[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/electric-cars\/freelander-8-price-specs-uk\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/electric-cars\/freelander-8-price-specs-uk\/","headline":"Freelander 8: The Name Is Back, but This Is No Land Rover","name":"Freelander 8: The Name Is Back, but This Is No Land Rover","description":"Freelander is back, but not as you remember it. The new Freelander 8 is a 5.1-metre, 818bhp electrified SUV built in China by Chery Jaguar Land Rover.","datePublished":"2026-08-30","dateModified":"2026-08-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/sean-neylon\/#Person","name":"Sean Neylon","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/sean-neylon\/","identifier":34,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a036ec19c690fbd907de932d0ede682f992b96e00164fbf2238ccfb7c3681767?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a036ec19c690fbd907de932d0ede682f992b96e00164fbf2238ccfb7c3681767?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/freelander-8-three-quarter-white.avif","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/freelander-8-three-quarter-white.avif","height":889,"width":1620},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/electric-cars\/freelander-8-price-specs-uk\/","about":["ELECTRIC CARS","EV","FEATURED"],"wordCount":2104,"articleBody":"The Freelander 8 has returned as a 5.1-metre, 818bhp electrified SUV built by Chery Jaguar Land Rover in China. Pre-sales are open, production is under way and the familiar badge now means something very different.Freelander is back as a standalone electrified brand. The first production model is this 5.1-metre Freelander 8.The Freelander 8 is back. Sort of.If your memory of the badge involves a compact British 4×4, muddy dogs and the occasional slightly optimistic attempt at serious off-roading, prepare for a reset. The new Freelander 8 is more than 5.1 metres long, produces a claimed 818bhp and carries enough computing power to make the original look as though it was designed with a pencil and a slide rule.It is also not a Land Rover in the conventional sense. JLR has licensed the Freelander name to its joint venture with Chery in China. That business is building a new range of electrified vehicles under Freelander as a standalone brand, separate from Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar.When we first looked at the project, much of that was still promise and concept-car theatre. Not anymore. The production Freelander 8 rolled off the line in July. Chinese pre-sales opened on 14 August. More than 10,000 pre-orders were claimed within 48 hours, and the official launch is scheduled for 3 September in Beijing.So the question has changed. It is no longer ‘will the Freelander really come back?’ It has. The more interesting question is whether this very Chinese interpretation of a familiar British name can become something buyers outside China actually want.In this articleThe Freelander 8 is back. Sort of.Freelander 8: what you need to knowFreelander has come back as a brand, not a modelThe old Freelander was compact. This one is enormous818bhp is a ridiculous number for anything called FreelanderIt charges like an EV because, most of the time, that is what it isHuawei and Qualcomm provide the other kind of horsepowerThe price tells you where Freelander thinks it belongsThe Middle East comes before BritainSix models in five years means this is not a one-car experimentSo, should Land Rover fans care?Key specificationsFrequently asked questionsFreelander 8: what you need to knowModelFreelander 8What is it?Large range-extended electric SUVWho builds it?Chery Jaguar Land Rover in Changshu, ChinaPower610kW \/ 818bhp claimedTorque813Nm0-62mph4.6 seconds claimedBattery60.3kWh CATLEV-only rangeUp to 310km CLTCCharging800V architecture; 20-80% in as little as 12 minutesLength5,118mmChina priceFrom 339,900 yuan in pre-sales; incentives later reduced the entry point to 329,900 yuanUK launchNot confirmedFreelander has come back as a brand, not a modelThe name is familiar, but the business model is not.In 2024, JLR and Chery announced that the Freelander badge would be revived through their long-running Chinese joint venture. JLR supplies the name, heritage and design influence. Chery brings the underlying electrified architecture, local technology ecosystem and industrial scale. The cars are built at the joint venture’s Changshu plant.Crucially, Freelander sits outside JLR’s normal House of Brands. This is not a new Land Rover Freelander parked beneath Defender in the UK range. It is a new brand in its own right, initially aimed at China and intended over time for export.That sounds like corporate housekeeping until you realise what it allows JLR to do. It can use a dormant name with genuine recognition without dragging Range Rover or Defender directly into China’s brutal technology and price war.The old Freelander was compact. This one is enormousThe original Freelander helped popularise the compact SUV before the phrase ‘compact SUV’ became unavoidable. Freelander 8 has gone the other way.It measures 5,118mm long and rides