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Land Rover Freelander road test – luxury comes at a price

The Freelander 2 has had a facelift. The interior is even more luxurious, and though still understated, it looks sharper. But company car buyers will need the towing and offroad capabilities to justify the fat tax bill.
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10 December 2012

Land Rover Freelander
Land Rover’s facelifted Freelander follows the brand’s inexorable move up-market. The cabin is now a very pleasant place to be, but don’t expect any improvement in running costs

Land Rover Freelander 2 2.2 SD4 HSE LUX 190hp Auto 

What is it?

IT’S a facelifted Land Rover Freelander, with a focus on upping the luxury and equipment in the cabin and tweaking the styling, rather than cleaning up the engine range.

New xenon headlamps and LED taillights mark out the new facelifted Land Rover Freelander and the cabin has been tidied up with fewer buttons and a slightly more up-market feel. The engines and platform are identical, following an update in 2011, so don’t expect too many differences in the way it drives. Or the company car tax you’ll pay.

We’re trying the range-topping HSE Lux model powered by the 187bhp SD4 diesel engine, which comes in at almost £40,000.

Land Rover Freelander 2
This is where you’ll really notice the difference. Leather seats in the range-topping test car are as good to sit in as to look at. Equipment levels are high, and everything is accessible and easy to use

What’s hot?

  • The new look is subtle but the classy new graphic in the headlights really helps to modernise the facelifted Land Rover Freelander. It’s still understated, though, cutting a very different image from turning up in an Evoque.
  • The cabin is a much nicer place to spend time, too. The centre console is no longer a mess of buttons, which makes it a lot easier to use. Our top-spec model came with luxurious Windsor leather seats, which are incredibly comfortable.
  • The suspension is unchanged from pre-facelift models but that doesn’t matter when it’s so good already. It rides softly over bumpy roads, making it perfect for long journeys.
  • The Land Rover Freelander is a capable tow car, with the ability to tow a braked trailer weighing 2000kg.
  • And of course it’s hard to beat offroad.

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Matt Morton

Matt Morton

Matt Morton is an automotive content writer for Business Car Manager

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