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Land Rover Freelander

in Land Rover
First Drive: 2002 Land Rover Freelander
I wonder how close to $25k US it'll really cost?
Steve
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I wonder how close to $25k US it'll really cost?
Steve
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1) The ability of LR to produce the Freelander in mass, US size quantities. The reports are that LR will double their sales with the Freelander, but will they be able to produce enough vechicles so that the waits aren't that long?
2) Speaking of waits, does LR have a history of charging a premium over sticker on their vehicles? This one is destined to be popualr from the get-go, so it concens me that the top-of-th-libe HSE will not be $30K, but rather $35K with a premium...Heck, does LR have a history of dickering over price on their vehicles, or is it sticker and that's that?
3) The Disco II is getting cut to shreds for its many problems. As the Freelander is an older design, I hope this version will be almost "all-new" with many kinks worked out.
What does everyone think?
LR has established www.freelander.com to hype the little bugger.
Also the Swinton plant has been expanded to handle the new 2002/2003 RR, which is based off of the X5 platform. Thus it'll have IFS and IRS...Talk about a bad move.
Anyway, back to the Freelander...I took these pictures of UK spec Freelander (dressed up with a weird package) at a recent autoshow:
Drew
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ALso, I know the Montero had four wheel IS, but do we really think the one that took the Paris Dakar title is the same at th dealer down the street? Honestly, I have no idea, but I am guessing the racing Montero had some mods to its body, frame, and suspension.
The ergonomics were traditional Land Rover though. That is to say, okay, but not great. The centre console cluster is a bit low down and far away from the driver.
Drew
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Drew
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For those wondering about the off-road capabilities, this will be a true Land Rover. From comments of our off-road driving instructors I gather that they were very impressed with the capabilities of the vehicle. Even with independent suspension it still will have a class leading 10.5" of ground clearance. The v6 engine has variable length intake runners to provide for more torque at lower RPM. Also 1 and 2 gears in the 5 speed steptronic trans are geared lower to help overcome the lack of a 2 speed transfer case. Approach and departure angles haven't been announced, but looking at the vehicle they should be acceptable. I hope to get a chance to take one off road at one of our test tracks. As I get more info that I can post I'll let you all know.
So, Tincup, a LRNA employee huh? Are you basd out of Lanham, MD or are you a dealership guy? 10.5 inches of GC, really? It looks like it is a alot lower than that. Is that effective gorund clearance (i.e. from the lower part of the control arm) or from the center of the suspension?
Personally I have been hearing about the Land Rover for the past year and a half when a friend working for BMWUSA tasked to LRNA told me of the vehicle.
Edmunds reported three trim levels in their "first drive" a week or so ago. Do you habe any information about the differentiation between these three levels? How about approximate sticker prices? Also, the brochure I received from LR says that Freelander wil be here in December 2001, does this sound about right or will it be earlier in the fall?
Steve
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Tincup: My friend used to work out of Lanham and then when Ford purchased LR, all hell broke loose. I am intrigued by the "no link hanging down" aspect of the rear suspension. If I envision it correctly, it will akin to the M class or the X class in structure. Very cool.
The Freelander was designed to be a competent off-roader while retaining good road manners. The 0-60 times may not look that good, but one of the primary goals was to have good low speed manners for off-roading.
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=6998
Happy reading!
Bob
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Steve
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Quick question for TinCup, this article says ground clearance is no more than 8.7 inches, yet you said it would 10.5. What is the cause for the confusion?
ENGINE
Type: 24-valve DOHC V6 with Variable Induction System (VIS).
Construction: Cast aluminum-alloy cylinder heads and block.
Wet cast-iron cylinder liners.
Displacement: 2.5 liters (152 cu. in./2497 cc).
Bore x stroke: 3.15 in. x 3.27 in. (80 mm x 83 mm).
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 175 @ 6,250 rpm
Torque @ rpm: 177 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
Engine management: Siemens 2000
Fuel management: Sequential fuel injection.
Ignition: Direct ignition.
Alternator output: 120 amp.
Fuel requirements: Regular unleaded 87 octane minimum.
Fuel tank capacity: 15.6 U.S. gallons (59 liters).
