Land Rover / Freelander / ES V6 3-dr wagon

Overview

WITH alluring three-door nameplates like Vitara, RAV4 and the ultimate in urban cool, Wrangler, now much cheaper than the Freelander, the littlest Land Rover is in danger of becoming irrelevant.

That would be a shame, for the small 4WD at last has a V6 engine that can comfortably shift the ego and the considerable bulk, along with a host of improvements to transmission, chassis and interior ergonomics.

Good looks and great packaging remain, but pricing is now an enormous barrier.