It smacks of Gloucestershire almost as much as Zara Phillips and can still raise hackles when parking at Sainsbury’s.

The new Land Rover Discovery arrived at my house smelling of fresh leather and recently treated plastics – the unmistakable (and all too soon lost) scent of new car, a compound aroma deemed so appealing in some quarters that many people would happily bottle it in liquid form and use it as room spray, or possibly even as an intimate little eau de cologne. (“Mmm, what’s that you’re wearing?” “It’s Vauxhall Insignia.” “Delicious!”)

Rising from the Discovery, though, that intoxicating showroom tang seemed completely wrong. This, after all, is the most openly rural, fundamentally agricultural 4×4 known to man, a car built specifically to go from A to B via C, where A is Cheltenham, B is Shepton Mallet and C is a flooded paddock known to contain some large, pointy stones. Indeed, it’s hard to think how the Discovery could suggest Gloucestershire more emphatically without actually being Zara Phillips.

Accordingly, throw open one of its chunky and virtually bomb-proof doors and your nose should be instantly assaulted by the smell of wet Labrador and spent gun cartridges, and with a faint but persistent top note of drunk Young Farmer. Discarded wellingtons and dogs you didn’t even know you owned should be sliding from side to side in the boot-space at all times. And, obviously, it should be caked to its windows in claggy loam and, perhaps, bits of things that people have recently shot or, at the very least, run over. Frankly, you shouldn’t have to garage it at night. You should stick a blanket on it and turn it loose in a field.

On top of which, the Discovery remains, of course, a superlative piece of engineering, peerlessly capable, based on years of fastidious and gifted research and development, a masterpiece of its seven-seat kind. Yet it won’t have escaped your notice that Land Rover is having a hard time flogging Discoveries. Indeed, rumour has it that the last time it managed to sell one of these at full price, it was horse-drawn.

That’s partly the company’s own fault, of course, for making the thing so solid. (Unless you genuinely are involved in an unusual number of cliff-top rescue scenarios, a Land Rover is, like a wet Labrador, for life, if you want it to be.) But it’s also down to increasing levels of scorn for the notion that the Discovery represents in any sensible way a suitable town car. (Fighting back, Land Rover promises to offset on your behalf the carbon emissions pumped out by your first 45,000 miles of Discovery-based motoring – a smart move, but unlikely on its own to remove the car’s stigma.) Still, it’s all very well telling farmers that they should trade in their Discoveries for something more economical, but you try recovering a stray sheep in a Nissan Micra. Sure, you’ll use less petrol and generate less carbon dioxide, but you will also leave a trail of body panels and suspension springs across the grass and be left holding a steering wheel and a door handle. And then you’ll have to replace the Micra, not to mention the sheep, and suddenly the environmental arguments won’t be looking so watertight.

Clearly, I should have put my Discovery through its paces and roughed it up a bit. I should have gone off straight away and found a ditch to drive it into. Then I should have accelerated it into a river before forcing it up a sandbank in fourth. And then I should have taken it down to the sea and obliged it to paddle at depths of up to four feet, before finally driving it head-on into a stationary cow to see which of us came off worse.

I didn’t, though. I took my kids to school in it and then I parked it at Sainsbury’s, where the disapproving scowl on the face of the woman in the adjacent bay threatened to burn two layers off the paintwork.

So, I can at least report that, quite understandably, urban resistance to the Discovery glows as hot as ever. I can also speculate that the time between taking delivery of a new Discovery in a city context and discovering that someone with a grudge has keyed it the length of the passenger side may, in some built-up areas, have to be calculated in seconds.

By all means buy a Discovery, though – especially now, when doing so will help out a troubled marque, while simultaneously nurturing the green shoots of recovery in the economy as a whole. But remember that it’s a bit like buying a horse: in fairness, you’ll need a field and a country lifestyle to go with it, and, if you don’t have one already, that could get expensive.

Top speed: 112mph

Range: 0-62 in 11.7 seconds

Average consumption: 27.7mpg

CO2 emissions: 270g/km

Eco rating: 3/10

At the wheel: Prince Harry’s mate

On the hi-fi: Simply Red

In the glovebox: Winalot

Bound for: Burghley

Buy it because: You have sheep

Rating: 9/10

Price: from £29,322

This article was taken from: Times Online

The real deal: a proper off-roader that doesn’t stint on luxury…

You pays yer money and you takes yer choice. The price range of the Land Rover Freelander 2 covers a wide spectrum of wealth: from £20,877 for the 2.2 TD4 S manual, which we tested back in January 2008, right up to £34,652 for the 3.2-litre petrol model. And that’s before you start adding in any optional extras.

Just before Christmas, we spent a week with the luxuriously equipped HSE-spec 2.2 TD4, specced-up to include a ‘CommandShift’ six-speed auto gearbox, adding another £1370 to the £32,345 tag. So we’re talking quite a lot of dosh for a soft-roader. Is it worth it?

If you plan to make off-road excursions, plugging through the mud of a farmer’s field or climbing steep, rocky hillsides, the answer has to be yes. And on the road, you can tow a two-tonne braked weight. Over a year ago, when we last drove a Freelander, it was the supreme comfort of the car-like driving experience on Tarmac that impressed us. But this time, we compared it with some other 4x4s in the same price range: Nissan X-Trail, Ford Kuga, etc. While each SUV has its own strong-points, it was the Freelander’s off-road abilities that stood out. The Land Rover has generous ground clearance and will wade through 500mm of water, while the short overhangs allow it to tackle sudden changes in gradient without grating the underside. We particularly like the amazingly effective ABS-linked hill descent system – and the colossal bootspace. Room for a stray sheep, if not an entire cow. Or (and we know, because we tried it) a Christmas tree and enough beer and wine to see us through the festive season.

