Defender stars in Melbourne

LAND ROVER flew its upgraded Defender from the UK last week in time for star billing at the Melbourne International Motor Show on Friday.

Although many will struggle to see the changes from the outside, the MY07 edition – which is due in Australia in the second half of this year – features a new 2.4-litre 16-valve common-rail four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine delivering 90kW of power at 2200rpm and 360Nm of torque at 2000rpm.

It is mated to an equally fresh six-speed manual gearbox. An attempt to modernise the interior sees a completely redesigned dashboard, featuring instruments from the Discovery, revised seats that are claimed to be more comfortable than before, and the option of third-row seating in long-wheelbase 110 wagon and 130 models.

Meanwhile, Land Rover has also revealed full details for its upcoming Freelander 2. Now due on sale in June, the Ford-owned British brand’s second-generation small SUV will be priced from $49,990 for the base Si6 SE model, which uses a 171kW 3.2-litre inline-six petrol engine.

The Td4 model, which relies on a 118kW 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, starts from $51,990. Top-spec HSE variants start from $55,990 for the petrol and $57,990 for the diesel.

All are paired with a six-speed automatic transmission (with a pseudo-manual shift mode), driving through a full-time "intelligent" 4WD system with "Terrain Response".

Left: Land Rover Defender.

Standard features across the range include 17-inch alloy wheels, seven airbags, traction and stability control, hill descent control, leather trim, dual automatic climate-control air-conditioning, cruise control, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, electric seat adjustment, rear parking sensors and a six-CD in-dash stereo.

The HSE is equipped with 18-inch wheels, bi-Xenon headlights and a premium stereo, among other features.

Read more:

First look: Land Rover's freedom march!

Sydney show: Freelander and TDV8 Rangie appear

Freelander 2 take its time