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By Brian Afuang
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Interior
of Freelander 2 is tasteful as only the
British exclusively know how to do |
IT may not have the same cult
status as its Range Rover and Defender kin boast (and to an extent,
even the Discovery’s) but Land Rover’s small-ute vehicle is by
no means less coveted. It comes, after all, from Land Rover, a
company that builds the most distinctive and capable off-road
vehicles in the planet. So the Freelander, now appended with a
“2” to designate it’s the second-gen model, officially bows to
the Philippines. And not a moment too soon at that.
On September 13 Formula Sports
Inc. (FSI), the distributor of Jaguar, Maserati, Ferrari and Land
Rover vehicles in the country, held the Manila Press Launch of the
Freelander 2 at the company’s dealership in Makati.
Called by FSIs’ chairman Willy
Soong a “perfect combination of sport-utility toughness and sedan
comfort,” the Freelander 2 is touted to redefine the compact
premium 4x4 class. Which is no small feat, really. The original
Freelander that was launched in 1997 almost single handedly created
this segment, and was Europe’s bestselling four-wheel drive
vehicle until 2005. That’s the kind of heritage the Freelander 2
has to live up to.
“No other compact 4x4 has
anything like its total breadth of capability,” Land Rover
director Phil Popham says in a company statement. “The Freelander
2 sets new standards, combining the advantages of a premium
car—such as a polished ride, accomplished performance, attractive
cabin and ease-of-use—with the attributes of a robust 4x4. This
includes go-anywhere ability, panoramic seating, cabin versatility,
and spaciousness.”
So what’s new to the “2?”
The latest Freelander gets two
new engines. First is a 3.2-liter inline-six that replaces the
previous version’s V6. This new 231-horsepower engine, Land Rover
says, is 30 percent more powerful than the V6 and yet is 10 percent
more fuel efficient. Known for being the smoothest among engine
configurations, the Freelander 2’s inline-six is small enough for
it to be mounted transversely, a clever innovation in this segment
as well as in Land Rover’s history. Mounting the engine crosswise
frees up space for the cabin.
Land Rover reckons the inline-six
powered “2” can sprint from naught to 100kph in 8.4 seconds, has
a top speed of 200 kph, and gets a fuel mileage of around 10
kilometers-per-liter.
This new inline-six is matched to
an equally new six-speed automatic transmission that has Land
Rover’s CommandShift manual sequential gear changer. A sport mode
is also available.
The Freelander 2’s second power
plant option is a 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel. It makes 158
horsepower and 400 Newton-meter of torque, 200 of which are
available from as low as 1,000 rpm to 4,500 rpm, ensuring low- to
midrange grunt. Because of this, the diesel can return a fuel rating
of around 16 kilometers-per-liter. A catalized diesel particulate
filter helps in cleaning the Freelander 2’s emissions, while a new
six-speed manual gearbox is offered with the diesel along with the
gas version’s six-speed auto.
Inside, Land Rover says the
Freelander 2 has more head, shoulder and legroom than the previous
model—even if the new one is only 50 millimeters longer. The new
sport-ute’s trunk space boasts of having 38 percent more room over
the old one, too, making it the best in its class. What hasn’t
changed is the Freelander 2’s elevated command seating position
and the rear’s “stadium seating” perch, which essentially
means the rear seats are higher than the front ones.
Thankfully, and despite being an
all-new model, the Freelander 2 retains the distinctive industrial
boxy look of the old one, only this time the styling is updated for
a fresher, crisp appearance.
“We purposely kept strong cues
from the original Freelander,” says Land Rover design director
Geoff Upex in a news release. Upex is referring to the
Freelander’s clamshell hood, stepped roof and basic form.
“But the overall look is new
and much more contemporary. The design is chiseled, geometric and
simple. We kept a close design relationship with the Discovery 3 and
Range Rover Sport but interpreted the design language to suit the
requirements customers have in a compact 4x4,” Geoff says.
And that may mean the Freelander
2 is on its way to achieving the cult status its Land Rover siblings
have.
The Freelander diesel is priced
at P3.550 million and gas model costs P3.950 millon.
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