The work on the Freelander project began in the late-80s (the project was called CB40). The Rover Group, then owner of the Land Rover wanted to develop a compact utility vehicle. The Rover had limited budgets for this project and so it used spares from the MGF Roadster to build the concept. When BMW took over the Rover Group in 1994, it injected some funds and the Freelander went on sale in 1997. The Freelander was one of the best-selling four-wheel drive vehicles in Europe, until 2002 when it got some serious competition. To get back its market share, Land Rover started working on Freelander2 which was launched at the 2006 British International Motor Show. The Freelander2 was sold in Europe which was re-christened as the LR2 for the North American markets.

The Freelander2 landed on the Indian shores in September 2009. This was about a year and half after Tata acquired the Gaydon-based automotive giant from the Ford Motor Company. It has also been one of the best-selling diesel 4x4s in Europe. To see how appealing the Freelander2 will be to the Indian SUV buyer, we drive the Freelander2.

The Freelander2 was Geoff Upex’s last design project as the Design Director of Land Rover. After working with Land Rover for 23 years, he retired in 2006. For Freelander2, Geoff Upex’s core team consisted of Earl Beckles, who was the Lead Exterior Designer; and Martin Buffery (Lead Interior Designer).

The designers at Land Rover wanted a Freelander which will bear a close relationship to the Discovery3 and the Range Rover Sport. The Freelander2 got some of the old Freelander’s styling which included the clamshell hood and stepped roof to retain the basic form of the Freelander. The metallic side-vents, the raised roof and the tapering rear pillar add to the sporty character of the Freelander2. The wheel haunches, the faint crease and the noticeable rocker add to the sharp styling. The blacked-out rear-pillar resembles the floating pillar of Range Rover. The high ground clearance and the short front and rear overhang indicate the off-roading capability of the Freelander.

The Freelander2 scored all five stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests. The Freelander scored maximum points in the occupant protection, as during a head-on impact, the steering column moved forward giving the driver more space - proving to be less fatal. There is another airbag to protect the driver’s knee as well. For the safety of the passengers, the Freelander2 gets seven airbags, all of these are standard on all the variants. The knee airbag is available on the Indian car as well, and doesn’t go missing to reduce the cost. Land Rover claims to have designed the Freelander2 with a transversely-mounted front engine for better safety. This means there is more space in the engine bay for the crumple zone.

The Freelander2 has very plush interior styling. The build quality and the fit and finish of the Freelander2 are definitely one of the best-in-class. Our press demonstrator was the top-of-the-line HSE variant that gets leather upholstery, which is also offered on SE variant. However, the base model which is the S variant gets fabric instead of leather.

The interiors are offered in almond, ebony and storm/ebony trims. Our press demonstrator had almond and black interiors. The wood on the dash added to the richness. The interior styling is simple with neatly placed large buttons which look like a classic example of "Function before Form". These buttons can be easily operated even if one wears gloves (in cold regions). The top-of-the-line Freelander2 gets a built-in Alpine six-CD audio system (with auxiliary input) which plays music through 8x40W amplifier and nine speakers. This system even gets Bluetooth telephone connectivity. The lower versions get a single CD audio system with aux input and six speakers.

Amplifier next to the spare tyre

The four-spoke steering wheel gets large buttons for audio controls on the right and cruise control on the left. The twin vertical chrome strips on the steering wheel are for the horn. The Freelander gets dual-zone climatic control air-con. The satellite navigation goes missing on the Indian spec list, and that’s the reason why we can see an empty slot on the centre console between the two vertical air-con vents. The instrument cluster is made up of three green backlit dials and two digital readouts. One of them displays the trip and odometer and the other one displays the range of the tank and instant and average fuel consumption.

The front row seats are very comfortable and supportive as well. The driver’s seat is electrically adjustable (this feature goes missing in the base variant). Climb into the rear seat and you will be amazed with the enormous space offered for the rear passengers. The rear seats are 50mm higher than the front one. This makes it easier for the rear passengers to view the road as well as to sit in a more comfortable upright position.

The slim A-pillar increases the front visibility. This proves to be helpful to the driver. The front row seats get lumbar support for better fine tuning of the seat. The steering wheel adjust is telescopic however it is mechanical. We wish the steering wheel adjustment was electrical for the price of the Freelander. We liked the positioning of the indicator and wiper stalks. The power window switches are placed on the doorpad closer to the window, rather than the right hand side armrest which is now becoming standard. The Freelander2 gets a massive boot space of 755 litres without flipping the rear seats - useful for a lot of gear for that weekend camping trip. Perhaps?

Engine:

Out of all the currently sold Land Rovers, the Freelander2 gets the smallest engine of the lot. However, in the near future the Land Rover LRX will have the smallest engine which will be a 2.0-litre diesel engine. This is currently a concept, and should be launched within the next couple of years in the international market.

