From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Land Rover Freelander
Manufacturer	Land Rover
Parent company	Ford Motor Company 2000- Rover 1996-2000
Production	1996–
Class	Compact luxury crossover SUV
Layout	Front engine, four-wheel drive

First generation
Production	1996-2006
Assembly	Solihull, England
Body style(s)	2-door SUV 4-door SUV
Engine(s)	1.8 K-Series (136 hp) 2.5 L KV6 (174 hp)
Transmission(s)	5-speed automatic
Wheelbase	101.0 in (256.5 cm)
Length	2002-03 4-Door: 175.0 in (4445 mm) 2-Door: 175.1 in (4448 mm) 2004-05 4-Door: 174.1 in (442.2 cm)
Width	2004-05: 71.2 in (180.8 cm) 2002-03: 71.1 in (1806 mm)
Height	2004-05 4-Door: 72.0 in (182.9 cm) 2-Door: 71.2 in (1808 mm) 2002-03 4-Door: 69.2 in (1758 mm)

Second generation
Also called	Land Rover LR2 Land Rover Freelander 2
Production	2007–
Assembly	Halewood, England
Body style(s)	4-door SUV
Engine(s)	3.2L 230 hp I6
Transmission(s)	6-speed automatic
Wheelbase	104.7 in (265.9 cm)
Length	177.2 in (450.1 cm)
Width	75.2 in (191.0 cm)
Height	68.5 in (174.0 cm)
Related	Volvo XC90 Ford Taurus X

The Land Rover Freelander is a compact crossover SUV made by the British Land Rover, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company. It is currently in its second generation, marketed as LR2 in North America.

The Freelander, wholly designed by the Rover Group after early talks of a co-operation with BMW resulted in disinterest from the German side. Despite this, BMW secretly proceeded with their BMW X3, inspired by the Freelander prototype. It came off the production line in late 1997. It rapidly became the best selling compact 4x4 in Europe, outselling the BMW X3, as well as many other small "off-roaders".

There are a variety of models, based around 5-door station wagon and 3-door softback, hardback, and commercial versions.

Engine choices include:^[1]

• 1.8-litre Rover K-Series petrol (1997-2006), badged as '1.8i'
• 2.0-litre Rover L-series diesel (1997-2001), badged as 'Di'
• 2.0-litre BMW TD4 diesel (2001-2006), badged as 'TD4'
• 2.5-litre Rover KV6 Engine petrol (2001-2006), badged as 'V6'

Manual gearboxes dominated the early models, but automatic Tiptronic-style gearboxes became increasingly popular and were standard on the V6.

The marketing puts much emphasis on the offroad heritage of the Land Rover marque. While the first-generation Freelander was considered quite capable off-road, earning its credentials in the Camel Trophy and Land Rover G4 Challenge, it represented a compromise. It did not have a low range gear selection nor a locking differential, as found on larger Land Rover models.

The first-generation was, however, the first Land Rover to feature hill descent control. This system, plus the capable off road Traction Control system used the ABS to control individual brakes and keep driving under control in offroad situations.

Poor sales of the Freelander perhaps due to its alleged unreliability,tendency to breakdown and bad after sales service caused Land Rover to discontinue the model after 2005 in the U.S.A.and Canada.

The new Freelander 2 debuted at the 2006 British International Motor Show. While the new model retained the Freelander nameplate in Europe, it was to be marketed as LR2 in North America (mirroring the marketing of the new third-generation Land Rover Discovery as LR3). Preceding the official debut, a private presentation at the Kensington Roof Gardens had been held for journalists, featuring celebrity tennis player Maria Sharapova. [1] The new "2008" LR2 is now on sale in the United States for a base price of US$34,700.

The second generation Freelander is based on the Ford 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 I6 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. The new Freelander features improved ground clearance and promises greater off-road capabilities, closer to other Land Rover models and significantly above those of rivals such as BMW and Audi [2]. It has a much improved quality interior with more features as standard.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Land Rover Freelander

• Land Rover Freelander 2 China commercial
• Auto Expless magazine - Land Rover Freelander II blind spots problem
• Freel2.com - Worldwide Freelander 2 and LR2 web site for owners and enthusiasts
• Freel-2.ru - Russian Freelander 2 and LR2 web site for owners and enthusiasts
• http://www.cameltrophyvehicles.com - The Keynsham Camels: website about ex-Camel Trophy Land Rovers
• http://www.carsandfinance.com/cars/land-rover/freelander-2-sw Land Rover Freelander 2] Reviews and specifications
• Belgian Freelander owners club