2007 Land Rover LR2 By Larry Edsall, New Car Test Drive .com

After a year's hiatus, Land Rover is bringing back its compact sport utility vehicle, except this time it will be called the LR2, not the Freelander. This new name continues a precedent established when Land Rover introduced the LR3, which is the latest generation of the model formerly known as the Discovery.

Though the best-selling 4x4 in Europe for five years in a row, the Freelander was ill suited to American driving styles and didn't live up to Land Rover's rich off-road heritage. Worse, it sometimes seemed awkward on the road.

Land Rover promises that the LR2 will be much improved on the highway, but also better able to venture far from pavement.

The 2007 Land Rover LR2 will be equipped with the company's heralded Terrain Response technology. By simply twisting a knob, the driver can all at once program the LR2's sensors, computers and mechanical systems to automatically adjust to driving conditions, such as snow or rocks or gravel.

The 2007 Land Rover LR2 will feature all-new engines: a 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder and a diesel 2.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel. However, don't expect to see the diesel in the United States when the vehicle first comes to market.

The six-cylinder generates 230 horsepower and 234 pound-feet of torque that flows through a six-speed automatic transmission and accelerates the LR2 from a standing start to 60 miles per hour in about 8.4 seconds. Land Rover expects this engine to be rated at about 25 miles per gallon.

The diesel pumps out a very strong 300 pound-feet of torque and can be linked to a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic. Land Rover anticipates average overall fuel economy figures in the 37 mpg range.

The LR2 will be nearly two inches longer than the Freelander, but Land Rover promises it will have considerably more interior space, and that includes head, shoulder and legroom for occupants plus 38 percent more cargo capacity.

New styling makes the LR2 look like the Range Rover. Inside, it will feature more luxurious materials, which ws a weakness of the old Freelander.

The new LR2 will be considered a crossover sport utility with five-door architecture. (Crossover utility vehicles are constructed more like cars than trucks.) Unlike other crossovers, however, the LR2 will offer more than eight inches of ground clearance and will be able to ford 19 inches of water.

It will come with a long list of modern technological features, such as Roll Stability Control, which reduces the chance of a rollover. It also will come with seven airbags.

Other features will include a keyless starter button, bi-xenon headlamps, adaptive front lighting, rain-sensing windshield wipers and rear park distance control. A two-part panoramic sunroof will be standard equipment, while a DVD satellite navigation system will be optional. Audio systems will include a 12-speaker Dolby Pro Logic II 7.1 surround sound system.