UK Insurer Parts the Most Unreliable and Costly Car to Fix

In an article on a BMW-faced Honda Accord we found for sale on Craigslist back in 2008, we wrote that in a perfect world, our ultimate car would be “designed by Italians, engineered by Germans, built by Japanese and marketed by Americans”.
So, what’s the worst car one could imagine? Well, if we played around with the above statements, we’d say one designed by Japanese, engineered by Americans, built by Italians and marketed by Germans.
But UK insurance firm Warranty Direct had something a little bit different in mind. Instead of playing the origin card, the company decided to check out its database of 50,000 live policies on cars aged five years on average to part the UK’s most unreliable vehicle that would break down every other month and cost an average of £2,050 (equal to US$3,270 - €2,330) to fix each year.
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Land Rover Produces the 100,000th Freelander 2

Employees at Land Rover’s Halewood Operations on Merseyside are celebrating the production of the 100,000th Land Rover Freelander 2. The milestone vehicle has been built 17 months after Freelander 2 production started at Halewood. The 100,000th car, a Rimini Red 2.2 Diesel Auto, is now en route to a customer in the city of Surgut, located on Russia's Central Siberian Plateau.
Thomas Klein, Operations Director at Halewood said: "The 100,000th Freelander is an important milestone for the plant – Freelander 2 helped Land Rover achieve its best ever sales year in 2007 and has won several major awards in its first 12 months in the market place. Freelander is continuing to perform well in traditional Land Rover markets such as the UK but sales in emerging areas like Russia and China are also growing rapidly so it's entirely fitting that this car is destined for a customer in Siberia"
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Land Rover Introduces Commercial Version of Freelander 2

In an attempt to broaden Land Rover’s audience in rural India, Tata has introduced a commercial version of the new Freelander 2 –ok, we’re just kidding… The real deal is that since the launch of the Freelander 2 in November 2006, there has been high demand for a commercial derivative from Land Rover’s customers and dealers. So, the British firm decided to please them by introducing the Freelander 2 Commercial which will make its first public appearance at the Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC, Birmingham from April 15-17.
Compared to the standard version, the Freelander 2 Commercial looses its rear seats and side airbags but it obtains a full-height solid bulkhead with mesh panel, floor support frame, floor panel with lashing points, fixed rear side glass, rubber loadspace mat, tail door and side window guards and rear cargo lighting. –Continued after the jump
There are two available versions, the “S” and “XS”. The latter benefits from Land Rover's Terrain Response system, 17" alloys, powerfold mirrors, a full size spare wheel, front park distance control, part leather trim, automatic climate control and branded ICE. The Freelander 2 Commercial goes on sale in the UK this month and will be priced from £20,775 on the road. As a commercial vehicle, it will benefit from being VAT and Company Car Tax exempt.
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Land Rover Freelander 2 & Range Rover Sport HST Sport Editions

Land Rover is enhancing its UK line-up with the addition of a new 'HST' derivative for the Freelander 2 and Range Rover Sport models. Both HST models feature an aggressive bodykit and sportier trim for the interior.
In particular, the Freelander 2 HST that will be available from £31,990 on the road, features a Sports Styling Pack with front and rear bumper aprons, side sill mouldings and a rear roof spoiler. Other enhancements include 19 inch alloy 10-spoke wheels with shadowchrome finish, leather seat facings, privacy glass and metallic paint. –Continued
The Range Rover Sport HST comes equipped with 20 inch 'Stormer' wheels, rear spoiler, body coloured lower body and tailgate mouldings, electric sunroof, privacy glass and deep sculptured front and rear bumpers with integrated rectangular exhaust tailpipes. The 2008 HST is also equipped with Premium Leather seats as standard. Sports Leather and Leather Alcantara seats are available as a no cost option.
The Range Rover Sport HST is available with either the TDV8 diesel or Supercharged petrol engines from £59,895 on the road.


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Land Rover Freelander 2 By Loder1889

Loder1899, a Bavarian car tuner that specializes in the Ford Group’s European line-up (Aston Martin, Mazda, Ford, Volvo and land Rover) presented a sport package for the new Land Rover Freelander 2. The pack includes a Body-Styling-Kit, consisting of two front-flaps, a front diffuser in aluminium optic, rear-flaps and a roof spoiler along with 20-inch alloy rims in 265/45 rubber. Loder1899 also intervenes with the Freelander 2’s TD4 diesel unit pushing output from 155Hp up to 185Hp. -Details and prices after the jump

