Landrover Freelander 2 – When Better Becomes Best

Leveraging on the success of its first generation Freelander, the Rover Group under Ford embarked on a more prestigious Landrover Freelander 2. The second generation Freelander got unveiled at the British International Motor Show in 2006. It was released in Europe in 2007 and was introduced North American markets as the Land Rover LR2.



Prior to its official announcement at the motor show, it was presented in a celebrity occasion featuring tennis star Maria Sharapova before a team of media personnel at the Kensington Roof Gardens.



Radical Improvements



The Freelander 2 was produced along with the Jaguar X-Type automobile at Halewood, instead of Solihull in Birmingham. It now used a new chassis based on the global midsized EUCD platform (European C/D class) that could accommodate inline engines above the larger 3-liter displacement. Hence, the second generation Freelander got fitted with a transversely-mounted Volvo SI6 3.2 liter inline 6-cylinder petrol engine that debuted with the launch of the Volvo S80.



It came with 6-speed manual and automatic transmission. Unfortunately this engine wasn't used in the UK version and instead got a lower powered DW12 common rail turbo-charged diesel engine developed by the French PSA (Peugeot Societe Anonyme) for its new Peugeot Citroen cars.



Better ground clearance and off-road handling capabilities characterized the new Freelander which now matched the Land Rover tradition carried by its Discovery and Defender line and was considered superior to its BMW and Audi rivals.



It came with improved interior quality, road safety features and a modified version of the Terrain Response off-road system also found on the Range Rover and Discovery III SUVs. Its all-wheel drive system was jointly developed with the Swedish company Haldex Traction AB using its third generation Haldex coupling that would later be used with the complete Volvo lineup in 2005 to 2008 models

The US markets got a taste of the Landrover Freelander 2 as the LR2 HSE in 2007 using the 6-cylinder 3.2 liter 230 hp inline petrol engine with 6-speed automatic transmission and the usual all-wheel drive. Catering to the luxury level that the US markets have been used to, the LR2 offered luxurious interior appointments starting with a 440-watt 14-speaker surround system from Alpine, touch navigation screens, a Cold Climate System that heats the front windscreen and front seats at two heating levels as well as a heated windscreen water jet, adaptive front lighting system memory for the driver's seat and mirrors and bi-xenon headlights.



An Eco-Friendly Freelander 2 TD4_e



In 2009, the Freelander 2 TD4_e was introduced and marked the first ever SUV in the UK to use an eco-friendly start-stop engine technology to reduce carbon emission and economize fuel consumption. The "e" in the designation reflected the e-Terrain Technologies and would comprise Land Rover's answer to the emerging trends in environmentally friendly road vehicles.



With this technology, the idle engine stops and instantly resumes when engaging the clutch pedal. A heavy-duty starter motor acts as a generator to recover energy from its regenerative braking using capacitors to store energy and restart the engine without depending on the starter battery. The e-Terrain is expected to be used in subsequent hybrid Freelander models.



To find cheap Landrover Freelander 2 Spares online you should pay a visit to McDonald Landrover. They are also a very good place to find out about Land Rover Freelander 2 Maintenance. You can also find many Rebuilt Engines for Land Rovers.