23 Jun 06
As a Land Rover, the Freelander 2 must be equally at home on or off-road and the engineers have worked hard to give the Freelander 'sector defining off-road ability'. A version of the Terrain Response system - first seen in the Discovery - is fitted on all bar the entry level model, which gives the Freelander impressive off-road capabilities.
The Terrain Response has four settings for a variety of conditions: General Driving for on-road and gentle off-roading; Grass/Gravel/Snow for slippery conditions both on or off-road; Mud and Ruts for dealing with more extreme off-road conditions; and Sand. Each setting adjusts the Freelander accelerator, gearbox and four-wheel drive systems in order to give it the traction it needs.
Along with the Terrain Response system, the Freelander 2 has a whole host of other electronic driver aids including Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) which has different settings on and off-road, Electronic Traction Control and ABS, Hill Descent Control (HDC) which is linked to a new Gradient Release Control which causes the brakes to be released progressively after stopping on steep slopes. The Freelander 2 can wade through water 500mm deep and has 210mm of ground clearance, which should be enough for most off-road situations.
The four-wheel-drive system on the Freelander 2 is 'intelligent' - which means it adjusts itself depending on where and how it is driven. Under normal conditions on the road, the majority of power is directed through the front wheels (to save fuel), but in the most extreme off-road conditions it can changes to drive most of the power through the rear wheels or channel power to specific wheels depending on what is required.
The Freelander 2 has a monocoque structure much like a regular car and its body is said to have over 28,000Nm/degree of static stiffness - Land Rover says the only cars to have stiffer bodies are the Discovery and the Porsche Cayenne. This means it should be pretty strong off-road, while being rattle-free on road.
Two engines are offered, a 3.2-litre straight-six petrol and a 2.2-litre common-rail diesel. Petrol versions will be badged i6 and the diesels TD4.
The Volvo sourced petrol engine has 229bhp and 234lb-ft of torque available at 3,200rpm. It will accelerate to 60mph in 8.4seconds with a top speed of 124mph. Fuel consumption of 25.2mpg is reasonable considering the size of the engine and the 1,700Kg weight and CO2 emissions are 265g/km, putting it in the recently announced Band G tax band. That'll attract a £210/year tax liability. The petrol is available only with a six-speed automatic gearbox with sequential-shift and sports modes.
Diesel power comes courtesy of a partnership between Ford and Peugeot-Citroen. The 2.2-litre common-rail engine has 158bhp and 295lb-ft of torque available from a low 2,000rpm. 0-60mph takes 10.9seconds and top speed is 112mph. Economy, as expected, is much better than the petrol at 37.7mpg on the combined cycle and 194g/km of CO2 (band F) is emitted. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, with the same six-speed auto 'box on the 'six available from spring 2007.
