An all-new sequel to Land Rover’s phenomenally successful Freelander is set to make waves at the British Motor Show in London on July 19.
Dubbed, ‘Freelander 2’, Land Rover’s 4×4 is instantly recognisable as a Freelander, although it adopts strong visual cues from bigger Discovery and luxurious Range Rover models.
Swollen in size in every direction the small Land Rover boasts more space for passengers, rectifying a failing of the old model. Now there is both more shoulder and legroom while up to 38% more boot space – a seven-seat version has been ruled out.
Powered by an all-new range of engines from launch in December there will be the choice of a lusty 233PS straight-six petrol or a punchy 2.2-litre 160PS diesel that’s expected to snare fleet – thanks to a combined fuel consumption of 37.7mpg and a CO2 emissions of 194g/km attracting a BIK of 28%, 3% lower than the outgoing model. The petrol slots into the highest banding attracting the full 35% BIK, but makes up for it with performance, sprinting to 60mph in 8.4secs while its diesel brother trails with a 10.9secs dash for the manual.
Land Rover hopes its new baby 4×4 will continue the sales success of old. Last year the current Freelander remained the best selling 4×4 in both retail and fleet – with almost 6000 vehicles going to business.
The replacement for our seven times Fleet Excellence Award winner is expected to continue Land Rover’s trend for improved quality while continuing to top the class for on and off-road handling – thanks to the addition of some Discovery 4×4 electronics.
Prices are up, with the diesel expected to go on sale from £22,000.