Prices list
• Front-flaps varnishable: 252 €
• Front-diffuser in aluminium optic: 169€
• Rear-flaps varnishable: 267€
• Roof-spoiler 225€
• Wheel/tyre combination “special edition” Sins wheel in 20 inch with tyres (265/45R20) from Pirelli or Continental: 3.595€
• Power management (155hp to 185hp): 1158€
• Stainless steel exhaust system: 1268€.
All prices are including 19% VAT.
Via: Motorpasion , Source: Loder1899


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2007 Land Rover Freelander 2 features the world's first automotive application of Dolby Pro Logic II 7.1

Land Rover's new 2007 Freelander 2 is getting some pretty cool or should I say, "icy", attention as its the first car in the world that will be fitted with a Dolby Pro Logic II 7.1 surround sound technology system from Alpine. Up to now, this technology was commonly seen in high-end home cinema and entertainment systems.
Alpine promises to reward Freelander owners with its premium sound system that consists of a new sonorous 440 watt amplifier and a comprehensive 14 speaker system that has been specifically created for the latest Land Rover SUV.
Press Release
What is Dolby Pro Logic II 7.1 technology? It works by processing any stereo (two-channel) audio into seven playback channels of surround sound plus a subwoofer channel for low frequency sounds. By detecting the directional cues that occur naturally in stereo content, Dolby uses these elements to create a surround sound playback experience. The technology has been developed specifically to suit the unique listening environment of a vehicle, enabling all passengers to experience enveloping and exciting audio regardless of their position within the car.
Surround Sound Speakers Technical Overview
Centre Fill: Powered directly by the amplifier, the 2 Ohm, 100mm centre fill provides the surround experience for front occupants. As the name suggests the speaker fills the void between front occupants, enhancing the impression of the concert being played out right in front of you. Responsiveness is assured through the use of lightweight neodymium magnet materials. Lightweight materials at the top of the dashboard have the added advantage of lowering the centre of gravity, significant for an SUV.
Tweeters: Neodymium tweeters are used to increase responsiveness. Ideally located in the front and rear doors the tweeters ensure faithful reproduction of the higher frequencies. Highly specified, the 4 Ohm units are fitted in both the front and rear of the cabin ensuring audio excellence wherever you are seated.
Bass Woofer: For faithful reproduction of lower frequencies, a powerful and substantial bass unit was developed. Fed by separate 40 watt audio channels, these units have the ability to move large volumes of air. With a distinct mid unit in the premium system, the bass unit can be tuned to focus purely on deep, crisp and accurate bass reproduction.
Mid: For more accurate mid range reproduction, the Freelander 2 has new mid range speakers. With most of what we hear being in this range, the performance of this speaker is critical. With rapid response, the mid speaker can perform in harmony with the mid bass and tweeter arrangement.
Subwoofer: The substantial subwoofer is driven by two 40 watt amplifier channels to accurately reproduce the lowest frequencies. A substantial ferrite magnet system is used to move the air that creates not only the sound but the deep feeling. Strong and light, the enclosure has been designed specifically for the Freelander 2 creating an environment that permits Alpine’s audio engineers to tune the system for the best bass response across the range.
Rear Surrounds: For the true surround sound experience, the new Freelander 2 has a further two mid units in the rear of the vehicle. Providing scale and depth to performances, they are ideally suited for concert or live music reproduction.
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2007 Land Rover Freelander 2 - Official

After quite a few leaks on the net over the past weeks, Land Rover finally decided that time was right to officially unveil its 2007 Freelander. Called Freelander 2 in Europe, its Land Rover’s fourth all-new vehicle in just over four years, and follows the new Range Rover (2002), Discovery 3 (2004) and Range Rover Sport (2005).
Technical highlights of the Freelander 2 include two brand-new engines (a 3.2-litre straight-six petrol and a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel) and Land Rover’s unique Terrain Response system that will be standard on all but the entry-level model.

