Newswheel @ the British Motor Show: Show intro & Freelander 2
Newswheel staff :: 18 July 2006 :: Filed under SUV, Land Rover, Land Rover Freelander / LR2, Europe & UK, Trade shows,
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The good, the bad and the plain old fugly
Rejoice ye poor, neglected Brits. For you now have a motor show that’s none too shabby. The British Motor Show kicked off at the ExCel centre in London’s Docklands today and Newswheel was there to snag a few snaps and generally take in the sights and sounds…
The upside of the show’s move to the ExCel centre is a modern, relatively compact venue that’s a doddle to navigate and has decent public transport links (Jubilee line to Canning Town, then DLR to Custom House is the best route). Of course, this is no sprawling monstrosity, à la Frankfurt. And the absence of the likes of Porsche, Audi, Fiat and several other top-rung brands is admittedly a bit of a bummer. What’s more, one of the two main halls had a distinct fill-space feel thanks a number of Sunday Times-sponsored stands replete with a range of supercars from recent years.
Supercars brought to you by the Sunday Time’s motoring correspondent Phil Space
It was fun to see some old favourites like the McLaren F1 parked up next to a modern classics such as the Ford GT. But most punters would probably prefer to have some quality face time with Ferrari’s full range (another manufacturer not present) or try a 911 GT3 for size. Still, the show must go on…
Land Rover Freelander 2
The biggest noise at this year’s show is surely Land Rover’s second generation Freelander. We’ve already covered the tech specs of LR’s newest entry-level family SUV elsewhere, so we’ll stick to show floor impressions. In the metal, Freelander 2 is certainly slick and contemporary and has a strong Land Rover family feel. But it’s also a little close to the outgoing model for comfort and lacks the clean-surfaced, deftly executed form-follows-function vibe of the latest Discovery. If it doesn’t date uncomfortably quickly, we’ll be surprised.
Flick those fingers for high res images:
Moving inside, Freelander The Second makes a good first impression thanks to a smattering of soft touch plastics, meaty-looking internal door cards, the understated but elegant design of the main dash assembly and the light and airy colours chosen for the show car. However, closer inspection reveals occasionally hard and cheap feeling fittings and a number of faux materials that cheapen the overall effect.
Regarding the latter, the worst offender is the rather repellent fake pale wood trim which is of such poor quality that it’s actually possible to make out the underlying printing process. Slices of rather feeble silver-painted, alloy-aping plastic also abound. Yuck. If that seems a little harsh, may we remind you that Audi manages to achieve extremely consistent interior quality across its entire range. It can be done.
We don’t doubt the Freelander 2 will very likely be an extremely effective tool – and a huge advance on its predecessor. But it’s much cheaper than either the Discovery or Range Rover. And it shows.
Posted 16 January 2007, by John.L
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