Land Rover: Perfect cross over

The Freelander now has reasonable off-road skills. Photo / Supplied

The orginal Freelander was very much Land Rover's poor relation. This one could be the value buy of the breed.

It's closer in size to the last generation Discovery, and it now also features the terrain response system, with its handy dial that sets the centre coupling for the four-wheel-drive, the stability control, engine management and transmission according to the ground you're traversing.

On slippery surfaces it'll deliver torque gradually, with early upshifts and high sensitivity for the stability control. Sand? The gearing's more aggressive, the Haldex coupling redistributing torque to suit. Useful, but that's not what underlined this car's talents.

It arrived at the start of an interesting few weeks in which I also drove Suzuki's V6 Vitara and Volvo's XC60 D5.

The Suzuki undercuts the Landie by a good 14 grand, but also illustrates the "horses for courses" theory. It's better on-road than before, but tarmac handling is still compromised by its need to retain strong off-road talents.

Meanwhile, the Volvo's formidable safety arsenal and good on-road manners just failed to make the argument for its 17 grand premium over the Land Rover.

The Freelander now has reasonable off-road skills. And it comes with design character that never lets you forget you're driving the iconic brand. You can make the most of the reasonable handling with this engine, a PSA-group 2.2-litre unit with torque characteristics modified to suit off-road requirements. That means it pulls well around town - half the 400Nm torque peak is available from 1000rpm - yet proved refined enough for open-road cruising.

Meanwhile, the cabin's pretty useful, with 755 litres of boot space plus seats for five. Cabin ergonomics are good and specification is generous, with stability and cornering brake control, roll stability control and leather seats and trim, seven airbags and auto air con, plus efficient park distance control.

Although the Suzuki proves there are more affordable off-roaders, few can cross from outback to office with the ease of Freelander2.

FREELANDER2 TD4:

We like
Characterful design, minimal on-to-off road compromises.

Powertrain
2.2-litre in-line four, 118kW at 4000rpm, 400Nm at 2000rpm, six-speed auto drives all four wheels.

Performance
0-100 11.2 seconds, 8.5l/100km (claim).

Safety
Stability control, ABS, airbags.

What it's got
Air con, park distance control.

Vital stats
4500mm, 755-litre boot, 68-litre tank.