Test drive Land Rover Freelander 2000 - 2003 SUV

For all occasions

More recently, such cars seemed to have not been six years ago, we looked down on different sizes of the SUVs, which FI! They could not go into any comparison with real SUVs, and even for the appearance in October of the 95th it is not clear which Honda CR-V did not pay attention at all. However, having tasted this hybrid of the SUV, a car and a compact minivan, the audience suddenly found that it was precisely to her all occasions that she was not enough for all occasions. Now the sector of universal vehicles of increased cross -country ability is one of the most violently developing: many leading manufacturers rushed here, and new items appear one after another. The growth of the popularity of such machines and the variety of customer requirements logically led to the appearance of dynamic modifications with powerful engines. Today we have on the test just such Hyundai Santa Fe V6 2.7, Mazda Tribute V6 3.0, Land Rover Freelander V6 2.5.
In three days of dough, this turned into a certain daily ritual: a roadside cafe, a steaming cup on the table, behind a huge window, a new car glittering fresh varnish in the parking lot.
   

Thoughts over a cup
All three cars are built according to the recipe classic for such machines: with an off -road image, a carrier body, passenger independent suspensions, and a passenger transverse location of the power unit. And the passenger car, which does not require the driver’s interventions, the scheme of all -wheel drive: Santa Fe has a permanent with an interdosseous differential (60%/40%), partially blocked by the viscousyft, the rest of the rear wheels when slipping the front via vi -tuft (Land Rover) or automatic multidimensional grip (Mazda). Although the ideology of a universal vehicle for a city dweller and a resident of the suburbs itself is a compromise (the worst adaptability to difficult conditions in exchange for capacity, comfort, dynamics and economy), it is still implies that movement will occur not only on coating roads, but also outside them. In addition, the state of our roads and roadsides sometimes does not differ much from impassability, especially in winter and in the offseason.
For this, all three cars are trained in one way or another: a plastic body kit on the wings and thresholds, a large road clearance, the units are selected under the bottom and protected to one degree or another. Santa Fe ahead of the protection in the form of a rather powerful sheet of plastic, and the power unit is hidden for the massive cross of the front subframe. Under the Tribute engine card, protective steel skiing. Well, Freelander branded training can be envied by some real SUVs of generations, you know. So, three days, three hot cups, three cars.
COFFEE WITH MILK. Hyundai Santa Fe
 
Big original. Apparently, the designers, trying to arouse sports associations from buyers, decided to turn to their genetic memory and carefully studied the American catalogs of the early 60s. But, God, who came up with a black car in black? However, is it a Korean? The minimum gaps between the panels, even joints, a clear open -door fixation and a solid sound when closing ... No, Korean: the maximum permissible growth of the driver of centimeters 180. True, about the gastronomic addictions of the inhabitants of the New World, Korea seems to be aware: the so -called side side Support is clearly designed for people abusing hamburgers, fried potatoes and coca-kola. But there is a way out for lovers of dense coverage, they can sit in the back the three of them, and then the extreme ones will feel the bend of the seat corresponding to the wheeled arch with the lower back. Together, in the back is really convenient, and if especially long-legged begins to grumble, that they are sitting on a coccyx, switch their attention to adjusting the back of the back this process that is interesting and very instructive.
The interior is no less original than the appearance, but the soft plastics of the upholstery and the exact fitting of the panels make a very worthy impression. Excellent ventilation handles are large, strongly protruding, and at the same time, traumatic safe: when pressed elastic, they are poured into the panel at half a height. The trunk of Santa Fe will make all neighbors in the parking lot, especially if you raise the floor panel: a similar abundance of containers under a trifle acts disarmingly on the most inveterate snobs. However, if you are after yesterday, then you should not demonstrate the success of getting into the appropriate grooves in the action of the retractable curtain depends on the hardness of the arm and accuracy of aiming. Although the Santa Fe has not the most powerful and painful engine from the entire trinity, the lack of traction with more than is compensated by the completely crazy character of the machine gun: in response to a slight but quick pressing of the accelerator, it jumps to one step, and even if it comes to Kick-Down then two at once. Such impulse is not always justified: an unexpected increase in the moment in a slippery turn can lead to sad consequences. However, information about the actions of the machine gun here is supplied in the best possible way, and the H-Tronic regime of sectral control perfectly copes with the role of the re! Moreover, on the movements of the lever machine gun, not for some, it reacts very quickly.
When moving around the city and a flat line, Santa Fe behaves quite lightly: living clear reactions, small rolls, and a sound reactive effect. But a very rapid movement along a winding suburban highway requires tension, despite the almost perfect stability: with an increase in the speed of the reaction of the car, they begin to lubricate, the reactive effect, and with large angular accelerations, the roll grows. As a result, there is a feeling of uncertainty, although in fact the supply is not so small. But, perhaps, for the better, it is still not a sports car, and the timely cooling of hot heads will be clearly not superfluous here, because the energy -intensive Santa Fe suspension allows you to decently accelerate even on a rather dangerous broken road. Outside the road, Santa Fe is very pleasant and reliable in management, and generally behaves the best. But until the matter has come to the slightly carrying soils. In a more or less deep sand, the car began to explode (the lack of a complete blocking of the center differential, and Hankook tires, instantly turned into yellow slides), and we stopped the experiment. For experiments to pull out one new car by another in the program of our test were not included.

