Land Rover Freelander 2

Had to check out the $179,999 promo as margins seem thin considering the basic cost

This SUV is INDEED selling near cost currently

Exterior was boxy and masculine

Interior was better than I thought

Drive was okay (not an expert in this area) but car does not feel sluggish so at least sufficiently powered.. did not try uphill though

The next-generation Land Rover Freelander has come a long way, a bit like the Discovery. Gone are the tawdry finishes and the feeling that it might break at any second, to be replaced by solidity, quality and a feeling that this is more baby Range Rover than grown-up donkey cart. Despite the 'practical' origins of many Land Rovers, the Freelander is very comfy. It can eliminate lumps and bumps, though it does get a little confused by small, regular irregularities and the steering's a bit light. Other than that, it's a great daily hack. A cool car for the singaporean roads, not cool as a Land Rover or a Range Rover, but respectable. New vs. old Freelander is a bit like Jessica Alba vs Sam Fox. They might have a similar remit, but they're pretty much unrecognisable in the way they go about it. The new Freelander is quieter, more refined and, so far, infinitely more reliable than the old car. And having some Discovery/Range Rover genes floating around the interior certainly help with the feeling of quality. The Freelander draws on Land Rover's experience of making an SUV acceptable for tarmac use and actually goes some way beyond that. It has both a decent ride quality and an ability to drive reasonably hard without falling off at the first hint of a corner. A bit of understeer, but not too much.

The boot is about a billion times bigger than the old model (it's actually up 38percent, but that's loads), and there's plenty of room up front. Not so much legroom in the rear but under six-footers should be fine. Seats down and the Freelander has 1670litres of stowspace to play with - not bad, but the high load floor may put you off.