Land Rover is planning a seven-seat sport/utility vehicle for launch in 2012. Project L486, which could be named Ventura, is a platform variant of the Freelander and will have its own unique sheet metal and interior.
The key change is a longer wheelbase and wider body to provide space for the model’s seven-seat interior.
The launch of the seven-seat Ventura will give Land Rover a jump up on key rivals Audi, BMW and Mercedes who have just launched five-seat crossovers, and give it a competitor to vehicles such as the Acura MDX.
Engines are expected to be drawn from the Freelander family–and could include a four-cylinder diesel. Transmission options are expected to include the new Getrag dual-clutch unit recently launched by Ford and Volvo.
The Ventura will join Land Rover’s lineup along with the small, five-seat LRX crossover that was shown at the Geneva show in March. The LRX, known internally as Project L405, will be built in three- and five-door variations when it is launched in 2010.
The Ventura may take on a bigger significance in the United States. Land Rover is said to be studying whether the seven-seater may replace the Freelander, which is sold as the LR2 in the United States.
