Land Rover Freelander

Land Rover Freelander
Facelift Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 (Australia)
Overview
Manufacturer	Land Rover
Production	1997–2014
Assembly	Halewood Body & Assembly, Halewood, United Kingdom Pune, India Changsu, China Aqaba Assembly Plant, Jordan
Body and chassis
Class	Compact SUV
Layout	Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive
Chronology
Successor	Land Rover Discovery Sport

First generation (L314)
Facelift Freelander Sport 3-door
Overview
Production	October 1997–Late 2006
Assembly	Solihull, United Kingdom Rayong, Thailand
Designer	Gerry McGovern
Body and chassis
Body style	5-door SUV 3-door convertible
Powertrain
Engine	1.8 L K-Series I4 2.5 L Rover KV6 V6 2.0 L BMW M47 TD I4 2.0 L L-Series TD I4
Transmission	5-speed automatic 5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	101.0 in (2,565 mm)
Length	2001–2003 5-door: 175.0 in (4,445 mm) 2004–2006 5-door: 174.1 in (4,422 mm) 3-door: 175.1 in (4,448 mm)
Width	2001–2003: 71.1 in (1,806 mm) 2004–2006: 71.2 in (1,808 mm)
Height	2001–2003 5-door: 68.9 in (1,750 mm) 2004–2006 5-door: 69.0 in (1,753 mm) 3-door: 67.2 in (1,707 mm)

Freelander 2 (L359)
Pre-facelift Land Rover LR2 (US)
Overview
Also called	Land Rover LR2 Land Rover Freelander 2
Production	2006 – December 2014
Assembly	Halewood Body & Assembly, Halewood, United Kingdom Pune, Maharashtra, India (CKD) Changsu, China Aqaba Assembly Plant, Jordan
Body and chassis
Body style	5-door SUV
Platform	Ford EUCD platform
Related	Volvo XC60 Volvo S80 Jaguar X-Type Ford Mondeo Range Rover Evoque
Powertrain
Engine	Petrol engines: 2.0 L Ford EcoBoost 243 PS I4 3.2 L Ford SI6 233 PS I6 Diesel engines: 2.2 L Ford Duratorq 150 PS eD4 2.2 L Ford Duratorq 160 PS TD4 2.2 L Ford Duratorq 190 PS SD4
Transmission	6-speed Getrag M66EH50 manual 6-speed Aisin AWF21 automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	104.7 in (2,659 mm)
Length	177.2 in (4,501 mm)
Width	75.2 in (1,910 mm)
Height	68.5 in (1,740 mm)
Kerb weight	3,902–4,300 lb (1,770–1,950 kg)

The Land Rover Freelander is a compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) which was produced by the British manufacturer Land Rover, in both two-wheel and four-wheel drive versions, from 1997 to 2014. The second generation, launched in 2007, was sold as the LR2 in North America and as the Freelander 2 in Europe.

It uses a monocoque (unibody) structure, in common with almost all other crossovers in its class, but unlike traditional SUVs built with body-on-frame designs. The Freelander was replaced by the Discovery Sport in 2015.

Market research by the Rover Group in the late 1980s suggested that Land Rover could enter the compact SUV market segment. In the early 1990s, the Rover Group had a restricted product development budget and looked for a partner to develop the project, which was codenamed CB40 (after Canley Building 40, where the concept was initially developed). Rover's then-partner Honda declined and chose to develop its own CR-V model that was launched in 1997.

Rover decided to go it alone with the CB40, using existing parts and components, as it had done with the MGF roadster. When BMW took over Rover Group in 1994, the CB40 project received the capital it needed to proceed. In December 2007, reported that early development designs and sketches of the Freelander featured Hyundai badging, suggesting that a tie up between both manufacturers was being proposed. The design of the Freelander was by Gerry McGovern, who went on become the head of design at Land Rover in 2007.

Land Rover initially intended to subcontract the manufacture of the Freelander to Valmet in Finland, however BMW terminated this agreement upon acquiring the Rover Group, and instead funded production facilities at Solihull, finally making use of the old Rover SD1 assembly hall which had been mothballed in the early 1980s, when Rover car production was moved to Cowley.