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Vehicle Tests > Driven - Freelander Stop/Start
Driven - Freelander Stop/Start
Issue: July 2009
Words by Trent Nikolic Photos by Nick Dimbleby
Some new automotive technology doesn't quite make sense. The new Freelander Stop/Start does. In a strange kind of way...
Our UK correspondent Richard Yarrow, had already driven the Freelander Stop/Start late last year, but I couldn't resist the urge to test drive one myself on my recent trip to the home of Land Rover.
Like I mentioned in my editorial a few month's back, the first time 'it' happens, I'm sitting at a set of traffic lights on the outskirts of Coventry, a picturesque little village in the British Midlands and arguably the perfect place to test drive the most 'gentlemanly' of off road brands. Anyway, back to the test. The Freelander's ECU has decided the engine is not required and as I pull to a stop, I knock the gear lever into neutral, and the engine dies.
In traffic, it's a strange sensation and like I thought at the time as I sat there surrounded by silence, in my early days of driving, if my 73 Beetle died in such a way it was generally a catastrophic engine failure. One that wouldn't have seen the engine running again any time soon. Engage the clutch and select first gear though in the Freelander Stop/Start, and the engine fires back into life, and you're away as you would be with any other conventional vehicle.
I exchanged a few perplexed glances with my South African co driver and we both commented on the strange sensation of being surrounded by silence while the rest of the peak hour traffic buzzes around you to the soundtrack of conventional engines doing conventional things. By the time we'd reached the next set of lights however, we were already accustomed to the Freelander's system. So it is with the Freelander Stop/Start. It's not an intrusive system by any means, and it's certainly not one that you'll find yourself taking months to become accustomed to.
It's enjoyable to still have the conventional sound of an internal combustion engine doing it's work beneath the bonnet as opposed to the almost imperceptible whirring of an electric engine as well, so while there's a nod to environmental impact, there's also the feeling that you haven't gone completely 'green' either. And I like that.
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From the outside, there's nothing to indicate you're driving anything other than a stock standard Freelander aside form a diminutive tailgate badge. All the cutting edge technology takes place beneath the bonnet and the fuel consumption results are even more impressive than I initially thought they could have been.
Land Rover is claiming an improvement from 37.7 to 42.2mpg, which as a result of something as simple as shutting down the engine briefly is quite a difference and one that will make the potential Freelander owner think twice. There's a requisite reduction in emissions too from 194 to 179g/km though LR engineers say the improvement is as significant as 18 percent in heavy traffic. The Stop/Start feature is activated every time you turn the engine on, however it can be deactivated completely via a dashboard mounted button. The engine will only shut down if the ECU deems it necessary to do so, so in the event of a hot summer day, the engine will keep running to make sure the AC works as intended. The only other interior addition is an indicator in the instrument cluster known as the 'gear shift up' light that indicates the optimum section of the rev range to shift gears and maximise efficiency.
Given that the system operates via the Freelander's starter motor, there's more load placed on it and as such, it's been replaced by a significantly uprated unit with a revised ring gear and a long life battery. While this Stop/Start system is undoubtedly clever, there's already a newer version in the works that delivers almost silent start up.
In short, the Stop/Start feature is clever and almost unnoticeable from the get go. And if you're keen to improve your fuel economy around town, but still want to own a 'proper' off road capable vehicle, it's well worth thinking about. Taking into account the fact that there will be no increase in retail price, the Stop/Start is definitely something to consider. It's only available on manual models though so that unfortunately precludes auto buyers.
Words by Trent Nikolic Photos by Nick Dimbleby
Some new automotive technology doesn't quite make sense. The new Freelander Stop/Start does. In a strange kind of way...
Our UK correspondent Richard Yarrow, had already driven the Freelander Stop/Start late last year, but I couldn't resist the urge to test drive one myself on my recent trip to the home of Land Rover.
Like I mentioned in my editorial a few month's back, the first time 'it' happens, I'm sitting at a set of traffic lights on the outskirts of Coventry, a picturesque little village in the British Midlands and arguably the perfect place to test drive the most 'gentlemanly' of off road brands. Anyway, back to the test. The Freelander's ECU has decided the engine is not required and as I pull to a stop, I knock the gear lever into neutral, and the engine dies.
In traffic, it's a strange sensation and like I thought at the time as I sat there surrounded by silence, in my early days of driving, if my 73 Beetle died in such a way it was generally a catastrophic engine failure. One that wouldn't have seen the engine running again any time soon. Engage the clutch and select first gear though in the Freelander Stop/Start, and the engine fires back into life, and you're away as you would be with any other conventional vehicle.
I exchanged a few perplexed glances with my South African co driver and we both commented on the strange sensation of being surrounded by silence while the rest of the peak hour traffic buzzes around you to the soundtrack of conventional engines doing conventional things. By the time we'd reached the next set of lights however, we were already accustomed to the Freelander's system. So it is with the Freelander Stop/Start. It's not an intrusive system by any means, and it's certainly not one that you'll find yourself taking months to become accustomed to.
It's enjoyable to still have the conventional sound of an internal combustion engine doing it's work beneath the bonnet as opposed to the almost imperceptible whirring of an electric engine as well, so while there's a nod to environmental impact, there's also the feeling that you haven't gone completely 'green' either. And I like that.
read on below advertisement
From the outside, there's nothing to indicate you're driving anything other than a stock standard Freelander aside form a diminutive tailgate badge. All the cutting edge technology takes place beneath the bonnet and the fuel consumption results are even more impressive than I initially thought they could have been.
Land Rover is claiming an improvement from 37.7 to 42.2mpg, which as a result of something as simple as shutting down the engine briefly is quite a difference and one that will make the potential Freelander owner think twice. There's a requisite reduction in emissions too from 194 to 179g/km though LR engineers say the improvement is as significant as 18 percent in heavy traffic. The Stop/Start feature is activated every time you turn the engine on, however it can be deactivated completely via a dashboard mounted button. The engine will only shut down if the ECU deems it necessary to do so, so in the event of a hot summer day, the engine will keep running to make sure the AC works as intended. The only other interior addition is an indicator in the instrument cluster known as the 'gear shift up' light that indicates the optimum section of the rev range to shift gears and maximise efficiency.
Given that the system operates via the Freelander's starter motor, there's more load placed on it and as such, it's been replaced by a significantly uprated unit with a revised ring gear and a long life battery. While this Stop/Start system is undoubtedly clever, there's already a newer version in the works that delivers almost silent start up.
In short, the Stop/Start feature is clever and almost unnoticeable from the get go. And if you're keen to improve your fuel economy around town, but still want to own a 'proper' off road capable vehicle, it's well worth thinking about. Taking into account the fact that there will be no increase in retail price, the Stop/Start is definitely something to consider. It's only available on manual models though so that unfortunately precludes auto buyers.