on a 3,040mm wheelbase. That makes it a properly large SUV, with five-seat and six-seat versions available. The six-seater uses a 2+2+2 layout with individual second-row chairs.Visually, it is not hard to see what the designers are doing. The roofline is upright, the sides are clean and slabby, and the black lower cladding gives it the sort of visual toughness that has become shorthand for ‘adventure’. There are faint echoes of old Land Rovers, but this is not a retro exercise.It actually looks more convincing in production form than the earlier Concept 97. The concept was interesting but slightly busy. The finished car has calmed down, which suits the boxy shape rather well.The badge may suggest compact SUV nostalgia, but the Freelander 8 is 5,118mm long and firmly in large-SUV territory.818bhp is a ridiculous number for anything called FreelanderHere is the sentence nobody expected to write: the new Freelander produces a claimed 818bhp.The first China-market version is an extended-range electric vehicle rather than a straightforward battery EV. A 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine acts primarily as a generator, while two electric motors provide all-wheel drive. Combined output is quoted at 610kW with 813Nm of torque.Freelander claims 0-100km\/h in 4.6 seconds, which is effectively 0-62mph in the same time. That is faintly absurd for something whose ancestors were more likely to be found carrying camping chairs than humiliating sports cars away from traffic lights.The 60.3kWh CATL battery is substantial too. The claimed electric-only range is up to 310km on the Chinese CLTC cycle. Do not translate that directly into a UK WLTP number, but it should allow the car to cover a meaningful amount of everyday driving without firing up the petrol engine.The production car looks cleaner than the earlier Concept 97, with a boxy body and restrained detailing rather than overt retro styling.It charges like an EV because, most of the time, that is what it isThe range-extender layout is only half the technology story.Freelander 8 uses an 800-volt electrical architecture and the manufacturer quotes a 20 to 80 per cent recharge in as little as 12 minutes. That figure will obviously depend on finding a charger capable of supplying what the car wants, but the hardware is serious.The chassis is equally ambitious. Chinese specifications include dual-chamber air suspension, continuously variable dampers, rear-wheel steering of up to ten degrees and a crab-walk function for low-speed manoeuvring.There is also a front mechanical differential lock, rear electronic limited-slip differential, a virtual centre lock and the i-ATS terrain-management system. In wading mode the suspension can raise the car, while the system monitors water depth. This is not merely a tall estate car wearing hiking boots.The simple side treatment disguises just how large the new Freelander is. Five-seat and six-seat configurations will be offered in China.Huawei and Qualcomm provide the other kind of horsepowerIf the mechanical specification reads like a modern luxury SUV, the electronics read like a Chinese flagship phone with number plates.Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 5 assisted-driving system is standard across the current Chinese line-up. The sensor suite includes an 896-channel LiDAR unit, while Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8397 automotive chip handles the heavy computing work.Inside, buyers get a 15.6-inch Mini LED centre screen, a 17.3-inch ceiling-mounted rear display and, on higher-spec versions, a huge 46.3-inch far-field display arrangement. Second-row zero-gravity seats can add heating, ventilation and massage.Anyone hoping the reborn Freelander would be an anti-screen, hose-out-the-footwells sort of machine may want to look away now. This car is designed for a market where software and cabin technology sell SUVs just as effectively as axle articulation.The price tells you where Freelander thinks it belongsThe Freelander 8 is not being pitched as a cheap Chinese alternative with a famous British badge stuck on the bonnet.Chinese pre-sales opened at 339,900 yuan for the five-seat model. The six-seat Pro, Max and Max+ versions were announced at 349,900, 379,900 and 429,900 yuan, while a limited launch version sat higher again. Incentive pricing announced at the Chengdu Auto Show later lowered the entry point to 329,900 yuan.Directly converting those figures into pounds tells us very little about a hypothetical UK price once tax, homologation, specification and distribution are involved. What it does tell us is that Freelander is targeting the premium end of the Chinese electrified-SUV market.That is also why the 10,000 pre-orders claimed in the first 48 hours are interesting. They do not equal 10,000 guaranteed deliveries. Chinese pre-order deposits are often refundable. But they do show that the new badge has generated attention in a market where new SUVs appear almost daily.The Middle East comes before BritainFor UK readers, this is the bit that matters most.A British launch has not been confirmed. The original JLR announcement said