Road test: Land Rover Freelander Td4

By Damien Tomlinson

I've always had a problem with small four-wheel-drives: I hate them. Passengers cars repackaged in chunkier, and most importantly for the soccer-mum demographic, taller wagon bodies and flogged as "lifestyle" vehicles.

But the figures don't lie. Car makers can't build enough of the things as more and more Troy Dann wannabes pack up the kids, the tent and the cats and head bush, or at least to their local camping reserve.

So it was with a resounding "hallelujah" that I accepted the keys to a spanking 2004 Land Rover Freelander Td4 a little while ago.

Why, you ask? Well, if 4WD nuts regard the birth of the Rav4 as a black day for their weekend/lifelong passion, the arrival of the Freelander should have given them at least some solace.

You see, the boom in Saturday-barbecue-mobiles that has so positively affected passenger car makers has also allowed real four-wheel-drive manufacturers to shoehorn their big boy offroad gear into smaller, more affordable and car park-friendly cars.

Here, Land Rover has jumped on the bandwagon, but with a very different approach. Instead of adapting a small car platform for a 4WD application, the company has developed a small car wagon to house its established all-terrain underpinnings. And the result is a car that mums will love for its park-ability, but that will get dad further off the beaten track than any of its "rivals". No other compact 4WD can go where the Freelander can.

The 2004 edition is the second major iteration of the Freelander, first introduced in 1997. Restyled to better fit the corporate "face" launched in the latest Range Rover, the little growler is unmistakably Land Rover, and belies its 7-year-old shape.

So, can Land Rover's smallest car live up to its maker's claims, and more importantly, does it justify its existence in Australia's compact 4WD segment? Let's see.

Drive

Land Rover's Freelander is a compact 4WD by name, but not by nature

Only its height and that it's a diesel give away the Freelander's intentions. Otherwise, the missus will find the transition from the Barina quite painless.

A big problem car makers have when building these all-wheel drive propositions is the steering (I found Holden's Crewman Cross8 horrible to manoeuvre at low-speed).

Land Rover's setup isn't sensational. The very chunky, small steering wheel demands two hands for its 3.2 turn lock-to-lock range - there'll be no ball-of-the-hand u-turns in the Freelander.

Apart from that, the car's quite nice to drive and will present a pleasant ownership arrangement.

It's not too big for the garage, the doors aren't heavy, everything's within easy reach, and there's plenty of toe under your right foot.

Speaking of which, with a whopping (!) 82kW of diesel grunt at your disposal, you won't be tearing up the asphalt. This is of course helped/compensated for by the turbo, but you're not going to suffer a green-light-launch-related neck injury.

But grunt isn't the point. Want quick 0-100km/h times? Buy an FPV Pursuit. The Freelander's intended function is to transport you to your destination, regardless of if it's the shops, soccer practice or the snowies, and it does that well.

The figure to look at with any engine (but especially diesels) is torque, and the Freelander supplies this in big, hearty ladlefuls. With 260Nm on tap, the little grunter will impress with its scalable acceleration and access to power in any situation.

The Freelander's ride is great, in dune buggy standards, but adequate compared to most road cars. A little twitchy over the undulations, but nothing to really worry about.

This stiffness will come in handy when you're negotiating the bush tracks and creek beds where this car is at home, but it will take some getting used to - hit a speed bump at anything more than 25km/h and you'll see what I mean.

Off the beaten track, few compact 4WDs compare

Surprisingly, the Freelander's power is put out through a sporty five-speed sequential gearbox.

Fifth is only accessible above 70km/h, and even though it's a diesel that sounds like it's dying at anything above three grand on the tacho, it's great fun snicking through the ratios around town.

I didn't get to take this car bush, but I did get the opportunity to duck down a few council maintenance tracks and negotiate some washouts, steep inclines and clearance-testing obstacles, and all I'll say is that I was impressed that, as a novice off-roader, I escaped with all bumpers, mirrors and axles intact.

Engine

The Freelander's 2.0-litre turbo diesel four is the only engine in the line-up, a bold move in today's catch-all car market, but well-suited to the Freelander's five- and three-door variants.

Gone is the petrol V6 of the superceded model, and as stated above the diesel unit's power output won't unseat your hairpiece, but will impress with its durability, economy and across-the-range pulling power. I got quite used to the diesel growl, and the subtle whistle of the turbo is a nice touch under acceleration.

The small turbo diesel engine outputs a maximum of 82kW @ 4000rpm, while 260Nm of torque @ 1750rpm provides plenty of low-range pulling power, making it well-suited to offroading.

Exterior

Land Rover introduced a host of consumer-driven enhancements to the old Freelander range in 2001, and indeed the majority of the changes in the new model is in its exterior appearance.

To more closely relate the Freelander, Discovery and Range Rover, Land Rover has applied an Audi-style family "look" across the range. You may have seen the billboards - the cars certainly look related, and I haven't decided whether this is to the Freelander's detriment.

I mean, do you want a miniature Range Rover? Indeed, the public does. The twin-pocket lamps look more modern and throw a claimed 70% more light out into the wilderness.

The interior is somewhat bland, but still has a luxury air about it

There's a new grille and body-coloured front and rear bumpers for 2004, and the taillights look decidedly Range Rover, too.

One thing the boffins missed in the redesign is the Freelander's dorky rear central brake light, which still sticks out above the spare tyre on an appendage that resembles a Martian's tentacle. Land Rover might think it's cute, but I think it's not.

Interior

Inside the Freelander, the fun, rugged theme from outside is continued. Slide into the flattish fabric seats and look around: tough plastics, minimal, simple controls, a few colours, lashings of aluminium and some clever design touches.

Our test Freelander's colour scheme was black, black and more black, highlighted with aluminium - a bit bland, but Land Rover offers three colour schemes.

There is plenty of room for a young family of weekend warriors, and the interior is hardy enough to soak up the occasional McDonalds thick shake. Up front, there are two massive cup holders atop the dash, which I'm sure is a very stable place for them, but I think they're too far away to be convenient.

All the buttons and controls for the functions are accessible, but the base model tested also featured plenty of "blank" buttons, which never looks good.

All in all, the interior is a comfy, stylish and contemporary place to be, and compared the competition, I think it's streets ahead, though a change-up in the colour variations would be nice.

Overall: 4/5

Bravo, Land Rover, bravo. The Brits' tilt at compact four-wheel drives is a winner, and really shows up the competition in the ruggedness stakes.

The Freelander is not one of the "coolest" cars in the heap, but it is the most capable for the money. In an era where function gives way to fashion, Land Rover has gone against the grain and produced a capable little off-roader.