Although**Land Rover and Chery are due to announce the launch of the first model from their new Freelander brand in the next week, it has been largely revealed thanks to surreptitiously taken photos taken after official crash testing. ** **
These images were published on the Carspyshots.net Facebook page, and seem to be captured following C-NCAP crash testing.
Although the test tests are partially disguised (one more so than the other) Freelander prototypes, we can see many aspects of the final design of this car based on the first-generation Land Rover Freelancer.
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As well as revealing the original’s silhouette, the new Freelander also has relatively flat sides with a prominent round shoulder line and circular black plastic wheel-arch protectors.
Those units fitted to the facelifted first-generation Freelander are squared-off versions of the headlights, which up front is a square cut on the heads. Brand’s logo is boldly positioned between the headlights, and on the tailgate.
Although the cars pictured here are five-door models, the design of the side windows aft of rear doors split by an apparent angle wall is similar to the original three- door variants.
The dashboard features a massive infotainment touchscreen in the middle, underneath which, thankfully, is a row of physical buttons.
The space between dash meets the base of windscreen, and wraps around bottom A-pillars is surrounded by a glossy black element that filling the space where the Dash meet with the backdrop. It presumably houses the instrumentation display, and possibly other screens as well.
The new Freelander carries a Chery platform, and is likely to be based on plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), pure electric car (EV) and an extended-range electric vehicle(EREV).
First-gen Land Rover Freelander
Launched in 1997, the original Land Rover Freelander took the brand into the segment created by the Toyota RAV4 a few years earlier. Like the Toyota, the Freelander had a car-like unibody structure, transversely mounted engine, and all-wheel drive.
Freelander was a runaway success thanks to its boxy style, high seating position, spacious interior and more off-road power than most owners ever thought of using.
A second generation based on a Ford platform, and available with Volvo’s 3.2-litre straight-six, went into production in 2006. After its demise in 2014, the Freelander was replaced by the Land Rover Discovery Sport.
In 2024 Jaguar Land Rover and Chery confirmed they were reviving the Freelander name for a new standalone SUV brand to be built in China.
It will be the first Freelander model to be announced next week, and is likely to sell for a few months this year in China. Chery has indicated that it is keen on extending the brand’s footprint abroad.
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