- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.2DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
118kW, 400Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 6.7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XC
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 – Long Term Wrap Up
2009 LandRover Freelander 2 TD4 - Long Term Wrap Up
“If you can find an SUV in this small to medium segment that better combines outstanding road manners and comfort with serious off road capability and economy than Land Rover’s Freelander 2 TD4 – buy it”
When a Land Rover insider from the UK told us that the Freelander 2 will go anywhere the Defender can on their own proving ground, albeit a little slower, we thought he might have been a little too enthusiastic for his own good.After 24 hours behind the wheel of this baby Land Rover in seriously hard-core four-wheel-drive terrain, negotiating all kinds of nasty stuff, including deep mud ruts in torrential rain, we can assure you he is one hundred percent on the money, this is a remarkably capable off-roader.
Put that down to a body, which is almost twice as stiff as some competitors. You can feel that torsional rigidity as you push hard into some sweeping bends, there’s a lot of refinement and very little body roll.
I’m a huge fan of this 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine and its 400Nm of torque, with half of that available from 1000rpm to 4500rpm.
I know it’s an SUV, but on the tarmac it feels more car-like in the way it both rides and handles general suburban duties.
I’m not a fan of overly light or too sensitive steering, it can ruin the driving experience, but there’s none of that with the Freelander, it's just well weighted and responsive, and a joy to drive. Easy to park too, with just 2.6 turns to lock, making it exceptionally manoeuvrable in tight spots.
We're on our way to some scary 4WD tracks in regional New South Wales, close to Lithgow.
I’ve driven up here previously but never in a soft-roader, only larger more serious four-wheel-drive machines dare to tread in these parts.
This was going to fun, a veritable muddy quagmire in a suburban SUV with standard fit road tyres.
At least we had big brother around, in the form of a Land Rover Discovery as an escort, just in case it all went horribly wrong.
It had rained cats and dogs all night long, so there were plenty of deep puddles - make that water holes - around, but that didn’t worry the Freelander 2, with its 500mm wade depth capability.
It was unstoppable through this stuff, although it does pay to check the depth in these mini billabongs.
So far, so good, but when we came to the edge of a steep track, full of deep mud ruts, which seemed to allow just a few centimetres each side, before metal would be surely be crushed, all kinds of negative thoughts entered my mind.
Don’t quite get it? I mean I’m not using the brake or accelerator pedals, just steering. It’s more like an off road cruise control for dummies.
Once at the bottom of this steep descent without so much as a wheel spin, I expected the climb up the other side might require some assistance from the Discovery.
Without question, Land Rover’s Freelander 2 TD4 HSE is a cut above any of the competition. Its both a luxury SUV with a significant dollop of cachet, as well as a highly capable off road vehicle.