There is no sign of a let-up in sales of off-road cars or SUVs as we now tend to call them. Hence it is no surprise to hear Land Rover's latest managing director, Phil Popham, stating that 2006 so far has been a record-breaking sales period. The occasion for The Car Enthusiast to have an audience with the MD of one of the most prestigious SUV manufacturers? We were present at the Land Rover Freelander 2 Capability Briefing and Technical Seminar.

Before you ask, we did not get a chance to drive the new Freelander, and despite being revealed to the public at the 2006 British Motor Show in July, UK customers are unlikely to get behind the wheel until the very end of 2006.

With those thoughts in mind, we sat through a short introduction before being lead outside for the revealing of the new car and a walk around by the car's designer, Earl Beckles. The covers came off to reveal the Freelander 2 (or LR2 in the US and the Middle East) resplendent in 'Tambora Flame Metallic' obviously inspired by the Range Stormer concept car. Indeed, the new car takes design cues from that car in the way that the latest Range Rover and Range Rover Sport have done.

At the front, the new Land Rover Freelander 2 will remind you of the outgoing model, though park them together and the old car instantly looks dated. Only top of the range HSE models were displayed, so it is unclear which details will be standard, but as you can see from the pictures, the front grille features a stylish wire-mesh effect pattern (it is plastic) and integral fog lights. On both sides, the wings incorporate styled vents and indicators, which really stand out when finished in satin silver against the orange paintwork. Some version of these vents will appear on all new Freelanders as the vents are functional, enabling the engine to breathe even during wading up to 0.5m.

Move away from the heavily sculpted and castellated bonnet and the Freelander 2 begins to take on a design personality of its own, with large expanses of glass within sharply curved edges and black B and D-pillars breaking up the side and rear views. A clever styling trick has been employed at the side with the painting of the lower edge of the bumpers and sills black, reducing the visual bulk. Saying that, the new Freelander is not as much bigger than the old car than it looks on first acquaintance.

At the rear, the new Freelander looks less distinctive than its bigger brothers in the range, though it still has hints of the original Range Rover about the light shape and castellation on the rear edge of the roof. The spare wheel has been moved inside the car, which significantly changes the view in comparison to the outgoing Freelander. At a glance, the rear three quarter view reminds us of the Range Rover Sport, especially when the front wings, bonnet and lights are looked at from this angle. As on the other models in the Land Rover range, large writing on the bonnet and rear hatch denote 'LAND ROVER'.

Land Rover personnel made it clear that the cars on display were not completed production cars, and though this was obvious under the bonnet and in other minor areas the finish was quite good. We can't bring you pictures of the interior as yet, though we did get to play with the new cockpit, fitted with the full leather interior of the HSE models. There is plenty of space in the front and rear seats, thanks in part to the upright sitting position. The new Freelander shares many parts with the bigger, more expensive Land Rovers, so when a prospective buyer is in the Land Rover showroom and just has a quick look at, for instance, the Range Rover on display, he will be using the same door handle to open the Freelander he can actually afford. This sort of effect should not be underestimated. The same goes for the tactile switchgear.

Back inside, Land Rover had garnered several engineers from the Freelander programme at a number of 'stalls' where we were free to interrogate them with what we thought were intelligent questions... It gave me a chance to reflect on the new line-up. First of all, we were told categorically that there will not be a three-door version of the new Freelander, though in the same sentence I was mysteriously told that that's not to say there won't be another body style... At launch, there will be two engine variants; a new 2.2-litre turbodiesel developed in conjunction with the Peugeot-Citroen group and a new 3.2-litre straight-six petrol engine developed by Volvo and made in Ford's Bridgend plant. Land Rover declined to say whether further entry-level engines would go on sale in the future, but I think it's likely.

It is clear that Land Rover's market research has lead to positioning the new Freelander higher up the automotive food chain and it is likely that prices will reflect this, with the new car being seen as a quality product, not utilitarian.

