Baby’s growing up
0 Comments | Leicester Mercury, Sep 3, 2010
At A Glance CAR: Land Rover Freelander range PRICE: Pounds 21,875- Pounds 33,425 on the road INS GROUP: 11-13 CO2 EMISSIONS: 179g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 112mph / 0-60mph 10.9 secs FUEL CONS: (combined) 41.3mpg SAFETY: Seven airbags, anti lock brakes, ESP ………………………………………………………
As a manufacturer that built its name on producing 4×4 vehicles that are among the best in the world for off-road driving, Land Rover was placed in something of a predicament recently.
Driven by legislative changes, increased environmental awareness among consumers and, hopefully, a desire to do the right thing, the car industry installed improving efficiency as a top priority. Land Rover’s problem was that falling in line behind this green banner becomes all the more difficult when your range is full of large, heavy vehicles with complex all-wheel-drive mechanicals.
To Land Rover’s credit it rose to the challenge, and the latest Freelander is a good indication of progress made.
The massive, earth-shattering news with this Freelander is that you can get a frontwheel-drive one. Land Rover aficionados up and down the country will have wept into their Army surplus chemical warfare boots at the news, but the camouflage-clad off-road army with their Defenders and Mk1 Range Rovers should not despair. Land Rover hasn’t sold out.
The Freelander range remains centred on a core of 4×4 models, with the front-wheeldrive alternatives created as entry-level choices to compete in an area of the European compact 4×4 market that accounts for about 23 per cent of total sales.
The 2.2-litre diesel engine that powers the Freelander is available in two guises. The TD4 is the 148bhp version that comes as standard with an automatic gearbox and Stop/Start technology, which cuts the engine when the Freelander is stationary to save fuel.
The automatic transmission is available as an option and, unusually, also comes with Stop/Start technology on the TD4. Go for the more powerful 187bhp SD4 version, however, and the automatic gearbox is standard. All these models come with all-wheel-drive and Land Rover’s excellent Terrain Response system for off-road driving. This clever set-up, with different modes for different terrains, goes a long way towards excusing the car’s lack of a proper low- range transfer case. This system acts almost like an off-road expert sat alongside you, selecting the best traction mode for any given terrain. No rival has anything quite like it. All of which leaves only the two-wheel-drive eD4 variants which effectively break Land Rover’s longstanding policy of only producing 4×4 cars. Times change and the advantages of 2WD are felt mainly in the improved efficiency of the car. This is the second generation Freelander, a car that’s been through more styling revisions than most. The latest models can be identified by a flatter nose, courtesy of a redesigned front bumper, with square holes for the fog lights cut into it. It moves the grille up in line with the large oblong headlights for a cleaner, more modern look that still has that Land Rover chunkiness. The cabin has smarter instrument dials than previous models and the wide centre console puts its tactile controls within easy reach. Compared with the first generation Freelander, this MK2 model, launched in 2006, is 50mm longer, 109mm wider and 32mm taller but the wheels have been moved further towards each corner, freeing up another 105mm in the car’s wheelbase and making rear seat accommodation a whole lot better. Weight crept up to over 1,900kg in the process but a parallel improvement in safety and refinement is a transaction most customers will be willing to accept. Quality-wise, the interior is a somewhat unusual mix of very high quality materials with some surprisingly cheap plastics
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