The Land Rover Freelander 2 has received major upgrades for 2013 and now offers a new turbocharged petrol engine, new exterior and interior design features, a new ‘Dynamic’ derivative, new colours and upgraded equipment levels.

Land Rover Freelander 2 – Features and upgrades

New Engine

The Land Rover Freelander 2 is now available with a new 2.0-litre Si4 turbocharged petrol engine which replaces the outgoing 3.2-litre V6 engine. Although smaller in capacity, the new all-aluminium turbocharged 2.0-litre unit uses a low-inertia turbocharger that produces high-specific power and torque outputs. This unit produces 177kW at 5500rpm with a maximum torque figure of 340Nm available from 1750rpm.

Combined cycle fuel consumption for this new engine is rated at 9.6-litres/100km with a CO2 emissions rating of 224g/km. The 2.0-litre Si4 turbocharged engine will accelerate the Freelander 2 to 100km/h in 8.8 seconds while reaching a top speed of 200km/h.

??New Exterior Features

The updates to the Freelander range sees the addition of three new exterior colours namely Aintree Green, Mauritius Blue and Premium Metallic Havana and new 17-inch alloy wheel design is now available as option on S and SE derivatives. In terms of exterior styling, the Land Rover Freelander 2 features revamped front and rear LED lights with a new LED signature graphic in the front running lights, available on SE, Dynamic and HSE derivatives.

The grille and fog lamp bezels now feature a bright finish while the grille surround, insert bars and fender vent features paint detailing changes.

??New Interior Features

The interior of the Land Rover Freelander 2 now features a new centre console and the original Terrain Response dial has been replaced switches and a shutter for additional storage. The new ‘Dynamic’ derivative adds three new interior colours including Ebony, Ivory and Pimento with each featuring matching stitching and door casings.

The new instrument cluster features a 5-inch screen that displays information such as temperature, fuel levels, gear positions and Terrain Response. Toggle switches on the steering wheel allows the driver to operate the drop-menus and vehicle set-up details. Passive Start now replaces the key docking system and only requires the key to be in the car to start the car with the button.

A rear-view camera is available as standard on the HSE and optionally available on the SE and Dynamic derivatives. The rear camera view is displayed on a 7-inch infotainment screen that incorporates Hitch Assist which shows a superimposed image of the position of the tow ball.

The navigation system, which is standard on the HSE and available as an option on the SE and Dynamic derivatives, has been enhanced with a faster hard drive-based system and includes ECO Route planning, Dynamic Zoom, Visual Lane Guidance and Point Of Interest (POI) management. The ‘Say What You See’ voice activation system, which is part of the navigation system, prompts the driver visually with commands to control audio, satellite, navigation, climate and phone systems.

Powerful sound system

The Freelander 2 now for the first time features the premium Meridian Surround Sound audio system available with a choice of either 380W or 825W power outputs. The system incorporates a 7-inch colour touch-screen and is available with 11-speakers for the 380W system which is standard on SE, Dynamic and HSE derivatives. The optional 825W system uses 17-speakers with Trifield technology and both systems are equipped with subwoofers and a Audyssey MultEQ audio tuning system. A 80W 8-speaker unit with a 5-inch colour display is available for S derivatives.

The Land Rover Freelander 2 has earned a 5 star Euro NCAP safety rating and includes seven airbags including two curtain, two front, two thorax and a driver’s knee airbag.