Land Rover to Make Stop/Start System Standard on Diesel Freelander 2 in 2009

2 October 2007

Land Rover has introduced a stop/start system that will be standard on all diesel manual Freelander 2 SUVs beginning in 2009. The start/stop system will help cut CO2 emissions by more than 7% from 194 g/km to 179 g/km.

The system turns off the engine when the vehicle is stationary and automatically restarts it when the driver is ready to move off. The system will deliver an approximate 10% improvement in fuel economy which equates, in a combined cycle (NEDC), to around 34.6 mpg US (6.8/100 km).

The new diesel Freelander 2, introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show, features an all-new 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine. The 118 kW (158 hp) unit delivers peak torque of 400 Nm (295 lb-ft), with more than 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) of torque from 1000 rpm all the way to 4500 rpm. The standard engine offers combined average fuel consumption of 31.4 mpg US mpg (7.5 l/100 km).

Land Rover and Jaguar will jointly invest £700m (US$1.4 billion) over the next five years in new technology to help reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, as part of Ford’s multi-billion euro program. This will include developing hybrid technology and the use of lightweight materials.