Test drive Land Rover Freelander 1998 - 2000 SUV

"Lend Rover" applied for principles

Land-Rover-Frilander Land Rover Freelander
Lend-Rover-Frilander, represented by the public in the fall of 1997, is produced in three- and five-door versions and is equipped so far with two power units-a 1.8-liter gasoline engine and a 2-liter turbodiesel with direct injection.

Any motorist, at least wake him up at night, will say what the Lend Rover cars are famous for. The epic glory of the conquerors of the off -road, excellent cross -country ability, a reliable frame design, a kind of design and ... high price. But then there are stereotypes to break them. Frilelander differs from his older brothers literally everything. It is small in size, relatively inexpensive, does not have a frame, is equipped with an independent suspension of all the wheels and is not quite suitable for regular crawling in the mud. However, the baby from the Lend -Rovers family does not claim to do so - he was specially made unlike others.
The English company was criticized for a long time for the fact that in the range of its models there is no inexpensive alternate. Walking towards the wishes of the workers, the British made such a car. It turned out to be quite compact. At least at first glance. In fact, the little Frilelander is only ten centimeters shorter than the big range-rover! The Briton does not stand out too much against the background of Japanese rivals-Toyota-Rav4, Subaru Forester and Honda-SR-V. The most noticeable detail of the exterior is a massive front bumper, smoothly flowing into a false radiator grill, and characteristic, as a discovery, raised the rear of the roof. Nevertheless, there are problems with recognition. It is one hundred percent to guess the belonging of this machine only on the green oval of the emblem.
The front wings are made of plastic. There is nothing supernatural in this - the body of many modern cars have such details - they are inexpensive and not subject to corrosion. But for body panels of land-rovers, aluminum is still traditional.
However, you just have to look into the salon, as you know - some things never change. Symmetric dashboard with irregularly in shape, where numerous switches are placed (for some reason from multi-colored plastic). Design, of course, is a matter of taste. But the misses of ergonomics are already annoying. In order to open the door from the inside, a certain dexterity is required - the handles are extremely inconvenient. The glass drive buttons are on the central console - an obsolete and not too good solution. Under the steering column - the second glove box. It will not be possible to put a lot in it, and it is inconvenient to open. But the lever that opens the hood is most surprised. It is located from the side of ... passenger seat! No, we know well about left -handed movement in the homeland of Frilender, and yet ...
The rest of the freelander, perhaps, will have a driver to his liking. The baby’s steering wheel is close to the ideal in the shape of the cross-section, the material and is pleasantly in his hands. The front seats, adjustable in length, tilt the back and pillow height, are very convenient. The rear row can be laid out in a 2/3 ratio, significantly increasing the volume of a rather modest trunk. The frameless fifth door opens to the side, while the glass is lowered by the servo by a couple of centimeters.
A freelander with a 1.8 -liter gas engine fell into our hands. Exactly the same 16 -valve - its designation Series K - the MG -F Rogra is equipped. Having barely opened the hood, you understand that the motor compartment is clearly designed for growth - calculated on a more powerful power unit.
The acceptance of a land-rover can be called satisfactory for a car of this class. The motor in the entire speed range behaves calmly, measuredly, no grabbing and failures. However, do not forget that you are not driving a sports compartment. For an all -terrain vehicle, the burden and elasticity of the engine is much more important. At the series of the series K, the maximum torque is reached by three thousand revolutions. But a flat characteristic cannot replace the lack of a moment so necessary, for example, when driving in deep sand.
To moderately, a hard suspension reliably swallows joints and cracks. It is easier to move around the city on a freelander than in full -sized all -terrain vehicles. You feel the size of it better, and modest dimensions help to maneuver in the stream.
Nevertheless, the main charm of a car with all -wheel drive is an opportunity to confidently drive along the crossed terrain. We can say right away - for trips to fishing or hunting, Freilender is quite suitable. Significant road clearance, impressive (215/65R16) Michelen 4x4 tires allowed the smallest of Lend-Rover to feel confident on an off-road highway in Krylatsky. Despite the lack of locking the center differential, Frilelander is nevertheless able to cope with off -road. A special anti -wings system will help this. There is another electronic assistant.
Experienced drivers on steep slopes usually include a reduced gear, but it happens, it happens, press on the brakes. The result is deplorable - the wheels are blocked, the machine becomes uncontrollable and is on the roof. HILL DELIVERY OF CONTROL (HDC - patented company development) is designed to help just such drivers. Turning on the system with a yellow collar on the gear lever, you can stick the first gear and, without fear, go down from the coolest slide. HDC activates the brake system, and the machine crawls down at a speed of 7-9 km/h. At the same time, however, she makes such plaintive creaking sounds that it becomes uneasy.
So, a weak 1.8-liter engine is almost the only serious drawback of the new Lend Rover. And if someone is concerned with the absence of a powerful power unit, you will have to wait a year and a half. By that time, a V-shaped six may appear under the hood.
And finally about the most important - prices. If the expected price of $ 35-40 thousand is confirmed, then it will be difficult for the new Land Rover to compete with Honda-CR-V for $ 27 thousand and a t toast-rav4 for $ 31 thousand. According to preliminary data, official dealers will start selling a freelander in the summer.

+ A wonderful pedigree, spacious interior, comfortable suspension, handling of a passenger car, worthy of off -road cross -country ability, a good review.

- low coloring quality, mistakes in ergonomics, protection of the crankcase made of plastic, noisy and low -power engine.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
General data: number of places - 5; Equipped mass - 1405 kg; full weight - 2050 kg; maximum speed - 165 km/h; acceleration time from a place to 100 km/h - 11.9 s; fuel consumption in conditional suburban and city cycles - 8.6; 13 l/100 km; fuel supply - 59 l; Fuel is unhealthy gasoline AI -95. Dimensions, mm: length - 4380; width - 1805; height - 1760; base - 2560; The track in front/back - 1535/1545; Road clearance - 220; trunk volume - 370/1315 l; The diameter of the turn is 11.6 m. The engine is a four -cylinder in a row, with distributed electronic injection and four valves per cylinder, located in front transversely; working volume - 1795 cm; cylinder diameter and piston stroke - 80x89.3 mm; compression degree - 10.5; Power - 88 kW/120 l. With. at 5550 rpm; The maximum torque is 166 N.M at 3000 rpm. Transmission: permanent all -wheel drive with free diphthels; gearbox - five -speed mechanical; Transporting numbers: I - 3.25; II - 1.89; III - 1.22; IV - 0.85; V - 0.65; h. X. - 3; The main program is 4.2. Suspension: front and back - such as McEferson with reptile stability stabilizers. Brakes: hydraulic with a vacuum amplifier and ABS, the front are disk ventilated, the rear - drum. Steering: rheck with an amplifier. Tire size: 215/65R16.

SUMMARY
The smallest land rover will completely replace you two cars - for the city and trips to nature. On it you will feel at ease everywhere. Just do not forget that the universal is always inferior to the highly specialized one.

Mikhail Medvedev. Photo by Anatoly Fomin

Source: The magazine "Driving"