6:09pm Wednesday 25th August 2010
By Steve Teale
Buying any new car in these tough times is a challenge, let alone a premium model like a Land Rover.
Especially when you consider that everyone from Audi to Volvo is heavily involved in the market for 4x4s, with various degrees of success.
But the original Land Rover continues to impress. Freelander, Discovery and Range Rover are all highly-regarded vehicles, even though each has grown more expansive (not to say expensive) over the years.
You can’t get a Range Rover for under £62,000 now. Range Rover Sports starts at £45,000; Discovery begins at £32,000. These are premium models at a premium price.
But there is one remaining model which you may want to consider – Freelander.
That’s right, this model was once a slightly effeminate vehicle. A sort of Land Rover ‘Lite’ which proper Land Rover fans sneered at.
But it has grown more macho of late, yet costs from £21,000, which puts it alongside some of its more cosmetic rivals.
Freelander is still a soft-roader, especially compared to the Discovery, but it has developed into a ‘proper’ 4x4 which deserves to wear the Land Rover badge.
So, while Discovery has grown to such an extent that it competes in the territory once occupied by Range Rover, people who want able 4x4s without paying through the nose should consider a Freelander.
The green brigade have had it in for 4x4 types for ages, but Land Rover is fighting back. The people at Land Rover aren’t in a flap, though; they’ve just been quietly getting on with making their cars as appealing and capable as ever, just greener each time.
Every Land Rover has its carbon emissions offset for the first 45,000 miles, which is a pretty good start. Land Rover has also announced the Evoque, its first front-wheel drive car, which does wonders for emissions and economy.
However, right now you can buy a Freelander 2 and enjoy the clever tech that is stop-start technology. You come to a halt, engage neutral, foot off the clutch and the engine stops.
Reverse the process when it’s time to move again, and the Freelander’s 2.2-litre diesel fires into life. There’s no pause, no clatter and no drama. A host of clever engineering tricks and improved soundproofing see to that.
With the practical demonstration a walk in the park, it’s time to crunch the numbers. For many it will be all about the CO2 – too high and the taxes will start to hit your wallet big time. CO2 drops from 194 to 179g/km, while the combined fuel economy figure has been upped from 37.7 to 42.2mpg.
There’s potential to save more than just a few hundred pounds per year. With little certainty that diesel will remain at supermarket price-match rates for ever, every little bit helps. And while it’s difficult to put an exact figure on the savings made when in stop-start traffic, a 20 per cent saving has been mentioned.
Helping you achieve such savings is a change-up light in the car’s instrument display, politely reminding you that a higher gear would be good for economy.
The display also provides useful messages if you’re not doing what you’re supposed to: getting the gearshift-neutral sequence wrong when you need to pull away from a stop.
Of course, you can also turn the whole thing off, which can be useful when you’re shunting back and forth when parking.
And don’t worry, it won’t leave you stranded – the system won’t work if the engine is too cold or there’s not enough battery power to keep the lights, air-con and the like running.
Continuing the principal that the fuel-saving technology shouldn’t impact on the driving experience, the Freelander 2 behaves just as you would expect when driving off-road. It copes with terrain that would make rivals blush; steep inclines, drops and super-slippery surfaces are no match for the Freelander’s talents.
If, however, you want or need something more dynamic and capable, there’s no reason why you should be unduly punished for your choice of car. The Freelander 2 demonstrates that a compact, desirable and refined SUV can have a place in the motoring world.
And with this being merely the start of Land Rover’s adventure into the green unknown, great things are promised for future products.
Land Rover Freelander 2 2.2TD4: PRICE: £21,750. What Car? reckon you could get it for £20,411.
ENGINE: A 2.2 litre turbodiesel generating 158bhp via all four wheels.
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 112mph, 0-60mph in 10.9 seconds.
COSTS: Average 42.2mpg.
INSURANCE: Group 19.
EMISSIONS: 179g/km.
WARRANTY: Three years’ unlimited mileage.
Steve’s Ratings:- Performance: 3/5 Ride/Handling: 4/5 Space/Practicality: 4/5 Equipment: 3/5 Security/Safety: 3/5 OVERALL: 3/5
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