Land Rover Freelander 2 SD4 Sport Limited Edition 190HP Revealed at Bologna Show

A new limited version of the Freelander 2 was unveiled today at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy. Set to arrive in early 2011, the Freelander 2 SD4 Sport LE will be built in a limited run with the UK to receive 500 units priced from £33,945.

“The Freelander 2 SD4 Sport Limited Edition offers customers the practicality, performance and efficiency of our best-selling compact SUV with more dramatic, sporty styling and the overall package represents good value for money,” said Colin Green, managing director, Land Rover UK.

In a similar fashion to the Discovery 4 Landmark Special Edition, the Freelander 2 SD4 LE receives a front grille finished in black and shares two out of the three exterior color options with its bigger sibling, including the Fuji White and Santorini Black, joined by the all-new Firenze Red tone, shown in the pictures.

A discrete bodykit and 19-inch alloys improve the look of the car, while front and rear parking sensors are offered as standard. The interior can be clad either in Ebony Windsor or Ebony Napoli leather, with contrasting stitching or leather stripes. Parts of the dashboard have a Piano Black finish, complemented by new duo-tone floor mats.

The Limited Edition comes with a 190 hp 2.2-liter four-pot diesel, coupled to a six-speed automatic, capable of accelerating the car from standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 8.7 seconds. Top speed is pegged at 118 mph (190 km/h).

Thanks to the Intelligent Power Management System (IPMS), the battery is charged by recovered kinetic energy whenever the vehicle is decelerating. The Freelander 2 Sport SD4 Limited Edition can run on 10% biodiesel and has CO2 emissions of 185 g/km.

By Csaba Daradics

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Recall Alert for 3,000 Land Rover LR2 Freelanders

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a new recall for certain 2010-2011MY Land Rover LR2 Freelanders built from November 12, 2009, through August 23, 2010. According to the safety agency, in the affected vehicles the driver's frontal airbag may not deploy as intended or at all because of a potential problem with the shorting bar in the clock spring, which may become disconnected when the air bag module connector is installed.

To fix the problem, the company said it will install a spacer into the driver's airbag clock spring harness connector. This service will be performed free of charge with the safety recall expected to begin on or before December 13, 2010. For more information, owners of the affected LR2s can contact Land Rover at 800-637-6837.

Land Rover Unveils 2011 Freelander 2 Facelift, gets 2WD Version

Today, Land Rover whisked the covers off its Freelander 2 that benefits from a rather inconspicuous cosmetic redesign, a revised 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine available in two flavors and for the first time in the model's history, a two-wheel drive version.

The exterior styling of the 2011 Freelander 2 has been updated with a redesigned front bumper assembly, a new and less pronounced front grille aligned with the hood, revised headlamps and tail lights, a full width tailgate appliqué and new 18- or 19-inch alloy wheel designs.

Inside, changes are limited to the revised instrument dials and four new seat styles with the option of a Premium Pack that also includes Windsor Leather upholstery, an 8/6 way electric seat, plus unique carpet mats and covered center stowage.

The biggest change is in the engine bay with the introduction of a revised version of the 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine featuring a new variable geometry turbocharger.

The EU5 compliant diesel is offered in two variants, the 150HP TD4 featuring a manual transmission and Stop/Start tech as standard or an automatic gearbox without Stop/Start as an option, and a 190HP SD4 version with an automatic transmission only.

Land Rover said the flagship 190-horsepower Freelander SD4 accelerates from standstill to 60mph (96km/h) in 8.7 seconds and has an increased top speed of 118mph (190km/h).

Following in the path of the Range Rover Evoque, the Freelander will be offered in a more frugal two-wheel drive variant - talk about watering down a brand whose watchword is all-wheel drive and off-road capabilities...

Called the Freelander 2 eD4, it comes with the 150HP 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine and according to the company, it will be the most efficient Land Rover ever produced, with a combined fuel consumption of 47.2mpg UK (equal to 39.2mpg US and 6.0lt/100km), and CO2 emissions of 158g/km.

"The new Freelander 2 eD4 moves Land Rover into the hugely popular and fiercely contested two wheel-drive SUV market," said Land Rover managing director Phil Popham. "The European market for two-wheel drive SUVs represents 23 percent of the segment and we intend to compete strongly here.

"A 2WD option is just one way in which we are developing our vehicles' efficiency whilst adding to the Land Rover range and expanding our appeal to a broader group of customers. We will continue to make the 'world's finest all-terrain vehicles' for those customers who require 4WD but will also now offer an alternative," Popham concluded.

The refreshed Freelander 2 is set to go on sale in the UK from the end of September, with other markets to follow suit.

2011 Land Rover Freelander Facelift Leaked through Brochure Shots?

We weren't supposed to see the refreshed for the 2011 model year Land Rover Freelander SUV before its world premiere either at the Moscow auto show in August 2010, or in Paris at the end of September, but Car Magazine provides our first look at the facelifted model through a group of pictures, allegedly taken from a leaked Italian brochure.

Blink an eye and you'll probably miss the visual changes made to the 2011 Freelander as these are limited to a new grille raised up in line with the hood and a reworked front bumper with redesigned fog lamps and air intakes. The longer boot handle trim at the back and the new alloy wheel design round off the cosmetic upgrades.

It remains to be seen if Land Rover will also update the Freelander's interior and/or mechanical hardware.

*For the record, we noticed that in the rear-end photo, the left C-column appears to be painted in the same color as the car while the right C-Column is blacked out, however this could be due to a reflection from the brochure paper.

Source: Carmagazine

2011 Land Rover Freelander

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2010 Land Rover Freelander