Unsurprisingly, the diesel engine is thought to make up the majority of sales, with up to 95% of the Freelander 2s sold in Britain predicted to carry the new 2.2-litre engine under the bonnet. This new unit features state of the art diesel technology including the latest generation common rail injection at 1800 bar fuel pressure through seven-hold injectors with ultra-fine nozzles for better fuel metering and atomisation. The turbocharger is of low inertia for quick acceleration and it incorporates electronically-controlled variable geometry vanes to adapt to different speed and load demands. Land Rover is rightly proud of the fact that this engine passes the Euro 4 emissions regulations without fitting a particulate filter. At launch, this engine will be rated at 158bhp at 4000rpm and more importantly, 295lb.ft of torque available at a quite peaky 2000rpm.

Land Rover has carried out a huge amount of tilt testing on both new engines, resulting in sophisticated oil breather systems and in some cases baffled sump pans. These developments allow the Freelander to tilt at extreme angles without endangering the engine due to oil starvation. Other Land Rover specific parts on the diesel include a much tougher engine mount to withstand the abuse Land Rover subjects its vehicles to. This includes a clever diamond-crusted friction washer to prevent movement of the mount without the need for bulky fixings.

The new six-cylinder engine promises to sound good at high revs, though won't be a big seller in Europe. Land Rover's nomenclature for this engine is 'i6', the i standing for 'inline'. Internally, the engine is known as a short inline six, and Land Rover would have preferred to market it as si6, but Audi were not too happy about that. Consequently, we think that customers could be a little confused about the badging unless Land Rover markets it appropriately. Several journalists at the seminar assumed it was short for injection.

Naming aside, this 3.2-litre engine sees service in the Volvo S80 and will be fitted to Jaguars soon. Peak power is quoted as 229bhp at 6300rpm and peak torque is 234lb.ft at 3200rpm, though the torque curve itself appears to be noticeably flatter than that of the diesel. The new six-cylinder features several technologies you'd expect such as variable valve timing, a variable intake system and cam profile switching, but its innovation is how it uses these and the electronic drive-by-wire throttle to create the Torque Management System, which is integrated into the new car's Terrain Response system.

Terrain Response has proven to make the new generation of Land Rover even more adaptable to the off-road situation, with one of the expert off-roaders I talked to claiming that the current Discovery is the best off-road vehicle in the range. The new Freelander's system integrates the control of a bewildering number of parameters including traction and stability control, electronic differential lock-up, gearshift point, hill descent control and throttle map to match a given situation. The driver can choose from Normal, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Sand or Mud and Ruts with a dial in the centre console. Note that Land Rover did not include a rock crawling feature as on the more expensive Land Rovers. We'd concur that a minority of buyers will even trouble the options presented.

Next up was a demonstration of the new Land Rover Freelander 2 on and off road. Sadly we were not tossed the keys, nor could we even ride in the vehicles, to this exercise had limited value. First of all, we watched two cars being driven hell for leather around a twisty, bucking concrete track with various challenging bumps, cambers and surfaces. From the outside, the Freelander appeared to cope effortlessly with the abuse.

Land Rover's off-road experience is not a myth and viewing some of the tests for ourselves, we could see why. Various aspects of the Terrain Response were demonstrated for us, including Hill Descent Control (while towing a fully-laden trailer) and accelerating up a steep hill with various wheels on no-grip surfaces. Wading was also demonstrated, but the most impressive aspect was the extreme off-road course. Though it was stressed that Land Rover would never envisage its customers to subject the Freelander to this sort of off-roading, it is part of their development process to ensure that it can cope and it was impressive to see the little Freelander tackle boulders with little more than a bit of wheel spin in places.

When Land Rover rolls back the covers on the new Freelander 2 in London next month, most onlookers will have no idea just how capable this new car is. If I was honest, I'd say that it would be a success with half the capability, but it is encouraging to see a manufacturer putting so much passion and effort into ensuring that their car is to best. I look forward to driving the finished product late in the year.

Shane O' Donoghue - 23 Jun 2006