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2WD Freelander vs rivals

Front-drive Freelander is the most eco-friendly Land Rover yet. Does it have the measure of crossover rivals from BMW and Kia?

2WD Freelander vs. rivals

Photos: Otis Clay February 2011

Can the best 4x4 by far make the transition to two-wheel drive? Land Rover is a firm favourite with the country set, but rising fuel prices and tax costs are affecting everyone, which explains why the off-road brand is dipping its toes in the water of the crossover class.

The latest Freelander 2 is the first-ever two-wheel-drive Land Rover – and the brand has made some minor styling adjustments, too. With a weight saving of 75kg over the 4x4, plus stop-start, it claims fuel economy of 47.2mpg and CO2 emissions of 158g/km.

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Freelander

 

Rivals come thick and fast, as the crossover sector is brimming with talent. Kia can’t match Land Rover’s prestige, but it’s enjoying booming sales and the new Sportage is arguably its best car yet. The two-wheel-drive version comes packed with kit, a seven-year warranty and boasts concept-style looks. The 1.7-litre CRDi flagship is the cheapest car here.

If you want a desirable badge and reputation for success, look at BMW. Its off-road credentials were established by the X3 and X5, while the X1 crossover arrived last year. In sDrive 18d trim it has a sporty RWD chassis, while EfficientDynamics technology promises to slash fuel bills.

A few thousand pounds is all that separates our trio on price; will the Freelander sink or swim?

For an alternative review of the latest Kia Sportage visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

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7 Comments

wth

i think i want to vomit

By julianlee on 10 February, 2011, 8:50am

hmmmm....

A top spec Skoda Yeti 110 2WD TDi elegance is priced at £20k and I'm pretty sure would of come in at 1st place if it were included in this crossover group test! Not only on price, but driveability and practicality. AE should test all the crossovers together, would be interesting to see who comes out on top in this growing sector?

By frenchpress2 on 10 February, 2011, 11:23am

hmmmm....

A top spec Skoda Yeti 110 2WD TDi elegance is priced at £20k and I'm pretty sure would of come in at 1st place if it were included in this crossover group test! Not only on price, but driveability and practicality. AE should test all the crossovers together, would be interesting to see who comes out on top in this growing sector?

By frenchpress2 on 10 February, 2011, 11:24am

hmmmm....

A top spec Skoda Yeti 110 2WD TDi elegance is priced at £20k and I'm pretty sure would of come in at 1st place if it were included in this crossover group test! Not only on price, but driveability and practicality. AE should test all the crossovers together, would be interesting to see who comes out on top in this growing sector?

By frenchpress2 on 10 February, 2011, 11:25am

Freelander 2

Why would anyone want one in 2wd

By nessey on 10 February, 2011, 4:01pm

FL2

I have a Freelander 2 its a 2.2 6 speed manual eco version its a lovely 4x4 brilliant on and off road, it was stunning in the recent bad weather. But not in 2WD please

By nessey on 10 February, 2011, 4:05pm

Absolutely rubbish

Sadly I have over 20 years owned 4 Land rovers and the first 3 all failed so often that after a break for 5 years and seeing the good looking Freelander 2 thought, just maybe now they are made better, so always admiring the looks I went and brought a nearly new one. I doubt if even a month had passed and it broke down, ABS sensors, limp home, luckily only 3 miles, as always the LR service was good, picked the car up and took it away, back within 2 days. So I thought just a blip!!!
Well now I noticed as did everyone who drove it that the key flob you push into the dash won’t always stay in, took it in left it overnight, and whilst taking a new loan car noticed this did it as well. So I was not surprised when they reported no fault. Then I started to notice rattles from the dash, good old common LR problem and bit of the trim round the safety belts falling off, great, anyway the handy glue gun sorted these and lots of silicon spray round the dash joints cured the rattles for a while. In the 2010 snow the car was a life saver and it must be said we were never stuck in the house because of snow. MPG was about 30 with a good slow run hitting near on 40. So respectable for a 4 X 4, after about 7 months things took a turn for the worse, similar issues again with limp home warnings, and this continued no less than 5 times, eventually calling out the LR service chaps also 4 times, they eventually felt the gyro on the steering was faulty, we just could not trust the car to have family days out, so stopped using it, in the end after a total of 9 months more faults occurred with the limp home mode, well I never waited for the return the car, just sold it back to a dealer….leaving me with saying I will never buy another Land Rover as long as I live !
In our large family we own Mercs, Audi’s, Porsches, Kia’s and Ford, we never even open the bonnet other than for windscreen water. Most other owners I talk to have found reliability issues, but are drawn to their good 4 x 4 looks.

By mbkk44 on 13 March, 2011, 9:48am

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Facts and Figures

Verdict

Three models, three very different takes on the crossover sector. But which one is the best?

Against the odds, it is the cheapest car that offers the most. The Kia Sportage stormed into an early lead, which it never relinquished. It is capable on and off-road, posted impressive fuel returns and comes absolutely full of kit. The bold styling, spacious interior and seven-year warranty are the icing on the cake. 

Separating the BMW from the Land Rover is a much tougher task. The X1 gives the most car-like experience and also makes the Freelander 2 look costly to run. However, it doesn’t provide many of the key attractions we’ve come to expect from the crossover class, such as improved comfort, practicality or visibility. 

It was a close-run thing, but the 2WD Freelander sneaks into second place. Yes, it demands a more relaxed approach behind the wheel than the X1, but we think its more welcoming cabin, unique driving position and superior off-road ability make it a better crossover buy. It’s not the best 2x4 by far, but its prestigious badge and off-road styling hold immense appeal all the same.
 
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