Rangie gets diesel upgrade, next Freelander outed
Newswheel staff :: 25 May 2006 :: Filed under SUV, Land Rover, Land Rover Freelander / LR2, Land Rover Range Rover, Europe & UK, US
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Lovely, lovely Land Rovers
With just 174bhp on tap and a colossal kerb weight of 2,570kg, the best you can say about the Range Rover TD6’s performance is that it accumulates speed in graceful manner. A typically effortless turbodiesel performer it most certainly ain’t. A warm welcome, therefore, to the TDV8, brand new V8 oil burning lump for the good old Rangie. Power is up by a fulsome 54 per cent, while torque leaps by an even more staggering 64 per cent over the outgoing six-cylinder TD6 engine. Meanwhile, images of the new Freelander are circulating on the internet, courtesy of a leaked brochure…
At last, decent diesel performance for the third-gen Range Rover
Part of the same diesel engine family that was co-developed by Ford with PSA Peugeot Citroen and sired the widely praised V6 found in the Jaguar XJ and Land Rover Discovery, the new turbodiesel V8 packs 272bhp and a thumping 472lb/ft. Performance compared with the stately slug that was the TD6 is utterly transformed. The mad dash to 60 drops from 12.7 sec to just 8.5 sec, while the top speed climbs from 111mph to a much more respectable 124mph.
Twin turbos help the new 3.6-litre diesel bent-eight spool up 272bhp and 472lb/ft
Fuel economy remains more or less unchanged at around 25mpg for the combined cycle. However, it’s worth noting that the new engine is essentially an all-new unit rather than a development of the recently-released Ford/PSA V6, as the engine’s 90 degree cylinder bank angle indicates. The V6 is a 60 degree design. Noise suppression and refinement are said to rival the Range Rover’s petrol V8.
Elsewhere, various detail improvements have been made to the new 2007 model year Rangie, including a new noise-reducing acoustic laminated windscreen, upgraded door trims, a tweaked version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response off-road traction control system and a new six-speed auto box supplied by ZF. We’ll update with prices and on-sale dates as soon as they are released.
But what of the new Freelander, to be known as the LR2 in the US? Well, these leaked brochure images at least prove that the new model is evolutionary rather than revolutionary in terms of styling. The new entry-level Land Rover is expected to debut at the British Motor Show which runs from 20th to 30th July at London’s ExCeL exhibition centre in Docklands. Over and out.
Those brochure shots in full:
Linkage:
Carspyshots Freelander forum thread
Posted 14 December 2006, by Oladele T Ayodele.
Men i love this jeeps,they are the best, i wish i could have one of these,this is my dream jeep.
I love to drive especialy for sports but i dont have the real opportunity if not i will beat shumaka's record,i wish i could drive one of these.