Land Rover Freelander 2 2007 Review - International

OVERVIEW
Think Land Rover Freelander and there's a fair chance images of a less-than-ideal seating position, mediocre interior trim and wheezy, underpowered engines spring to mind. Indeed, these are all legitimate criticisms of Land Rover's original compact SUV, which has never been a big seller in Australia, despite racking up big sales volumes in its home continent of Europe.

Part of the reason the Freelander has never been a popular choice here is an inordinately high pricetag -- well above equally or more capable Japanese and Korean rivals.

Land Rover has been painfully aware of the shortcomings of the Freelander all along, which is why it started with a clean sheet of paper and stringent design/performance criteria for the Mark II model.

The new-generation Freelander is bigger, more refined and significantly more powerful than its predecessor, while its styling is inspired by the larger Range Rover Sport. Freelander 2 is essentially pitched as a more legitimately upmarket proposition than its forebear, which means it straddles the middle ground between the Japanese compact SUV brigade and Euro contenders such as BMW's X3.

The Freelander 2 will be offered in Australia with a choice of two engines -- a 3.2-litre, six-cylinder petrol unit and a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel -- and two trim levels when it launches here in June.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
Whereas the outgoing Freelander kicks off at a whisker under $40K, entry pricing for Freelander 2 is $49,990, and for that spend you get the Si6 SE model, which is powered by the new Volvo-sourced 3.2-litre inline six.

Fork over a couple of grand more and you can have the Td4 SE, which scores the same trim level, but is powered by a new 2.2-litre turbodiesel four cylinder.

If you're really in a free-spending mood, you can opt for more opulent HSE versions of the Si6 or Td4, which cost an extra $6000 and $5000 respectively.

Helping justify its steeper asking price, the new Freelander comes far better equipped than its predecessor. Standard across the range are a six-speed auto, with CommandShift (Land Rover-speak for a sequential gearchange facility), full leather trim, electric seat adjustment, seven airbags, rear park distance control, six-disc in dash CD player, an auxiliary MP3 audio socket (for iPods and MP3 Players), 17-inch alloy wheels and dual-zone automatic climate control.

But wait, there's still more...

You also get Terrain Response (a no-brainer system that can tailor engine, transmission and traction settings to grass, rocks, snow or mud, as appropriate), rain sensing windscreen wipers, cruise control and full-time 'intelligent' four-wheel drive.

Opting for the HSE spec gets you extra goodies such as 18-inch alloys, bi-xenon headlights, seat memory function, premium nine-speaker stereo and woodgrain/faux metal trim inserts.

An added outlay of $6890 brings a DVD navigation system, adaptive bi-xenon headlights with self-levelling and Bluetooth compatibility. An electric sunroof costs $3300.

MECHANICAL
The good news here is that the Rover-sourced 2.5-litre KV6 and old-hat BMW four-cylinder turbodiesel engines that performed (not so distinguished) service in the original Freelander have been turfed.

Instead, there's a new 3.2-litre inline six that's built by Volvo, but which features a few mods by Land Rover to ensure the vehicle's wading/all-terrain capabilities are in line with its intended job description.

The transversely (east-west) mounted in-line six is said to be one of the lightest and most compact of its type. Its outputs of 171kW and 317Nm are enough to propel the Freelander from standstill to 100km/h in a respectable 8.9sec (claimed), while top speed is quoted at 200km/h.

The engine is matched to a new six-speed automatic transmission, with Land Rover's CommandShift facility, which enables you to effect manual gearchanges by slotting the lever in a separate plane and then tapping it forward (for upshifts) or back (for downshifts). There's also a driver-selectable sport mode that alters the shift pattern to hold lower gears longer.

The other engine offered is a new Ford-sourced 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel. This unit pumps out 118kW and a fat 400Nm of torque that's accessible low in the rev range.

As expected, fuel economy is the real trump card of this variant, and Land Rover quotes an overall consumption figure of 7.5lt/100 km -- not bad for a heavy-ish SUV.

Greenie-friendly types can specify an optional catalysed Diesel Particulate Filter (cDPF) that's claimed to lower harmful emissions. This feature could end up as standard equipment Down Under -- we'll have to wait and see.

Two transmissions will be offered with the diesel -- a new six-speed manual gearbox and the same six-speed auto that comes with the petrol V6.

Freelander is underpinned by a monocoque chassis (unlike the composite ladder-frame/monocoque body architecture on which the Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport are built), and the benefit of this is that it's not absurdly heavy. It tips the scales at 1770kg-plus, whereas the 'belts and braces' Rangie Sport and Disco 3 are on the wrong side of two-and-a-half tons.

The downside is that the Freelander isn't as off-road-capable as its bigger siblings. That said, it has enough all-terrain capability for its segment, claims Land Rover. Our experience with the vehicle (albeit as yet not comprehensive) suggests this is a valid claim.

Power is distributed to all four wheels by a new full-time 'intelligent' 4x4 system that can channel 100 per cent of drive to either axle. In addition to features such as Hill Descent Control, there's also Gradient Release Control, which gradually releases the brakes on steep, slippery slopes, and Roll Stability Control (RSC), which helps mitigate the risk of rollover.

As mentioned earlier, the Terrain Response system has four driver-selectable settings -- for General Driving, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Ruts and Sand -- to make off-roading an easier exercise (particularly for those who may not have an abundance of four-wheel-driving experience).

Terrain Response achieves this by optimising throttle, transmission and traction control systems for the terrain mode selected.

