Road test: Land Rover Freelander 2.2 HSE TD4

Search: More on the Land Rover Freelander

All-new replacement for the UK's best-selling 4x4, the new Freelander is bigger with prices to match. But will it tempt buyers away from the Honda CR-V and Nissan X-Trial?

Price: 2.2 TD4 HSE, (without options) £30,690
On sale: Now
0-62mph: 10.9 seconds; top speed 112mph
Average fuel: 37.2 mpg
Standard equipment: alloy wheels, cruise control, electric sunroof, climate control, remote central locking, electronic stability control, driver, passenger and side airbags, power windows, CD autochanger, satellite navigation, power seat adjustment, leather trim and parking sensors.

Tiscali verdict: 8/10 Finally the Freelander badge is worthy of the Land Rover name. It's not a cheap option, but is satisfying to drive on and off-road.

It might look like a neatly face-lifted Freelander MK1, but be in no doubt that the latest car is all new and no significant part is carried over. Larger, better-built and with prices peaking at well over £30,000, the new Freelander jumps a class straight into BMW X3 territory. Why, you may ask? Well, the US is a key market for the new car and some of the Americans simply couldn't fit in the old model. But what you really want to know is whether the new car has overcome the old cars reputation for poor durability. After a week and over 600 miles at the wheel, I know the answer.

The Freelander looks really every bit the baby Land Rover, with classic styling cues including the clam-shell bonnet. Worthy of particular mention are the distinctive front headlight units and the bold front grille with the Land Rover badge - it's a surprisingly small badge considering the size of the grille. The styling is all-new, but it's a familiar look and you couldn't mistake the Freelander for any rival. Other design highlights from the side include the Freelander's roof line which rises Discovery style towards the back of the car and the deeper rear windows. At the back, there are distinctive rear light clusters, plus, the tailgate now opens like a conventional estate car instead of sideways, but the rear window doesn't open separately. The shape works better with some colours than others. Our test car looked really sharp in the metallic orange finish.