Test drive Land Rover Freelander 2003 - 2007 SUV

Traces on the floor

Evil tongues called them SUVs. This did not prevent compact SUVs from winning the hearts and wallets of customers. Today, such cars are produced by many. And the results of the auto -films achieve different ones. Land Rover Freelander and BMW X3 - to a certain extent relatives: the smallest English SUV was designed during the German leadership. Nevertheless, these two cars are essentially two opposite poles of their class
We refused to find the most close to each other from the pedantic venture immediately. The most expensive Frelander is cheaper than the most empty X3. There are six of the same volume on the BMW as on the Land Rover, but in our country, by the time of the sale of 2.5-liter versions of X3, the sales test has not yet begun, and therefore we were forced to take a three-liter one. With boxes, the choice was made for us - most compact SUVs are sold precisely with the automatic transmission, and on Freelander V6 the machine is generally a standard configuration.
On the parquet you can walk equally comfortable both in sneakers and in rubber boots. Both that and another is called shoes.
Scale 7: 8. The fact that we have the very first of the now manufactured compact SUVs and a beginner in this class is immediately visible. This Land Rover, although I received a Baby offensive prefix at the design stage, looks quite an adult way. Despite the design of the late 90s, the washing of the shapes, powerful bumers, wings expanders and a massive plastic body kit give out the younger brother of Range, Defender defender and discovery opener. It’s just that someone has little space in the garage, and it was for it that the company built a reduced copy. X3 quite obviously grew out of a passenger car. The station wagon with a high ceiling was placed on large wheels, and for the eating brutality the body was chopped as if chopped with an ax - so automobile designers hastily draw their sketches.
Inside, the difference between cars is even more noticeable. BMW is struggling to seem elegant, rich, which looks vulgar in places. If in large BMW wooden panels are organic, then in a relatively small machine designed for active driving, there would be more appropriately matte aluminum or something more sports and less pretentious than firewood. And these terrible nets. Check what you usually conceal containers on the doors of your car? And why should this be awarded? Otherwise, everything is quite traditional. Unless we attribute the arrangement of the trunk lighting lamps to the number of luck: they stand on the racks, shine just in the depths, and since they are visible in the rear view mirror, these light bulbs perform the alarm function about an uncovered trunk.
If BMW is elegant sneakers, then Land Rover is for sure, those same rubber boots. In any case, all the details inside our copy turned out to be black, modest and considerable. Everything is extremely utilitarian. With the exception of several keys in the center of the panel, including the rear wiper switch. It is necessary to reach for him, which is unlikely to increase movement safety. The only explanation that comes to mind is either British or American traditions. Land Rover has traditionally good positions on the ocean market. I was pleased with the presence of two messes - one on each side of the panel. This, apparently, is concerned for the unification of versions with different location of the steering wheel. But the hood opening handle is only on the right. British Made, so you don't forget.
Different height. Planting in X3, of course, is more vertical than in a passenger car, which, of course, has a positive effect on visibility. However, the advantages that you are sitting quite high above the asphalt, practically nullifies too high the window sill line - almost all vehicles that are below the gazelle fall into the dead zone. Plus, a fairly wide central stand and absolutely passenger mirrors - when rebuilding to the right, you must be extremely careful.
In Land Rover, it is customary to sit like on a stool, which is also reminiscent of a site for relaxation of the left leg, absolutely parallel to the floor. If you are used to a more imposing landing driving, then it will not pass here. There is simply no adjustment of seats in height. On the one hand, this is unscrewed, on the other hand, the reasons for such a restriction of freedom are unclear. Although Freelander costs one and a half to two times cheaper than X3, even $ 30,000 is not the price of which the buyer can be lured by a hundred adjusted control mechanism. If this is a British struggle for the purity of style, then arguing with it is no more effective than convincing the Japanese to put longitudinal rudder adjustment. If you need this adjustment, it means that you have occupied an incorrect pose, the samurai will politely answer. Or their dealers.
Hidden similarity. The Baby Land Rover design is quite passenger, like most of its brothers in the class. Carrying body, independent pendants in front and behind. Even the distribution of torque between the axes is engaged in WiSoft. And there are no lowering steps in the distribution or locks of differentials.
