2011 Land Rover Freelander review
2011 Land Rover Freelander
By Tim Saunders
While Jeep lays claim to introducing the first four-wheel drive off-roader, Land Rover quickly established itself as dominant in the field; quite literally.
Introduced in 1948, the British-built vehicle has become known the world over for its ability to tackle the harshest terrains. It won what has surely become the longest commission in the British Army, which has loyally used it since the 1950s.
New Land Rover Freelander
In the 1990s, the manufacturer realised there was a gap in the market between the basic Defender and the luxury Range Rover. And so the Freelander was born in 1997.
For the past week I’ve been testing the Freelander 2 SD4 HSE and it’s been an absolute pleasure and privilege to drive. The traditional ignition has been replaced by an aperture that the key fob slots into, to the left of the steering wheel and a start/stop button directly above it.
This top-of-the-range £36,245 (inc. VAT) vehicle has a raised driving position that reminds me of my horse riding days. But that’s where the comparison ends because while horse riding leaves the not very fit with a bit of difficulty walking - the Landy with its smooth ride, delivers you to your destination coolly and calmly with no aching joints.
2011 new Land Rover Freelander
The high driving position (higher than many supposed 4x4s of a similar size from Nissan, BMW and Mitsubishi for instance) is useful for seeing far ahead over the roofs of other vehicles, providing the driver with advance warning of any traffic problems. And with its 210mm ground clearance, off-road jaunts really are great fun with few obstacles posing problems.
In front of the automatic gear selector is a dial with a switch either side. Turn the dial and the Terrain Response Special Programs feature appears on the dashboard. There are three options: Grass Gravel Snow, Mud Ruts and Sand. The left switch is the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) while to the right is the Hill Descent Control (HDC).
The driver, no matter how incompetent, can switch easily and safely between the settings required for different terrains. A certain Mr Clarkson raves about the HDC, which allows any fool to drive the Freelander down a sharp incline without applying the brakes – the vehicle does this for you, meaning that it won‘t skid or lose control. The Freelander is equally at home on field or lane and the sizeable fuel tank means that it doesn‘t need to make frequent fuel stops. It will travel well over 500 miles on a tank of diesel.
Inside, driver and passengers are treated to a hardwearing ebony interior and Windsor leather seats. The dashboard is well laid out. It‘s home to all the mod cons today‘s drivers expect including heated seats, air conditioning and electric windows. It even comes with an electric sliding sunroof, which is much appreciated on a hot summer‘s day. But when this sunroof is open, it slides over the glass roof panel for the rear passengers, which seems a bit flawed.
New Land Rover Freelander interior
I also think that the boot, which opens like a hatchback, would be easier to operate if it opened like a door as on other 4x4s, including the Freelander‘s bigger brother; the Discovery. A friend of mine is a design engineer at Land Rover who claims to have designed this very boot, so I‘d better have a word with him...
The 2.2-litre diesel unit is smooth and pulls strongly from low-down in the 'box, however it isn't especially quick and when the accelerator is pressed firmly to the floor there‘s a couple of seconds' delay before the engine responds, meaning that demanding overtaking requires a little extra planning than usual.
“Land Rover has taken all its off-road knowledge and put it into an upmarket package to create the excellent Freelander,” writes Parkers, the car guide. “Refinement is a key strength and the Land Rover is as happy plugging through deep mud as it is cruising on the motorway or taking on the school run. Thanks to a spacious interior it‘s a great family car and ideal for towing caravans or trailers. It‘s available with a strong 2.2-litre diesel engine which offers reasonable economy and new from mid-2009 is a fuel-saving stop and start system, which shuts down the engine when the car is stopped in traffic."
"The Land Rover Freelander 2.2 TD4S is extremely capable both on and off-road. It‘s robust, well-built and reliable and manages the neat trick of being relatively car-like to drive. It has an upmarket feel, it comes with a prestigious badge sensible purchase price and, for a 4x4, surprisingly good fuel economy. Taking all these factors into account this is why the 2.2 TD4S won the 2011 Parkers 4x4 cost of motoring award.”
> At a glance: Land Rover Freelander
New price range £22,005 - £36,260
Used price range £10,166 - £31,191
Power: 190bhp
Top speed: 118mph
CO2 emissions: 185g/km
