I came across this statement about the revised 2011 FL2 and wondered if its really true about the undertray...

"The many functions of Terrain Response are underpinned by the high levels of body stiffness which
provide the best foundation for excellent ride and handling characteristics as well as off-road
performance. A structural undertray on the front sub-frame improves steering precision as well as
protecting the underside of the vehicle and four point engine mounting aids engine stability and
improves refinement." Jules

Yes, you need to put the splash guard back on after you change the oil

I ran across a youtube video years ago where someone intentionally test drove the car (in a safe location) without the undertray to see what would happen. Steering and cornering were horrible due to frame flex.

There's a reason it's steel, with sturdy locking bolts, as opposed to plastic with plastic push-pins. LR didn't spend the money and weight on steel for no good reason.

Didn't realise that before.
On my Discovery 2 I ripped all the plastic under shields off and binned them because they were a pain to remove and refit. Freelander is easy with the impact gun to rattle them off and on.
Wife's VW the oil can be drained without removing it. Sons VW (Polo) I cut a notch out of it so oil can be drained without removing it. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

If the undertray is removed to change the oil it gives you the opportunity to have a good check and look round for any thing amiss, driveshaft gaitors, hoses, leaks, Etc, which is why some MOT testers give Advisories "undertrays fitted" 2013 FL2 XS.
Defender 90 300 TDi.
Defender 90 300 TDi CSW.
1964 MGB Roadster.
1944 Willys MB "Jeep" with bullet holes. (gone)
17 hand Irish Drought Thoroughbred (mostly lame)
Nagging Old Boiler.

merlinj79 wrote:

Yes, you need to put the splash guard back on after you change the oil

I ran across a youtube video years ago where someone intentionally test drove the car (in a safe location) without the undertray to see what would happen. Steering and cornering were horrible due to frame flex.

There's a reason it's steel, with sturdy locking bolts, as opposed to plastic with plastic push-pins. LR didn't spend the money and weight on steel for no good reason.

It's common for performance oriented or convertible versions of standard vehicles to steel or aluminium under trays, as they increase structural integrity of the subframe.
The wife's convertible Audi A5 has extra diagonal bracing under the engine and body, which the saloon versions don't get. The Freelander 2 subframe isn't as rigid without the steel guard as it is with it, even though it's only thin. A flat sheet of steel is very strong in tension, which is how it works to prevent lozenging of the subframe. As to if it's detectable on a softly sprung Freelander I'm unsure, but if LR say it's there to increase structural stiffness, then it's probably accurate.
I read somewhere that the Freelander 2 body has 3 times the structural rigidity of the old Freelander 1, which I'm not surprised at at all. The body doesn't creak when 1 wheel is in the air, which is something the Freelander 1 did. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

I assume the one wheel in the air is off road not not fast cornering on the road  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Last edited by Dartman the one on 28th Jul 2023 10:50 am. Edited 2 times in total

The FL2 bodyshell is strong enough not to flex when you open the car doors even when cross axled, that is with only one front wheel and the opposite rear wheel on the ground. On most cars you wouldn’t be able to close the doors again. The Evoque is the same.

And presumably the Disco Sport as well?

I recall that with my Volvo C70 Cabrio, if you put one wheel on the kerb, you couldn’t latch the roof to the windscreen frame! All four wheels had to be on level ground.

No experience of the disco sport but you’d expect so given the common platform used between that and the Evoque!

My understanding is that the Disco Sport and the Evoke are built on the Freelander 2 platform.

The Freelander 2 and other subsequent small LR vehicles are built on a modified FORD EUCD (original C1) platform.

Scroll down this article to Freelander 2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Rover_Freelander#Launch

Also I know from the LR Experience session that you can indeed open and close the Discovery Sports door while balanced on just 2 diagonal wheels. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

Didn't the FL2 score 5 on the NCAP crash test back in the day too...?

Yes, Ford did a really good job in designing the FL2.

Remember the FL1 was a Maestro van.

NeilTD4 wrote:

Didn't the FL2 score 5 on the NCAP crash test back in the day too...?