In our HSE-spec TD4, there’s a great deal of standard kit – more along the lines of a luxury car than a farmer’s workhorse. But such is the way of the 4×4 market in recent years. Our test car had standard equipment ranging from cruise control and full leather seats, to climate control, a very swish electric sunroof, a rear parking sensor – and even the sat nav system. But, if your wallet is thin, the entry-level S-spec TD4 lacks all these cherries on the cake: but it’s still pretty luxurious and costs less than £21k.

It was the first time I’d tried Land Rover’s 6-speed automatic ‘CommandShift’ transmission and, though not normally a fan of autos, I loved it. It is, of course, a four-wheel drive. The drive is mainly to the front wheels but, when needed, torque automatically and smoothly diverts to the rear. You really can chuck the vehicle through roundabouts, and the performance is most impressive: 11.2 seconds for the 62mph sprint, which is actually half a second QUICKER than the six-speed manual. Yet it does feel big and wide on the road, and there’s much more body roll than you get with, say, a Nissan X-Trail. But then, when it comes to comfort, the Freelander is greatly superior in the back seats to the Nissan, offering excellent head and leg room for tall passengers.

Downsides, other than that body roll, are in the ever-topical area of fuel economy and emissions. The Freelander’s 2.2-litre diesel engine has a healthy great twist of torque – useful on steep hills – but it does mean fuel economy drops to a rather poor 33.2mpg. Emissions, too, are fairly appalling, at 224g/km of CO2. Yes, I know there are many vehicles that are a whole lot worse, but it’s not really good enough for an urban soft-roader. In short, if you need real off-road ability, the Freelander seems a good choice but if you just want to tootle around between the West End and normal rural lanes, something less extreme might be better.

This article was taken from: The Car Net

Land Rover Freelander Commercial

Engine 2.2-litre 158hp engine is a civilised, responsive unit that is actually a bit quieter than the Discovery. Not much vibration other than at tickover.

Gearbox No low-range gearbox (and towing capacity a relatively modest 2t), so towing ability not as good as the others. But six-speed unit is nice to use and in many ways this latest version of the Freelander is the most civilised of the three ranges.

Noise You won’t notice a lot of it. In fact this is definitely the most car-like of the three Land Rover Commercials, with little of the constant jiggling found in most 4x4s.

Cab comfort Latest version now fully modern, so there are more cupholders than you could dream of, an iPod socket for your tunes and dual climate control for you and your partner/employee/dog. Seats are surprisingly firm.

Load area Rear doors still openable, so smaller items can be loaded that way. There’s rubber mat over carpet and two cubbyholes at the rear (plus a couple of rope hooks) deal with most requirements.

Load area dimensions 151cm long. Width 138cm at widest, 100cm at narrowest. Height 87cm. Loading height 76cm.

This article was taken from: Farmers Weekly Interactive

On the road price: £23,324 – £34,652
For : Desirability, upmarket cabin, refinement, ability on and off road
Against : High prices, poor fuel economy, high loading sill

Styling/Image
Taking its cues from the bigger Range Rover Sport, the Freelander is a traditionally upright and chunky SUV. It looks a little dated alongside the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60, but the British car still has plenty of on-road presence. There’s also a comprehensive line-up of trims to choose from – S, GS, XS, SE, HSE and HST. All models get alloy wheels, and air-conditioning, while the range-topping HST is kitted-out with leather trim, heated seats and privacy glass.

Interior/Practicality
Climb aboard and you’ll find a cabin that serves-up decent practicality and space, while high quality materials and solid build create a premium feel. The high set driving position gives a commanding view of the road, and the dashboard is attractively styled and well-laid out. Lifting the large tailgate reveals a useful 755-litre luggage bay, which extends to 1,670-litres with the rear bench folded flat. The only downside is an extremely high sill that can make loading heavy objects a struggle.

Engine/Performance
Making an engine choice is straightforward, as Land Rover offers only two powerplants. Petrol fans get a Volvo derived 230bhp 3.2-litre straight six that’ll haul the heavyweight Freelander from standstill to 60mph in 8.4 seconds. However, you’ll pay the price at the pumps, as fuel consumption rarely rises above 20mpg. For most owners, the refined 2.2-litre oil-burner is the best choice. Co-developed with PSA Peugeot/Citroen, it delivers decent urge and will return 30mpg.

Driving experience
Land Rovers are famed for their incredible mud-plugging ability – and the Freelander is no exception. Few rivals can match it in the rough stuff, thanks to its hi-tech Terrain Response system. But the biggest surprise is the car’s agility on tarmac. Body roll is kept in check, while the steering is direct and well-weighted. Better still, a supple ride and refined cabin make the Land Rover a fine choice for long journeys. If your budget can stretch to another £1,340, then we’d recommend specifying the slick-shifting six-speed auto gearbox.

Ownership Costs
Prepare for big bills if you want to run a Freelander as your company car. Even the relatively efficient 2.2-litre diesel engine emits 194g/km of CO2. Factor in the high price, and it will cost you more than almost all of its rivals. Pick the petrol engine and the bills get even bigger. Residuals aren’t a strong point either, with the oil-burner struggling to retain 40 percent of its value.

Safety/Environment
A five star EuroNCAP rating marks the Freelander out as safe choice for its occupants. With CO2 emissions of 265g/km, the petrol powered Land Rover won’t be at the top of an eco-friendly buyer’s shortlist. However, the British firm is gearing up to launch a stop-start version of the diesel-engined car, which is claimed to benefit from a 20 percent reduction in fuel use. To cap off its environmental efforts, the company also promises to offset the carbon emission of all new models for the first 45,000 miles.

Our Choice 2.2 TD4 SE £28,510

This article was taken from: Auto Express