Land Rover Freelander
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Land Rover Freelander | |
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| Manufacturer: | Land Rover |
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| Production: | 1996– |
| Assembly: | Solihull, England (1996-2006) Halewood, England (2007-present) |
| Class: | Compact crossover SUV |
| Similar: | Acura RDX BMW X3 Jeep Patriot |
| First generation | |
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| Production: | 1996-2006 |
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| Engine: | 2.5 L V6 (174 hp) |
| Transmission: | 5-Speed Automatic Overdrive |
| Wheelbase: | 101.0 in. |
| Length: | 174.1 in. |
| Width: | 71.2 in. |
| Height: | 72.0 in. |
| Second generation | |
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| Production: | 2007– |
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The Land Rover Freelander is a compact crossover SUV from Land Rover of the United Kingdom, with permanent four wheel drive.
[edit] First generation
Introduced in 1996 during the period when Land Rover was part of the BMW group, it now competes with the BMW X3, as well as many other small "off-roaders", in particular the Toyota RAV4, but the marketing uses the Land Rover brand to suggest superior off-road performance. There are a variety of models, based around 3-door removable-top and 5-door versions, and with diesel and petrol engines. Some Freelanders, including all United States models, are powered by MG Rover K-Series V6 engines, and have mixed auto/manual Tiptronic-style gearboxes; most have air conditioning, power steering, power windows and other amenities as standard. Diesel and 1.8 petrol engines and a "commercial" (van) model are offered in some markets. While the first-generation Freelander is quite capable off-road, it does not have a low range gear selection nor a locking differential, as found on larger Land Rover models. It does, however, feature hill descent control which controls individual brakes to simulate low range gears for forward and reverse descents. On the road it benefits from ABS and traction control.
[edit] Second generation
The new Freelander debuted at the 2006 British International Motor Show. While the new model retains the Freelander nameplate in Europe, it will 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 was held for journalists, featuring celebrity tennis player Maria Sharapova. [1] The new "2008" LR2 will be sold in the United States for a base price of US$38,995.
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.
