A senior engineer behind the Freelander 8 says the new SUV has undergone all-terrain development testing that matches, and in some areas exceeds, the testing undertaken by luxury SUVs he previously helped develop.
Antonio Maresca, chief engineer at Chery's R&D centre, made the claim while presenting the engineering program behind the JLR-Chery brand's first model to media in China.
Mr Maresca said his career included work with Jaguar Land Rover and BMW, as well as the original Freelander, before he joined Chery.
He said the new SUV had been subjected to the same rigorous test regimes as earlier luxury vehicles he worked on, with some Freelander 8 testing going further.
"I don't merely say it's on par. In many cases, it surpasses those vehicles," he said. "This is my professional judgment, backed by decades of data and real-world testing."
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Mr Maresca identified structural integrity, resistance to extreme temperatures, and crash-energy absorption among the areas assessed.
He did not name the comparison vehicles or provide their test results during the presentation. His comments concern his own engineering experience and the Freelander 8 development program, rather than any documented comparison with today's BMW or JLR lineup.
The claim comes as Freelander prepares to launch in Australia in 2027, with the all-new Freelander 8 large SUV leading its local range. We've previously detailed the SUV's international specification and Freelander's Australian rollout plans.
The brand has now set out more of the scale of its durability work. Its media guide says more than 200 vehicles have been dedicated to all-terrain durability testing, covering a combined 2.15 million kilometres.
They form part of a wider development fleet of more than 1000 vehicles, which Freelander says has been subjected to more than 50 road types around the world.
The 2.15 million kilometres relates to the combined all-terrain fleet, not each vehicle, and is not presented as the distance covered by the entire global development program.
Earlier this month Freelander said the wider testing program covered deserts, gravel, rocky terrain, steep climbs, water crossings, and sealed roads. The newest Chery brand also said it included 12 hours of extreme rain testing.
Mr Maresca said vehicles had been exposed to cold conditions in northern Europe, heat and humidity in Southeast Asia, and heat, dust, and sand in the Middle East.
Australian roads are also part of the development program, as CarExpert reported when the Freelander 8 was revealed in April, but Freelander has not announced the distances covered here or identified any potential changes made specifically for Australia.
Freelander says it has developed separate international left-hand drive, right-hand drive, and European variants on a common platform, with changes made to suit regional regulations and customer preferences.
The Freelander 8 comes with an off-road hardware package that includes dual-chamber air suspension and continuously controlled dampers, with up to 266mm of ground clearance. Freelander says the suspension has completed 15,000 durability compression tests.
Its four-wheel drive system combines an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential with a virtual centre diff lock.
Freelander claims a maximum wading depth of 900mm, the ability to complete an 800mm cross-axle articulation test, and climbing capability on gradients of up to 70 per cent, or approximately 35 degrees.
The Freelander 8 also underwent an internal, stationary climate control system test: after a vehicle had spent two hours in the sun, Freelander says the air temperature measured at the driver's head position dropped by approximately 33 degrees Celsius within 10 minutes of cooling.
Freelander has not supplied comparative data to provide more context alongside established luxury brands.
Freelander says the 8 is designed to meet the safety requirements of each market in which it will be sold,
Australian pricing, specifications, equipment, warranty terms and service requirements are yet to be unannounced.