Coffee is black. Mazda Tribute
 
In fact, the same Ford Maverick, although it has certain external differences and much less definite internal. What greatly simplifies our task: since no further than a month ago we have already sang some of the unconditional advantages of the aforementioned car, now we can add several more spoons of honey and tar, which make up the difference between the number of the room and the test. As a matter of fact, the fact that the interior here was not done by the Japanese noticeably: a typically American variety of rationalism. A huge box between the front seats is able to accommodate a supply of beer for a trip around the world, and the cup holders formed in the upholstery of the tunnel, apparently implies that this supply will be destroyed continuously. The central armrest of the rear seat seems to have fallen in a victim of the struggle with excessive luxury, and in the cuts of leather upholstery along the edges of the back, the details of the frame and the folding mechanism are visible. However, they do not interfere with sitting at all, and three can accommodate from behind without any problems.
About the average growth of the driver, Americans are of higher opinions than Koreans, but it makes no sense to pull the seat to the steering wheel. And still, the seat is quite convenient, and the lumbar backup is simply beyond praise. The vested 3-liter Duratec provides excellent traction in a fairly wide range, and the machine here is no less clockwork than that of Santa Fe, so you will not have to complain about the dynamics of the Tribute owner. However, the burrows of this transmission should also be pacified sometimes, and forced modes allow you to do this, although not with the effect as H-Tronic Santa Fe.
In all other things, you can refer to our previous number of the room, but with one small correction. Tribute does not have that oakness when passing irregularities (although it is still possible to catch a breakdown on the course of compression), but when moving at high speeds, a little worse and feedback and reaction to turning the steering wheel. If we assume that shock absorbers and springs in pendants are identical, then the differences in the tires will remain: that Ford Maverick was shod in Firestone Wilderness HT, and Mazda Tribute in Continental Contitrac Suv. In the off -road program for Tribute is a solid second place. Even on the Automatic Automate, Mazda quite successfully overcomes shallow sandy areas and rather deep soil puddles, but in severe conditions it is better to turn on the mode of blocking the coupling in advance. But in any case, it is advisable to avoid places where diagonal unloading is possible.

HOT CHOCOLATE. Land Rover Freelander
 
The real Land Rover, although it does not copy any of the senior models of the brand, and the off -road charisma will be enough for a couple of serious crooks. The most suitable words for describing the interior taste, nobility and even sophistication. The dashboard is an architectural work, although in fact it is a designer that allows you to assemble the option for both the right and the left steering wheel. Hard plastic, but how the details are fitted! Frelander is the closest of the trinity. There are no more places for the driver than in Santa Fe, and the front seats are clearly not enough adjustment in height: with an increase above the average, you risk repeating the first feat of the Pushkin Prince Guidon on a large bump, and the inner mirror will block the review. The seats themselves could be recognized as the best if not for a short pillow. Adults in the back seat will not sit for a long time, but at least they will not wall about the wheeled arches that are digging into the sides, despite the menacing appearance, they are not felt at all.
The trunk is small, and its functionality was sacrificed in some places: say, you can take out the curtain only by folding part of the rear seat. But there is a locker locking on the castle, and even the number of different shelves, nets and drawers in the cabin have numbers. And rubber rugs and troughs on the shelves! And universal holders for bottles on the doors! Class! Freelander conquers the space sedately, swaying slightly. Although its passport characteristics are impressive, the dynamics in real conditions is not so inspired: a high-speed light motor does not really correspond to a reasonable automatic machine, slowly moving the steps, without haste reacting to the Kick-Down and the movements of the lever in the STEPTRONIC mode and almost not notice the SPORT mode. .
Freelander also reacts to the rotation of the steering wheel, so it is better to refuse sniffing in the traffic flow. But the stability bribes, and most importantly, a magnificent reactive action that provides such a feeling of car and road that even a quick movement along a winding highway turns into pleasure. Despite unpleasant shakes on individual large irregularities. In difficult conditions Frelander, an unconditional champion. It confidently moves even along a deep viscous sand, and with a diagonal unloading arising to the aid, an electronic system for distributing traction efforts comes in a timely manner. And in fact, the only factor limiting cross -country ability is a road clearance. We especially note the descent system from the mountain, which, although it publishes a quiet gingerbread at first, but even allows a beginner to carefully slide from a steep slope without much risk.

