Land Rover has got freelancers absolutely spot on, but despite all the wizardry this is not a real off roader in the Sol hull mould, it’s not the lack of a real chassis or real axles that’s the problem. It’s the fact that for 50 years, Land Rover has been getting the basics so right. The Land Rover’s bid idea is hill descent control, which takes the place of a low box by using the anti lock to limit your speed on slopes. But a low box on traditional 4x4s also provides a set of crawler gears. The Free Lander has no answer to this. It will plough on in shallow mud, but show it some real off roading and you’ll chocking on clutch fumes for the next five minutes.
Neither engine is strong enough to pick up under load from low speed nor won’t all the electronic tricks in the world change that. Wet grass has it in trouble, due to the standard 195/80 R15 Tyre smooth tread, but the big problem is ground clearance. Obstacles you’d straddle without noticing a without noticing in a mild off roader, like a Mitsubishi shogun, hit the Free Lander bash plate with a grinding noise that bring tears to your eyes. All around independent suspension with tiny travel means it’s not equipped to lift itself over anything big. Compare the free lander with the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR_V and it doesn’t come off badly. But so many Land Rover badges all over it.
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