Land Rover reveal details of Freelander Metropolis Special Edition

Land Rover has revealed full details of its special edition range-topping Metropolis trim of the ongoing Freelander. The SUV will be unveiled at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in UK which is scheduled from 14thMay to 18th May, 2014. The SUV is bursting with new features such as 'Windsor' leather upholstery, thicker carpets, electrically adjustable front seats, 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic glass roof and a heated steering wheel. The vehicle is expected to be available in selected showrooms from June 2014.

The SUV gets two automatic and two manual transmission variants. The base variant Freelander SE features 18-inch alloy wheels, heated windscreen, front fog lights, body coloured bumper and new armrests to state a few. While, the SE trim houses 19-inch alloy wheels, 380-watt Meridian audio system, touch-screen infotainment system, automatic lights and wipers.

Mechanically, the SUV remains unchanged as it will keep on housing Freelander's trusted 2.2-liter SD4 turbodiesel engine that develops a power of 188 bhp and peak torque of 420Nm.The engine is mated to six-speed automatic transmission, while the less powered manual variant TD4 carries 2.2 litre, four cylinder, diesel engine that musters a power of 148 bhp.

Starting from 2015, Land Rover will wave goodbye to the Freelander name as the company is looking forward to replace the ageing brand name with new Discovery Sport. The vehicle shares most of its styling cues from the  Disovery Vision concept which was first unveiled at the recently concluded 2014 New York International Motor Show. The manufacturer will also change the seating arrangement from five seat to the seven seat configuration. Mr. Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer, during his speech at the 2014 New York International Auto Show said, "I am proud to confirm the nameplate that will make Discovery a family of vehicles for the first time. It will be called Discovery Sport and will go on sale in 2015. This will be the most versatile and capable SUV in its segment and is the first expression of the Discovery Vision Concept unveiled here in New York."

Recently, the Jaguar Land Rover, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, witnessed a growth of 39 percent for the month of April 2014. Overall the brand JLR sold a total of 40,137 vehicles out of which Jaguar contributed 5,704 vehicles while the rest 34,433 units were sold by Land Rover brand.