If I were a sultan ...
... and chose a car for his beloved wife, having no restrictions in the funds, then, probably, it would be preferred by Frelander. For design, functionality of the salon, honesty of the steering. And the dynamics ... Actually, it is very good, and Freelander loses only in comparison with two competitors. But the small Land Rover is expensive and not particularly roomy. So the choice of a realist will most likely be different. Especially when it comes to a car for a family. And if you discard national stereotypes, it should be recognized that the Hyundai Santa Fe and Mazda Tribute are almost equal rivals. Everyone is stronger in something, but, again, not a lot. Tribute is more spacious, more spacious and, let's say, more familiar. On the Santa Fe side is the best finish quality, great functionality and lower price. However, we chased fun, counted wept. All three love to eat pretty much. And therefore, those who are not used to throwing money in the fuel tank may pay attention to the turbodiesel modifications that Hyundai and Land Rover offer. But this is a topic for a separate test.
 
Dmitry Filonov photo Alexander Nozdrin
How do they look:
Nikita Rozanov
 
Outside:
The whole three classic representatives of the modern and dynamically developing class of increased cross -country ability for outdoor activities. These are not formidable SUVs, and therefore, according to the laws of the genre, their appearance should be bright, cheerful and disposed to itself. For example, this is what sportswear looks like that, as it were, invites to the gym or to the stadium, where the reserve of vitality is replenished, but the car, in addition, also injects adrenaline into the blood.
The more serious view of Frelander, whose image was created by the unshaven appearance of Indiana Jones and desperate Safari and is supported by direct kinship with true Land Rover SUVs. Its design is actually devoid of sentiments, brutal, but at the same time funny: what are at least a crankcase, a hunchbacked silhouette of the back of the body, which is visible from under the bumper, and a spare wheel sticking out behind. Hyundai and Mazda are less eccentric and are more reminiscent of the usual asphalt station wagons are all good and calm, and to complete this similarity, they lack only the bumper bodies painted in the color. If you remove the front emblems from the cars, then it will be very difficult to determine the brand by the degree of family design. Both Freelander, and even more so Santa Fe have practically no common features with their direct relatives and predecessors. The exception will perhaps be Tribute with a 2000 Mazda characteristic of many Mazda rhombo -shaped radiator cladding and pentagonal elongated headlights. Hyundai's face will not gain corporate constancy. Nevertheless, the appearance of Santa Fe is original and easily remembered thanks to a characteristic wave -like hood and a utilitarian plastic lining around the perimeter of the radiator cladding. The combat coloring of the tested cannot be called successful. For example, Frelander looks much more attractive when the body is lighter in tone than a plastic body kit, and everyone else would only add an extremely drip of extreme.
Results:
Hyundai Santa Fe loses a lot of original design due to the complete absence of Hyundai in appearance, whose style traditions are still being developed. However, this can be conscious tactics.
Land Rover Freelander to the design of this pretty and very harmonious SUV for four years. For a modern car, this is a whole life, but in the genus of Rover there are many centenarians, the memory of which works for popularity today.
Mazda Tribute is a quality and competent design that correctly reflects the fashion of today. However, the absence of features in the style of a pronounced flight in tomorrow can very soon make designers think about the successor.
Inside:
The design of the inhabited space corresponds to the external appearance. The most functional style of Freelander, which in the architecture and design of the instrument panel provides for the ability to use both the left and right steering wheel, which is very important for the specifics of English automobile design. The Tribute panel has the most American panel, and Santa Fe has plastic bells out of the panel fully reflect the eastern mentality of the outer plasticity. Between the seats everyone, except for the English aristocrat, is so beloved in the New World, a suitable armrest-box. The doors also fully correspond to the chosen tactics and national mentality. Freelander are flat, but conveniently ergonomically: what to grab and for which it is clear right away. Santa Fe is the exact opposite, and the doors in terms of complexity and far -fetched relief can argue with the exterior and with the panel itself. Everyone treats the rear passengers in different ways, but the most obvious concern for their comfort is shown by Hyundai and Land Rover, which provided both the central armrest and a set of three head restraints. Since all three cars have a universal body, the design of the interior space of the baggage department is made with no less thoroughness than the passenger part of the cabin. Access to the trunk is traditional through the fifth door rising up, but Tribute and here demonstrates its commitment to the American lifestyle, allowing you to open both glass and the entire door entirely.

Results:
Hyundai Santa Fe a peculiar manner of plasticity is on a dangerous edge of the enforcement and loss of visual integrity.
Land Rover Freelander some stiffness of the style is compensated by the functionality of the entire composition, but even this does not save from moral aging.
Mazda Tribute, a traditional instrument panel for large American tracks reduces the inhabited space. But everything is stylishly and efficiently executed.
 
 

A source: Cars