Was the fact that the latest Freelander was going to be something rather special just about the worst kept secret of 2006? The form line was undeniable. The Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery3 and then the Range Rover Sport all proved to be utterly indomitable in their respective product niches. It would have been an upset of monumental proportions for Land Rover to suddenly go off the boil with their volume seller, the Freelander.

Merit only goes so far in this market. Only at the very end of its development phase was the old Freelander in any way class competitive. In truth it had been overtaken by most of its Japanese rivals a while back and traded on the strength of its badge for quite some time. The development money poured into the latest model may not win as many incremental sales as Land Rover might imagine.

Many small 4x4s are set up to ride firmly on road, their manufacturers knowing that they will rarely, if ever, be subjected to off-road use. The Freelander is different and was engineered with off-road use very much in mind. A slightly unconventional blend of soft springs but relatively stiff anti-roll hardware and surprisingly sharp steering fulfils this task but makes motorway driving less relaxing than it could be. The flip side of this is that barrelling down a typical B-road is more fun than you'd have any right to expect.

The Freelander Td4 will hit 60mph from rest in 10.5 seconds, so it's not among the quickest of the diesel compact 4x4s but it always feels keen and puppyish, the 158bhp four-cylinder engine delivering its maximum torque at 2,000rpm with peak power chiming in at 4,000rpm, giving a decently wide power band. All but the entry level model get Land Rover's excellent Terrain Response system for off-road driving, which goes a long way towards excusing the Freelander for its lack of a proper low-range transfer case. This system acts almost like an off-road expert sat alongside you, selecting the best traction mode for any given terrain type. No rival has anything quite like it.

"The irony is that it's a quantum leap forward but just the same people are going to buy it..."

The shape is instantly familiar, albeit one which looks as if vehicular geneticists have artificially inseminated a Freelander with some purebred Range Rover DNA. The MK1 Freelander was one of those rare exceptions - a vehicle that just got better and better looking throughout its lifetime and the second generation car has upped the ante again. Whilst it retains the chunky good looks, Land Rover has imbued it with a far more premium look and feel, which is just as well because average prices have crept up across the range.

Although the shape is recognizable, you get more Freelander for your money now. It's 50mm longer, 109mm wider and 32mm taller but the wheels have been moved further towards each corner, freeing up another 105mm in the car's wheelbase, making rear seat accommodation a whole lot better. Weight has crept up to over 1,900kg in the process but a parallel improvement in safety and refinement is a transaction most customers will be willing to accept. The interior is a somewhat unusual mix of very high quality materials with some surprisingly cheap plastics.

Five trim levels share the same Td4 diesel engine and these vary in price across a £10,000 span. That is a huge differential between the top and the bottom, and the reason it's so wide is that all but the most craven badge snobs will likely ignore the stripped-out S entry model, priced at £20,960 to give the Freelander an eye-catching starter price.

View the first rung on the Freelander Td4 ladder as the next model up, the GS, priced at £23,460 and you'll appreciate how de-contented the S model is. The GS gets the Terrain Response, climate control, front fog lights and 17-inch alloys. Step up to the XS and you'll also get a nine-speaker Alpine stereo, electric front seats and parking sensors, plus a different design of alloy wheel. The SE factors in touch-screen sat nav, heated front seats and an electric sunroof, while the HSE version includes leather seat facings, a 14-speaker Dolby Pro Logic stereo and 18-inch alloys.

For around £32,000 in diesel form, the Freelander2 range tops out in HST form, where you get a Sports Styling Pack with front and rear bumper aprons, side sill mouldings and a rear roof spoiler. The 10-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels are finished in shadow chrome and fill out the arches beautifully to give the HST an aggressive, hunkered down appearance that works well with the chunky styling. Privacy glass and metallic paint are also standard.

It's no use ignoring the fact that the Freelander Td4 is an expensive piece of tackle, price tweaking with the S notwithstanding, but sales figures suggest that many see it as a price worth paying.

Once you've got over the initial purchase price, ongoing running costs are reasonably manageable. There's certainly no grumbles about fuel economy, the claimed 37.7mpg fuel figure being one of the best in the class despite the hefty kerb weight. On test, we averaged just under 29mpg, but that was with a notoriously lead-footed crew of drivers and the 68-litre fuel tank gave a very respectable touring range.

As a relatively new product, the Freelander Td4 also looks set to offer extremely strong residuals. The old car wasn't a shabby performer in this regard and this latest Td4 model will be in especially strong demand, particularly in GS and XS trim levels. Insurance quotations might not be quite as friendly as with some rivals, insurers having cottoned onto the fact that any car that's respectable off road may generate a few claims from pernickety customers with little or no no-claims bonus for items such as scratched alloy wheels or cracked front spoilers. Emissions aren't quite as good as rivals such as the BMW X3, the Honda CR-V or the Toyota RAV4 T180 but there isn't a whole lot in it, the 194g/km figure being respectable for a go almost anywhere 4x4.

Image aside, there's no one area where the Land Rover Freelander Td4 trounces the opposition. The Honda CR-V is better for shopping and the Toyota RAV4 T180 more fun to drive. An aged Jeep Cherokee is more capable when up to its axles in mud and if it's space you're after, a Kia Sorento is a better bet. If you're not quite so determinedly focused on any one discipline, the Freelander shines. It does everything acceptably well and looks better than any of the others while doing so.

Dub it a jack of all trades but master of none if you like, but this well-rounded blend of abilities is probably right for this sort of market. The old Freelander sold in multitudes without ever being a particularly great piece of hardware. The irony about the latest version is that it's a quantum leap forward but just the same people are going to buy it.

TOP 5 FREELANDER 2 DEALS

The results below show the top FREELANDER 2 deals on buyacar

	Land Rover Freelander 2 2.2 Td4 GS 5dr Auto SW Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £412	Saving £2,584	Price £22,606
	Land Rover Freelander 2 2.2 Td4 GS 5dr SW Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £385	Saving £2,438	Price £21,382
	Land Rover Freelander 2 2.2 Td4 HST 5dr Auto SW Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £592	Saving £3,057	Price £31,203
	Land Rover Freelander 2 2.2 Td4 SE 5dr SW Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £485	Saving £2,987	Price £26,003
	Land Rover Freelander 2 2.2 Td4 XS 5dr SW Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £426	Saving £2,669	Price £23,321

typical 11.52% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000