Press Release

New I6 Petrol Engine: The 233 PS (171 kW) i6 petrol engine provides a top speed of 124 mph (200 km/h) and 0-60 mph acceleration in 8.4 seconds (0-100 km/h in 8.9 seconds). Combined fuel economy is 25.2 mpg (11.2 litres/100 km). The engine is matched to a new six-speed automatic transmission, with Land Rover’s CommandShift™ offering manual sequential gear changes when required. There is also a driver-selectable sport mode, for livelier performance.
New TD4 Turbodiesel :The second engine for the Freelander 2 is an all-new 2.2-litre TD4 turbodiesel, which combines great torque and impressive refinement. Maximum power for the new diesel engine is 160 PS (118 kW) up from 112 PS (82 kW) on the outgoing Freelander’s 2.0-litre diesel. Maximum torque is 400 Nm (295 lb ft) – up from 260 Nm (191 lb ft).
Acceleration from 0-60 mph takes 10.9 sec in manual guise, substantially reduced from 13.2 sec for the previous Freelander diesel (0-100 km/h now 11.7 sec, from 14.4 sec). The combined average fuel consumption is 37.7 mpg (7.5 l/100 km), better than the outgoing Freelander diesel despite a 43 per cent increase in power.
An optional catalysed Diesel Particulate Filter (cDPF) is also available for even cleaner performance. Two transmissions are offered: a new six-speed manual gearbox and the same six-speed automatic used on the petrol engine (diesel auto available from spring 2007).
Interior: The interior package of Freelander 2 is a major improvement over the outgoing vehicle. Although only 50 mm longer, the Freelander 2 has more generous head, shoulder and legroom, in both the front and rear. Large glass areas emphasise the spacious feel and complement the elevated ‘command driving’ position – a Land Rover hallmark – and ‘stadium seating’, where rear passengers sit slightly higher than front occupants, for a clearer view of the world outside. Boot space is also among the best in class and 38 per cent larger than that of the outgoing Freelander (with rear seats up – 755 litres vs 546 litres).
Design: The exterior and interior design of Freelander 2 is completely fresh, integrating the company’s unique design language with a form that is instantly recognisable as the latest Land Rover.
"We purposely kept strong cues from the original Freelander, such as the clamshell bonnet, stepped roof and the basic form," says Land Rover design director Geoff Upex. "But the overall look is new and much more contemporary. The design is chiselled, geometric and simple – it looks like it’s hewn from the solid. We have kept a close design relationship with the new Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport, but interpreted the design language to suit the requirements of customers for a more compact 4x4."
Chassis: The body is a five-door monocoque structure, with a high level of torsional rigidity which benefits refinement, comfort and handling on-road as well as ensuring the vehicle is fit for serious off-roading. The suspension is fully independent and uses the most modern stability control systems, including Roll Stability Control (RSC), a new and sophisticated technology that helps mitigate the risk of roll-over.
Technology: Freelander 2 is packed with new technologies to improve both on-road and off-road performance, many new to the class. Land Rover’s unique Terrain Response™ is standard on all but the entry-level model, to make off-roading easier. Other interesting technologies include a new full-time intelligent 4x4 system for superior traction and better on-road fuel economy, and the patented Gradient Release Control, which improves driver confidence and control when releasing the brakes on steep and slippery slopes.
Features: Other features and options rare in this class include: keyless starter button, bi-xenon headlamps, adaptive front lighting, rain-sensing wipers and park distance control (front and rear). A two-part panoramic sunroof increases the cabin’s airiness: air-conditioning is standard on all models and a full colour touch-screen DVD satellite navigation system is also available. The choice of top-level audio systems includes DAB digital radio and 12-speaker Dolby™ Prologic IIx Surround Sound with fibre-optic interconnects. An auxiliary audio connection (for iPods and MP3 players) is standard on all vehicles.
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2007 Land Rover Freelander II Pictures

Just a few weeks after the 2007 Freelander press-kit leaked on the internet (click here: rezza foournito), I found these first official pictures of Land Rover’s new compact SUV.
Planed to debut on the British International Motor Show (18-30 July), the Freelander 2 will be available only as a five door model. According to information I collected, Land Rover’s new SUV will be offered with two engines, Volvo’s new 3.2 straight six that produces 233 Hp and Jaguar’s X-Type’s 160 Hp 2.2 turbo-diesel. The Freelander 3.2 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8,9 sec while combined consumption is 11,2 lt/100 km.

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2007 Land Rover Freelander II

These are the first pictures of the all new 2007 Freelander II. The leaked press kit of Land Rover’s new compact SUV model reveals that the new car looks very similar to the existing model, especially around the nose where Landrover trademarks such as the grille and clamshell bonnet are obvious –also think Discovery / LR3.
The car seems to have grown slightly in every dimension, with a wider track and longer wheelbase, thus improving space for both passengers and luggage. The pictures also show that the rear doors have grown in size, making access easier.
Despite its similar looks, the Freelander II is based on an all-new platform -a stretched version of the C1 platform that underpins the Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and Volvo S40. The new Freelander is expected to be an even more capable vehicle off-road than the current model, with a stiffer chassis and increased ground clearance. Most of the components are said to come from parent company Ford, but upgraded to ensure the new car performs like a genuiune Landrover.
Although the new Freelander will be offerd only as a five-door model, it is rumored tha we will eventually see a 'baby' 3door Landrover which will sit below the Freelander II in the Landrover range, possibly as early as 2008.
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