Land Rover Freelander
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The Freelander is a compact crossover SUV from Land Rover. Introduced in 1998, during the period where Land Rover was part of BMW group, it competes with the Jeep Liberty, Hummer H3 and similar vehicles, and in North America in 2002 where it pioneered the premium compact SUV segment (since joined by the BMW X3 and others). There are a variety of models on the market, 3-door removable-top (SE3) and 5-door versions, diesel and petrol engines. Current US Freelander models are powered by MG Rover K-Series V-6 engines, and have mixed auto/manual Tiptronic-style gearboxes; most have air conditioning, power steering, power windows and other amenities standard. Diesel and 1.8 petrol Engines are also offered in Europe. There is also a van version in Europe though it is poor as an offroad van because of the lack of ground clearance and low ratio gear box.
While the Freelander is quite suitable for moderately rugged roads, it does not have a low range gear selection to master serious inclines or sufficient clearance for broken terrain. Its ABS, traction control, hill descent control features however make driving off-road a pleasant experience.
While some reports show the Freelander to be the most popular Land Rover model in Europe, sales of the Freelander in the United States have been slow. Just 5,430 were sold in 2004, adding up to just over 33,000 sold in the three years the car was offered in that market. Just 13 Freelanders were sold in the entire United States in the first two months of 2006, making it one of the slowest-selling vehicles available.
Production of the Mk I Freelander at the Lode Lane plant in Solihull is currently being run down, mostly due to the difficulty of obtaining engines after the failure of engine supplier and former sister company MG Rover. The car is in process of being replaced within the next 12 months.
2007
Land Rover announced that the replacement for the first-generation Freelander will debut at the 2006 British International Motor Show in July in London. While the new model will retain the Freelander nameplate in Europe, it will be marketed as LR2 in North America (mirroring the marketing of the new Land Rover Discovery as LR3). Preceding the official debut, a private presentation at the Kensington Roof Gardens was held for journalists, featuring celebrity tennis player Maria Sharapova. [link]
The new Freelander will be based on Ford's EUCD platform, which itself is based on the Ford C1 platform. The EUCD platform is also used by the new Ford Galaxy, Ford S-MAX and Volvo S80, and will be used by more upcoming vehicles from Ford and Volvo. The engine range is all-new for Freelander, featuring transversely-mounted 3.2 straight six engine of the Volvo SI6 series, which first debuted in the new Volvo S80, as well as the 2.2 DW12 common rail turbodiesel engine, co-developed by Ford and PSA. Unlike previous Land Rovers, this car will be manufactured alongside the Jaguar X-Type at Halewood, near Liverpool. [link]
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