Land Rover is targeting the premium small SUV market with its new Freelander launched in London yesterday.
Not just a facelift, it's a complete makeover from the tyres up, according to Land Rover chief designer Geoff Upex. The look from the front is very much a mix of Discovery and Range Rover Sport and insiders claim it's designed to be far more attuned to road use than its predecessor. However, it will still have a strong off-road potential.
For the first time, Land Rover uses a Haldex electronic centre coupling, which continuously alters the torque split. This sends almost 100 per cent of power to the front wheels when on the road to reduce running costs. However, if traction is compromised, torque is instantly transferred between the front and rear axles. Added to this is a host of traction, hill descent and ascent, braking and stability controls that mean the new Freelander is about to raise the bar for off-road capability in the sector.
While Land Rover would like to pit the new Freelander against BMW's X3, in reality it will battle against Toyota's Rav 4 and Nissan's X-Trail, both of which are accomplished SUVs.
There will be no three-door version on offer and as a result a commercial version is not planned.
The Freelander features a new 2.2-litre diesel engine, which was developed by Ford in conjunction with Peugeot/Citroën and is significantly more powerful both in torque (400Nm) and horse power (160bhp) than both the 2.2-litre diesel-powered Nissan and Toyotas. Sadly for Ireland there will be no 1.8-litre petrol on offer at launch.
Due in showrooms by November, prices will start at just over €40,000 for the entry-level 2.2-litre diesel.