Land Rover to Redesign Freelander for 2007

Next-Gen Freelander to Spin-Off Compact Volvo SUV

The 2005 Land Rover Freelander, a carryover model from last year's heavily updated version, is arriving in showrooms at this moment,

While the 2005 Freelander is just arriving in dealerships, Land Rover is already hard at work designing the next version. (Photo: Land Rover)

but back at home in England and across Europe, Land Rover's engineers are hard at work testing and developing the next generation of the compact off-roader.

Though the Freelander is a recent entry to the North American market, it has been a member of the Land Rover family for nearly eight years. It was a huge step forward for the brand, bringing Land Rover and its values to the masses at a reasonably affordable price.

For Land Rover, the Freelander came at the right time - in Europe, at least. The compact SUV market was beginning to boom with the

While a recent entry to the North American market, the Freelander has been a member of the Land Rover family for nearly eight years. (Photo: Land Rover)

incredibly popular Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV-4. The Freelander would be the company's opportunity to plug the holes in its model range, which at that time consisted of two extremes in the off-roader market - the utilitarian Defender and the ultra-posh Range Rover, with the ancient, boxy Discovery sitting in between.

On paper, the Freelander was perfect. It had a moderately powerful series of gasoline and diesel engines, topped by the 177-horsepower 2.5L Rover V6, and was available in a practical five-door wagon, or a fun three-door model with removable hard top.