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Above: Wading through wet stuff

Above: Much-improved interior over outgoing model

Above: At home on the road, too

For a company that built two models that barely changed for decades, four new cars in as many years is quite something. Following hot on the heels of the Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport and the new Discovery, the latest incarnation of the Freelander is here. And it’s orange.

Given a brief glance, you’d be convinced that this was a heavily facelifted version of the old one. Side by side, the old and new retain a strong resemblance to each other, but don’t be fooled – the two share no significant parts. Developed under Fords careful eye, the Freelander 2 takes many design cues from its Land Rover stable mates. Wing mounted air intakes, a body coloured windscreen pillar, the blacked-out B-pillar and a wraparound rear screen are all current favourites with Land Rover, and help give it that family look. The clamshell bonnet and the ‘floating roof’ are also both borrowed from the Range Rover and bring a more grown-up feel to the smaller car.

The Freelander 2 is bigger all round than the outgoing model - at 50mm longer, 109mm wider and 32mm taller, it still retains a car-like stance instead of an overtly 4x4 look. If Land Rover’s hopes to tempt saloon drivers from their cars and into one of these are to be successful, it can’t afford to put them off by designing a car that looks too imposing and unwieldy. In fact, it’s completely the opposite with the features that make it work off-road help it out on-road too; short overhangs and a bonnet you can see to the end mean it’s easy to park and thread through town traffic, and the long wheelbase gives it a more supple ride for cruising.

Clean and ordered
Not before time, the interior has also been brought more in line with its bigger brothers. A cleaner, more ordered design has replaced the reasonably haphazard dashboard of old, and a key slot and starter button system removes the ignition electronics from the steering column, preventing it from all ending up in the drivers lap in the event of an accident.

The steering wheel - adjustable for reach and rake - is very similar to the Discovery’s and the overall use of generally higher-quality switchgear make the car feel a lot more solid than its predecessor. The high-set ‘command’ driving position is a useful advantage over road users in standard cars, and the seats (electric and leather on HSE models) are well bolstered, supportive and comfortable. Separate arm-rests on higher spec models get in the way of the handbrake slightly, but they are a nice feature to have.

Option the HSE trim and you’ll be wanting for nothing – leather, humidity sensing climate control, sat nav, electric leather seats and a 14 speaker sound system should provide you with enough buttons to play with, and there’s always the option of adding the rear screen entertainment system to keep the kids quiet in the back.

Passengers in the rear sit higher than those in the front for a better view out, and the roofline is also raised marginally to avoid any headroom issues. There is a lot more space in this than the old model – an abundance of glass, including twin-panoramic sunroofs means a light, airy feel to the cabin and excellent visibility out.

Wade through half a metre of water? No worries

Despite moving the spare wheel to underneath the boot cover, boot space has been increased to 755 litres, rising to 1,670 with the seats down. The bootlid now opens upwards like a standard car boot instead of the traditional 4x4 way, and a high-level rear brake light has been added.

Our test car was fitted with the 2.2 Td4 diesel engine mated to a tight six-speed gearbox. Quiet at idle, it responds quickly at low revs which means - for a diesel - it has a fairly wide powerband. It’s not slow either – 0-60 takes 11.7sec and dropping it into sixth on a cruise elicits little noise from the engine bay and plenty of low-range torque for overtaking. It also feels a lot more agile than it looks – the chunky lines belie tidy handling suspension, but the sharp and easy steering which works so well around town becomes a little too responsive – a little more weight as the speed increases would be welcome. With a light right foot, Land Rover claim you’ll get an average of 37mpg from the diesel, dropping to around 25 for the 3.2 six-cylinder petrol. With 230bhp, if you must have petrol power it is a good strong engine, but most buyers will opt for the more economical 158bhp diesel, and a six-speed automatic gearbox will be available soon.

Obviously, it’s not the most rewarding drive out there – rivals such as the BMW X3 and Honda’s CR-V offer a better on-road driving experience, but then neither of them can touch the Landie when the going gets tough. With 210mm of ground clearance, a 31 degree approach angle, a 34 degree departure angle and the ability to wade through half a metre of water, nothing in its class is going to better it off-road.

Power transfer
Riding on high-profile, hybrid tyres, the Freelander 2’s four-wheel-drive is permanent, although it can transfer power to whichever axle needs it; for day to day driving, most of the power goes to the front wheels which saves fuel and tyre wear. There’s also a full size spare – something that will come in very handy with owners who do get it muddy.

The Freelander 2 retains the hill descent control of the old model, which essentially means the car will fall down a hill all on its own with no driver input on the pedals. It’s scary the first few times, but works very, very well, especially for the casual off-roader. It’s also been linked to a new Gradient Release Control, which will release the brakes progressively after being stopped on a steep slope. The ability to haul a 2,000kg braked trailer makes it a pretty capable tow car, and helped by its monocoque structure, Land Rover also claim that the Freelander 2’s static stiffness is second only to the Discovery and Porsche Cayenne.

Thanks to Land Rover’s name, residuals are likely to be strong helping offset the slightly high price – although there is plenty of kit as standard, you’ll want to avoid the S model and opt for the GS at least, starting at £23,435 for the diesel.

There’s not much to dislike about the Freelander 2 – it looks smart, it’s been very well thought out and its on-road manners are more than good enough to be competitive with its rivals. It’s a quantum leap forward from the old model, and brings it perfectly in line with the family of other offerings from Land Rover. Even if Honda’s CR-V is a better road car, and BMW’s X3 has the golf-club badge, step off the tarmac and the green and gold still reins supreme.

ENGINE: 2.2 Td4 Diesel

PERFORMANCE: 0-60 11.7sec, 112mph

ECONOMY: 37.7mpg (combined)

PRICE: from £20,935

OUR PICK: The Td4 GS, in orange

VERDICT: Streets ahead of the old model, its breadth of ability is its strong suit.

Words by Michael Palmer, pictures by Matthew Richardson