SUSPENSION & STEERING
Front: Independent. MacPherson struts, lower arms, coil springs, anti-sway bar.
Rear: Independent. MacPherson struts, trapezoidal links, coil springs.
Steering type: Power-assisted rack-and-pinion.
Turns lock-to-lock: 3.2
Turning circle: 38.0 ft. (11.6 m).
DRIVETRAIN
Drive system: All-wheel drive with center viscous coupling and four-wheel Electronic Traction Control (4ETC).
Transmission: Jatco five-speed Steptronic automatic with intermediate reduction drive and locking torque converter.
Gear ratios: First 3.47:1
Second 1.95:1
Third 1.25:1
Fourth 0.85:1
Fifth 0.69:1
Reverse 2.71:1
Final-drive ratio: 3.66:1
BRAKES
Power-assisted front disc and rear drum brakes.
10.9-inch (277-mm) front disc/10.0-inch (254-mm) rear drum.
Dual hydraulic circuit with front/rear split.
Four-channel, all-terrain Anti-lock Braking System (ABS).
Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD).
Hill Descent Control (HDC).
Parking brake operates on rear drums.
STANDARD WHEELS & TIRES
16-inch aluminum alloy wheels.
215/65R-16 radial tires.
Full-size, exterior-mounted spare tire fitted to aluminum alloy wheel.
EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS
Overall length: 175.0 in. (4447 mm)
Overall width: 71.1 in. (1805 mm)
Overall height: 69.2 in. (1757 mm) including roof rails
Wheelbase: 101.0 in. (2557 mm)
Track front/rear: 60.4/60.8 in. (1534/1545 mm)
Loading height: 25.1 in. (638 mm)
Rear opening height: 41.5 in. (1055 mm)
Rear opening width: 42.8 in. (1086 mm)
INTERIOR DIMENSIONS
Seating capacity: Five.
Head room, front/rear: 38.4/38.9 in. (977/988 mm)
Leg room, front/rear: 41.8/36.8 in. (1062/934 mm)
Shoulder room, front/rear: 55.9/53.1 in. (1420/1350 mm)
Usable luggage capacity: 19.1 cu. ft. (0.54 m3) estimate
With rear seat folded: 46.6 cu. ft. (1.32 m3) estimate
Under-floor storage locker: 0.6 cu. ft. (0.02 m3)
OFF-ROAD DIMENSIONS
Ground clearance:
Under front suspension: 7.2 in. (186 mm)
Under rear suspension: 8.4 in. (214 mm)
Under frame: 8.7 in. (220 mm)
Angle of approach: 30.5 degrees
Angle of departure: 33.9 degrees
Ramp breakover angle: 22 degrees (excluded angle)
PAYLOAD & TOWING CAPACITY
Curb weight: 3,444 - 3,585 lb. (1562 - 1626 kg)
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 4,541 lb. (2060 kg)
Maximum payload: 1,488 - 1,599 lb. (675 - 725 kg)
Maximum trailer weights:
Trailers without brakes: 1,650 lb. (750 kg)
Trailers with brakes: 4,410 lb. (2000 kg)
Guess it'll be a long wait to see one in my driveway then.
I compared these specs to the CR-V and they match almost exactly...BUT, the CR-V crushes the Freelander in cargo capacity by some 20 CF.
The CR-V is a bit narrower, but the tire track of both is identical. This tells me that the Freelander has wider fenders and is beefier.
Finally, the Freelander at 69 inches is taller than the CR-V, but those 69 inches incluse the tall roof rails, so I am guessing it is then about 65 inches, which is about as tall as the CR-V.
Of course, all of the CR-V numbers will be moot in a few months when the redesign is introduced.
All-in-all, interesting to say the least.
That said, I think one of the major problems will be pricing. For 30K you could get any number of vehicles, including a all of the mini-utes, and even an Explorer XLT with some nice equipment. I guess it goes back to pricing realted to economies of scale.
Speaking of pricing, I'd love to hear any insight you might have on pricing with this model. Carconnection.com mentioned a base price of $29,500 in a brief article, but that seems a bit high. I was thinking that the Freelander woudl base at about 27 and run up to 31 or so. Let me know what you think.
