The seven-seater Land Rover, coming around 2012

Land Rover will be adding a new seven-seat model to its lineup in 2012. The seven-seater is known internally as ‘Project L486′ and it will be based on the Freelander platform. It will be featuring unique bodywork and it will stand out as more than just a Freelander variant.

The platform from the current Freelander will have to be heavily modified to have an extended wheel base so that they can create space for a seven-seat configuration. The size of the model might actually be closer to the size of a Discovery and not a Freelander.

The seven-seater will have the front-biased four-wheel drive system which is featured in the Freelander, with a centre differential to send torque to the wheels which are slipping. There will also be features such as hill descent control, traction control and stability control, which will be operated through the Terrain Response switch in the cabin.

The engines could be 2.0-litre and 2.2-litre diesel units with a choice of a manual, automatic and twin-clutch transmissions. There will also be a ‘micro-hybrid’ soft-start system.

The company is busy deciding on the name for the new model and Land Rover is planning to build the L486 alongside the LRX at Halewood. Which is the current home of the Freelander and X-Type. Land Rover is also hoping to build up to 70,000 units each year.

- Source: AutoCar (Artist impression available there too) -

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