Automedia's latest spy photos, published here, show the production version of a new SUV to replace Land Rover's Freelander from next year.
According to the spy snappers, the replacement for the Freelander was caught in Scandinavia engaged in cold-weather testing – Scandinavia being a handy location at this time of year for that sort of testing.
Reports suggest the new model will be based on the existing five-door Range Rover Evoque platform, which is a modification of the existing Freelander's architecture. The spy photographers make out Range Rover styling cues for the new vehicle, but the overall look is rotund, in contrast with the sharp styling of the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport.
The new model will lose the 'Freelander' moniker in favour of some sort of association to the larger but technically unrelated Discovery, as we've previously reported. That may mean the new Freelander becomes the next Discovery – with the larger, more luxurious Discovery replacement adopting an altogether new name – or the Freelander replacement will snag a complementary model name (such as 'Sport', or 'Junior') to distinguish it from the larger model. Automedia believes that the engines powering the Freelander successor will be shared with the Evoque, and will therefore compromise a 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder and two 2.2-litre diesels in different states of tune.
– with Automedia
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