Land Rover to launch Freelander this year
By Alexander Corne
LAND ROVER, a name synonymous with tough four-wheel drive vehicles, will launch later this year its vital new small off- roader, the Freelander.
Designed to compete against Toyota RAV4, Daihatsu Rocky and Jeep Wrangler, the Freelander represents a change in thinking at the British company as it tries to meet its Japanese competitors head on.
In a dramatic departure with tradition, the Freelander features a monocoque body, steel panels and a range of transversely mounted engines.
Land Rover's fame was largely drawn on tough aluminum-bodied vehicles built on steel ladder-frame chassis.
The Freelander doesn't even have a transfer case, with low- range gearing handled by a couple of extra low ratios in the standard gearbox.
Rover is hoping the new four-wheel drive will appeal to more than 100,000 buyers each year around the world.
The CB40, as Freelander was code-named, was not initially designed for sale in the United States but given the huge market there for this type of vehicle at present, Rover is rushing through engineering changes to make the car meet tough U.S. legislation.
The Freelander name was chosen in preference to Highlander, a much-fancied moniker, possibly because it is understood a competitor holds the rights to that name.
Rover says it has carefully chosen the name, which is said to appeal strongly in Europe.
Freelander comes in soft-back and hard-back three-door guise and as a steel-hardtop five-door wagon.
The soft-back version has a rigid removable roof panel, borrowed from Rover's small 200 coupe, above the front seats, and a fabric rear roof section that folds forward, unusually, towards the T-section rollover bar.
An opening rear three-quarter window enhances over-the- shoulder visibility.
Freelander will target a new breed of Land Rover owners in Europe, especially women drivers. The company hopes to lure sedan and hatch drivers who have always wanted an off-roader but couldn't face crude harsh riding vehicles.
Initial engine choice will be the 1800cc K-Series engine, similar to that used to power the base MGF.
In addition, a 2000cc diesel version is expected to follow, while the fate of the 2500cc V6 is not decided, though Rover executives have said previously they would like to offer that version.
Independent suspension all round is by MacPherson struts, another Land Rover first, in order to compete with other mainly Japanese four-wheel drives that offer superior on-road performance.
The vehicle is to be built in a new factory in Solihull, near Birmingham, England, a site which is reported to have cost BMW, which owns Rover and Land Rover, more than US$500 million to develop.
Freelander will be officially launched in September at the Frankfurt motor show in Germany.