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"         The Freelander&amp;#039;s lack of popularity in the States left the Land Rover team eager to create a new entry-level vehicle that could proudly carry the Land Rover nameplate that has evolved to represent quality, capability and contemporary &amp;quot;bling-ability.&amp;quot; The all-new 2008 LR2 is that vehicle. Although most likely keeping company with BMW&amp;#039;s X3 and Acura&amp;#039;s turbocharged RDX, the LR2 is something of a different breed - well-executed in traditional Land Rover style.   The LR2&amp;#039;s monocoque platform is unique to this model.   Designed in Gaydon, England, and rolling off the line at the Halewood plant in Liverpool (alongside Jaguar X-Types), the LR2 is built with care. The chassis rides upon a strut-type suspension front and rear and has been tuned on the curves ofthe N\u00FCrburgring&amp;#039;s notorious Nordschleife.   While far from possessing sports-car handling traits (concealing 4300 lb. is a difficult task), the LR2 qualities are laudable ride comfort, predictable handling with good steering communication, and the second quickest time in Land Rover&amp;#039;s lineup (behind the supercharged Range Rover Sport) around the 13-mile loop. Not bad, considering that the LR2 relies on the juice squeezed from an all-aluminum 3.2-liter inline-6 (shared with the Volvo S80) instead of a burly supercharged V-8. Variable valve timing, dual intake camshaft profiles and a variable-length intake tract all work in synergy to maximize the inline-6&amp;#039;s powerband, providing peaks of 230 bhp at 6300 rpm and 234 lb.-ft. of torque at 3200 rpm \u2014 not mind-blowing power figures for a vehicle of this size, but enough to get the job done.   Traveling up through the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, I preferred to keep the new 6-speed Aisin-Warner automatic transmission in CommandShift (manual) mode, avoiding any unwarranted upshifts by the ECU. This worked well, but upon approaching the curvy downhill sections, checking for a grin-inducing rev-matched downshift turned up negative. We&amp;#039;re hoping that Land Rover is saving this feature, among others, for an LR2 Sport model \u2014 a conjecture that was not completely dismissed when brought up.   For differing road conditions, the LR2 benefits from a Haldex-sourced all-wheel-drive system that has the ability to adjust torque bias front to rear through an electronically controlled center coupling. Open differentials front and rear mean traction is managed by actuating the brakes on the slipping wheels, thus saving weight and cost over a limited-slip setup. Should you decide to venture onto paths other than pavement, an on-the-fly, four-mode selectable Terrain Response system optimizes throttle map, torque converter lockup, and Haldex preload settings for sand, mud and ruts, or grass, gravel and snow.   Although the LR2 is not meant for serious off-road excursions (no low range), we did get to sample each mode in its respective environment en route to the coastal town of Essaouria and never encountered an issue, even with LR2s equipped with the standard Continental Cross Contact rubber, cruising comfortably on-road at 110 mph.   Perhaps where the LR2 shines most brightly is in its exterior styling and interior comfort and finish. Some styling cues were carried over from the old Freelander, but a strong effort to emphasize more of an LR3/Range Rover Sport appearance was definitely incorporated into the design. Climb into the cabin, and immediately you will recognize that you are in an upscale Land Rover model. The dash is neatly sculpted and underlined with either real wood or tasteful industrial-look aluminum. The controls on the center console are intuitive and easy to manipulate. And the greenhouse is expansive and provides great panoramic visibility.   Pricing was unavailable at the time of publication, but Land Rover is predicting that you will be able to order a well-equipped LR2 for less than $40K when it goes on sale this spring. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a12555/land-rover-lr2-1/>