Freelander-derived compact model
Lowest ever CO2 for Range Rover
Hi-tech fuel-saving kit expected
Land Rover has confirmed it will unveil a compact Range Rover next year before the new model’s launch in 2011.

The car will be built alongside the Freelander at Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood plant and is expected to share much of the Freelander’s off-road hardware, including its version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response system.

Land Rover claims the new Range Rover will be the ‘smallest, lightest and most efficient vehicle the company has ever produced’.

The car is expected to use a version of the 2.2-litre diesel engine currently offered in the Freelander, along with the latest version of its automatic stop-start system that helps improve fuel consumtpion and reduce CO2 emissions.

It could also benefit from additional fuel-saving technology under development by Jaguar Land Rover, and may become available as a hybrid.

More information on the new Range Rover, which will join the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover in Land Rover’s premium-badge line-up will be made available during 2010.

This article was taken from: Parkers

Land Rover Freelander-2, a Sports Utility Vehicle from Land Rover’s reputed international stable, has been launched today in India.

The Freelander is positioned as an upmarket yet compact ‘lifestyle’ SUV, ideal for an urban setting while also being decently capable off-road. It will be available in three trims: S, HS and HSE. There are two engines on offer: a petrol V6 or a turbocharged four-pot diesel. The V6 displaces 3200cc, putting out 230 bhp while the torquey diesel is a 2.2 litre powerplant, with 40.8 kgm of torque and 158 bhp. However, it is the latter that is on sale right now, with the non-Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Euro-III version homologated for India.

Acceleration figures are reported to be 10.9 seconds for a 0-100 kph run in the diesel, which has better fuel economy over the petrol. The petrol will do 0-100 kph in 8.4 seconds.

Land Rover’s Terrain Response System is also part of the package, which will help you when you’re out in the muck along with the 4WD system. Though we don’t think the average Freelander owner will quite enjoy spending all day in a mud bath with his machine. And that’s exactly why more focus has been on nice and predictable road manners.

Prices stand at Rs.33.8 lakh for the S version, Rs.39 lakh for the HS version and Rs.45 lakh for the HSE version. (All prices ex-showroom, Mumbai, without octroi). That puts it directly in competition of the likes of the Nissan X-Trail at the lower-end, with the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mitsubishi Montero and Toyota Prado in contention.

Meanwhile, JLR are on a roll in India with sales of 20 units of the two brands through its single dealership in Mumbai in just two months. While this might not count for much, the least expensive Jaguar on sale, so far has been the XF for a little over Rs 60 lakh, while the Discovery-4 for around the same price has been the least expensive Land Rover on sale. But that should change with the Freelander-2 with its aggressive pricing.

It plans to open dealerships in half a dozen more cities moving into 2010, which include New Delhi, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai & Pune.

The next agenda is to complete the introduction of 2010 models from Land Rover, which include the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Discovery. A new 3.0-litre TDV6 engine has gone on sale in Europe for products from both group companies, and the RR Sport will be the first recipient of it, here in India. Meanwhile, the company is working out its plans on introducing the engine also on its XF saloon. The planned introduction of the TDV6 engine hinges on the adoption (or non-adoption) of the Diesel Particulate Filter, since India will move to Bharat Stage-IV norms, come 2010. The company is trying to work out if the car can be made to work even without the said component, yet meeting emission norms.

This article was taken from: bsmotoring.com

COMPARED to a few years ago there seems to be a much more responsible attitude over 4x4s.

High fuel prices, higher road tax and congestion charges may be putting the brakes on the so-called Chelsea tractors, but the day of the 4×4 is far from over due to vehicles like the Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4-e 2 Stop/Start.

Anyone who though it would never be possible to get more than 40mpg from a Land Rover should think again because this new-generation SUV is out to capture a large slice of what is left of the 4×4 market after the onslaught of the environmentalists.

With a system that cuts the engine while you are waiting in traffic and automatically restarts it this Land Rover gives the economy of a diesel saloon with a styling that makes it look like a smaller Range Rover.

The Freelander may have been born the baby of the Land Rover range, living in the shadow of big brothers such as the Range Rover and Discovery, but it has suddenly shot to prominence in its new generation as the vehicle that has the pure green pulling power to drive Land Rover out of recession.

It is the first SUV with this particular type of intelligent stop/start system and has brightened the future for SUVs.

It works like this. You stop in traffic, and bring the gear into neutral. A green indicator appears on the instrument panel and the engine stops. It starts again when the clutch is depressed. Simple, but much more clever than you think.

It automatically overrides the operation if the temperature is minus four degrees centigrade or above 25 degrees.

It also will override if the vehicle is in special terrain response mode or if there is high demand on the climate control or the battery is low.

It delivers an improved fuel consumption of 4.5mpg and an 8% reduction in CO2 emissions.

It is also Land Rover’s most fuel-efficient vehicle to date.

This is certainly not a gimmick to net sales, but the result of a massive £800 million investment in sustainable technologies by Jaguar and Land Rover.

Along with the intelligent Stop/Start system, the Freelander 2 TD4_e includes a series of additional enhancements which help to deliver fuel economy and CO2 benefits.

