No matter which ground clearance numbers you care to trust both will walk right over the Freelander. Its mere 186 mm (7.3 in) of ground clearance makes the little Land Rover less capable of scaling protruding rocks or wading through deep puddles. Advantage = Jeep. The smallest Land Rover uses a sophisticated permanent all-wheel drive system with traction control and Hill Descent Control. The Jeep gives you the option of Command-Trac part-time 4WD or available Selec-Trac part-time/full-time 4WD. The Jeeps 4WD systems are more similar to Land Rover's Discovery than the Freelander, and more suitable to serious off-road duty. Advantage = Jeep.
On pavement both vehicles react well to steering input, with a slight edge going to the Freelander when called upon to perform a panic lane change. That said at slow speeds, like navigating a parking garage, the Land Rover's steering is heavy and cumbersome. The Jeep on the other hand has the option of 2WD and an incredibly tight 10.9 m (35.9 ft) turning circle making both parking maneuvers and turning around on a narrow logging road a breeze. Advantage = toss up.
Of course the upscale Freelander is nicer inside right, with better quality materials and more luxurious features? You would think it should be but quite the opposite is true. For instance the Land Rover's interior is not put together well at all. Irritating rattles and buzzes combined with poorly fitting, low quality plastics make the Jeep seem like a Mercedes-Benz. Of course there's more to that comparison than mere namedropping. The three-pointed star team now owns the Jeep brand and is responsible for improvements at every level, making the Jeep for all points and purposes the class of its compact SUV field. Better than average quality plastics mix with sensational metallic interior trim with no unsightly gaps. Buzzes and rattles are non-existent, even when bashing through the wild green yonder.
On pavement both vehicles react well to steering input, with a slight edge going to the Freelander when called upon to perform a panic lane change. That said at slow speeds, like navigating a parking garage, the Land Rover's steering is heavy and cumbersome. The Jeep on the other hand has the option of 2WD and an incredibly tight 10.9 m (35.9 ft) turning circle making both parking maneuvers and turning around on a narrow logging road a breeze. Advantage = toss up.
Of course the upscale Freelander is nicer inside right, with better quality materials and more luxurious features? You would think it should be but quite the opposite is true. For instance the Land Rover's interior is not put together well at all. Irritating rattles and buzzes combined with poorly fitting, low quality plastics make the Jeep seem like a Mercedes-Benz. Of course there's more to that comparison than mere namedropping. The three-pointed star team now owns the Jeep brand and is responsible for improvements at every level, making the Jeep for all points and purposes the class of its compact SUV field. Better than average quality plastics mix with sensational metallic interior trim with no unsightly gaps. Buzzes and rattles are non-existent, even when bashing through the wild green yonder.