers seat. The interior of my Freelander ls in much better condition than my wife`s Juke black leather interior in spite of having done 100,00miles more than her car has done!

Our XS has 17’s and the ride is like a magic carpet. My dynamic has 19s and the ride is a bit harder. I’ve driven a Freelander with 18s and they are ever so slightly smoother but not by much. On the other hand my 22’s are just as smooth as the 19s. Unless I go flying over sleeping policemen

The main thing to consider with alloys is the choice of tyres. Budget rubber will always be harsher. MY14 Kahn Converted Dynamic - Fuji White Ebony/Pimento Interior
MY15 Xenon Headlight Conversion

MY17 RRS SVR - Estoril Blue Cirrus/Ebony 🪣💺’s

Yorky Bob wrote:

17" for traction 19" for bling.

Those who have 22" .........BLING PLUS PLUS

.

O-B-Wan003 wrote:

Thanks, Rog. I suppose I was looking for a higher spec FL2 instead of going for a Disco with lower spec for the same sort of price. Decided for the FL2 as the day to day running costs appear slightly less. It was a big compromise tbh as I absolutely love the Disco 4. But head ruling the heart can’t really justify the Disco. I’ve seen a couple of FL XS which have thought seriously about but kept being dragged towards a better spec. Boys and toys.......

I would not worry.
Look at the specifications and extras in the brouchure and choose the one you want.

Two things to bear in mind'
1)Extra (smaller) wheels are relatively cheap, comparied with price of FL2.
2)As you are buying second-hand, you will find that quite a few FL2s have extras on them wich previous owners have already specified. (Always ask for, and study, pictures of FL2s for sale as extras are not always spotted by dealers) -- You may find a HSE nearly kitted out to Metro spec.

As far as my own experience, both my FL2s have had 19" wheels, and I have had absolutely no worries about the excellent comfort.
And I recomend buying a LR approved vehicle as the dealer will normally provide recorded history, and make sure it is serviced, MOT'd and nicely prepared. You also get a half day LR experience to play in the woods with a LR of your choice. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

I’ve owned three FL2’s, all running the same tyres that they left the factory with.

My first did around 90,000 miles on 17’s, the 2nd did around 35,000 miles on 18’s and the third was around 30,000 miles on 19’s.

The 17’s were brilliant, with a magic carpet side and they were oblivious to different road surfaces, joints, potholes, cracks and kerb stones. Absolutely wonderful! However, it was a little inclined to wander about a bit at speed on smooth motorway surfaces. You soon got used to it and forgot about it, but others that drove it noticed it straight away. It was nothing to do with wear as it was like it from new and never got any better, or any worse.

The 18” wheels had none of this wandering and the handling was sharper, but they weren’t immune to curbstones any more! I could start to feel different road surfaces, but there was no tramlining and while the ride was a little firmer, it was still perfectly comfortable.

There was no handling advantage on the 19’s and the ride was still very acceptable, but definitely a bit firmer still. Different road surfaces were more noticeable, but still no tramlining.

All sizes were okay, but the 17”s were great for crossing any sort of terrain at speed (!) without having to worry about anything, including going up and down kerbs on very narrow streets (Cornwall!) with complete abandon! The 18’s were the best all round compromise, with the 19’s being inferior to the 18’s, but still perfectly acceptable.

Hope that helps.


PS: I’d buy the Metropolis, if only for the better leather, then you’ll probably find the 19’s are fine. If not, it could be easier to swap them for 18’s at a later date.

Thanks guys for the helpful advice, really appreciate it. I’ll probably end up with a high spec and more than likely a Metropolis. Like the idea of all singing all dancing. I suppose I can be a bit choosie given I’m in no real hurry but can’t wait to finally get me Freelander and a set of 17” for winter..... and play... There’s a lot out there but none that really floats my boat and unfortunately none from main dealerships. Mainland UK by the looks as there is next to nothing back home. Again, can’t thank all enough for the advice!

Having once bought a new Golf GTTDI with low profile tyres and sports suspension and a rock hard ride, I was concerned when changing from my FL2 HSE with 18” tyres to an Evoque Dynamic with 20” wheels because of the ride. I needn’t have bothered as it wasn’t a harsh ride so I think a FL2 with 19” wheels should be okay.
A couple of options : If buying from a dealer you could ask them to swap wheels with another FL2 on the forecourt as a deal clincher or you could try the car out with the 19’s and if too harsh, sell them and buy 18’s or even offer a swap for 18’s. I’m sure they’ll be a few on here that would take you up with the offer. Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.