Freelander would begin in China and was intended over time for global export. More recent information now points to the first overseas version being left-hand drive and aimed at the Middle East, with launch expected around the end of 2026 or early 2027.That makes a UK arrival possible, not inevitable. A British car could require different driver-assistance hardware, different software, different homologation and possibly a different powertrain strategy. There is also the small matter of deciding how to sell a car carrying a JLR-owned name while making clear that it is not a Land Rover.Until JLR or Freelander confirms right-hand-drive plans, treat any UK price or launch date as speculation.Six models in five years means this is not a one-car experimentThe bigger story may not be the Freelander 8 at all.The brand says it plans six models over the next five years. That turns Freelander from an interesting licensing exercise into a potentially important new automotive brand, one that mixes JLR’s dormant intellectual property with Chery’s speed of development.For JLR, the appeal is obvious. China remains too large to ignore and too competitive to approach with yesterday’s business model. For Chery, the Freelander name brings instant history and a layer of international recognition that takes decades to build from scratch.Whether buyers see clever collaboration or cynical badge mining will depend on the cars. The 8, at least on paper, has enough substance to make the argument interesting.So, should Land Rover fans care?Yes, although perhaps not for the reason they expect.The Freelander 8 is not trying to recreate the old Freelander. It would be rather bad at that job. It is too large, too powerful, too luxurious and far too obsessed with silicon.What makes it interesting is that it shows where the industry is going. British design heritage, Chinese EV hardware, Huawei software, Qualcomm processing and a famous old badge can now end up in one vehicle built for a market thousands of miles from the nameplate’s original home.Some people will hate that. Others will look at an 818bhp, air-suspended, rear-steering SUV with a substantial battery and wonder why established European manufacturers take so long to bring new ideas to market.I am somewhere in the middle. I would rather see the Freelander name used on something ambitious than dusted off for a forgettable crossover. But the badge alone earns no free pass. The interesting part starts when the car leaves China and we discover whether the execution is as impressive as the specification sheet.Key specificationsItemFreelander 8ModelFreelander 8BrandFreelander, under licence from JLRManufacturerChery Jaguar Land RoverProductionChangshu, ChinaLaunch3 September 2026, BeijingLength5,118mmWheelbase3,040mmSeatsFive or sixPowertrain1.5-litre turbo range extender plus dual electric motorsDriveElectric all-wheel driveCombined power610kW \/ 818bhp claimedTorque813Nm0-100km\/h4.6 secondsBattery60.3kWh CATLElectric rangeUp to 310km CLTCArchitecture800V \/ 6CCharging20-80% in as little as 12 minutes claimedSuspensionDual-chamber air suspension with adaptive dampingRear-wheel steeringUp to \u00b110 degreesDriver assistanceHuawei Qiankun ADS 5ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 8397China pre-sale priceFrom 339,900 yuan; incentive price later from 329,900 yuanUK launchNot confirmedFrequently asked questionsIs the Freelander 8 a new Land Rover? No. The Freelander name is licensed by JLR to the Chery Jaguar Land Rover joint venture for a separate electrified vehicle brand. It is not part of the conventional Land Rover model range.  Is the Freelander 8 fully electric? The first China-market version is an extended-range electric vehicle. Electric motors drive the wheels while a 1.5-litre petrol engine acts as a range extender.  How powerful is the Freelander 8? The current specification quotes 610kW, equivalent to about 818bhp, with 813Nm of torque.  How big is the Freelander 8? It is 5,118mm long with a 3,040mm wheelbase, making it a large SUV rather than a compact successor to the original Freelander.  How much is the Freelander 8? Chinese pre-sales began at 339,900 yuan. Incentive pricing later lowered the starting figure to 329,900 yuan. There is no UK price.  When does the Freelander 8 launch? The official global launch event is scheduled for 3 September 2026 in Beijing.  Will the Freelander 8 come to the UK? There is no confirmed UK launch. The first overseas version is expected to be left-hand drive for the Middle East, while JLR has said the Freelander portfolio is intended for broader global export over time.  Photo credits: All supplied images are credited to Chery Jaguar Land Rover \/ Freelander promotional materials."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Electric Cars","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/electric-cars\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Freelander 8: The Name Is Back, but This Is No Land Rover","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/electric-cars\/freelander-8-price-specs-uk\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]