The Land Rover Freelander is a compact crossover SUV made by Land Rover. The current generation is sold as the LR2 in North America and as the Freelander 2 in Europe. It uses a monocoque (unibody) structure, unlike traditional SUVs built with a body-on-frame design.
Market research by the Rover Group in the late 1980s suggested that Land Rover could enter the compact SUV market segment. In the early 1990s, the Rover Group had a restricted product development budget and looked for a partner to develop the project, which was codenamed CB40 (after Canley Building 40, where the concept was initially developed). Rover's then-partner Honda declined and chose to develop its own CR-V model that was launched in 1997.
Rover decided to go it alone with the CB40, using existing parts and components, as it had done with the MGF roadster. When BMW took over Rover Group in 1994, the CB40 project received the capital it needed to proceed.
There were a variety of models, based around five-door estate and three-door softback (semi-convertible), hardback, and commercial (van-like) versions. In 2004, Land Rover introduced an improved and upgraded version of the Mark I; changes included a new interior and major external revisions, including a new face and rear.
The first generation Freelander was used in the 1998 Camel Trophy and participated in Land Rover's G4 Challenge. The vehicle represented a compromise because it did not have a low-range gear selection, nor a locking differential, as found on larger Land Rover models. This meant that in comparison to other Land Rovers, off-road performance was not as good.
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