The Freelander2 sold in India gets a 2.2-litre common rail diesel engine (code name: PSA DW12 TD4) which churns out 154bhp of power and 400Nm of torque at 2000rpm. This engine was developed by PSA Peugeot Citroen and Ford. This 16-valve 2179cc engine is capable of producing a maximum power of 170bhp on tweaking the ECM (engine control module).

This common rail turbocharger engine is fairly responsive; however there is some turbo lag. Tap the throttle and the engine pulls cleanly if not strongly. In our performance run, the Freelander2 completed the quarter mile in 17.6 seconds and galloped to 100kph in 11 seconds.

In the North American markets, the Freelander2 is also offered with a 3.2-litre petrol engine designed by the Ford Motor Company (the then owner of Jaguar and Land Rover before the Tata takeover). This engine produces a power of 230bhp and a maximum torque of 317Nm.

Transmission:

The Freealnder2 gets a four-wheel drive which gets powered through a six-speed automatic transmission. This four-wheel drive system was developed by Haldex and it uses the fourth-generation Haldex multi-clutch to transfer power. This system electronically controls the amount of power that goes to the front and the rear wheels depending on the traction offered. This fourth-generation Haldex clutch is also used in the Skoda Yeti and the Skoda Superb V6 that we have driven earlier on.

The transmission on the Freelander2 is a Japanese Aisin SWF21 transmission. This six-speed automatic transmission is fairly responsive. However, after driving the cars with DSG, we wish all the new automatic transmissions came with dual-clutch boxes which will reduce the shifting time. In our in-gear acceleration run, the Freelander2 did the 30-50kph run in 3.0 seconds and clocked the 50-70kph run in 3.1 seconds.

Fuel Efficiency:

The fuel efficiency of the Freelander2 wasn’t very impressive. Our overall fuel economy was 8.9kpl which was a proper blend of highway and city driving. The worst figure that we got was 7.96kpl which was during our performance run, which is all pedal-to-metal driving.

The Freelander2 is based on the EUCD (European D-Class) platform, which is based on the C1 platform. The C platform (C1 also a part of the C platform) was jointly developed by thirty engineers each from Ford, Mazda and Volvo to combine the technology from all the three manufacturers to build a compact car platform. This C1 platform has been designed for front wheel or all wheel drive cars.

The Freelander2 gets McPherson struts upfront and the rear end gets the multi-link struts. The suspension set-up on the Freelander2 is on the softer side and the ride quality is well-composed just like any luxury saloon. This British utility vehicle irons out most of the bumps, but the Freelander2 is only just a decent handler. The Freelander2 gets a light steering wheel, which makes maneuvering in city and parking convenient. But the downside of this light steering is that it doesn’t weigh up at higher speeds, and the feedback from the steering feels very artificial. This makes the driver lose some confidence on corners as you up the momentum.

The Terrain Response system

The Freelander2 gets the Land Rover’s patent Terrain Response system. In this system, the suspension can be adjusted according to the different terrain conditions by just turning a knob. The Freelander2 gets four suspension settings, viz. "Sand", "Grass, Gravel & Snow", "Mud & Ruts" and normal driving. The “Rock Crawl” mode which is available on the other Land Rovers and it goes missing on the Freelander2. For easier off-roading, the Freelander2 also gets hill descent control. The Freelander2 also gets hill-assist and hold-clutch features as well.

The brakes on the Freelander2 are good and they bite progressively. The ABS and the brake assist come handy and in our brake test, the Freelander2 from a speed of 80kph came to a complete standstill in 29 metres. The 235/65R17 tyres come as standard with five-split spoke alloys on the top-of-the-line HSE variant. The SE gets 215/65/R16 tyres with five-split alloys and the SE gets 235/65R17s with six-split alloys. Our press demonstrator was shod with Michelin Latitude Tour HP which gripped well and had very little tread noise on concrete roads.

DIFFERENT MODES OF THE TERRAIN RESPONSE SYSTEM:

Normal Driving Mode

Grass, Gravel and Snow mode

Mud Ruts mode

Sand mode

The top-of-the-line HSE variant of the Freelander2 costs Rs 46 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai) which sounds like quite a packet! Realistically speaking, it is fair enough, since it is a CBU and the most important thing which goes unnoticed (by many) is the fact that Land Rover has put in more money on the mechanicals to make the Freelander2 a capable off-roader. This vehicle has some serious off-roading abilities, where most of its competition gives up. So considering these points and also the excellent build quality, the robust interiors and the premium British badge, the Freelander2 justifies its pricing. If you wish to buy a pure 'little' off-roader with an unmatched British heritage, the Freelander2 should be your choice. Afterall, you'll be buying not just a respected badge, but also a sense of adventure that very few vehicles or brands in the world can boast of.