Structurally BMW is the same. Unless the all -wheel drive system here is less trivial. Recall that the wise Bavarian XDRive system first appeared on X3, and only then the X5 was endowed with it. Twisting the moment on the front axle is transmitted through a multi -disc cyk with electronic control. The brains take into account the mass of the parameters that sensors report to them - there are enough of them in the car with DCS.
When touched and up to 20 km/h, the moment is distributed between the axes almost equally in order to best use traction. Then, as it accelerates, the distribution of the moment changes smoothly, and at 180 km/h the car becomes rear -wheel drive. The coupling works very quickly - in just 0.1 seconds. Therefore, XDRive helps to stabilize the machine in corners quite effectively: increasing traction on the front wheels relieves excess rotation. And the redistribution of the moment in favor of the rear wheels, on the contrary, helps to deal with insufficient. And only if the XDRive efforts are not enough, DCS intervenes in the matter. Since in the range of its capabilities - braking of the masking wheel, it partially replaces the blocking of differentials. The main thing is not to think about anything, but just go. True, such care will not really like the highly qualified driver, who is used to cope with marginal modes. A huge number of parameters taken into account makes XDRive almost unpredictable - after all, a person does not always feel the same as showing electronic sensors.
For Frelander, everything happens more traditionally. The front bridge is connected when the rear wheels are slipped, and the driver’s skills are assisted by ABS, the system of distribution of brake force through bridges and the anti -circus system.
Explicit differences. Driving BMW X3 is the very banal pleasure at the wheel. The latter, as expected, is very sensitive, and at almost any revolutions, the engine allows you to accelerate and maneuver in the stream without encouraging the engine with kikdowns.
Freelander implies a more sedate ride. The steering wheel compared to BMW is sluggish, and the car agrees to the maneuver after a noticeable pause. The same with accelerations. If you move in automatic mode, then to reduce the transmission of a soft gas pedal to the stop and wait.
The Land Rover box only in design and the name is somewhat reminiscent of the fact that the car is designed not without BMW participation-this rather modern five-dyapas unit has a manual mode called Steptronic. However, this automatic transmission actually appeared in 2000 with the V6 when Land Rover already belonged to Ford. The transmission for Freelander is made by the famous Japanese company Jatco, which also works with other Ford brands, including Jaguar. Thoughtful helps to correct the sports regime - twisting the motor to maximum revolutions changes the character of the machine. It makes no sense to go into manual mode for the sake of improving dynamics. The reactions to the movements of the lever are quite slow, so it turns out faster to travel in sports mode. However, it does not work to achieve the same dynamics as on BMW. If only because the Bavarian three liters and not too young English two and a half is still a big difference.
All in place. Freelander suspension is also noticeably softer - SUV, after all. We remembered this again when we climbed into a tall border. Land Rover has a higher rubber profile, and the suspension moves cannot be compared with the Bavarian. BMW remained on the asphalt. A curious detail: X3 has 20 mm clearance more than Frelander, but the wheels to please the aerodynamics are so loud of wheeled arches that they make BMW cautiously graze even in front of not too outstanding heights on the sidelines.
Everything got up in its place. After all, the difference between these cars is not only in price, but primarily in the image and purpose. Sneakers in bright sunny weather can also wear a completely frivolous person. And rubber boots are not only a gardener, but also its master. In addition to a hunting jacket and breeches.
Text Valery Chusov, Dmitry Gronsky, photo Andrey Danilov
BMW X3
The engine is gasoline 6-cylinder
Working volume (cubic meter) 2979
Power (L.S. at rpm) 231 at 5900
Moment (nm at rpm) 300 at 3500
The permanent drive is complete
Gearbox 5-speed automatic
Length/width/height (mm) 4565/1853/1674
Wheel base (mm) 2795
Equipped mass (kg) 1835
Maximum speed (km/h) 210
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 7.8
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 17.4/9.1
Price in Moscow 55 900 ($ 68 200)

Land Rover Freelander
Gasoline engine V6
Working volume (cubic cub) 2497
Power (L.S. at rpm) 177 at 6250
Moment (nm at rpm) 240 at 4000
The drive is complete
Gearbox 5-speed automatic
Length/width/height (mm) 4459/1809/1708
Wheel base (mm) 2557
Equipped mass (kg) 1562
Maximum speed (km/h) 182
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 7.8
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 17.2/9.7
Price in Moscow (price of tested vehicles) $ 37,900

 

Source: "Autopilot"