Landrover Freelander 2001 Launch

By Allan Jackson

Land Rover looks set to make an even greater impact in the sports utility vehicle (SUV) market with their totally revamped 2001 Freelander model range which was announced recently.  
The entry-level 1.8i Freelander has undergone a major upgrade with over 40% of its components being either new or modified. There are also two newcomers to the range powered by a 2,0 litre diesel TD4 motor and a 2,5 litre V6 petrol motor.  
The V6 model is equipped with an all-alloy 2,5 litre V6 motor with a variable induction system and quad-cam 24-valve layout which develops 130kW of power and 240Nm of torque.  
Five-speed JATCO automatic gearboxes are standard on the V6 and provide three modes including normal and sport automatic as well as Steptronic which is essentially a clutch-less manual mode.  
The TD4’s 2.0 litre motor is a 4-cylinder, twin camshaft, 16-valve unit featuring common-rail direct injection with a variable nozzle turbocharger which develops 82kW of power and 260Nm of torque.  
The vehicle comes either with the same JATCO automatic gearbox as the V6 model or with the really superb Getrag five-speed manual box.  
Both the V6 and TD4 are available in three and five door configurations at a suggested retail price which ranges from R210 000 for the TD4 three-door manual to R265 000 for the V6 five-door.  
Daily News Motoring will in due course carry full road-tests of the new TD4 and V6 Freelanders but I can say that I was impressed with both vehicles when I had an opportunity to drive them at the launch last week.  
A colleague and I drove a V6 over the Outeniqua pass outside Oudshoorn in appalling misty and rainy conditions and the vehicle coped very well. The automatic gearbox performed well and did much less hunting for the correct gear than I would have expected.  
I would have preferred to use the Steptronic mode and change gear manually on the pass but road conditions were bad and so I played safe and kept the gear box in automatic the whole way. The V6 proved itself to be a sure-footed gutsy performer with excellent road-holding.  
On the following day, we took possession of a TD4 and drove it from George to the outskirts of Mosselbay and then over the Robertson Pass towards Oudshoorn. The vehicle was flawless and the 2,0 litre diesel motor proved to be a real little beauty.  
It has bags of power but is so exceptionally quiet and un-diesel-like that a very senior motoring journalist, believing that he had got into a petrol model in error, stopped to check the badge on the back of his vehicle.  


The Freelander TD4 on Dawson's Pass outside Oudshoorn.

 
I personally prefer the TD4 over the V6 by a considerable margin and I’m definitely not alone in this. The thirty-plus motoring scribes on the launch were generally satisfied with the V6 but, to a person, waxed enthusiastic over the diesel.  
It is worth noting, in conclusion, that the V6 runs on lead-free petrol only and so, if you’re going to be going off the tar and out into the bundu where you might not find adequate supplies of lead-free, the TD4 would be your best choice.

I hope you found this article thought-provoking and informative. I would welcome any E-mail with your questions, comments and suggestions.

Cheers