Also, one of my staff has a CR-V and I was lookign at it Saturday thinkig, well, this could be an interesting size vehicle.
The size of this vehicle is very good, the class is filling up and is the hottest selling of the SUV market. Mini-SUV sales are up over 50% so far this year, while Mid and Luxury sales are of by 10-15%.
link
Steve
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http://www.landrover.com/content/freelander/index.html
Try the Max Care extended warranty, they stuck by us as well.
Steve
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I am further convinced that the price on this vehicle is going to have to be competitive, as in loaded for 30K because of the competition in the Small SUV arena.
Now, I say this with the Disco priced at about 35K...If, in it's redesign in two years it goes further up-market, then the Freelander will be slotted at 28-34 I'd guess.
In any event, I'd trust a first year Freelander over a first year Jeep, Saturn or Ford simply because, well, it isn't exactly the first year.
But, I am thinking that buying on of the 20K in the states may very well prove to be difficult. I think it'll be that big a hit.
I know they are targeting a price for the highest price trim level to be below the base Discovery. The highest trim level will have a navigation unit and 6 CD changer standard, the Nav unit not being available in any other small SUV.
We are having a 5 hour meeting on the Freelander soon, as soon as I find out more info that I can post I will do so.
The one lone variable in this for me is the new CR-V. I love the current one, but darn it isn't lacking a console in the middle of the two front seats. It was originally designed as a de-fato mini-van, thus the space between the seats. If there is a console on the 2002, and the power has increased to 160hp as speculated, I would be hard tempted not to give it a whirl. Of course, not one wit of credible or official information/photo has come out about the CR-V yet, so we're all in the dark.
I was thinking about the new Jeep Liberty, but dealers are already expected to ask 5K over sticker and I was told by a Jeep rep at the Baltimore Auto show "No matter what, expect to pay sticker and then some for at least a year, maybe longer." I am totally opposed to paying sticker, but would pay close if I was in love with a vehicle. Over sticker, love or no love, is obscene. Plus, given Jeep's poor relaibility and initial build quality, I'd expect some problems with the Liberty, but probably not as bad as the Excuse's, I mean Escape's launch last year.
The Freelander is still one of the only vehicles that, when I look at a photo, captures my imagination and is visually appealing. As David Halberstrom, in his book "The 50's" said "American's love cars like no other society, and they create a bond that is drawn out on the emotionl and tactile level." Ok, I am probably way too philosophical about this, but my point is that I am not into buying a car every two years, I am in for the long haul, thus the need to buy the right vehicle.
While you say that Land Rover has "given into wanna-bes," isn't that already the demographic of Land Rover in the US? Sure overseas the performance envelopes of vehicles is pushed, but in the US we are way too fond of our toys. Thus, a vast majority only see the rugged urban terrain.
I do believe that the next generation Range Rover will be all independent suspension, just like the X5.
Hey, we're all allowed our opinion on any matter we care to address. You have made good points and though some may disagree with them, I think that different thinking introduced into a discussion, is always good when making a purchase like this.
Thaks for the info on the Centers...Question about dealers in the Balt/DC area, how can I find a list? I assumed there was only one in Baltimore (Frankel) and one in DC. If there are more, that helps in shopping.
Also, you mentioned a section called "Smart Shopper" and told me to look there for information on X-Plan pricing...Where is this section? Edmunds? Ford?
I have heard of the EEA (Or EAA, I forget) and have always wondered if joining them for $35 actually saved you hundreds, if not thousands on a new Ford. What is the typical percentage off of sticker? Is this/will this, be applicable to the Freelander? Help me out on this one?
Land Rover has 3 retailers in the Washington DC area, Land Rover Rockville (Centre), Land Rover Alexandria (Centre), HBL in Arlington (Shared facility). Centre's are stand alone facilities, have a demo course, and follow the Land Rover Way guidelines. We also have a Centre in Harrisburg PA.
HBL of Tyson's
Rockville Land Rover
I think if you go to the Landrover page, they have a section for all the centres in NA.
Good to se there are quite a few dealers/centeres in the area...
Ford Partner Program......(need some help)
and a message of interest here:
1jimv1 "Ford Escape" Dec 15, 2000 11:04pm
Steve
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