Hitting the nail on the head
Jesse Adams - Cars in Action
Posted Fri, 08 Dec 2006
Although Land Rover’s outgoing Freelander plays an integral role in the British firm’s four wheel drive line-up, it has fallen on hard times as of late, with questionable resale values and a general lack of appeal in the small sport utility segment. It’s not a bad car really, but it misses a certain something that the opposition, namely the Germans, have been quick to pick up on and take advantage of.
But hold your horses! Enter Freelander 2. I’ve called this story ‘The nail on the head’ because that’s exactly what they’ve done. They’ve whacked it. Really. No, it’s not a facelift. And yes, it does look a lot like the outgoing model. But it’s all new and it’s top notch.
I’ll be honest with you. My first impression of the new car was a little underwhelming. I thought maybe they’ve missed the plot. Maybe they’ve just injected some youth serum into an ailing model and come up with a sort of living dead Frankenstein type thing. But I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong.
I’ll do you a favour. I’ll sum up the new Landy right now so that you don’t have to read on any further, but hopefully my words will spark an interest and you’ll give it a second chance, just like I did on Freelander 2’s world launch in Morocco.
So let’s sum it up. After just a couple of minutes at the wheel, I detected an enormous similarity to the Freelander’s bigger siblings like Disco 3 and Range Rover. It feels solid. It feels big. It feels quality. It basically feels like a scaled down version of everything that’s good about Land Rover’s premium models.
You would probably notice the same thing upon entry of the Freelander 2. For example, the steering wheel bears a striking resemblance to the flagship models. But it’s not only skin deep. It’s the whole package. The steering is weighted perfectly. The interior is laid out in a new, more elegant and classy manner. That’s it. It’s like the outgoing Freelander has gone through puberty and blossomed into a well-mannered adult.
All of this good stuff will come with a choice of two new engines. A 3.2-litre straight six petrol powered unit which produces 30 percent more power and 10 percent better fuel consumption than the outgoing V6. These claims are backed up with power outputs of 171kW and 317Nm. Not bad, considering that it consumes on average only 11.3 litres of juice per 100km.
There’s also a gem of a turbo diesel available. It’s called a TD4 and it’s an in-line four that produces 118kW and a thumping 400Nm of twist. The best part here is that its combined fuel consumption is around 7.5 litres per 100km. Best of both worlds really, with a nice amount of get-up-and-go and frugal mileage.
Okay, so I hear you asking the question of its off road capabilities. Well they launched Freelander 2 in Morocco for a reason. If you’ve ever been there then you will know that there is a wide variety of terrain to negotiate. The word ‘awesome’ comes to mind. Perfect really. On my test drive I would get comfortable cruising at a good clip of let’s say about 100 or so, and then out of nowhere a bastard of a pothole would appear. When this happens I normally clinch my teeth and wait for the sound of tyre meets hole, shock meets full travel, bum meets seat cushion – but no. This car soaks it all up. The Freelander 2 is almost custom built for the well worn roads of Africa.
But wait… There’s more! The next generation Freelander also gets the Terrain Response function that features on Land Rover’s far more expensive vehicles. This means that at the turn of the knob in the centre console, the car’s engine mapping, traction control and general off road plan of attack can be altered between four different settings depending on the type of terrain between you and your destination. Fully counter-clockwise, the car will be set for general driving. One click for grass/gravel/snow, one click more for mud/ruts and one click more for deep sand conditions.
I tried all of the settings in the appropriate environments and found the new Freelander to be virtually unstoppable. Very comfortable too. The suspension and ride of Freelander 1 was one of its strong points, and lucky for 2, those genes have carried on.
I believe this new Land Rover is directly targeted at BMW X3 buyers. I suppose Ford Territory and Nissan X-Trail type customers also. I don’t see a problem with that at all. I would honestly choose the new Freelander over any of these so-called ‘compact premium SUVs’. As I said – They’ve nailed it. That green oval badge has been synonymous with outdoor lifestyle and off road ability since day one, and where the first Freelander may have left off, the new one picks up again beautifully.
