Land Rover Freelander Station Wagon 2006 - Present

Whatever you feel about the so called ‘Gas Guzzlers', Land Rover have been a presence on the UK roads and in fields for a lifetime and more. Whether this gives them more legitimacy than a Cayenne or Hummer is irrelevant, the Freelander is a great car. It's as comfortable off road as on it and offers exceptional levels of quality throughout the vehicle.

Inside the Freelander is a very nice place to be. The seats are big enough that you feel like you are in somebody's front room and the sound system is good enough to bring detail from that Gomez album that you didn't realise was there. There is a push button start and while unnecessary it does feel great. The rear seats sit a little higher than the front ones which makes the view great wherever you sit in the cabin. The boot space is ample and useable. There is a reversible cover on the boot floor which is water resistant on one side and carpet on the other.

The Freelander feels very composed through corners even if they are taken quickly with very little body roll, especially for such a bug car. In truth the handling is so good that the car feels like a family hatchback. It's off road credentials come to the fore when driving along very bumpy or rough tarmac, when the suspension ensures that the only person who knows that the road is rough it the driver, and that's only because they can see it. All models above the basic S version are fitted with a simple-to-use, four-mode, dial which allows the driver to select which conditions the car is o. It can be set up to drive on grass/gravel/snow, mud ruts and sand as well as the regular tarmac mode. This dial also adjusts the Freelander's Electronics which adjust engine and suspension (and the safety devices), to get the best performance from the car in the circumstances.

There are two different engine options a 2.2 diesel and 3.2 petrol unit. The diesel option is a little sluggish to get going and is best services by the automatic box. Once it's got into it's stride it's a good cruiser and can make motorway journeys an enjoyable experience. The 3.2 petrol engine is faster and quicker to get up to speed than the diesel but still requires quite a bit of driver input but with a 0-60 of 8.4 seconds it's 2.5 quicker than it's little brother while top speed is 12 mph faster at 124 mph. Neither offer great economy figures but with 25 mpg the 3.2 is 12 miles behind the diesel after a gallon of fuel.

The Freelander isn't especially cheap to run or buy but they offer a good level of value for money, owing to their quality of build and finish. While many may not make their way off road the big Land Rover is a competent performer if you choose to take it there.

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