Midlife makeover for Landy range's baby

It may be the end of the year but car manufacturers seem to be churning out new models faster than travel agents can print airline tickets.

Just the other day I was shaking hands with the new Renault Sandero Stepway and this week I found myself charging around the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in the freshly facelifted Land Rover Freelander 2.

Benefitting from a host of styling and drivetrain tweaks, I was introduced to the hip new baby Landy at Durban's King Shaka Airport where I immediately got a chance to familiarise myself with its far more attractive sheet metal.

Tugging it in line with the rest of the Land Rover range, the design team have upped the Freelander's game face with a muscular two-bar grille and a deeper, almost Discovery-like front bumper assembly that gives it an extra fistful of ocular menace.

Complemented by a brooding set of halogen projector headlights, further evidence of the surgeon's scalpel can be found in a new line-up of swish alloy wheels (both 18- and 19-inch are available) and some rather dapper rear tail lamps that feature both clear inner lenses and a black plastic surround.

This may not sound like a lot but mixed in with a few extra swathes of bodily colour-coding, the refreshed Freelander 2 can now hold its own when in the company of its bigger, more aspirational brothers.

Anyway, after strapping into the driver's seat and heading out in the direction of the Karkloof Forest for an adrenalin-fueled canopy tour, it was time to sample all that added brawn lurking under this Landy's bonnet.

Though the line-up retains the familiar petrol-powered inline 6 in the i6 model, the big news here is that both the TD4 and SD4 diesel derivatives come loaded with a little more muscle thanks to some brand new variable geometry turbochargers. I spent the day in the aforementioned SD4 and, blessed with 140kW (that's 20kW up on the old version) it did a fine job at blasting me along the country roads and muddy gravel service tracks. Sure there's a little turbo lag below 2200rpm but once the tachometer starts a-swinging and that relatively smooth CommandShift automatic gearbox swaps a few cogs, progress is a swift and effortless affair. Being 2dB quieter the new engine also scores big in the refinement department, while promising 14% less Co2 emissions and a more frugal combined cycle fuel economy figure of 7l/100km.

Great to look at and fine to drive, the piece to finish off the new Freelander 2 puzzle is that revised interior. Perhaps the subtlest ingredient making up the final mix, my time spent behind the wheel of the SD4 HSE introduced my eyeballs to classy add-ons like full-electric Napoli leather seats; revised fascia finishers and a cool new instrument pack.

To be honest the centre console is still a rather messy sprawl of switchgear buttons but factoring in that you get features like touch-screen satellite navigation; an Alpine sound system; a panoramic sunroof; a full size spare wheel and Land Rover's brilliant Terrain Response System all thrown in for the list price, it's definitely something you can live with.

Some of its rivals may be somewhat stingy in the extras department but the kind-hearted Freelander 2 knows how to reward your capital outlay.

With this in mind Land Rover's entry-level 4x4 definitely makes a strong case for itself if you're fishing for something in the premium SUV pond. Undeniably attractive from a Rand-for-Rand value proposition and now every bit as tasty as the rest of the range in terms of aesthetics, the reloaded Freelander 2 gets both my thumbs raised in approval.

The Fax

• Engine: 2179cc four-cylinder turbodiesel
• Power: 140kW @ 4000rpm
• Torque: 420Nm @ 1750rpm
• 0-100km/h: 9.5-seconds (claimed)
• Top Speed: 190km/h (claimed)
• Fuel Consumption: 7.0l/100km (claimed)
• CO2: 185g/km
• Price: R489 995

We like:

• Sharp new metal
• Improved refinement
• Capable on and off-road

We don't like:

• Light, artificial steering
• Turbo lag at very low revs
• No USB integration