Road Test: Land Rover Freelander 2.2 SD4 HSE LUX 5dr Auto

Forty grand for a Freelander? We thought it was a bit of usable, reasonable-money Land Rover fun, not a mini Range Rover. LR, it seems, doesn't. As with all of its products (save the Defender), the Freelander's been dragged up to rarefied levels of luxury inside.

There's keyless go, an excellent Meridian sound system (standard from XS trim up), three new colours and two new trim levels - Dynamic and HSE Lux.

It's not really been touched elsewhere, with the same engine line-up as before. There are some new RR-style LED rear lights, new LED front lights and a restyled front grille. Which is a good thing - it was pretty good to start with.

Off-road, it's still the best small SUV around, with a terrain-response system that adapts quickly to ice, snow and broken ground. On-road, it rides superbly, even on 19-inch rims.

But you can't get away from that price tag. Forty grand. You could buy the poshest Evoque and walk away with £1,500 change for that. We'd be tempted to forfeit the fripperies and get a bargain-basement TD4 S manual with the superb 148bhp diesel engine for £26,450 instead. Or just buy the Evoque if you want more luxury.