F
or a company that built two
models which barely changed for
decades, four new cars in as many
years was quite something. Following hot
on the heels of the Range Rover, the
Range Rover Sport and the new
Discovery, the latest incarnation of the
Freelander finally arrived. In orange.
Given a brief glance, you'd be convinced
that this was a heavily facelifted version of
the old one. Side by side, the old and new
retain a strong resemblance to each other,
but don't be fooled � the two share no
significant parts. Developed under Ford's
careful eye, the Freelander 2 takes design
cues from its Land Rover stable mates.
Wing-mounted air intakes, a body
coloured windscreen pillar, the blacked-out
B-pillar and a wraparound rear screen are
all current favourites with Land Rover, and
help give it the family look. The clamshell
bonnet and the `floating roof' are also both
borrowed from the Range Rover and bring
a more grown-up feel to the smaller car.
The Freelander 2 is bigger all round
than the old model � at 50mm longer,
109mm wider and 32mm taller, it still
retains a car-like stance instead of an
overtly 4x4 look. If Land Rover's hopes to
tempt saloon drivers from their cars and
into one of these are to be successful, it
can't afford to put them off by designing
a car that looks too imposing and
unwieldy. In fact, it's completely the
opposite with the features that make it
work off-road help
it out on-road too;
short overhangs and
a bonnet you can
see to the end mean
it's easy to park and
thread through
town traffic, and
the long wheelbase
gives it a more supple ride for cruising.
Not before time, the interior has also
been brought more in line with its bigger
brothers. A cleaner, more ordered design
has replaced the reasonably haphazard
dashboard of old, and a key slot and
starter button system removes the ignition
electronics from the steering column,
preventing it from all ending up in the
driver's lap in the event of an accident.
The steering wheel is very similar to the
Discovery's, and the overall use of
generally higher-quality switchgear make
the car feel a lot more solid than its
predecessor. The high-set `command'
driving position is a useful advantage
over road users in standard cars, and the
seats (electric and leather on HSE
models) are well
bolstered, supportive
and comfortable.
Option the HSE trim
and you'll be wanting
for nothing � leather,
humidity sensing
climate control, sat
nav, electric leather
seats and a 14-speaker sound system
should provide you with enough buttons
to play with, and there's always the option
of adding the rear-screen entertainment
system to keep the kids quiet in the back.
Passengers in the rear sit higher than
those in the front for a better view out,
and the roofline is also raised marginally
to avoid any headroom issues. There is a
lot more space in this than the old model,
Wade through half
a metre of water?
No worries
40
Land Rover Freelander 2

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