PACKAGING
Land Rover claims the interior package of Freelander 2 is a major improvement over the outgoing vehicle, and we wholeheartedly concur. Although only 50mm longer overall, the Freelander 2 has more generous head, shoulder and legroom, in both the front and rear.

The spacious feeling is enhanced by the large glasshouse (which also provides excellent visibility) and 'stadium seating', whereby where rear passengers sit slightly higher than front occupants for a clearer view of the world outside. It's not a new concept -- Ford's Territory uses the same approach.

Boot space has grown appreciably -- by 38 per cent -- over the old model and is said to be among the best in its class. You can now stash 755 litres with the rear seats up -- versus 546 litres in the old model. Folding down the rear seats yields a cavernous 1670 litres of luggage space.

The interior is a big step forward from its predecessor in terms of design, ergonomics and overall quality. That said, some of the trim still feels a bit cheap and plasticky, particularly when compared with Land Rover's more upmarket models.

Externally, some design cues have been carried over from the original Freelander (such as the clamshell bonnet and stepped roof), but the overall shape is far more contemporary and is now in line with the design language of the Rangie Sport and Discovery 3.

Freelander 2's torsional rigidity far exceeds that of its forebear (it's claimed to be stiffer than any other SUV, barring the Range Rover and Porsche Cayenne), and the payoff comes in the form of a tauter, more refined feel. Noise levels, even at fast cruising speeds, are impressively low.

SAFETY
Safety is another area where Freelander 2 makes some worthwhile gains, and there's an armoury of seven airbags (front, side, curtain and knee), plus a host of driver aids designed to keep things from going pear-shaped.

Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) is standard in addition to electronic traction control and anti-lock brakes.

The odds of going shiny side down are also reduced by Roll Stability Control, which is claimed to be the most sophisticated rollover prevention technology ever fitted to a Land Rover. This system uses 'gyroscopic' sensing to detect an imminent rollover and subsequently applies braking to the outer wheels, widening the turn radius to help prevent the roll. That's the theory, anyway.

Also new is Gradient Release Control, which is linked to the Hill Descent Control. This system ensures that, when releasing the brakes on extremely steep hills, brake-line pressure is released progressively, helping the driver to stay in control.

COMPETITORS
The Freelander 2's $50-58K pricing means it faces challenges from a range of competitors. Ford's Territory spans from $40-66K, so it could theoretically be construed as a rival -- even though it's a larger vehicle that can be had with seven seats.

Other similarly sized vehicles such as the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Cherokee, etc are all significantly cheaper, which means not many buyers of these vehicles are likely to opt for a Freelander instead.

A more likely scenario is that the Freelander 2 may pinch some sales from the likes of Nissan's Murano and upmarket contenders such as the BMW X3, Volvo XC70 and Volkswagen Touareg.

More direct competition for the compact Landy will arrive in due course in the form of Volkswagen's Tiguan and Volvo XC60. In the meantime, the Freelander 2 appears to have a niche to itself.

Tweak the tiller in the Freelander 2 and it simply responds. There's no howling of tyres or ludicrous lean angles. Instead, the Landy tracks the intended line (in genuine car-like fashion, and a decent one, at that!) while maintaining an even keel.

The first thought that springs to mind is that it drives a lot like its Ford Group relative, our own Territory, which has garnered no shortage of praise for its impeccable on-road dynamics.

The media launch program in Santa Barbara, California, comprised lengthy sections of narrow, twisty (and at times poorly surfaced) mountain roads, and the Freelander 2 was particularly impressive here as its 1800kg heft seemed to shrink around the driver.

It felt poised, agile and well-balanced -- so much so that one felt the vehicle could comfortably handle more grunt than the 171kW/317Nm served up by the 3.2-litre inline six. How about a supercharged version, Land Rover? (We already asked... alas there isn't such a variant in the pipeline.)

The engine itself is refined and quite willing, although not quite in the turbine-smooth league of a BMW six. There's not much to fault in the Aisin six-speed auto either. It goes about its business in an efficient manner, and the CommandShift manual-shift facility works well when attacking the twisty stuff.

The Land Rover launch crew had set up a mini off-road course that included snow, mud, rocks, a water crossing and a couple of sections that had the vehicle perched on two or three wheels. Although hardly a conclusive test, this brief excursion provided at least some evidence that the Terrain Response system does, indeed, work.

Another thing that was evident was that the second-gen vehicle is far more off-road capable than its predecessor. It has 210mm of ground clearance and approach and departure angles of 31 and 34 degrees respectively, which aren't too shabby for its class.

Later in the day, we had the opportunity to tackle some large sand dunes adjacent to the Pacific coastline and, somewhat surprisingly, this was done without needing to lower tyre pressures (that said, overnight rain had left the sand in a somewhat firmer state than normal).

The whole exercise was achieved without undue problems -- no towing or winching was required -- although some of the larger dunes required a healthy dose of good ol' fashioned welly to ensure a successful ascent.

Overall impressions? Freelander 2 is a quality effort from Land Rover. In fact, it's arguably the vehicle that its forerunner should have been (impossible in reality, given that much of its technology wasn't around in 1997).

CarPoint/Carsales was genuinely impressed by Freelander 2's refined cruising ability, spacious interior and good (for its class) breadth of all-terrain capabilities. Add to that vastly improved presentation and build quality, plus attractive styling, and the result is a pretty darn good package.

However, these are just preliminary impressions gleaned from one day's driving. The acid test will come when we subject the new-age Freelander to a week-long evaluation on home soil.

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