Freelander: the car that made Land Rover what it is today

A quarter of a century ago, Land Rover launched a model that would transform perceptions of what was by then a nearly 50-year-old brand. That car was the Freelander; to this day, its influence on Land Rover has been immense, even though the name no longer exists. It was a right-time, right-place car that tapped into a sector for off-road-styled leisure vehicles that was destined for supersonic growth, taking its parent company from being the darling of farmers and muddy-boot city dwellers right into the heartland of suburbia.

Which is why we’ve gathered at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon (next door to Land Rover’s HQ) to sample a very original example of the original Freelander. We also have BMM’s own Freelander 2 and a current Discovery Sport (“Freelander 3” by another name) for a legacy snapshot, to show how the model has evolved over 25 years. The big question is, however, had it not been for Freelander, would Land Rover even exist today?

Dick Elsy, who led the original Freelander programme, explains why an all-new model was so important. “In the late 1980s, it became more obvious that there was a blank space in the Land Rover product plan about three years ahead. So we set ourselves the rather ambitious target of plugging that gap with the definitive leisure four-wheel drive vehicle.”

The original idea was to create a more car-like replacement for the long-running Defender but, perhaps revealing an early grasp of environmental challenges, a lightweight and more C02-efficient vehicle was chosen instead. The clever part was making sure that it retained all the attributes (especially off-road ability) of a traditional Land Rover, yet at a price that would capture a whole new audience.

And while the market had yet to catch on to the compact sport-utility vehicle (SUV), there were already rumblings from Japan about a new model from Toyota called the RAV4 that fulfilled a similar role.

To meet the basics of the brief, Elsy and his team had to ditch some long-held Land Rover staples. Out went the old-fashioned separate ladder chassis, replaced by a car-like monocoque body. The car’s suspension was all-independent, meaning a reduction in extreme articulation if you were off-roading in the Andes, but more suitable as a compromise for owners who would rarely venture off the Tarmac. And lastly, a more space-efficient transverse engine installation, to keep overall dimensions compact.

When the first prototype was built (known as Cyclone, “…because it went down a storm with management”, quips Elsy), British Aerospace, then owner of the Rover Group, which included Land Rover, gave its full support to the project. However, it baulked at its £450 million budget, and in 1993 tasked Elsy with finding a partner to share costs.

Honda was approached, as were Magna Steyr and Karmann, before the contract went to Finnish company Valmet, which was to produce all three-door cars. But the deal was rapidly ditched when, in February 1994, BMW bought the Rover Group. “BMW was so impressed and declared the project a ‘no-brainer’,” says Elsy. “They also saw it as a great way to show its rapid influence on Land Rover. So, far from being a brutal takeover, the buy-out was a dream ticket, with BMW driving a better design, as well as superior levels of fit, finish and refinement.”

It wasn’t until later in 1994 that BMW took on full responsibility for the programme and development intensified. To test the car’s new all-wheel-drive system, 22 prototype “mules” were built in 1995-96, clothed with Austin Maestro van bodies. Dubbed the “Mad Max” series, due to their implausible turn of speed, not only did they prove various systems’ durability, but also shattered any misconceptions among Land Rover’s old guard that the new car packed anything less than a punch when it came to strenuous off-road use.

And the key to the exceptional off-road ability of the prototypes (and later production Freelanders) was a clever adaptation of its existing four-wheel anti-lock braking system (ABS), which reached production as Hill Descent Control. The electronic traction control applied a braking force to any wheel losing traction, while diverting torque to the opposite side. Combined with a torque transfer system that worked side-to-side and front-to-rear, it allowed the Freelander to lead its rivals off-road. “And the high jinks that we were getting up to proved its off-road capability way beyond what a typical customer would put it through,” says Elsy.

In September 1997, the Freelander was finally unveiled to the public. Designed by a team led by Gerry McGovern (a company stalwart, who is now Jaguar Land Rover’s chief creative officer), the Freelander immediately took aim at the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V market, while trading heavily on its Land Rover roots. Compact, but space-efficient (it was almost as roomy as the original Range Rover) with an airy, modern and practical interior, it ticked all the right lifestyle boxes – without compromising its four-wheel drive capability and heritage.

