Land Rover’s Freelander 1 vehicles, manufactured between 1997 and 2006, are one of the brand's best-selling models. Now, Land Rover has declared them an official Heritage vehicle.
According to JLR, it’s Heritage division “specializes in cars, services, parts and experiences for classic Land Rover models.” The Freelander will be the eighth model to come under the scheme, alongside Series I, II and III, Range Rover Classic and P38, and Discovery Series 1 and 2.
To be a Heritage model the products must have been out of production for longer than 10 years. The Freelander 1 production run ended in 2006 when the Freelander 2 superseded it.
Land Rover is making over 9,000 Heritage Part numbers available for the Freelander 1, adding to the brand's comprehensive parts catalog, which already contains over 33,000 items for both Jaguar and Land Rover Heritage vehicles.
Tim Hannig, Director, Jaguar Land Rover Heritage, said: "Land Rover is reaffirming its support and commitment to its loyal customers by providing exceptional cars, services, parts and experiences for models more than 10 years out of production. Genuine Land Rover Heritage Parts for Freelander 1 have been engineered and tested in extreme conditions. As such it gives our customers total peace-of-mind that their vehicles are maintained to the highest possible standards."
When it was launched, the Freelander was one of the first compact premium 4x4s and had 16 patented features including Hill Descent Control (HDC), Immediate Reduction Drive (IDR), a viscous-coupling (VCU) and an ABS system designed specifically for off-road situations. It also became Europe's best-selling 4WD vehicle for five consecutive years.
All this may seem a bit surprising here in the US where one rarely sees a Freelander on the road any more, due the nearly 100% track record of engine failures and lack of available replacement units. Something tells me this initiative won’t result in many US Freelanders returning to the highways.
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