Land Rover Freelander 2 2007 Review

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.5/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

The reputation of the Freelander I was so bad Down Under that on joining the company last year incoming MD, David Blackhall, was adamant he would launch Land Rover's new generation compact SUV under a different name. Poor reliability, shoddy build quality and a legacy of being considered less than a real Land Rover were the main things the model was known for. There were other tales of woe, too... A paragon of 'four-bee' virtue it was not.

But changing nameplates is not something you do lightly -- for a start it's expensive. And the other option (the US market name for the new vehicle, LR3) only made sense if it sat below an LR2 -- the name the Discovery wears Stateside. Blackhall's brave, but removing Disco from the local landscape wasn't an option.

So, in the end he did what any sensible boss on a budget would do -- he covered his rear bumper and got his marketing people to find out what the buying public thought of the name and the vehicle that it once adorned. To Blackhall's and his team's surprise, the name was solid. In effect, in a relatively short period of time, enough water had passed under the bridge (or perhaps not enough Freelander Is were sold) to ensure a new car would not be tainted.

Freelander and to a large extent Land Rover itself won't get the same sort of second chance again. The Freelander II has to be good. Or more to the point it has to be consistently good, consistently well built and consistently reliable.

Time will tell if the quality control issues Land Rover has long battled will become a thing of the past. We've heard explanations from the company's various spokespeople about why things should be better, but proof of the pudding will definitely be in the eating. We can, however, tell you that in terms of hitting its target of creating a premium compact SUV worthy of sitting alongside Range Rover and Discovery, the Ford-owned offroad specialist has brought home the bacon.

Indeed, our initial drive impressions from the vehicle's US launch (more here) translated almost 100 per cent to local roads at the car's Aussie launch this week. On road and off, it's an impressive package.

Crashing a party that BMW's X3 has had on its own to date, the Freelander II arrives Down Under officially this week. And it represents a real opportunity for the marque -- not only is it priced significantly below the BMW, it is also around a year ahead of fleet of upmarket small offroaders set to arrive Down Under.

By late 2008, the Freelander II (and X3) will have to take on the likes of the Audi Q3 (or Q5, depending on who you believe), Volkswagen's Tiguan, Mercedes' sub-ML-Class vehicle and the car that will share much of the Freelander II's DNA, the Volvo XC60 (more here).

In the meantime, it not only undercuts the Beemer in price, it also offers a chassis and drivetrain that near as damn it matches the Bavarian on the road and, by our reckoning, has a clear advantage offroad.

Freelander II not only utilises the same philosophy of providing a 'smart' user-friendly multi-mode all-wheel-drive system as its bigger siblings (Land Rover calls the system Terrain Response) but it introduces new features including Gradient Release Control.

GRC controls the release of braking force from a stationary position to smooth the transition into full Hill Descent Control mode. In doing so it makes even steep and slippery stop-start descents (and more importantly recovering from failed ascents!) almost fuss-free. Trust in the technology and even tenderfoots can look like 4x4 stalwarts.

The four-mode Terrain Response all-wheel-drive system (more here), Hill Descent, Gradient Release, Roll Stabilisation (another first in a Land Rover) Dynamic Stability control and seven airbags -- including side curtain and driver's knee bags -- are all standard across the Freelander II range. Also standard in the Australian-spec are goodies like heated external mirrors, premium audio, 17-inch alloys with full-sized spare, cruise control, dual-zone climate air, multi-function steering wheel and push button stop-start, leather upholstery, auto wipers and lights, and rear park distance control.

As previously reported, the four-model local line-up kicks off with the petrol-engined SE Si6 priced from $49,990. Boasting a 171kW/317Nm Volvo-derived 3.2-litre fuel-injected inline six, the SE Si6 includes all of the above and records a 0-100km/h time of 8.9sec, according to Land Rover.

It's claimed fuel economy is in the 11.2lt/100km range. During our launch drive we recorded a high average of around 14.7lt/100km, though this settled to just over 13 for the full 250km loop.

The SE can also be had with the new PSA-Ford developed 2.2-litre DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder common rail turbodiesel engine at a premium of $2000. The so-equipped SE TD4 produces just 118kW but a considerable 400Nm of torque for 8.5lt/100km and a 0-100km/h time in the 11.2sec region. On the test loop, consumption ranged between 7.5lt/100km on the highway and 11.0lt or so when pushing on.

Both petrol and turbodiesel powerplants are mated to an adaptive six-speed automatic transmission. Unlike European markets, no manual Freelander II variant will be offered Down Under.

Used in Volvo's bigger and heavier XC90, the i6 petrol engine is a smooth and eager powerplant that easily copes with the Freelander II's 1800kg (approx) mass. On the tight and serious enough offroad test course, the petrol engine coped well, though the TD4 diesel required smaller throttle openings and less DSC intervention to tackle the same obstacles.

Like most 'softroaders' the governing factor for the Freelander II will be clearance. That said the car acquitted itself well across a range of exercises.

Land Rover says it has a safe wading depth of 500mm but the car's been tested to 600mm. Engine air is drawn from a functional vent of the left-hand front fender. It's a perfect set-up to be augmented by a snorkel, though just how many Freelander II owners will ever need such an add-on is perhaps a moot point.

The range-topping Freelander IIs include the HSE Si6 and HSE TD4 priced at $55,990 and $57,990 respectively. The HSEs add 18-inch alloys, uprated audio systems, front park distance control, bi-xenon headlamps, a memory pack for the seats, mirrors and so on,and a choice of interior trims.

HSE buyers can also opt for a Technology Pack that incorporates touchscreen DVD navigation and other goodies at the princely sum of $6890. Other options include premium paint (no less than 11 colours are offered in total) at $1500, and a front/rear panorama sunroof at $3300.

Our HSE tester featured a light Blonde Eucalyptus timber trim that gave the cabin an extra dash of class. Not that the SE's 'office' is Spartan. There's quality soft form moldings, alloy-style high lights and a real tactile quality to the controls and switchgear. It's a busy cockpit but one in which we were immediately at home.

The leather on the seats has an upmarket perforated finish that looks the business. The front seats are comfortable too, with a range of adjustment that will suit most. Perhaps as important to many family buyers, the rear seat has room for three 'tweens' and two adults will be more than comfortable. It may not have grown a huge amount on the outside, but the Freelander II's deceptively roomy on the inside.

If you get the impression we're pretty taken with the new Freelander II, you're right.

On road it performs as well as any high, wide and handsome softroader is likely to. It turns in like a saloon and has surprising poise -- the steering could have a touch more weight and feel but there's none of the rolly polly histrionics we've come to expect from many vehicles in the segment. It'll surprise proper 4WDs on the loose and hilly stuff too. Plus it's well finished and looks to be value for money in the rarified $50K-plus air in which it competes.

The only 'but' is Land Rover's niggling reputation of consistent inconsistency -- a standing that try as it might, the marque has so far has been unable to shake.

You can bet BMW, Audi, Benz and the like will be looking very closely at how the Freelander II performs on the road, in the showroom and especially in the workshop. For the sake of Blackhall and his team's collective 'butt', let's hope it surprises them all.

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