For 60 years Land Rover has given the world the toughest allterrain vehicles. Style, safety and comfort have been built-in over the years and now the environment is the top consideration . . . the final frontier.

Every new Land Rover produced now has better economy and lower emissions than its predecessors. The plants at Solihull and Halewood (where Freelander 2 is built) in the UK have been reducing emissions by about 4% year-on-year over the past five years. And looking to the future there is a Land_e, a revolutionary concept on the way that incorporates an electric hybrid drive as well as other environmentally friendly technologies. The goal is clear for Land Rover: 'green up' but remain faithful to the brand.

Freelander 2 comes with a Volvo-based 3.2-litre petrol engine 30% more powerful than before. But the star of the show is the new 2.2-litre turbo-diesel. It can return 9.2L/100km (30mpg) around town . . . which is as good as many petrol-powered small family cars of not too long ago.

Land Rover claim 6.2L/100km (45mpg) out of town but during a test the Freelander 2 manual transmission version with two people on board returned 7.1L (40mpg) . . . good, considering the speed rarely dropped below 100km and the drive involved some heavy-footed overtaking.

Mixed driving was nearer 8.3L/100 km (33.7 mpg) than the 7.5L/100km (37.7 mpg) claimed by Land Rover but it is still an excellent return for a vehicle that has grown in size over the years.

The performance of the Ford/PSA engine . . . top speed of 181km and acceleration of 0100km in 11.7 seconds . . . combined with this type of economy shows just how efficient diesel engines have become. And with C02 emissions of 194g/km the 'big is dirty' image is being laid to rest.

The diesel engine, now 43% more powerful, is well suited to the Freelander 2 and gives 400Nm of torque at 2,000rpm and towing capacity runs to 2,000kg. A noisy start turns to muffled tones on the road and the infrequent gear changes necessary are smooth.

The Freelander 2 replaces the top-selling compact 4X4 in Europe of the last five years. It is new from the ground up and has a fresh exterior design with uncomplicated panels, slightly flared wheel arches, clamshellshaped bonnet and stepped roof.

The body sits on a long wheelbase with short overhangs . . . ideal for dipping in and out of ruts without damaging the body.

There is now more tortional rigidity to handle serious offroading and the independent suspensions use stability control and a roll-stabilising control.

Terrain Response gives the driver the choice of selecting four driving modes for best results.

The driver can use a rotary control in front of the gear lever to select the best option for general driving, grass/gravel/ snow, mud/ruts and fine sand.

Also in the technology package are a full-time 4X4 system, Gradiant Release control, Stability Control, EBS, EBA, anti-lock brakes and corner brake control.

The Freelander 2 has ground clearance of 210mm and can wade through water to a depth of 500mm. The interior is a major improvement. It is 50mm longer with better headroom, shoulder space and legroom. The stadium seating gives rear passengers a higher position with better visibility and more contact with those up front. Boot space is 38% longer than the outgoing model with a 775-litre capacity that expands to 1,670 litres when rear seats are folded.

Standard equipment in the HSE version includes 18" alloy wheels, leather interior trim, sixdisc CD player, front and rear parking sensors, seven airbags, climate control, cruise control, a rain-sensitive wiper system, automatic lights, keyless start, alarm and trip computer.

An automatic transmission is now available but it comes at a cost. The manual version HSE costs 55,990; the HSE automatic is priced at 63,100.

VITAL STATISTICS Land Rover Freelander HSE 2.2 T-Diesel 160 PS 4,500 mm 2,180 mm 1,740 mm 2,660 mm 0-100km - 11.7 secs 181 km (112 mph) 6-speed manual 9.2L-8.2L (30-35 mpg) /55,900 195g/km