Two body styles were available from launch, both based on the same basic platform. The entry-level model had two doors and a tailgate, with the choice of either a softback rear (essentially a canvas tilt) or a hardback, estate car-like fitting. The five-door Station Wagon completed the range, which, with the Freelander’s engine choices (a 1.8-litre petrol with 118bhp and a 2.0-litre direct-injection diesel producing 96bhp), provided 12 derivatives in all.

First reactions came from the world’s press as the Freelander took its bow at the global media launch near Marbella, Spain. “We were out there for five weeks,” recalls former Rover Group PR chief Denis Chick. “Each group of journalists drove their Freelanders straight out of the hotel, on to a beach and across a dry river bed, giving them the chance to use the car’s Hill Descent Control and new four-wheel-drive system. The off-road course was cleverly designed to appear far more tricky than it actually was, and the reception we received from everyone was excellent.”

Even today, 25 years on, you understand why the Freelander caused such a stir. Our test car is the 43rd pre-production vehicle built and the very one that was used in many high-profile group tests in the specialist motoring press. Ron Brown, an ex-Land Rover man himself, has owned this Freelander since 2016 and, other than the slightly oversized off-roading tyres, it remains gratifyingly standard.

Everything about this early Freelander feels dinky by comparison with any modern SUV. But its Tonka toy chunkiness, inside and out, endears it immediately. You sit in a very car-like driving position, looking forward over a low dashboard, on top of which is perched a funky-looking instrument pod/cluster. Visibility is great, and as we take to the gnarled country roads west of Gaydon, even with little more than 100bhp, its petrol engine feels peppy and willing enough to haul the Freelander’s 1,401kg mass along at a fair lick. Sure, there’s slightly more body roll than you’d expect in a modern car, and the gearshift is on the rubbery side of pleasant, but for a 25-year-old this Freelander easily holds its own in the cut and thrust of today’s roads.

Returning to our legacy line-up at Gaydon once more, it’s interesting to note that each car in this trio was developed under different parent companies: BMW (Freelander 1), Ford (Freelander 2) and Tata (Discovery Sport). And while diesel power dominated Freelander 2 sales in the UK and Europe, we’ve come full circle, with petrol engines once again making up half the Discovery Sport’s engine range. Of course, this being 2022, the current car is a plug-in hybrid which, in P300e form, means a combined 305bhp – almost three times that of the original Freelander 1.

But that’s the kind of progress seen across many sectors, marques and models today. What set the Freelander apart was its ability to create all-new horizons for Land Rover that, in terms of sales percentage increases, have not been matched by its other models before or since. “What made it so appealing was that it had this car-like feel, but combined with more than enough Land Rover capability,” says Elsy. “It was also such a radical departure from other products in the range that there was no risk of taking their sales.”

In the end, the Freelander was responsible for up to an 80 per cent increase in sales from its first full year on the market, raising global Land Rover production from about 100,000 to typically 170,000-180,000 annually. In one fell swoop, Land Rover had struck gold. But as Elsy concludes: “It wasn’t just about the product. The Freelander changed the business. It was the way in which the younger team managing its development collectively made a commitment to use it as a vehicle for change across the company.” And that it did.

The evolution of a compact SUV sensation

Land Rover Freelander 2 (left)

Made from 2006 to 2015. Ford had taken over Land Rover from BMW in 2000; the second Freelander had a Ford platform (also used on Volvo’s XC60) and engines.

Land Rover Freelander 1 (centre)

An all-new design produced from 1997 to 2006 with development commencing under BMW, which owned the British four-wheel drive specialist from 1994-2000. 

Discovery sport (‘Freelander 3’) (right)

Replaced the second-gen car, but the Freelander name was discontinued. It has been made since 2014 under Tata, which acquired Land Rover and Jaguar in 2008.

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