FIRST THOUGHTS: The Audi Q5 and the BMW X3 are natural competitors, but the Freelander2 is a wildcard. The pricing is bang-on, and the performance (we’re testing the 2.0-ish litre turbo-diesels), and fuel consumption is similar with all three. This will be interesting and probably a little bit shocking for some.
So, the Audi Q5 continues to dominate the Luxury SUV market outselling everything else in the segment. And its been the dominant player since its launch back in 2009.
But BMW is hoping to knock the crown off the Q5 with its new and improved X3. Both cars kick off with a list price of $62,200 for the 2.0-litre turbo-diesels. That said, our two test cars were optioned with some expensive extras. The Q5 ran an S Line exterior package ($3600) and MMI Navigation Plus ($6200), pushing the list price up to $72,000.
To improve the chances of its X3, BMW has tried to fit as much extra gear into the X3, without having an upward affect on the price, as it possibly could. Standard features range from things like auto stop/start, rear-view camera, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth, front and rear parking sensors and much, much more. BMW also offers cost option lists as long as your arm – indeed, the entry-model xDrive20d alone can be had with more than 40 options, including stuff like head-up display.
Our test car was fitted with a panorama sunroof ($3000), performance control ($400), X Line ($1200), Navigation System Business ($2000), and BMW light alloy wheels – 19-inch ($4600). That pushes the list price out to $71,600 (plus ORC).
But, there's one compact SUV that neither Audi nor BMW are prepared to acknowledge. At the launch of the X3 earlier this year, BMW absolutely refused to mention the Freelander2 at all, comparing the new X3 with every other compact SUV on the market, even suggesting it lure away customers shopping for the likes of a Mercedes-Benz ML. Hmmm.
Land Rover has refreshed the Freelander2 borrowing styling cues, inside and out, from Discovery4 and Range Rover. It now, for the first time ever, actually looks and feels like a premium model. It's also the most capable of the trio thanks to its Terrain Response System... it's the wild card in this test. The model we're testing is the HSE which cops a slightly bigger engine (a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel) and carries more standard equipment than the other two, it lists for $65,854, but its entry point is much lower at around $44k.
So why didn't we choose the Volvo XC60? Simple. There's nothing new about it, and it's not as exciting to drive as either one of our trio. That said, YTD (June) it has been the best seller over at Volvo.
Design
When Audi launched its Q7, the design was panned for being out of step with the rest of its range. It looked bloated and ugly. And it still does.
Not so the Q5. Even though it quite obviously takes its styling cues from the Q7 the design just seems to suit the size of the thing. It looks in-proportion and attractive.
The same, sadly, can't be said of the BMW X3, which looks great from every angle except front-on. But then, BMW has always been a bit hit and miss with its designs; the X5 and the last model X3 looked attractive and purposeful, but this new X3 and the X1 have messy, cheap-looking faces. And its grown too, indeed the X3 is almost the same size as the original X5.
Thanks to Freelander2's short front and rear overhangs, and its better ground clearance (Freelander 220mm; BMW X3 212mm; Audi Q5 200mm) it's always had that rough-roader look about it. But, thanks to a nip here and a tuck there (new front bumper bar, grille, head- and tail-lights) the Freelander2 now looks purposeful and premium.
Performance
It's the Freelander2, thanks to its 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, that claims bragging rights here; its beefy engine outguns the other two with 140kW and 420Nm. Next in line is the BMW X3 with its 2.0-litre turbo-diesel churning out 135kW and 380Nm, while the Audi Q5, with the same size engine makes 125kW and 350Nm.
Out on the road, the Freelander2 feels lusty indeed. Stand on the throttle and its excellent six-speed automatic transmission (which is down one cog against the Q5's seven-speeder, and two cogs against the X3's eight-speed 'box) will drop down a few cogs and boot you off towards the horizon. That said, its power delivery isn't quite as refined as the Q5, which is as smooth as smooth cream, but it certainly feels more powerful from lower in the rev range than either of the other two cars on test.
The X3's turbo-diesel certainly feels energetic enough but it sounds rougher (more like a diesel of old), than either the Freelander2 or the Audi, right through the rev range. And the Q5, back to back, feels like the least powerful of the trio, but in isolation its got more than enough oomph, even fully laden with passengers, to flatten hills and make overtaking a cinch.
We didn't get a chance to put the three test cars through our rigorous city and highway fuel cycle but according to the various manufacturers the X3 will drink around 5.6L/100km, the Q5 around 7.0L/100km and the Freelander2 an identical 7.0L/100km.
Ride & handling
Someone at BMW decided to spec our xDrive20d test car with cost-optional 19-inch alloys (17s are standard fitment). Now while these bigger wheels looked great on the car they, combined with run-flats, which are a slightly stiffer tyre than a non-runflat tyre, upset the ride no end. Across all surfaces the X3 felt hard and unrefined, jolting off bumps and ruts in the road that you hardly noticed in the other two cars. The moral here is to go for the 17-inch alloys and get some more compliance in the ride thanks to a higher sidewall on the tyre. In terms of grip, the X3 has plenty of it, no matter the surface (bitumen or dirt), and while the steering is well weighted and direct it could do with some more feel.
