The older I get, the more I realize that I have a soft spot for music, movies, and cars from the 1990s and 2000s. I recently saw a shockingly modern/retro combination: a Land Rover Freelander towing a pair of colorful jet skis. Inspired by Diego’s and Tyson’s car-spotting stories, I just had to share it with you.
I came across this unusual sighting while filling up the 2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T Sport Prestige after a high-speed run through some curves (review to come soon!). There are droves of SUVs in the Phoenix area, but I think I’ve seen only two Freelanders in the five years I’ve lived here. When it came out as a 1998 model, the Freelander was a very different kind of Land Rover. Available with three or five doors (counts that included the rear door), the Freelander not only was a unibody vehicle, but it also used all-wheel drive and a viscous coupling unit to get over nature’s obstacles.
Photo courtesy of Consumer Reports
Photo courtesy of Consumer Reports
Land Rover began offering the five-door version of the Freelander here in the “Land of the Free” for the 2002 model year. The following model year, Land Rover brought over the three-door SE3, the Freelander I saw. The Borrego Yellow paint is hard to ignore, but if you can look past that, you’ll see some cool features (and lots of bird poop). This particular SE3 was dressed up with a chrome brush guard and bright running boards, but its most interesting features were higher up. Above the front seats was a pair of removable glass panels; that triangular black hardtop at the rear was also removable, meaning you could enjoy an open-air driving experience in this little rig.
Unfortunately, it was miserably hot when I spotted the Freelander, so I can’t blame the owner for keeping everything closed. I guess (s)he cooled off by riding the waves on one of the jet skis. I have no idea when they were made, but the foreground had a very 1990s purple, teal, and white color scheme that made me think of windbreakers, movie theater carpeting, and disposable cups from back in the day.
Photo courtesy of Car and Driver
A 2.5-liter DOHC V-6 powered the Freelander and sent its power to the road or trail below through a Jatco five-speed automatic. The brochure for the 2003 Freelander shows that the SE3’s cabin came standard with a heated windshield, leather-wrapped steering wheel, black technical fabric upholstery, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, and Harman Kardon 240-watt audio system with nine speakers. The Freelander also had hill descent control, a feature that’s so commonplace in modern off-roaders.
Photo courtesy of Car and Driver
Whoever owns this pairing of fun land and water vehicles is keeping a certain era alive. Most importantly, since you just don’t see a lot of Land Rover Freelanders on the road any more (and they were discontinued at the end of the 2005 model year), (s)he is keeping a relic of the 2000s visible. Perhaps you’ll get a chance to see this rolling history exhibit yourself at a future RADwood show.
