Land Rover Freelander 2009 Review

A stop-start Freelander will bring 6.7L/100km economy to local roads and, with it, everything from a manual diesel drivetrain to a new sub-

$49,000 starting price.

It's a big move and a big change for Land Rover Australia, which sees a chance to go head-to-head with the all-new Volvo XC60 and Audi Q5

by attacking them from a new angle. It's also looking for an opportunity to steal sales from the upscale Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

The Freelander 2 TD4-e is confirmed for Australia just a week ahead of the official unveiling of of significantly different 2010 models across the 

Land Rover family next week at the New York Auto Show.

"It's the starting point of the future of Land Rover's environmental technologies," says Kevin Goult, marketing and public affairs manager

for Land Rover Australia.

"First and foremost, it's the introduction of e technologies in Australia. It's stop-start and the start of our changes. It's also a

chance for people who might not have been able to consider a Freelander in the past.

Land Rover is taking it easy with the Freelander e, only estimating 40 sales in its first year with most to 25-39 year old city couples whole

like the brand and the chance for good economy and 50-plus empty nesters who want to do something green.

The top-start system is just what the name says - a computerised system which kills the engine when the vehicle is stopped to save fuel

and reduce emissions. The package also includes a green arrow to advise on the best time for an upshift in the six-speed manual gearbox.

There are a range of failsafe triggers - like opening the door - and the system also deactivates if the engine is drawing too much power

for something like the airconditioning or hill-descent system.

But the result is a claimed 0.8L/100km improvement in fuel consumption and an eight per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.

"We are expecting it in July. It could be late June, but July is safe," says Goult.

He promises the new starting price Freelander will be a new value benchmark but refuses to reveal the exact price, or the final

specification. It will be an SE-model car but will lose some stuff, including electric front seats.

The Freelander e is the first result of a $2 billion development program by Jaguar Land Rover on everything from an electric rear axle

drive system to full hybrids. But the system can currently only be fitted to manual cars and Land Rover has focussed on its diesel engines.

"We're looking for the best way forward for the Land Rover brand to meet the environmental challenges of today," says Gault.

DRIVING:

A very brief run in a Freelander e yesterday, on roads near Land Rover's spiritual home at Solihull, reveals the seamless operation of

the stop-start system.

You pull up, leave the car in neutral, and the engine dies. Push the clutch down when it's time to go again and the engine fires.

It's not the first time I have driven a car with this sort of system, and I can remember a Volkswagen trial car back in the 1990s, but it is

fully road ready and the failsafes seem to cover all the possibly doubts.

It can take a few seconds longer than you expect to re-fire on a green light, but otherwise the system has plenty going for it and similar

ones will pop up from most major brands in the next few years.

I also liked the dashboard arrow which advises you to change up early, and often, to maximise the fuel economy.

The e-green system is not going to create a stampede for the Freelander, but combined with the manual gearbox and a sharper price

it will create some extra interest and points to a technology that will be commonplace within five years.