The Freelander2 also ran a set of 19-inch alloys and it rode beautifully, but that's probably because its got a softer set-up to begin with. Because of its more compliant set-up and a higher centre of gravity, the Freelander2 tends to roll in corners slightly more than the other two cars. You tip it in, and it leans over, settles on its springs and then stays there holding onto the road for grim death; you get exactly the same sensation when driving a Range Rover.
Of the three, the Q5 feels the most car-like, and that's probably because of its lower-set driving position and the sharp rake on the front windscreen. Our test car also ran 19-inch alloys, but because its tyres, like the Freelander2's, were normal tyres it felt more compliant than the X3. Sure, it's still a sportingly firm ride, but it feels a notch or two less firm than the X3. The steering is a little odd, though. At lower speeds it's nice and light, which is great for getting around car parks, etc but over about 35km/h the weight builds dramatically. That said, it's direct but, like the BMW, could do with some more feel.
Refinement
The Freelander2 made the most noise of the three at start-up, but once it started to build revs the engine softened right out until it was barely noticeable. And then, only when it was under load could you hear it. Thanks to the boxy shape and the big side mirrors there's a little hiss of wind noise. Both the Q5 and the X3 were a lot noisier through the rev range than the Land Rover, and there was more wind and road noise, too.
Behind the wheel
As mentioned above, the Freelander2 offers a more commanding driving position than the other two. Vision right around is better than either the Q5 or the X3, and that's thanks to the vast areas of glass, the thinnish pillars and big wing mirrors.
As good as the view out of the car is, the view inside could do with some further revision; it's just a little too fiddly and fussy looking inside the cabin. The buttons are chunky as befits a proper rough-roader, but the quality of the plastics and the fit and finish in the Freelander2 is first rate. And the seats are excellent too. Looking and feeling like a miniature version of the seats in Range Rover, the Freelander2's seats offer plenty of support and comfort for long hauling on bitumen or roughing it in the bush. Only the Q5's seats feel more supportive.
The seats in the X3, on the other hand, feel too broad in the base and lack the support of the other two. In hard cornering I was sliding from one side of the seat to the other. Vision all around the X3 is pretty good, but while the dash layout is crisp and clean, the plastics just don't seem to be on-par with those in the Audi, which, even after all these years, still looks and feels as fresh as it did back in 2009. And the brushed aluminium wrap on the transmission tunnel, which is an option, is a nightmare; it reflects the sunlight straight back into your eyes when you're driving. Not good.
Safety & security
Each model of X3 comes standard with run-flat tyres, front (driver and passenger), pelvic and thorax, side and curtain airbags, as well as a host of electronic aids like traction and stability control, to keep you out of trouble. In addition, the X3's bonnet features energy-absorbing deformation zones to improve pedestrian protection. It also has dynamic brake lights to warn drivers following behind in emergency braking situations. In terms of security, the X3 gets deadlocks, marked parts, an alarm and locking wheel nuts as part of the standard package.
The Freelander 2's safety and security are impressive, with remote central locking on the doors, fuel filler flap and tailgate, plus a perimetric security system. All variants are fitted as standard with driver and front passenger airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and inflatable driver's knee airbag. More than that, things like ABS, emergency brake assist, traction control, cornering brake control, stability control, roll stability control and hill-descent control are also standard across the range.
Like the other two, the Audi Q5 features airbags for driver and front passenger, side airbags for front and rear passengers and SIDEGUARD head airbag curtain for front and rear passengers, hill descent control, electronic stabilisation program (ESP) with off-road mode and roof-rack detection, incorporates ABS, ASR, EBD, EDL, quattro® permanent all-wheel drive, servotronic, speed-sensitive steering, electro-mechanical parking brake, and Audi hold assist.
Practicality & value for money
At the end of the day it's the Land Rover Freelander2 that offers real value for money. See, you get a town car, it's on par with the Q5 around town and feels better than the X3, and then it blows those two into the weeds when you get out into the dirt. Thanks to Terrain Response and a more compliant suspension set-up, the Freelander2 is a proper off-roader, and not just a soft-roader like the other two on test. It's only marginally smaller in the boot than the X3 (although, in terms of litres its bigger: Freelander2 1670L Vs X3 1600L), it betters the Q5, and the load space is a better shape. And thanks to the styling changes, the Freelander2 now looks more premium than ever before.
The new X3 on the other hand doesn't feel quite as fresh as it should. It lacks the refinement of the Audi (the Freelander2 is the most refined in terms of road and wind noise) and the other problem is that to get the X3 and the Q5 up to the same spec level as the Freelander2 will see the cost of both cars skyrocket. The diesel engine is the most frugal (at 5.6L/100km) but, back-to-back, the X3, particularly on 19-inch alloys, rode hard, was noisy and there were squeaks from all around the car; it felt old.
The Audi Q5 is in a similar boat to the X3; to get it up to spec with the Freelander2 will cost more than the list price of the Land Rover.
Verdict
Well, in our video test we said the Q5 was, if you're only after a school-run SUV, the pick. See, it's comfortable, looks good and it stands out less as an SUV than the Freelander2. The X3, surprisingly, was ruled out fairly quickly. And that was as much of a shock to me as it probably will be to BMW. So, despite being the newest car here, the X3 failed because it just didn't 'feel' as premium as either the Audi or the Freelander2.
And then there's the Freelander2. Personally, it's the car I'd go for; its got a greater breadth of talent, and if you don't want the full-fruit HSE then you can save a lot of money shopping further down the tree.
