Land Rover’s next Freelander is likely to have an entry-level point £5,000 more expensive than the model it will replace at the end of the year. But the upmarket, more sophisticated SUV will represent greater value to fleets, claim officials.

Available initially as a five-door only, with all-new petrol and diesel power units and features new to the compact 4x4 sector, the car is set to be priced from £22,000, compared with the £16,995 entry price of the current model.

On sale from December, it will come with two engines – a 3.2-litre straight-six petrol with 233bhp, which is claimed to be 30% more powerful than the old V6 and 10% more economical, and a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel with 160bhp (43% more power than the old TD4 unit).

Terrain response, the push-button aid to off-road driving, will be standard on all but the entry-level model and options will include keyless start, adaptive front lighting, automatic wipers and parking assistance.