Land Rover Freelander 2 Reaches Monstrous Milestone

The 250,000th Land Rover Freelander 2 has just rolled-off the production line in Merseyside. This is clearly a significant milestone for this compact four-wheel-drive machine, although I only counted 3,412 while roaming the streets of Britain. Perhaps this is because roughly seventy per-cent of these fashionable workhorses are exported to sunnier climes. Presumably the rest are on the school run in Surrey.

Sales of the Land Rover Freelander 2 have increased considerably since its launch in 2007. In fact, there was a twenty-two per-cent rise between April 2010 and February 2011 compared to the same period a year earlier. Perhaps this is because we have just experienced a rather icy winter, and more motorists want the reassurance of four-wheel- drive. I can certainly relate to that after a few 'hero or zero' moments.

Prices for this popular mud-plunger start at £21,995 and rise to £36,245. Various models are available, all of which average over 40mpg. Performance is pleasing too, with the 0- 60 sprint taking between 8.7 and 10.9 seconds depending on the engine and transmission combination. High-spec versions are beautifully equipped with parking sensors, leather seats, and an electronic stability programme. No wonder this thing sells like fish and chips.