2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 Reviews

Graham Smith road tests and reviews the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Land Rover Freelander 2 as a used buy.

Though it's generally used only as a suburban runabout, the Land Rover Freelander is capable of tackling bush, beaches and desert conditions that would strand, or even break, others in its class.

WE turn the spotlight on automotive's newest and brightest stars, as we ask the questions to which you want the answers. Ultimately, however, there is only one question that really needs answering  would you buy one?What is it?Land Rover's baby four-wheel drive, soon to be joined by an incredibly chic Range Rover for around the same price. Now that's going to set the cat amongst the pigeons. The more conservatively styled Freelander looks like a smaller version of the incredibly exey Range Rover Vogue.How much?The price has gone up a bit. It kicks off from $49,990, but this is the top of the line model from $65,854 with some options that it take it over $70K.What are the competitors?BMWs X3, Audi Q5. Benz doesn't have a model in the luxury compact sports utility vehicle segment not in this country anyway. Not to mention Land Rover's forthcoming Evoque.What's under the bonnet?This one gets a more powerful version of the 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel.with 140kW of power and an impressive 420Nm of torque.How does it go?We still reckon Kia's 2.0/2.2-litre diesel is smoother. Land Rover hooks it up with a a six-speed Japanese Aisin auto. The combination has turbo lag, but not enough to worry about.Is it economical?The auto is rated at 7.0 litres/100km. We clocked up 700km at a rate of 7.9 litres/100km.Is it `green?'Gets 2.5 stars from the Governments Green Vehicle Guide, at least the previous model did. This one uses less fuel and produces less carbon dioxide so its probably going to do better. The hybrid Prius in comparison gets five.Is it safe?Yes. Gets a full five stars for crash safety. Seven airbags are standard, including a driver's knee bag.Is it comfortable?We've always had a bit of a soft spot for the Freelander (not the first one). It looks fantastic, provides comfortable seating for four adults and the cabin is quiet enough to facilitate easy conversation between the front and rear seats. This one gets leather, electric seat adjustment as well as heated seats.What's it like to drive?The high seating position and torquey diesel engines make this one a snack to drive.Is it value for money?Yes and remember although it does not have low range four wheel-drive, this vehicle still has some serious off-road ability, with terrain response to tailor the drive to different conditions mud, gravel or snow.Would we buy one?You bet. We had one of these cars for a couple of months and it was easy to live with. Not only is it practical it will impress the neighbours.

WE turn the spotlight on automotive's newest and brightest stars, as we ask the questions to which you want the answers. Ultimately, however, there is only one question that really needs answering would you buy one?Land Rover's baby 4WD which looks a lot like the big ritzy one and that is probably no mistake. It's just been upgraded, with some cosmetic changes as well as the addition of two new powerful diesel engines.With prices starting from a low $45K, it's an intriguing proposition for the brand conscious. Mind you it can be optioned up all the way to $72,000 plus, so don't get too excited yet until you check out the specs.BMW's X3, Audi Q5. Benz doesn't have a model in the luxury compact SUV segment _ not in this country anyway.The 3.2-litre petrol V6 carries over from the previous model, but the big news is the two turbo diesels. It's basically the same 2.2-litre four cylinder engine but with different power outputs. One produces 110kW and the other, 140kW _ more importantly they both pump out the same 420Nm of torque.Pretty good. We drove the two diesels at launch. To be honest we'd be quite happy with the 110kW unit. Having said that, it's not as smooth as say Kia's 2.2-litre diesel and the six-speed Japanese Aisin auto is not as quick to respond either.Both autos are rated at 7.0 litres/100km. There's also a manual (entry level model) with stop/start technology that gets 6.6. We were getting about 8.5 litres/100km in the cars we drove, but that figure is probably not indicative.Gets 2.5 stars from the Government's Green Vehicle Guide, at least the previous model did. This one uses less fuel and produces less CO2 so it's probably going to do better. The hybrid Prius in comparison gets five.Yes. Gets a full five stars for crash safety. Seven airbags are standard, including a driver's knee bag.The Freelander 2 is a personal favourite. It provides comfortable seating for four adults and the cabin is quiet enough to facilitate easy conversation between the front and rear seats. You can option in leather and electrical adjustment as well as heating and cooling.The high seating position and torquey diesel engines make this one a snack to drive.Yes and remember although it does not have low range four-wheel drive, this vehicle still has some serious off road ability, with terrain response to tailor the drive to different conditions; mud, gravel, snow etc.You bet. We had one of these cars for a couple of months and it was easy to live with. Not only is it practical it will impress the neighbours.

