Land Rover brought a competitive vehicle to the sands of Morocco during the first press samplings of the all-new LR2 compact sport/utility, as many automakers do during new-product launches.

This compact luxury SUV is a bona-fide Land Rover. For its scrappy personality and trim dimensions, Europeans loved the model the LR2 replaces, the outgoing Freelander.

Land Rover focused a keen eye on the needs and wants of the American market. The LR2 is roomier, plusher, more powerful, and more versatile than the ill-loved Freelander. With its clamshell hood, jeweled headlamps, chunky proportions, side air intakes, and slotted grille, the LR2 looks right at home next to its LR3 and Range Rover siblings.

The LR2 also covers the new BMW X3 3.0si on torque (225 pound-feet), though it can't match the Bimmer's high-revving 260 horses. Mated to a standard six-speed automatic not the ZF box from the LR3 but a new, compact Aisin Warner unit, it pushes the LR2 to 60 mph in a claimed 8.4 seconds.