8 February 2011
From pauper to prince
The trusty Land Rover is by appointment to the Queen, but it's unlikely the original Freelander ever dodged corgis on-route to the palace carport. Aristocracy has no appetite for big plastic bumpers and uninspiring interiors! It just didn't fit in with the rest of the (Land Rover) family, it beared the name but lacked the breeding.
The same cannot be said for the all-new Freelander 2 launched in New Zealand last week.
At a glance, you could be excused for thinking the Freelander 2 was a Range Rover that H.M herself might drive. It's obviously smaller than a Rangie, but has grown significantly over its predecessor at 4500mm(L) x 2005mm(W) x 1740mm(H) and looks every bit a Land Rover as well. Styling cues have been borrowed from the less bulky Range Rover Sport, with the angled rear windscreen and air intakes on the front guards. The unpainted bodywork is restricted to only the lower extremities and the face is in keeping with the rest of the family, thanks to the circular fog lamps, projector headlamps and diamond-patterned grill. However that flat front isn't the best from a pedestrian safety point of view.
Inside too it's like a scaled-down Range Rover Sport, the centre stack is less vertical than the Discovery or the Range Rover Vogue, making it more user friendly and car-like. Fit and finish is in the same league as it bigger brothers with tasteful use of materials used throughout and a well-constructed cabin. Freelander 2 adopts the 'Command' seating position, which allows the driver to see all four corners of the vehicle improving visibility and drivability. The spare tyre has been relocated from the rear door to underneath the vehicle and front and rear parking sensors are standard.
Only the top-spec HSE variant is offered in New Zealand, and the price is at the upper echelon of the class, though for the outlay almost every convenience is at your beck and call. Leather interior, 5-star NCAP safety, rollover stability, electronic stability control, front, side, curtain and driver's knee airbag, bi-Xenon headlamps, push button starter and cornering brake control are all among the hefty list of standard features.
The class-leading 4WD Terrain Response system available on the Range Rover and Discovery products has filtered down to the brand's gateway vehicle, missing only the 'Rock Crawl' setting that the big boys get. Freelander can still offer optimum torque delivery settings dependant on the terrain, modes for the highway, grass, gravel and snow, mud ruts or sand are all selected on the fly via a chunky dial switch. Much of our launch drive was conducted over the slippery Braeburn track south of Nelson; despite being the nipper in Land Rover's Hierarchy it can wade in up to 500mm of water and includes hill decent control so handled the many ford crossings and mud with ease.
Two powertrains are offered, a 3.2 litre, petrol inline six or a 2.4 litre four cylinder diesel, either power unit mated to six-speed transmission. On the road both engines performed best when kept on the boil, our preference on the blacktop was the revvy and willing petrol. With 171kW @ 6300 rpm on tap and 317Nm of torque @ 3200 rpm it accompanied the excellent chassis and suspension dynamics royally. The TD4 diesel, while creamy smooth, thanks to twin balance shafts for NVH reduction - lacked a little punch for a modern diesel. However, delivering 118kW @ 4000 rpm and 400Nm @ 2000 rpm the diesel's low down torque was a blessing for the tight slippery gravel tracks ventured during our brief drive. We recommend a drive of both powertrains before making a purchasing decision.
In the UK comparisons are drawn between less posh variants of the Freelander 2 and such riff raff as Honda's CRV or Toyota's Rav4, though here the $69,990 price tag for either diesel or petrol retains a premium brand perception for Land Rover. Price aside, the superb combination of style, drivability, off-road prowess and luxury the new Freelander 2 could well be heir to the mid-size SUV throne.