THE accidental environmentalist has taken a bit of a fall, says Land Rover, as new SUV buyers start putting their families first. That, says Jaguar Land Rover Asia-Pacific managing director David Blackhall, plays right into his company’s hands.In launching the new baby Land Rover - the Freelander - today, Blackhall says it’s a greener world “but in the luxury SUV sector, we are scrambling for product’’.“We could have sold several hundred more Range Rovers last year,’’ he laments.All this augers well to a push to re-establish the forgotten Land Rover, the Freelander 2. The chiseled four-door wagon, built on a similar platform to the Volvo XC60, has been almost invisible on the Australian market.A lot of that is to do with the more noisier competitors and the Freelander’s seemingly expensive price. It never really rated in terms of performance - though the Volvo-sourced 3.2-litre in-line petrol six is keen - with its diesels appearing too weak to satisfy power hungry, leisure-oriented buyers.This week, part of that changed. The good news is the expansion of the Freelander model line-up to seven from five, more powerful diesels and pricing from $44,990 (TD4).Not cheap though the Freelander range now falls into line with Volvo and BMW X3, with it not meeting the value-for-money offerings of the Koreans and some Japanese.The entry level $44,990 TD4 is a manual-gearbox 110kW diesel (the smaller of two oiler engines) with a high level of safety but with a simple exterior and some high-end convenience fittings missing from the cabin.However, better value is in the TD4 (110kW diesel) at $55,310 that gets heaps of cabin features, big alloy wheels, top-class leather and a six-speed sequential automatic transmission.The 140kW diesel is available in two trim levels but will cost $1500 for the extra 30kW (the two engines share 420Nm of torque) and - basically - isn’t worth it.Land Rover says its petrol versions are $49,990 for the XS and $55,310 for the SE. There’s also a heavyweight “premium luxury package” that takes the diesel’s price to a heady $72,740 and adds 19-inch alloys, sunroofs, better leather and a factory integrated sat-nav that - remarkably - isn’t as effective as the Garmin unit that is installed in lesser models by local importers.The Garmin also allows some Bluetooth connectivity - the only way to get the hands-free system to work in Freelander - because it’s not standard.The same shape that has been around for yonks continues. There is, however, some new features - grille, bumpers, headlights and tail lights - but it’s hard to spot the new model.In saying that, it’s an excellent design and escapes the general mid-size SUV trend of creating a bulbous - and heavy - body atop the platform.The Freelander looks lithe and purposeful and works exactly like that. There’s a lot of typical Land (and Range) Rover cues such as the bold dash switchgear, imposing door inserts that create an elbow-magnet ledge, bold door handles and chunky seats.It’s not a big cabin but will seat four adults in plenty of comfort. The boot is reasonable - through the hatch opening is a tad narrow - and there’s a full-size spare wheel under the cargo floor.This was subjected to a day on and off the road and is considered a brief test. However, the glimpse showed the Freelander to be a very good thing.The trick for potential buyers who enjoy driving is to keep it simple. I drove the diesel range and was more impressed with the TD (base) model with the less-powerful 110kW engine and the automatic box than the $65,854 SD4 HSE.The cheaper model was more nimble, shared the HSE’s constant 4WD but felt lighter through the corners and so felt more confident, was very comfortable and - at cruising - very quiet and always responsive.It was, however, noisy at idle. I also rate the steering highly and wile this is not the ideal vehicle to hurry through the Southern Highlands in NSW, it was actually enjoyable.It also handled the rough fire trails that wound through the hills and the relatively low 210mm ground clearance was never tested.