The Freelander, due Stateside in the fall, is scheduled to arrive just as the economic miracle that is Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan has gone into full hiccup mode. Land Rover's take on the mini-SUV is expected to more than double the company's sales. Land Rover deemed a V6 engine necessary for North American success, so all Freelanders get one. Beyond that, even the base version comes well equipped with luxury amenities and high-tech gadgets, including a Sportshift automanual transmission. Upscale SE trim adds leather, power sunroof, remote audio controls, roof rails and 17-inch alloy wheels.
All models get antilock brakes and front airbags.
The Freelander is a typically luxurious Land Rover then, even if it is missing power seats and conspicuously absent side airbags. Though North American interior colors and details are yet to be finalized, our Euro-spec test unit did reveal some typical Land Rover traits. The instrument cluster is housed in a raised binnacle that literally stands out from the rest of the dashboard. There's plenty of legroom fore and aft, but, as with other Land Rovers, the rear door opening is relatively small, and access to the rear seats not as easy as it should be. Some test units were oddly colored inside, but versions bound for America will get a monochromatic cabin treatment in either black or gray.