There is a new gearshift indicator light in the instrument panel, advising the driver to change gear when a higher gear will allow the vehicle to operate more fuel-efficiently. This is calculated by the Freelander 2 TD4_e’s fully mapped engine.

Land Rover has beefed up the starter to cope with its extra demands with grease seals enhanced significantly and new hard-wearing copper-tungsten contact material sourced and specified across the TD4_e range to enhance wear resistance within the starter solenoid.

An all-new ring gear is specified for all TD4_e models to cope with the increased frequency of starts.

And the battery has not been forgotten with absorption glass mat technology which offers deeper discharge and recharge characteristics and reduces battery deterioration under much heavier usage.

But all of this may be left on the starting grid if the customer thinks he or she is driving a lesser vehicle, which is why the latest Freelander has been soundly hit with the image stick.

With its attractive frontal design plus an interior which would do justice to a premium saloon, a high degree of comfort and no compromise whatsoever to the Freelander 2′s formidable off-road performance the future suddenly seems much greener for this famous manufacturer.

FAST FACTS

Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4-e Stop/Start

Price: £32,595

Mechanical: 158bhp, 2179cc 4cyl diesel engine driving four wheels via 6-speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 112mph

0-62mph: 11.7 seconds

Combined mpg: 42.2

Insurance group: 13

CO2 emissions: 179g/km

BiK rating: 29%

Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage

This raticle was taken from: Ayrshire Post

Price: £61,995
Top speed: 140 mph 0-60mph 5.9 seconds
Consumption: 19 mpg
CO2 emissions: 374g/km
Best for: People who were thinking of buying a normal Range Rover
Also worth considering? BMW X5, Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne

Land Rover’s Range Rover Sport is a superb product. If you put to one side for a moment the fact that it’s a heavy SUV and judge it on its own terms, only two significant criticisms of this enormously capable off-roader have gained any traction – but what a curious pair of objections they are. The Range Rover Sport, it is said, is a great car; it’s just that it’s not a Range Rover and it’s not very sporty either. Now there is a new heavily revamped Sport that deserves to dispel such reservations once and for all.

First, the question of the Sport’s claim to be a proper Range Rover. Here the doubts have been of two sorts – technical and social. The technical objection is that the Sport shares its underlying architecture not with the current Range Rover but with the less expensive Discovery. The social objection is that while the Range Rover is associated with respectable old money, the Sport is a blinged-up chav-chariot. These reservations are nonsense; the Discovery platform is outstanding and for my money the Sport is a better looking car than the standard Range Rover as well. Contrast the Sport’s low roofline and stylishly raked rear pillar with the loose, slightly flabby flanks of the mainstream Rangie; if anything, the Sport recaptures the essential dash of the original 1970 Range Range better than today’s Range Rover itself does. Better materials and detailing mean the revised Sport is classier – or more Range Rovery – than ever.

And how sporty is the revised Sport? This car has now been reborn as a Cayenne-basher; steering, braking and the rest of its on-road behaviour have been sharpened up considerably, and it is now much quicker thanks to a pair of deeply new impressive engines. The first of these is a supercharged five-litre V8 producing about 500 horsepower, putting it on a par with BMW’s benchmark M5 performance saloon. Even fighting against the Sport’s weight, the supercharged engine delivers scintillating performance, but only for the few prepared to countenance the high fuel bills involved. The good news? The standard V6 diesel that most buyers will opt for has been replaced with an enlarged, much more powerful version, which can be classified as fairly sporty as well.

So the worked-over Range Rover Sport is a proper Range Rover and it is sporty. But it’s still a big heavy SUV, and fixing that means challenging the very core of what makes a Land Rover a Land Rover. That could be a risky business.

This article was taken from: The Independent

The Freelander has grown up, with the all-new second generation version bigger and better in every regard than the somewhat disappointing original.

The design is very familiar – possibly too familiar. Land Rover has opted to produce a car that looks very like the model it replaces, something the company might come to regret if this Freelander starts to look stale before its time.

At least the cabin is unambiguously better than that of the original car, featuring similar design themes to the Range Rover and Discovery. The dashboard is clearly laid out and an integrated full-colour satnav display screen is now an option. It looks good and the controls are all easy to find, but in some areas build quality feels a bit flimsy compared to the high standards set by segment rivals. There’s a reasonably amount of space for four adults, but legroom is a bit tight in the back for taller occupants.

The Freelander drives very well thanks to excellent noise insulation and a compliant chassis, both of which make for relaxed long-distance cruising. It’s not a particularly sporty drive, but roll angles are kept under control and the Freelander remains safe and predictable under hard cornering. Off-road ability is excellent, something which will help distinguish the baby Landie from its road-biased “soft roader” rivals.

Two engines are available from launch, with the vast majority of British buyers set to opt for the excellent “TD4″ diesel engine, which is actually a re-branded version of the Ford-Peugeot-Citroen joint venture engine. It’s smooth, refined and respectably economical, although it’s only available with a six-speed manual gearbox at present. A 3.2 litre six-cylinder petrol engine is also available but only very gentle use will get it anywhere near its claimed 25 mpg economy.

This article was taken from: Net Cars