Land Rover Freelander 2.2 Td4e HSE review (2009 onwards)

What: Land Rover Freelander 2.2 Td4e HSEWhere: Central London, UKPrice: £32,345Available: Mid-2009Key rivals: Honda CR-V, Ford Kuga, Volkswagen Tiguan

Summary

Freelander is much more than a simple stop-start model. It is the groundwork for the company's future. Good job it works well, then, with potentially significant real-word economy improvements.

Likes: Seamless stop-start system, tax savings, no increase in list price, real world fuel-saving potentialDislikes: Freelander list prices are high, not available on automatics yet, still not the most fuel-efficient of all compact SUVs

GALLERY: Land Rover Freelander

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First impressions

Land Rover's future starts here. SUVs need to become greener, or else they won't be sustainable. Land Rover only makes SUVs, so if the company is to be sustainable, it needs to find a solution. For a year and a half, that's what it's been beavering away on. This Freelander Td4_e is the first fruits of that 'e-terrain technology'.It's much more than a token 'stop start' model. Of course, in essence, that's just what it does - in town, the 2.2-litre engine is turned off when you come to a halt, restarting automatically. Big deal? Believe us, while it looks just like any other Freelander, the amount of work that's gone into it is considerable.

So much so, Land Rover says it provides a framework for future hybrids. The fundamental re-engineering has been done with this model: now, adding on hybrid or other technologies is now feasible. What's more, it's scalable tech, so introducing stop-start Discoverys and Range Rovers is straightforward, once key automatic transmission technology comes on stream.It's here on the Freelander diesel first, as it's Land Rover's best-seller. Instead of building a low-volume, high-eco car, the company's instead sought a 12 per cent saving for the model it shifts in greatest numbers. Cumulatively, these savings are much more significant. It's the most economical Land Rover ever - and the first step towards the 60mpg model.

Performance

Stop, put the gearbox in neutral, and let out the clutch: if it's warm, the engine turns off. That's the premise; it restarts when you press the clutch pedal. The starter motor cranks a bit longer than we'd expect, but it's still hard to catch out. What's more, stall it, and it restarts automatically when you press the clutch. A canny trick.As stop-start systems go, it is impressive. Diesel engine drivers will be familiar with the 'shudder' they get when turning off engines. In stop-start drives, this becomes annoying. Land Rover's eliminated this, so the engine really does just 'fade'. Obviously, when it's stopped, peace is enhanced by no (admittedly subdued) diesel clatter.

The 2.2-litre turbodiesel itself is unchanged. It is a smooth, if not fast, engine, with low levels of noise and a vibration-free nature. Tall gearing in the six-speed gearbox means it is refined at speed. However, the ultimate refinement of an automatic transmission is, as yet, unavailable with stop-start. That requires more technology - it is coming, we're promised.The torquey nature and strong response means it is adept in town, well supported by the traction of four-wheel-drive. There is a green gear upshift light, which is 'intelligent'. If the engine senses you want to go faster, when you press the throttle more, it will delay flashing. This is because holding it in gear will give most response.

Ride and Handling

No changes here, either. The Freelander handles crisply, with much more accurate and confident steering than you would expect of an SUV. Combined with the high seat and great visibility, this makes it a very wieldy machine in the city. It is clear why owners feel so confident driving them. Beefy suspension soaks up bumps well, too. We did notice it was a bit sensitive to side winds at speed, undoubtedly because it's quite a tall machine, but generally it is settled and stable. Off-road, with hill descent control, clever all wheel drive and lots of suspension travel, it'll do far more than any owner will ever ask of it.

Interior

Guess what? No changes. The Freelander has always had a decent, feel-good interior. It's no longer the plushest or most tactile - the Audi Q5 really has rewritten the rulebook for this sector - but is still a welcoming place to spend time. Refinement isn't class best, though. We noticed too much 'road roar' at speed. Details haven't been overlooked. Normally, with stop-start systems, heaters don't work when the engine's off. This means the cabin gets cold in traffic. Land Rover has cured this with a special water pump - so hot air continues to flow. Electrical systems have been designed to ensure Bluetooth phone calls are uninterrupted when the engine turns on and off, too.

The MSN Cars verdict: 4/5

Land Rover needed to do something to join the eco-friendly bandwagon. What it has done is surprisingly comprehensive. This isn't just bolting on an engine-stop function, but a far more comprehensive BMW EfficientDynamics-style eco re-engineer. It's the building block for the company's future. Suddenly, Land Rover is a lot more sustainable than it was. You sense it HAS a future.This 41mpg Land Rover is just the start. In the future, we're going to get diesel hybrids, plug-in hybrids and, ultimately, electric-driven models with an engine merely there to recharge the batteries. The ultimate goal is a Freelander producing less CO2 emission than a Smart. All of a sudden, you can't bet against them achieving this.

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