2007 Freelander Spy Shot and Rendering

[BMWDave]

From AutoCar
Link





Work on Land Rover?s next Freelander is said to have been hit by delays, although the company says it is still planning a late 2006 launch. Early development cars were photographed towards the end of last year, but these pictures, taken at the Nrburgring circuit in Germany last week, show that the project seems to have hardly moved on since then.

This development car reveals extended dimensions, with a wider track than the existing car and stretched rear doors to accommodate a longer wheelbase. The hold-ups are being blamed on a revamped rear suspension set-up, recently added to the test vehicles. Our sources have suggested two reasons for this late change. The first is that the Freelander will share its platform with a forthcoming Jaguar ?crossover? vehicle, and the suspension has been redesigned to accommodate that car?s need for seven seats. Originally the Freelander shared a platform with the forthcoming Volvo XC50 4x4, but our sources say Volvo?s requirements for a small four-wheel drive differ from Land Rover?s, so the two vehicles are being kept separate.

The other, more radical potential reason for the Freelander?s slow progress is that engineers have had to redesign the vehicle around the possibility of petrol-electric hybrid power being fitted in the future.

Conventional engines will come from the Ford empire, including those used in current Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford models, and insiders say the 2.8-litre Volvo straight six will fit across the engine bay. The 272bhp unit would provide significantly more power than the current range-topping 175bhp 2.5-litre Rover V6.

The new Freelander is likely to be more expensive than the current model. It could also be called LR2 for the US market, after the Discovery was rebranded LR3 to disassociate it with its unreliable predecessor.

[Catman]

Much nicer!

[BMWDave]

Much nicer!

Yea thats what I'm thinking.  And it will be based of a C1 platform, so it should have great on road dynamics.  I am worried about how much off road ability will be sapped from it, although the current Freelander isnt exactly the off road king.

[BMWDave]

Land Rover is also creating a whole brand identity aspect.  The fronts of all their cars are getting facelifted to look like the RR.

[Catman]

I think the family resemblance is good.  And, I'm sure the off-road ability will be decent.  If I recall I don't think the current Freelander even has a low range.

[BMWDave]

I think the family resemblance is good.  And, I'm sure the off-road ability will be decent.  If I recall I don't think the current Freelander even has a low range.

It doesnt.

[TurboDan]

Definitely agree with Catman - I think brand identity through a semi-uniform look is a good thing.  That's one reason I think Chevy hasn't been doing well; it's designs are all over the place.  Whereas, the Cadillac division has a uniform look and is doing great!

I really liked that they came out with the LR3 and are building around that.  The Freelander is the SUV I've always wanted to love, but I never thought it was quite tough enough to justify the premium price over a loaded Mazda Tribute, which is about the same size.  This may do the trick.  It's definitely one of the very few SUVs I would consider, being that where I live I could never have a large vehicle.  

[Car Zeus]

Nice.

Does the Freelander have much off-road cap.?

[TBR]

Looks very nice, but what 2.8l I6 does Volvo have that makes 272 hp?

[Speed_Racer]

I wish they would keep the "Freelander" name, as opposed to calling it the LR2. This alphanumeric junk bothers me.

[giant_mtb]

I wish they would keep the "Freelander" name, as opposed to calling it the LR2. This alphanumeric junk bothers me.

Agreed.

[Fire It Up]

I suppose its a completely independent suspension?

[TBR]

I wish they would keep the "Freelander" name, as opposed to calling it the LR2. This alphanumeric junk bothers me.

Got to agree with you on that one.  Real names are much better than the jumbles of letters and numbers most high end cars use these days.

[BMWDave]

Land Rover is changing their names because both the Discovery and Freelander, while loved by LR enthusiasts, just dont cut it with your normal SUV buyer.  And in England where these LR's sold well, they are keeping the name.  I think it sounds better for Land Rover to introduce the "all new LR3" than just say Discovery 3.  People still have lots of qaulms about the Disco, and LR is trying to alleviate all this.

[ifcar]

Land Rover is changing their names because both the Discovery and Freelander, while loved by LR enthusiasts, just dont cut it with your normal SUV buyer.  And in England where these LR's sold well, they are keeping the name.  I think it sounds better for Land Rover to introduce the "all new LR3" than just say Discovery 3.  People still have lots of qaulms about the Disco, and LR is trying to alleviate all this.

It's clear what they're trying to do. However, I don't think it would have made any difference what they called it, and Discovery is a more-memorable name.

I am, however, in favor of them switching the Freelander name (too many -landers on the market today), though another actual word would be better.  

[BMWDave]

Land Rover is changing their names because both the Discovery and Freelander, while loved by LR enthusiasts, just dont cut it with your normal SUV buyer.  And in England where these LR's sold well, they are keeping the name.  I think it sounds better for Land Rover to introduce the "all new LR3" than just say Discovery 3.  People still have lots of qaulms about the Disco, and LR is trying to alleviate all this.

It's clear what they're trying to do. However, I don't think it would have made any difference what they called it, and Discovery is a more-memorable name.

I am, however, in favor of them switching the Freelander name (too many -landers on the market today), though another actual word would be better.

Suggestions?  How about the Land Rover Summit or something?  

I dont think LR2 sounds bad.  I just dont want them taking a RR and making it LR5.  That would be horrible.

But theyre not going to do that because the RR has an incredible legacy and an outstanding reputation.  Whereas the Freelander and Discovery did not...hence the name change.

[BMWDave]

These photos show for the first time a real prototype - not a mule - of the next Land Rover Freelander.


The new Freelander is scheduled for launch in 2006. As can be seen from the pictures, the next Freelander will be bigger than the current model. Despite the disguise, the styling, wider track and flared wheel arches can be seen. The extra height between the bodywork and the wheels shows that the test car is riding on a new platform. Land Rover execs have said the new Freelander will move more toward the crossover market, which begs the question of whether the Freelander is yet another spin-off from the Volvo XC90 or a new platform spun from the smaller C1 architecture (Mazda3/Volvo V50).

Some clues? The next Freelander will switch to transversely-mounted in-line six-cylinder engines, expected to be 2.8-liter and 3.0-liter units from Volvo, coupled to a six-speed manual transmission. A diesel engine from Ford will be a 2.2-liter four-cylinder; a V-6 diesel is in the planning stages.

The 2006 Freelander will be available only as a five-door model; the three-door version has been discontinued.

The new Freelander will be launched in Europe late next year, with U.S. sales coming six to eight months later.

[BMWDave]