"The Freelander 2's cabin feels like that of a premium saloon
car - it's comfortable, attractive, well equipped and spacious."
Geoff Upex, design director.
The interior of Freelander 2 is designed to be more elegant and
simply structured than that of the outgoing Freelander, a decision
made early on by Geoff Upex and lead interior designer Martin
Buffery, who describe it as "strong but not intimidating". Yet the
facia still incorporates clear elements of the iconic architectural
vertical and horizontal lines that characterise the Range Rover,
Range Rover Sport and Discovery 3.
"The whole interior has moved significantly upmarket," comments
Geoff Upex. "Quality and craftsmanship are improved, with higher
specification materials used throughout the cabin."
The upper part of the facia has a soft-touch finish to give a
premium appearance and pleasant feel. Switch gear is purposeful and
moves with precision. Regularly used controls, such as facia vents
and major switchgear, are within easy reach and have a tactile
finish. Upholstery and tufted carpets are high quality, while
metallic and wood-effect finishes add further premium touches.
The instrumentation is clear and well displayed. The circular
analogue gauges are framed with metallic bezels and are neatly
grouped directly in front of the driver.
Spacious Interior
The elevated driving position in Freelander 2 - called 'command
view' by Land Rover - improves visibility and helps the driver feel
in control. It gives a much better vantage point than conventional
saloon cars and even many other compact 4x4s (68 mm higher than one
major competitor, for example).
'Stadium seating' places the rear seat passengers slightly
higher than their front seat counterparts, so they too can enjoy
the view. Visibility for all occupants is helped by the narrow
front A-pillars, deep front and rear screens, and large side
windows.
Although only 50 mm longer than the outgoing model, the all-new
Freelander 2 effectively moves up a class in interior packaging
compared with its predecessor.
"There is a real sense of space in Freelander 2," says Geoff
Upex. "You can stretch out, relax, and it makes the whole ambience
so much more enjoyable."
The vehicle's height and tall doors improve entry and egress
compared with normal cars. The 'clean sill' system also helps keep
mud and general road grime off occupants' clothes.
Comfortable Seats
Freelander 2's seats offer good under-thigh and back support, plus
strong side bolsters to give excellent lateral support. The front
seat frames are similar to those of Range Rover Sport - big car
seats for a cabin that looks as though it belongs in a big car. The
upright seating provides a comfortable driving position and
increases usable legroom.
A variety of seat fabrics and colourways are available,
including leather on the top-of-the-range models.
Six-way adjustment is standard on all driver seats, including
height adjustment to take advantage of the generous roofspace. The
front passenger seat has four-way adjust. Electric power adjustment
and armrests are also available on driver and front passenger
leather seats, with the option of a three-position memory on the
driver's seat. Two-stage seat heating is available on certain
models to provide reliable and rapid seat warming in cold
environments.
The rear seat is wide enough to accommodate three standard
adults, and includes a central armrest on leather versions. An
asymmetrically split design, it folds forward to offer a completely
flat floor area.
Lots of Luggage and Stowage Space
The capacious boot provides plenty of space for luggage or sports
equipment, from bicycles to golf clubs. A neat touch is the
reversible load floor cover with carpet on one side and a
water-resistant surface on the other.
Total luggage volume is 1670 litres with the rear seats folded
forward and 755 litres when raised (27 and 38 per cent respectively
better than the outgoing Freelander). The space was designed from
the outset to be as versatile as possible. For example, Land Rover
even checked that Roly (one of the team's fully grown Labradors,
digitised for just this purpose) could travel in comfort. The high
load-space floor avoids the need to bend down to lower items into
the boot.
Within the cabin, the centre console includes cup-holders that
can secure a wide variety of drink cans and cups. There is stowage
space galore, including a large hopper-style glove-box and generous
front and rear door bins with 1-litre bottle-holders. On selected
models, the front seats have handy 'kangaroo pockets' on the front
in addition to map pockets on the back.
Sound Systems
The sound systems offered for Freelander 2 are headed by a
top-level version that features Dolbyô Prologic IIx surround
sound, incorporating a 12x40 W amplifier. It is delivered through
12 speakers, including a sub-woofer, and the system incorporates a
six-disc in-dash CD changer. It is also MP3 format compatible.
One rung down - but still highly impressive - is a system that
includes an 8x40 W power output and eight speakers plus sub-woofer.
Volume control is automatic, and changes with the car's speed.
Rear seat headphone sockets are available, allowing rear seat
passengers to listen to a different audio source from that of the
front seat occupants.
An auxiliary audio input socket for the connection of an MP3
player, iPod, or other source is fitted as standard in the centre
console. DAB digital radio is available as an option in selected
markets.
Premium Equipment
Freelander 2 is available with a wide array of premium-car
equipment, as standard or as options. This includes:
- Keyless starter button - standard throughout the range
- High-definition colour touch-screen DVD satellite
navigation
- Bi-xenon Adaptive Front Lighting
- Auto headlights and rain-sensing wipers
- Cruise control
- Park Distance Control at the front and rear
- Bluetooth hands-free telephone system to integrate phone
control and display with the car
- 12-speaker Alpine/Dolbyô Prologic IIx sound system
- DAB digital radio
- Dual-zone ATC air-conditioning, with pollen filter and humidity
sensor
- Panoramic top-sliding sunroof
- Lazy-open and Lazy-locking functionality
- One-shot windows and sunroof
- 'Approach lighting' operated by the key fob
All engineering data in this press pack is from pre-production
prototype work.
For further information please contact:
Guido Schenken
Public Relations Department
Land Rover Australia
Phone: (02) 9020 1517
Email: gschenk4@landrover.com
Website: www.landrover.com.au