Long before there was the Evoque, before Land Rover decided to make "luxury" its middle name, they had the Freelander, also known as the LR2 in North America.
The first-generation model came out in 1997. Back then "SUV" still meant American-style body-on-frame architecture, heavy and inefficient on the road but good once that came to an end. The Mitsubishi Pajero was still cool and no German or French automaker had knew what a "crossover" meant. At that time, the Freelander was really good, perfect for soccer moms and salesman dads.
But now, the Freelander has to evolve, become a lot lighter and more efficient. The next generation model is currently being developed in Europe. The platform is a lightened unibody with some aluminum and borrowing components from the Evoque.
Speaking of the Evoque, since this model occupies such an important niche in Land Rover's lineup and is a decent compact class balance, the Freelander is being made bigger, probably a D-segment car to rival Nissan's popular Pathfinder.
It's believed that both five- and seven-seater variants will be offered when the on-sale date arrives in 2015. The engine range will almost certainly include only 4-bangers in diesel, petrol or hybrid setups, with either front- or all-wheel drive and available nine-speed automatic transmissions already developed for the Evoque.
But now, the Freelander has to evolve, become a lot lighter and more efficient. The next generation model is currently being developed in Europe. The platform is a lightened unibody with some aluminum and borrowing components from the Evoque.
Speaking of the Evoque, since this model occupies such an important niche in Land Rover's lineup and is a decent compact class balance, the Freelander is being made bigger, probably a D-segment car to rival Nissan's popular Pathfinder.
It's believed that both five- and seven-seater variants will be offered when the on-sale date arrives in 2015. The engine range will almost certainly include only 4-bangers in diesel, petrol or hybrid setups, with either front- or all-wheel drive and available nine-speed automatic transmissions already developed for the Evoque.