ROAD TEST LAND ROVER FREELANDER:Less doesn't always mean more and Land Rover's Freelander is now quite a bit off the pace from its rivals, writes PADDY COMYN
THE FIRST version of the Land Rover Freelander was a rip-roaring success. It was among the first of the small SUVs that was not only stylish, but very useful too, showing itself to be one of the more capable vehicles off road.
Freelander II continued very much in the same vein, but ironed out some of the nasty problems that emerged in the first version. The first generation Freelander was about as reliable as an Irish summer and this needed to be sorted. Things have improved greatly with the second version, but lots of factors have conspired against its success. For a start, with the success of the first generation of the Freelander, all of Land Rover’s rivals – and lots of brands who wouldn’t even be considered rivals – started making vehicles that were similar in flavour.
We have had Volkswagen making a Tiguan, BMW selling an X3, and the Korean brands of Hyundai and Kia making competent rivals too – not to mention Toyota’s ever-clever RAV4.
None of these could match the Freelander’s off-road ability though, and Land Rover even started fitting better diesel and petrol engines that didn’t blow head gaskets like champagne corks. Then we all started caring about emissions. And Land Rover didn’t really know how to respond.
Their Range Rover, Discovery, and Freelander models were all thirsty beasts and once we started getting charged for emissions, sales of these dropped off the charts. This year, we have bought 65 per cent fewer Freelanders in Ireland than we did in 2007. But if you think that is bad, sales of the Range Rover have dropped 97 per cent.
Land Rover has had to respond quickly and they have done so with a new version of the Freelander. And it doesn’t have four-wheel drive.
By removing the four-wheel-drive system from the Freelander, it saves 75kg of weight, thereby consuming a lot less fuel and producing lower emissions. The result is that this Freelander coughs up just 158g/km of carbon dioxide – an 11 per cent improvement in emissions over the outgoing TD4_e. And that’s without any loss in terms of performance.
The resulting drop in emissions means a drop in tax bands, which means a drop in price too. TIt now starts at €29,995, but the test car we were driving is an XE version and it costs €32,995. So far so good, right? There are a couple... okay there are many things that annoy this writer about cars.
One is when you jump into a car that isn’t a sub-€12,000 city car and it has a plastic steering wheel. I know it is a small thing, but since this is the part that you hold all the time you are in the car, if it feels cheap it blights the experience. And at €32,995, we still hadn’t reached the lofty heights of a leather wheel. When we drove this car back in November of last year we noted that this was a great price and in many ways it is. However looking now in the mid-summer of 2011, things have changed a lot. But more on that later.
What is impressive about the Freelander is that it does feel more upmarket than its key rivals. There is a kerbside presence about the Freelander that still isn’t matched by any of the €30,000 SUVs. In its present guise it is handsome and isn’t bulky enough to prompt environmentalists to start vandalising it.
The 2.2-litre diesel really is excellent. With 150bhp and 420Nm of torque, it out-muscles pretty much all of its rivals at this level – most of which are trying to haul along considerable bulk with a measly 110 or 115bhp. It is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and without the fuss of four-wheel drive, the Freelander moves off quite smartly. There is Stop/Start in this new front-wheel-drive Freelander and it helps to keep emissions down.
You will all be reasonably familiar with Stop/Start at this stage and we have used it in lots of vehicles and are accustomed to the way it operates. However, unless someone in Birmingham forgot to install it in our Freelander, then it wasn’t working as regularly as we would have liked. In fact, over the course of our week, I can’t recall it operating at all.
In terms of driving ability, the Freelander does impress. It has an element of ruggedness to it, but mostly it is refined and sits well on the motorway and is competent enough on the twisty stuff too. It doesn’t feel as car-like as some of its newer rivals, but that is understandable.
You know that Land Rover only really removed the four-wheel drive from their Freelander because they had to. But as we discovered back in November at the European launch, the two-wheel-drive version could actually cope with some off-roading that would put more expensive so-called four-wheel-drive rivals to shame. This Freelander might not have the four-wheel drive, but it has the genetics to know how to avoid getting stuck.
Sounds good, right? Well if it has been a few years ago, we would be jumping up and down telling you to run out and get this Freelander at this price. But the thing is, the market has moved on a lot in a few years. The Nissan Qashqai marked the turning point for the SUV segment, proving that you don’t really have to show any kind of off-road prowess to be a sales success. Irish buyers flocked to it. And everyone has been playing catch up since. And those coming up the rear are very, very good. The Hyundai ix35 and the Kia Sportage are prime examples of SUVs that have evolved from mediocre to seriously credible within a few short years. And that’s not to mention Peugeot’s 3008, which is itself another remarkably good SUV. All of these behave a lot more like a car on the road than the Freelander, and that is exactly what the Irish buyer wants right now. All of them have lower emissions from admittedly weaker engines and all of them are much better value.
Take a look at the rivals section of this test and you will see that of all of the SUVs we have mentioned – which are the leading players in the segment – all are the highest spec models in their range, and are all significantly cheaper than the Land Rover.
The highest spec Qashqai you can buy is €5,300 cheaper than the Freelander we were driving and as we mentioned, the spec on our Freelander wasn’t impressive. Kia Ireland has a list as long as your arm of people waiting for their Sportage. Hyundai are the same with their ix35. And we have yet to even mention the truly excellent Skoda Yeti. The most you can spend on a Yeti is €33,995 and that gets you a 2.0-litre 4x4 diesel with a DSG gearbox.
You might argue that we aren’t really comparing like with like here. Isn’t the Freelander a step above these? Well no, it isn’t anymore. Not unless you opt for a Freelander with four-wheel drive. Give a Freelander four-wheel drive and you will tackle bad winters and muddy fields. And you can have a TD4 S model for €34,995. And guess what? It is in the same tax band as the two-wheel-drive version.
This is all a roundabout way of saying that the Freelander with front-wheel drive isn’t anywhere near the best in its segment. And it certainly isn’t worth the money. Any of its key rivals, such as the Qashqai, ix35, Sportage or 3008 would make better buys at this level. However, if you want a Freelander, make it a four-wheel-drive version. Then it really does justify its price.
Factfile
Engine2,179cc four-cylinder turbo diesel putting out 150bhp at 4,000rpm, with 420Nm of torque at 1,750rpm with a six-speed manual transmission
0-100km/h11.7 secs
L/100km (mpg)Urban - 6.0 (47); extra-urban - 7.1 (40); combined - 5.4 (52)
Emissions(motor tax) 158 g/km (€447)
SpecificationCloth and cloth seat upholstery; central locking operated by remote; alloy-look trim on dashboard and doors; computer includes average speed, average fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption and range for remaining fuel; cup holders for front seats; multi-function steering wheel with tilt adjustment and telescopic adjustment; audio system with CD player; six speakers; engine Stop/Start; engine start button; automatic air conditioning; brake assist system; electronic brake distribution; stability control system; roll stability control; Isofix preparation; 17-inch alloy wheels.
Price€32,995