LAND ROVER UPDATES FREELANDER 2

The Land Rover Freelander 2 is now more premium than before, thanks to a few changes made by its maker. Pegged as the entry-level premium Landy, Freelander is essentially playing in the same space as the likes of Audi Q5, BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLK. But as a Landy, the company will tell you it can even go where these four can’t.

Nevertheless, you now have a more plush Freelander, good news for consumers as the car has often been criticised for being a little less lux than its rivals. Equipment installed include a brand new centre console with a 17.7cm colour touch screen with an option of satellite navigation, as well as a standard Meridian sound system. The 11-speaker, 380W standard Meridian supports inputs from CD, DVD, iPod, USB and Bluetooth, so you can pretty much play your music from any device you have, except maybe Microft Zune. Yes, they did sell about 5 in Mzansi. The three interior colours one can choose from are Ebony, Ivory or Pimento.

A new electromagnetic parking handbrake has been introduced in line with bigger siblings’ like the Discovery 4 and Range Rover. For those of us who bought cheap licences, a rear view parking camera was installed, which it should help decrease the amount of rear bumper scratches.

In terms of exterior, minor changes include new 17-inch alloy wheels for the XS model, three new paint colours, LED technology on the lights, and a body styling pack. All these details, including standard and optional equipment as well as the engine range, will be confirmed once the car is finalised for South Africa.