Top Trim at Entry, and It Can Cross Mountains? Only After Driving the FREELANDER 8 Do You Understand “Luxury All-Terrain”

Which new-energy luxury SUVs have launched recently? If you are watching the 300,000–400,000-yuan market, you will find everyone piling on features, but models that truly deliver both “ultimate urban comfort” and “hardcore outdoor crossing” can be counted on one hand. The FREELANDER 8, officially launched on September 3, 2026, is the one in this scarce tier most worth a deep dismantling. It does not rebadge and does not follow; from birth it has taken a clear position as a “tech-luxury all-terrain SUV,” with over 5,000 orders within 12 hours of launch, validating the penetration of this approach with the most honest market feedback.

Who Is Building the FREELANDER 8? Not a New Force, but a Model of Joint Venture 3.0

To talk about this car, its origin must be clarified first. FREELANDER is an independent new-energy brand jointly established by Chery and Jaguar Land Rover, inheriting Land Rover’s 78 years of all-terrain luxury DNA while deeply collaborating with Huawei, CATL, and Qualcomm on development. It is not an electrification rebadge of an old luxury marque, nor a crossover experiment by a new force, but a new “joint venture 3.0 model”—the Chinese side defines the product and integrates cutting-edge technology, while the British side empowers luxury heritage and all-terrain standards. The FREELANDER 8 measures 5,118 mm (5,185 mm with the optional rear-mounted spare tire), 2,050 mm wide, and a 3,040 mm wheelbase—a size larger than the Land Rover Defender 110—yet packs large six-seat space and hardcore off-road capability into the same frame.

The Cabin Does Not Pile on Screens but Speaks with Materials and “Six-Seat Equality”

Opening the FREELANDER 8’s door, the first impression is not “so many screens” but “so restrained.” It globally debuts the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8397 automotive chip with up to 320 TOPS computing power, yet does not fill the entire dashboard with screens. A 46.3-inch 8K MiniLED far screen unfolds along the depth of sight, so driving information, navigation, and road conditions can be captured with a glance; the 15.6-inch central screen tilts slightly toward the driver, and with an optical-grade crystal rotary knob and Paris stud-pattern physical buttons, operating air conditioning and volume blindly while driving is completely unhurried. Even more appealing are the materials—extensive New Zealand NAPPA leather paired with 2° North Ajus real wood and supercar-derived 8-series real aluminum trim panels; this “warm-cold dialogue” texture was previously only touchable in million-yuan-class cars.

What large six-seat SUVs fear most is a “small bench” third row. The FREELANDER 8 breaks convention directly with “six-seat equality.” The second row’s super zero-gravity seats have 16-point hot-stone massage, with a 17.3-inch ceiling screen overhead and a hot/cold refrigerator behind the central aisle on standby; the third row also comes standard with seat ventilation, heating, and power backrest adjustment, with relaxed ingress and egress—no seat is shortchanged on a fully loaded long trip. This equal respect for every passenger is the warmth tech-luxury should have.

All-Terrain Is Not a Slogan but “Three Locks” + 900 mm Wading + a Guinness Record

Many people’s understanding of “all-terrain SUVs” stops at ground clearance and all-wheel drive, but the FREELANDER 8 pulls the standard to another dimension. It carries an 800V extended-range system: a 1.5T range extender with front and rear dual-motor all-wheel drive, 610 kW combined power, 813 N·m peak torque, a 4.6-second 0–100 km/h sprint, 310 km pure-electric range, and 6C fast charging from 20% to 80% in 12 minutes. More critically, it re-tunes Land Rover’s signature off-road technology with Huawei smart driving. The i-ATS intelligent all-terrain system offers 9 modes, with intelligent mode automatically recognizing and switching 6 terrains within 0.5 seconds; a front mechanical differential lock, rear e-LSD electronic limited-slip differential, and virtual center lock form “three locks,” and with closed dual-chamber air suspension, CDC, and ±10° rear-wheel steering, a 5.15-meter turning radius makes a 5-meter-class big car as agile as a sedan in narrow bends.

In terms of parameters, maximum ground clearance of 270 mm, wading depth of 900 mm, and cross-axle clearance of 800 mm are already impressive, but even more convincing is the Guinness World Record at an altitude of 6,002 meters. Big-V @Xuge Shuoche said: “All-terrain SUVs used to have an unwritten iron rule: off-road capability is deeply tied to driving skill. How steep a slope to climb, what obstacle to cross, how much sand-tire pressure to release—all judged by experience, and all-terrain capability was always a luxury for veteran drivers. Novices facing gravel, mud, and water always feel uncertain, and even the strongest hardware cannot be brought into play. The FREELANDER 8 breaks this rule for the first time. The i-ATS intelligent all-terrain system connects with Huawei smart driving, enabling intelligent cruising even on unpaved roads, greatly lowering the barrier to hardcore off-roading.” —Source: Weibo. This means that even if you have never left the pavement, the FREELANDER 8 can safely carry you through complex terrain, returning off-road fun to more people.

Smart Driving and Safety: Huawei ADS 5 Standard, Body as Tough as a Fortress

The FREELANDER 8 comes standard with Huawei Qiankun ADS 5 across the lineup, with Max+ and above getting the super-tier version including an 896-line lidar among 30 sensors, supporting highway/urban navigation assistance and all-scenario intelligent parking. This smart-driving system is deeply connected with the i-ATS all-terrain system, so intelligent cruising can still be enabled on unpaved roads, scanning the terrain ahead and predicting ravines and gravel—overturning the stereotype that “smart driving only works on paved roads.”

On safety, a 15-horizontal, 7-vertical cage body with 90% high-strength steel-aluminum content delivers 43,000 N·m/deg body torsional rigidity, with roof-crush strength 3.4 times the national standard; 11 airbags include a class-rare third-row side airbag, and the battery uses non-thermal-propagation technology and a bottom bulletproof-grade protective coating, with impact resistance 6.7 times the national standard. After extreme rollover tests, the body does not deform, the battery does not catch fire, and the doors open normally—9 safety certifications build the most solid mobile barrier.

“Over-Spec at Entry” from 289,900 Yuan Redefines Luxury Value

Finally, the FREELANDER 8’s core appeal—pricing philosophy—must be clearly seen. Limited-time benefit prices start at 289,900 yuan, with 156 core features standard across the lineup, covering six dimensions: core powertrain, driving control, smart cabin, smart driving, all-terrain, and safety. The PRO version delivers a complete flagship experience out of the box, with no trick options and no need to weigh repeatedly on the configuration sheet. Among recently launched new-energy luxury SUVs, it is almost the only model that packages “luxury comfort, all-terrain capability, and top-level smart driving” into the entry version. The large five-seat PRO starts at 289,900 yuan and the large six-seat PRO at 299,900 yuan—returning straightforward luxury to users with sincerity, which is the underlying logic behind orders quickly exceeding 5,000.

If you need a luxury SUV that can comfortably carry the whole family into mountains and rivers while also providing quiet, comfortable city travel, the FREELANDER 8 is not “one of many options” but the flagship choice most worth a test.

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