By Richard Bosselman

“Mate, I never hit nuthin’.”

Yeah, right. Hot oil is gushing on the red earth. There’s a sizeable hole in the sump. Down the track, a boulder bears a glistening smudge of black. Case proven and closed, I’d say.

Five Land Rover Defenders started this two-day hike through Wolemi, the largest wilderness area in New South Wales. Now, just a couple of slow-paced hours in, we’re down to four drivable cars. And one chastened Aussie journo who’ll be a passenger for the remainder of the day. (more…)

Land Rover again beat tough competition to win the Best Compact 4×4 and the Best Large 4×4 categories at the 2008 What Car? Car of the Year Awards ceremony in London.

The all-new Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2.2-litre GS fought off opposition in what is one of the most hotly contested sectors to win Best Compact 4×4, while the Discovery 3 TDV6 SE auto beat its rivals yet again to be named Best Large 4×4 for an impressive fourth year running. They were also both awarded ‘best buys’ in their respective price categories of over £20,000 for Freelander 2 and £30-40,000 for Discovery 3, as was the Range Rover TDV8 Vogue at over £40,000. (more…)

January 2008’s Detroit NAIAS Show saw the unveiling of Land Rover’s latest concept car, focusing on the traditional hardy nature of the brand and incorporating a high level of efficiency and eco-friendly systems.

The concept is compact, smaller than the Freelander 2 but still described as a luxury car. The smaller size may be one of its most appealing features, and the reduced area at the front of the car helps to reduce its drag - leading to gains in fuel efficiency.

Phil Popham, MD of Land Rover, commented, “The LRX concept delivers the powerful message that we are as serious about sustainability as we are confident about the continuing relevance and desirability of our vehicles.”

The latest technology adorns the dashboard, with a touch-screen and 3D display that can be customised to different drivers. It has been reported that despite the smaller size, the intelligent interior designs means the vehicle feels roomy inside, and features include an iPod and iPhone dock, bottle chiller that attaches to the tailgate, and a coolbox.

As with most concepts, we are unlikely to see all of these extravagant additions any time soon, however many of these features will make their way into the Land Rover range - and it offers an interesting reflection of their future design goals.

The Discovery beat competition from 36 other vehicles, scoring 819.4 out of 1000, leaving the Range Rover as overall runner up.

UK MD John Edwards was understandably pleased with the result in a competition which valued practicality and cost on the same level with off-roading performance and durability.

“We are immensely proud to have fared so well in this year’s awards, against ever-increasing competition in the 4×4 sector. The Discovery 3 is an out-and-out winner which proves that the British still make the best.”

Land Rover won top-three positions in 2006, and have swept the board in 2007.

Land Rover has officially launched its new look Land Rover Freelander at the British Motor Show in London this week. The new model featured alongside an updated, 2007 model year Range Rover TDV8, a Range Rover Sport TDV6 and a Discovery 3 TDV6 on the show stand.

New from the ground up, the new model, which has been styled to fit in with the Range Rover and recently re-designed Land Rover Discovery will come with 2 engine choices - a 2.2-litre TD4 diesel (160 PS / 118 kW) and a 3.2-litre i6 petrol (233 PS / 171 kW) models.

Style-wise and the new Freelander has taken the air vent grills from the Range Rover, as well as losing the wheel on the back of the car but still grown in length by 2 inches over the older model and this, Land Rover says, has meant it has increased the boot space by around 38%.

Land Rover’s managing director, Phil Popham, said: “The Freelander 2 sets new standards in the sector, combining the advantages of a premium car with the attributes of a robust 4×4. We believe that no other compact 4×4 gets closer to blending these best-of-both-worlds abilities”.

The Range Rover for 2007 goes on sale from September this year, with the Freelander 2 following it into Land Rover showrooms from December in the UK with a US launch early next year. Prices for the Freelander 2 will start at approximately £22,000 and rise to over £30,000.

(this article was taken from pocket-lint.co.uk)