Tråd: Er Dette den Bedste 2×4xFar?

Land Rover og Range Rover aficionados vil erkende, at jeg har lidt mangled mærker den bedste 4 × 4xFar tag-linje, og med god grund.

Ive har lige brugt en uge kører en Freelander 2 eD4, en front - hjul drev udgave af den kompakte SUV med stop-start. OK, dette var en UK spec diesel med seks-speed manual, men jeg må sige jeg grundigt nydt at køre bil.

Det var glat, havde en god tur, og for en bil med et højt tyngdepunkt behandlet med drejninger af min lokale landeveje med aplomb. OK, så interiøret kunne blive begyndelsen til at se lidt dateret, men jeg kan faktisk godt lide dens kendsgerning robusthed og no nonsense tilgang til design.

Ulemper? Nå, selvfølgelig er det off-road evner, i forhold til all-wheel drive version, er stærkt begrænset. Venturing på tværs af naboer stejle felt, der hurtigt viste sig at være for besværlig for de forreste dæk, der hurtigt fyldt op med salvelsesfuld mudder, men det ville have været den samme for alle faux off-roader. En længere køre på bakken kunne have hjulpet, men jeg formoder, at det ikke af meget.

Dette er muligvis den første forhjulstræk bil i det Land Rover produkt line-up, men det vil blive inddraget senere i år med en to-wheel drive Range Rover Evoque.

I betragtning af at Land Rover og Range Rover mærker vokser fra hinanden – med den sidstnævnte tager på en mere luksuriøs og raffineret rolle- og Land Rover bevarer marques originale kappe som ingen vrøvl arbejde heste, omend sofistikeret dem, derefter Freelander 2 eD4 hints på hvad en front - hjul drev Evoque kan udføre ligesom, men med en endnu mere sofistikeret ride og atmosfære , kombineret med mere sportslige ydeevne takket være sin lavere Center af grovhed og en mindre indlysende kommando kørsel holdning.

Selvfølgelig går to-wheel drive med start / stop-hjælper Land Rover stabil reducere sin CO2-niveauer, og der vil være masser af kunder til Freelanders og Evoques, hvis idéen om off-roading er ridning kantsten ved parkering: kan du forestille dig at style fashionista, Victoria Beckham, der fumler rundt med Terræn Svar? Nah, hverken kan I.

Land Rover and Range Rover aficionados will recognize that I have slightly mangled the brands The best 4×4xFar tag line, and with good reason.

Ive just spent a week driving a Freelander 2 eD4, a front-wheel drive version of the compact SUV with stop-start. OK, this was a UK spec diesel with six-speed manual, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed driving the car.

It was smooth, had a good ride and for a car with a high center of gravity dealt with the twists and turns of my local country roads with aplomb. OK, so the interior might be beginning to look a little dated but I actually like its matter of fact robustness and no nonsense approach to design.

Drawbacks? Well, of course its off-road ability, compared to the all-wheel drive version, is severely limited. Venturing across a neighbors steep field quickly proved too arduous for the front tires which rapidly clogged up with unctuous mud, but that would have been the same for any faux off-roader. A longer run at the hill might have helped but, I suspect, not by much.

This might be the first front-wheel drive car in the Land Rover product line-up, but it will be joined later this year by a two-wheel drive Range Rover Evoque.

Given that the Land Rover and Range Rover brands are growing apart – with the latter taking on a more luxurious and refined role – and Land Rover retaining the marques original mantle as no nonsense work horses, albeit sophisticated ones, then the Freelander 2 eD4 hints at what a front-wheel drive Evoque might perform like but with an even more sophisticated ride and ambience, combined with more sporting performance thanks to its lower centre of gravity and a less obvious command driving position.

Of course going two-wheel drive with stop-start helps the Land Rover stable reduce its CO2 levels and there will be plenty of customers for Freelanders and Evoques whose idea of off-roading is riding the curbs when parking: can you imagine style fashionista Victoria Beckham fumbling around with Terrain Response? Nah, neither can I.