MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Autocar Takes Freelander to a New Ground

Land Rover Freelander

Autocar, the world's oldest car magazine, has exposed all-new Land Rover Freelander through its paces in the Falkland Islands. The territory is considered one of the most rugged and challenging locations for any 4x4 vehicle.

To make start with the adventure, a team that is composed of three fearless Autocar journalists traveled about 7871 miles to find out everything there is to learn about the groundbreaking new vehicle from the British automaker - Land Rover. The adventure is documented and compressed in a stunning book. The book tells the story of the new Freelander. It narrates the design process, assembly, production, and its testing process in off-road terrains of Morocco. The 68-page colored book is composed of new Freelander's eye-catching images taken by Autocar chief photographer Stan Papior. The book also incorporated the findings of the team about the vehicle and the adventures they have experienced. The adventure-filled book will be given away for free with every copy of the November 1, 2006 issue of the car magazine. Consequently, Rover has taken delivery of 25,000 copies of the book. Autocar news editor Dan Stevens said, "We chose the Falklands for all the obvious reasons. The islands are wild, rugged and have very few asphalt roads, so a 4x4 is an absolute necessity. The scenery is wonderful and it was a great opportunity to find out what makes the islands tick. We are convinced our readers are going to thoroughly enjoy learning more about the Falkland Islands as well as the new Freelander." Stevens added, "We've gone from driving it on the streets of the UK capital to the streets of the Falklands capital, Stanley." The Freelander and Autocar adventure to Falklands was a joint venture of Autocar, Land Rover and the Falkland Islands Tourist Board, as well as the Falkland Islands Company Ltd, the official Land Rover dealer. All-new Freelander, compact crossover SUV, was unveiled at the British International Motor Show this year. The vehicle belongs to the second generation of Freelander, which is based on the Ford C1 platform. Improved Freelander Rover parts are incorporated in the model to significantly improve its capabilities. The redesign is entertained to create tighter competition with BMW and Audi, its closest rivals.