Land Rover Freelander gets bigger

The Land Rover Freelander was rumored to grow bigger to make way for 2 extra seats from the conventional 5 seats. The rumor has been speculating in the car industry for 6 years now. Company bosses are saying there will be no such vehicle but AutoExpress UK claim its heading for production.

The new SUV could be badged as the " Freelander MPV". If this is all true the "MPV SUV" could be available with the following trim levels; XS, SE and HSE. As with the bigger, seven-seat Discovery, it is unlikely that entry-level Freelanders, badged either S or GS, would come with the additional accommodation. Instead, the extra chairs are likely to be reserved for flagship SE and HSE models.

Despite Land Rover being a premium brand the new SUV could rival aganist the Chevrolet Captiva, Peugeot 4007, Citroen C-Crosser and Mitsubishi Outlander.

Measuring 4,500mm, the Freelander is only 45mm shorter than the Peugeot and, thanks to its long wheelbase, the boot has 1,670 litres of space – easily enough to accommodate the extra chairs. The load area may need to be remodelled to ensure the new seating provides sufficient legroom. However, what is less clear is exactly what specification the seven-seater model will be offered in, or whether the arrangement will simply be supplied as an optional extra.

At present, a total of nine different versions of the Free­lander are available, powered by a choice of just two engines: a 2.2-litre diesel and a 3.2-litre six-cylinder petrol.