High on the heels of revealing the all-new 2013 Range Rover, JLR also released the first pictures and details of the new Land Rover Freelander 2. The smallest member of the family after the Evoque gets an sporty new design and a premium interior design with improved storage, instrumentation and controls. It is available with two or four-wheel drive.
Design-wise the new Freelander seems to be inspired by the current Range Rover Sport – soon to be replaced with an all-new model – featuring a sports grille, Sport-like head and taillights, and new side vents.
Depending on the trim level, exterior features might differ. The GS model for instance gets a gloss black grille surround, while the Dynamic version has a full bodystyling kit, and a gloss black finish to fender vents, grille bars and grille surround. Then there’s the HSE model which in its LUX version gets special paints and 19-inch Diamond Turned Wheels.
The absolute best thing about the new car, however, is the gadgetry. The Freelander 2 is packed with new and exciting features. It comes with a new 7-inch colour touch-screen to control audio, phone and navigation systems, which is also used as the user interface for the Terrain Response System that also gets new buttons. An 825W Meridian surround sound system with 17-speakers is also among the available options, and so is a rear-view camera with Hitch Assist, and LR’s voice command system.
More convenience comes in the form of Passive Start which replaces the key docking system, meaning that as long as the key is somewhere inside the car, the engine starts at the touch of a button.
As for the engines, the Freelander 2 launches with two diesels including the 2.2-litre 150PS TD4 and 190PS SD4 with four-wheel drive. The 150PS version can be had with two-wheel drive and a six-speed manual, in which case it can do up to 47 mpg.
Electronic safety features? You get the lot: Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Traction Control (ETC), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Roll Stability Control (RSC) and Engine Drag Control.
