While the exterior of theFreelander 8hints at some measure of off-road ability, the interior is geared towards luxury.
The SUV’s cabin was revealed earlier this week in videos and images posted on Chinese social media site Weibo, which we found viaCar News China.
So far the SUV has only been previewed with a six-seat layout featuring “zero gravity” captain’s chairs in the middle row, which are equipped with heating, ventilation and massaging functions. They also feature a flip-out footrest and can recline up to 145 degrees.
Options fitted to the car include tray tables for the front seatbacks, a large ceiling-mounted entertainment screen for second- and third-row passengers, a skylight for the third row, and a slide-out 10L fridge in the centre console.
Up front there’s a 15.6-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard, while a 46.3-inch or 1.2m 8K display lives where the windscreen base meets the dash.
A row of physical buttons lives below the infotainment display, and the centre console features a set of crystal-like control knobs. The middle-row climate control interface, meanwhile, features capacitive buttons.
Developed jointly by Jaguar Land Rover and its Chinese manufacturing partner Chery, the Freelander 8 is the first of six models for the newly created Freelander brand.
While the 8’s exterior styling is heavily influenced by the original three-door Land Rover Freelander, it is a considerably larger beast.
Said to measure 5118mm long, 2050mm wide, 1898mm tall, and riding on a 3040mm wheelbase, the Freelander 8 is longer than the standard-wheelbase Range Rover. By contrast the first-generation five-door Freelander was just 4.4m long.
The SUV is available with 22-inch alloy wheels shod with 285/45 Pirelli P-Zero tyres. Based on the Chery iMax platform, the Freelander 8 will be available with electric, plug-in hybrid, and extended-range EV (EREV) drivetrains.
EREV variants will reportedly feature a 115kW 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine whose sole job is to recharge the 60kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery. Chery claims the EREV is capable of 221km of electric-only driving, although this is using the WLTC standard.
Thanks to its 800V electrical system, EREV models have a maximum DC fast-charging rate of 350kW.
The Freelander 8 goes on sale in China later this year, and will be built in both left- and right-hand drive and exported to markets such as the Middle East.
Chery has confirmed the Freelander brand will be introduced in Australia in 2027, though it hasn’t provided any further details at this stage.
MORE: Another Chinese brand is coming to Australia, and it’s another one from Chery