2006 Landrover Freelander

[Autodelta85]

sapete già la versione attuale è piccola,agile e manovrabilissima.....andava x forza ingradito......minchia.....di freelander ne ho provati un po tutti e sono davvero pessimi come guida

[Stefano73]

The 2006 Freelander will be available only as a five-door model; the three-door version has been discontinued.

[j]

[vare]

Anche nuovo rav e nuova vitara solo a 5 porte, mi spiace solo per il freelender solo a 5 porte

[j]

Is Freelander set for 2006?

Work on Land Rover’s next Freelander is said to have been hit by delays, although the company says it is still planning a late 2006 launch. Early development cars were photographed towards the end of last year, but these pictures, taken at the Nürburgring circuit in Germany last week, show that the project seems to have hardly moved on since then.

This development car reveals extended dimensions, with a wider track than the existing car and stretched rear doors to accommodate a longer wheelbase. The hold-ups are being blamed on a revamped rear suspension set-up, recently added to the test vehicles. Our sources have suggested two reasons for this late change. The first is that the Freelander will share its platform with a forthcoming Jaguar ‘crossover’ vehicle, and the suspension has been redesigned to accommodate that car’s need for seven seats. Originally the Freelander shared a platform with the forthcoming Volvo XC50 4x4, but our sources say Volvo’s requirements for a small four-wheel drive differ from Land Rover’s, so the two vehicles are being kept separate.

The other, more radical potential reason for the Freelander’s slow progress is that engineers have had to redesign the vehicle around the possibility of petrol-electric hybrid power being fitted in the future. Conventional engines will come from the Ford empire, including those used in current Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford models, and insiders say the 2.8-litre Volvo straight six will fit across the engine bay. The 272bhp unit would provide significantly more power than the current range-topping 175bhp 2.5-litre Rover V6. The new Freelander is likely to be more expensive than the current model. It could also be called LR2 for the US market, after the Discovery was rebranded LR3 to disassociate it with its unreliable predecessor.

Here is what Autoweek Magazine has to say about it:

Quote, originally posted by Autoweek Magazine »Land Rover hoping next Freelander will fit U.S. market; next-gen model scheduled to arrive in '07

Land Rover executives admit that the company's lowest-price SUV, the Freelander, turns off U.S. buyers.

When the Freelander debuted in Europe in 1997, the vehicle was never intended to be sold in the United States. When it was re-engineered in 2001 for the United States, it lacked the refinement expected by U.S. buyers.

But Land Rover will attempt to eliminate those shortcomings in the redesigned Freelander, which is scheduled to arrive here in 2007.

"It will be optimized for North America," said Geoff Upex, Land Rover's design director. There are more SUVs offered in North America than in Europe, he said, "so the competition in this market is tougher. You really have to optimize it for that level of competition," as well as new SUV competitors.

What competitors?

Matthew Taylor, Land Rover's managing director, says he expects small SUVs from Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

"So I think there is going to be a very burgeoning, growing segment," Taylor said.

A Mercedes-Benz source has acknowledged the existence of a compact sport wagon prototype but said no decision has been made on whether it will be produced.

The redesigned Freelander will be developed on a stretched version of Ford Motor Co.'s European C1 platform, called EUCD. Additionally, the automaker's next-generation, mid-sized luxury vehicles developed in Europe will be created on the EUCD platform.

Since the Freelander went on sale here in 2001, critics have pointed to the current model's underpowered V-6; an all-wheel-drive system that lacks a low gear; and a lack of certain luxury amenities, such as power seats. U.S. sales slipped to 5,430 units in 2004, down 43.0 percent from 2003.

"We are going to address the major concerns as to why people are not flocking in to buy Freelanders," Taylor said.

The next Freelander will have a more powerful V-6, greater off-road capability and safety features such as side-curtain airbags and stability control.

Taylor and Upex were interviewed April 7 at a Land Rover event near Napa, Calif.

While the next-generation Freelander will be about the same size as the 2005 model, "the package is significantly better," Upex said.

Upgrades will include more luggage capacity and seating tweaks, including power and easier ingress and egress. Taylor said the automaker will deliver on what he calls the Land Rover promise -- instantly recognizable and best-in-segment off-road performance. "But at the same time it has to be composed right," Taylor said. "People can't feel that they are having to sacrifice on-road comfort for the sake of driving an SUV."

[JOKEJOE]

JOKEJOE

[ACS]

a me è sempre piaciuta d+ la 5p.. è mplto + armonica come forme e proporzioni.

Se fanno solo la 5 è perchè hanno fatto i loro conti e vendono molte + 5 di 3...

[ACS]

sapete già la versione attuale è piccola,agile e manovrabilissima.....andava x forza ingradito......minchia.....di freelander ne ho provati un po tutti e sono davvero pessimi come guida

l'attuale è piccola si x competere con X3 e compagnia... cmq se provi la nuova Discovery ti rendi conto dei passi da gigante in guidabilità...

Aspetto con ansia la RR Sport per vedere un po' meno di volgarità tedesca in giro

[Guest DESMO16]

......minchia.....di freelander ne ho provati un po tutti e sono davvero pessimi come guida

...in particolare che cosa non ti piace?

[Autodelta85]

Mah guarda innanzitutto lo sterzo....preferivo quello della terios....inoltre vibrano davvero troppo.

Il freelander che + ho usato è uno del 2001 di un mio amico ed è veramente penoso come sterzo ma anche il cambio è orrendo...

e ripeto....anche io mi sono fatto le ossa su un fuoristrada non certo comfortevole