Land Rover Freelander L314
Land Rover Freelander L312 (1997 – 2006)
The Land Rover Freelander L314 first entered production in October 1997. A slight departure from larger Land Rover modes, its lack of a low-range gear selection and locking differential meant it did not perform quite as well off-road. That being said, in comparison to its competitors it stood head and shoulders above similar models on the market at the time.
It was in production until 2006, when it was succeeded by the Freelander 2 (L359).
History & Concept
The ancestry of the Freelander goes back a lot further than the 90s. In fact, the idea a compact SUV was initially floated back in the late 1980s. The inspiration for this came from BMW, who offered a car for every stage of a customer’s life: the 3-Series, 5-Series and 7-Series. Land Rover at the time had the Range Rover under their belt, and with the Discovery soon to make its debut, the concept of a 3-Series equivalent seemed the logical next step.
In 1989 steps were made to develop a small Land Rover vehicle. This was codenamed “Lifestyle”. First iterations of this vehicle were designed with a monocoque chassis (a first for Land Rover). Over time, the “Lifestyle” evolved and so did its name. The project was renamed “Pathfinder” Under this name, the vehicle received a utilitarian look, with the Rover family “face” and MPV life features within. A little later down the line, however, it was decided that the vehicle was better sold as a Land Rover than a Rover, and so the Pathfinder became “Oden”.
In a bid to move the development of this small Land Rover vehicle forward a concept vehicle was created called “Cyclone”. A reworked version of the “Cut-and-Shuttle” it featured a funky interior and eye-catching side graphics. This vehicle had the desired effect and the Land Rover team were given 6 months to finalise the vehicle. As momentum was gained it was given another new title: CB40 named after the room in which it was created: Canley Building 40.
In January 1994, Rover Group was bought by BMW. When the CB40 was discovered, BMW poured more money and resources into its development to bring it to market quickly as a new Land Rover. Following this concentrated effort, the Freelander eventually came to be.
Design & Engineering
It was designer Gerry McGovern who was bought in to transform the Pathfinder to what would eventually become the Freelander. In its development, features from other Land Rovers were used. For example, the clamshell bonnet from the Range Rover was used and both the ‘command’ driving position and feature lines were taken from other Land Rover vehicles.
Trim Levels
The Freelander L314 was available in a variety of versions. These were: a 5-door estate, 3-door softback, hardback, and commercial versions.
The 3-door model boasted 5 trim levels: E, S, ES, Sport and Sport Premium. The 5-door model trim levels were E, S, ES, HSE, Sport and Sport Premium.
Engines & Transmission
The Freelander was available with a range of engine choices. There were the 1.8 L I4 Rover K-series petrol engine, 2.0 L I4 Rover L-series diesel engine, 2.0 L I4 BMW M47 diesel engine and a 2.5 L V6 Rover KV6 petrol engine.
For earlier models, engines were for the most part mated to a manual gearbox. However updates to model years did see the addition of automatic gearboxes for the V6 engine and as an option on the Td4.
