LR2: Land Rover for the Masses

Part of Ford Motor Co.’s Premier Automotive Group, Land Rover is a luxury marque with an off-road pedigree.While the Freelander 2/LR2 technically is a cross/utility vehicle, borrowing components from Ford’s global EUCD midsize car platform (Ford Mondeo, Volvo S80), the car-based Land Rover is surprisingly capable. It also looks the part. The new LR2, which carries over nothing from the original Freelander, takes some styling cues from the larger LR3 (Discovery 3) and shows clear Land Rover genes with the clamshell hood from the Range Rover.
The front and back perhaps err on the side of caution. The CUV does not copy the asymmetrical rear window lines of the striking LR3.And the front may be too reminiscent of the original Freelander that was available in North America from 2002 to May 2005, when it was discontinued because Land Rover lost its engine supplier with the collapse of MG Rover.
Land Rover LR2 returns to U.S. almost two years after Freelander exited.


The modern LR2 returns with a narrow A-pillar for better visibility, short overhangs to tilt off-road and a wide track for on-road handling – as pavement and congestion are the hallmarks of the terrain it is most likely to traverse.

This dose of reality appears lost on Land Rover, which invested the LR2 with much more capability than most competitors in the middle-luxury CUV segment.

The LR2 attempts to follow the path of the larger LR3, which is downright goat-like in its ability to crawl over or climb up any terrain with Land Rover’s Terrain Response system that dials in the appropriate measure of traction.

The auto maker tweaked the Terrain Response system for use in the LR2, as well. The smaller CUV has four settings – the rock-crawl option is omitted as the LR2 lacks low-range gears and has less ground clearance with 8.3 ins. (21.0 cm) under the front axle and 10.5 ins. (26.5 cm) under the rear axle.

The grass/gravel/snow setting is the most aggressive of the four options (the others being mud and ruts, sand and general driving), and the LR2 eats its way through each of them on a test course here. Related Stories
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