Land Rover Freelander or true British Bentley - the drive of your life

Hats of to Mel B aka Scary Spice for letting it slip that she drives a Bentley whilst living in LA. Good to hear that in these uncertain economic times our celebrities are flying the flag for our precious exports.

Mel commented "While it's beautiful, fast and only for the rich, some hairs on the back of the neck still stay down" and asked.. "is it because it's four-wheel drive?"

Much as we love the Spice Girls number one hairy (Scary Spice) one has she not considered the usefulness of a four wheel drive on the flat, straight streets of California?

Whatever Next - All Terrain SUVs dominating the States? You only need to see this video clip that demonstrates the style and grace of the freelander in a variety of circumstances - driving conditions, terrains and challenges.

Well the "Shopping Info Guide" is hardly qualified to discuss the merits of four wheels - we touched on the subject of the exceptional tyres that allowed a Landrover Freelander to circumnavigate the world and following the recent Royal endorsement from Sara Phillips of the Freelander we decided to have a closer - if Land Rovers Freelander is the hottest selling compact SUV we think it worthy of inclusion in our guide to help visitors make and informed decision before they buy.

So what doe the Freelander offer that adds those extra thousnads to the price tag?

Safety first

The Euro safety report award the Freelander maximum marks on many of its critical tests

Comfort zone

The UK broadsheet newspaper The Independent's let its motoring journalist Roger And-Out take the Freelander 2 for a comprehensive test drive and the resultant write up was one that described the sheer comfort for both driver and passenger whilst off road and emphasised the smooth traveling whilst on the road.

All Round Performance

Finally the motoring institution Top Gear summed up the vehicle -
"The Land Rover Freelander is a capable SUV, with more off-road ability than its rivals and a more grown up mini-Discovery."

Fuel Economy - glug

Top Gear was the only review that offered the helpful suggestion that "Diesel engine suits it best, petrol version is thirsty" worth bearing in mind as we see oil prices continue to inexplicable rise.