Land Rover's green intentions

The new-look Freelander 2 is said to be both quieter and more refined than its predecessor. Photo / Supplied

Land Rover has given its entry-level Freelander 2 a new diesel engine and an improved transmission, part of the off-road specialist's move to "mild hybrid" technology to reduce the environmental footprint of all the models in its four-wheel-drive line-up.

The strategy moved up a gear at the top end of the market with the revised Range Rover Vogue and its new 4.4-litre V8 turbodiesel engine. Land Rover claims the new unit is good for a town-and-around average of 9.4 litres/100km, making it the most fuel-efficient Range Rover ever.

The new-look Freelander is said to be both quieter and more refined than its predecessor. The revised 2.2-litre turbodiesel comes in two states of tune (110kW in the TD4 and 140kW in the SD4) and is mated to an six-speed automatic transmission designed specifically to maximise overall efficiencies, says Land Rover.

The transmission reduces drag when the vehicle is stationary, the engine at idle and in Drive. While not actually selecting neutral, drive load is reduced to save fuel and improve refinement.

Electronics recover kinetic energy when the Freelander is slowing, "smart charging" the battery for more efficiencies.

The vehicle's new variable geometry turbocharger is now water-cooled, enabling it to run at a higher temperature.

For the first time, the Freelander 2 diesel powertrains are compatible with 10 per cent biodiesel rather than 5 per cent.

All the improvements, says Land Rover, add up to town and around fuel consumption of 7 litres/100km and CO2 exhaust emissions of 185 grams per kilometre.

Exterior design changes including new front bumper and grille, new alloy wheels and colour options. Inside, there's a new range of seat finishes and revised instrumentation. Another significant change is to the Land Rover logo, which changes colour for 2011 from gold on green to a more contemporary bright silver on green.

Safety equipment includes the latest electronic aids along with seven airbags.

The Freelander comes with a maximum five-star crash rating and starts in price at $65,990.