Land Rover Freelander.(Small SUVs - Road Test)(Evaluation)

The Freelander has a distinctive, offbeat character. It handles capably on the road and is the first car-based SUV we've tested that excels off-road. However, it's slow, noisy, and thirsty, and was by far the most expensive of the group.

THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE

The Freelander has a firm, well-controlled ride. The highway ride is as steady and composed as the CR-V's, but the Freelander transmits more road-surface feel. Busy engine hum and tire noise intrude.

The Freelander is nimble and easy to handle. The small, beefy steering wheel is fairly quick and well weighted. The full-time AWD system works well. In tight, fast maneuvers the Freelander hung onto the road well and posted a fairly high speed through our avoidance maneuver--the same as the VUE.

The 174-hp, 2.5-liter V6 is not very sprightly and achieved only 17 mpg overall on regular fuel. The five-speed automatic shifted abruptly at times and didn't always downshift promptly. A manual is not offered. The all-wheel-drive system worked well but chattered while making a tight turn on a dry road.

The Freelander did especially well on our muddy off-road course and challenging rock hill. In lieu of low-range gearing, it has an effective electronic hill-descent system that uses the antilock brake system to limit the vehicle's speed when crawling down slopes. Braking performance was excellent overall.

INSIDE THE CABIN