THE NEW LAND ROVER FREELANDER SHOULD BE A SUCCESS
Moose Factory, Ont. If you had the opportunity to read the other text on the Little Bear Expedition (in which I was lucky enough to participate) you will notice that the emphasis was put on a new smaller sport-utility vehicle built by Land Rover, the Freelander.
This compact SUV is new to North Americans but it has been on the European market since 1998 and has known an unprecedented success. Why it was not aimed at our market at first was mostly because of production capacities. But now, the new Solihull plant in England is able to supply the demand and the small car should be sold very soon in Canada and the USA. Note that Ford has bought out Land Rover from BMW last year and that should accelerate the process.
Faithful Land Rover aficionados might shiver at the thought that the new Freelander is not based on a truck frame but on a monocoque chassis but they should not fear. Much engineering was involved in the Freelander and if you look underneath, you will see that the platform has some kind of an integrated frame to it. But what's this? A front-wheel driven Land Rover? In part, yes! You see, Land Rover noticed that the compact SUV market was booming especially with vehicles like the Japanese Toyota RAV4's and Honda CR-V's. And most of them concentrate their driving power to the front wheels first. Then, recently came the Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute duo that is taking America (and other parts of the world) by storm. But these small SUV's did not yet cover nor the high luxury market or the real off-road end of it. That is what prompted the British manufacturer to develop such a vehicle and, at the same time, attract a newer clientele who would like to own a Land Rover but did not have the means of paying the high prices of a Range Rover or even the medium price range of the Discovery.
Moose Factory, Ont. If you had the opportunity to read the other text on the Little Bear Expedition (in which I was lucky enough to participate) you will notice that the emphasis was put on a new smaller sport-utility vehicle built by Land Rover, the Freelander.
This compact SUV is new to North Americans but it has been on the European market since 1998 and has known an unprecedented success. Why it was not aimed at our market at first was mostly because of production capacities. But now, the new Solihull plant in England is able to supply the demand and the small car should be sold very soon in Canada and the USA. Note that Ford has bought out Land Rover from BMW last year and that should accelerate the process.
Faithful Land Rover aficionados might shiver at the thought that the new Freelander is not based on a truck frame but on a monocoque chassis but they should not fear. Much engineering was involved in the Freelander and if you look underneath, you will see that the platform has some kind of an integrated frame to it. But what's this? A front-wheel driven Land Rover? In part, yes! You see, Land Rover noticed that the compact SUV market was booming especially with vehicles like the Japanese Toyota RAV4's and Honda CR-V's. And most of them concentrate their driving power to the front wheels first. Then, recently came the Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute duo that is taking America (and other parts of the world) by storm. But these small SUV's did not yet cover nor the high luxury market or the real off-road end of it. That is what prompted the British manufacturer to develop such a vehicle and, at the same time, attract a newer clientele who would like to own a Land Rover but did not have the means of paying the high prices of a Range Rover or even the medium price range of the Discovery.