THE huge success of the Evoque has resulted in the Freelander being pushed into the background for the past 12 months - so Land Rover decided to give its older star a makeover.

And the changes certainly give the Freelander a more premium feel with sharper looks and a better cabin.

The engine line-up is unchanged and so is the chassis but the exterior is improved by new headlights featuring the same LED design as the new Range Rover and the rear lights also get the LED treatment.

New paint colours also help to brighten the Freelander's looks and will help it to keep up with the competition which includes Honda's new CR-V and Toyota's new RAVv4.

You will notice more difference when you climb into the cabin which has been sprinkled with some Evoque dust. The changes certainly take the Freelander upmarket but without tramping on the luxury territory of the baby Range Rover.

The traditional handbrake has been scrapped and replaced by an electronic switch and the terrain response dial has been ditched and replaced by buttons situated behind the gearlever.

The HSE model I tried came complete with all the kit you could want, including leather heated seats with electrical adjustment, a seven-inch touch screen with satnav and a 17-speaker sound system and 19-inch alloys.

On the road the Freelander drives just the same and although the 187bhp diesel featured in this version starts off a bit noisy it soon settles down when warmed-up and delivers the goods.

It takes just 9.5 seconds to reach 62mph and has a top speed of 118mph. The engine is always willing and quick off the blocks and it is reasonably economical for a large car with a combined figure of 40.4mpg. Emisssions of this model are 185g/km.

The facelifted Freelander provides a very comfortable ride and the handling is as you would expect from an SUV of this size with a bit of body roll.

Other vehicles in the class may be a bit more agile but they will not match the Land Rover over the rough stuff.

At £39,805 this top of the range version is expensive but prices of lesser models start from £23,700 and make much more sense when compared with the opposition.

The Freelander offers bags of space for driver and passengers and the boot can take 750 litres of luggage with the rear seats in position and up to 1,670 litres with them folded.

The improvements certainly give the car a boost and you can also buy two-wheel-drive versions if you want better economy and don't need to go too far off-road.