It's Landy's new Freelander
Posted Fri, 23 Jun 2006
Land Rover has revealed the all-new Freelander — the latest challenger on the compact SUV market.
New from the ground up, the Land Rover LR2 or Freelander 2 "combines the advantages of a premium sedan — such as polished ride, accomplished performance, an attractive cabin and ease-of-use — with the attributes of a robust SUV, including go-anywhere ability, toughness, stadium seating, cabin versatility and spaciousness," reckons Land Rover’s managing director, Phil Popham.
To go with the new car is a brand new 3.2-litre inline-six engine, producing a claimed 171kW and powering the LR2 from 0 to 100km/h in 8.9 seconds.
The engine is matched to a new six-speed automatic transmission, with Land Rover’s CommandShift allowing for manual sequential gear changes when needed. And the driver-selectable sport mode is there for gutsier performance.
The compact new mill is small enough to mount transversely, allowing for improved interior packaging and safety performance.
As a result, the interior package of LR2 has generous head, shoulder and legroom, in the front and rear. Large glass areas complement Land Rover's hallmark of an elevated "command driving" position and "stadium seating", where rear passengers sit slightly higher than front occupants, for a clearer outside view.
Cargo space also benefits: a claimed 1670 litres with the rear seats folded and 755 litres with the seats up.
On the looks front, the new LR2 is typically Land Rover.
"We purposely kept strong Land Rover design cues, such as the clamshell bonnet, stepped roof and the basic form," said Land Rover design director Geoff Upex.
"The design is chiseled, geometric and simple — it looks like it's hewn from the solid. We have kept a close design relationship with the LR3 and Range Rover Sport, but interpreted the design language to suit the requirements of customers for a more compact SUV."
The body is a five-door monocoque structure, with a high level of torsional rigidity with Land Rover reckoning it's "fit for serious off-road use". The suspension is fully independent and uses stability control systems, such as Roll Stability Control that helps reduce the risk of roll-over.
Also standard is Land Rover's Terrain Response system for easier off-road use, and a new permanent all-wheel-drive system for better traction and improved on-road fuel economy. The Gradient Release Control boosts control when releasing the brakes on steep and slippery slopes.
Other features and options include: keyless starter button, bi-xenon headlamps, adaptive front lighting, rain-sensing windshield wipers and rear park distance control.
A standard two-part panoramic sunroof increases the cabin’s airiness; air-conditioning also comes standard and a full-colour touch-screen DVD satellite navigation system is optional. A choice of top-level audio systems includes 12-speaker Dolby Pro Logic II 7.1 Surround Sound.
Designed and engineered by Land Rover at Gaydon, near Warwick, England, LR2 is built at the Halewood plant in Liverpool.
