I was barrelling along through the dunes on the west Moroccan coast when it occurred to me. With several hundred kilometres of tarmac, tracks and terrifying sand behind me, I had found this diesel Freelander 2 to be the car best suited to my lifestyle - real and aspirational. This reinvention of Land Rover's smallest vehicle ticked all my boxes, particularly with this engine and this gearbox.Oddly enough, the flash of enlightenment came at a particularly tricky spot. Trying to keep the momentum up as I crested another honey-hued drift of fine sand, the car had come down the back slope quicker than was absolutely necessary and despite the deep tramlines left by the previous car, no amount of steering was producing any effect on my direction of travel. We overshot the corner and dropped into virgin sand.An embarrassing episode loomed in my imagination involving ropes, sweat and spinning wheels, but no. All four wheels chucked rooster-tails of sand into the air but she was steering again after a fashion. Bouncing back over a patch of weeds, we curved round to the right and pitched over the lip of the trail to regained convoy position.The rest of the drive was stomach-churning and concussion-inducing as we lurched and squirmed continuously for half an hour along the wind-sifted shores of the North Atlantic Ocean, but not once did we get stuck.This had been the story for the last two days. I'd regularly been pleasantly surprised by the abilities of the car. I remember scrambling without hesitation up a steep hillside of gravel, bare rock slabs and rain-cut gullies. There were the miles of rubble strewn camel trails twisting up the suspension as we wove through the scrub along the valley rim. The long and dusty roads were less exciting, except for the herds of tree-climbing goats, heavily-burdened donkeys and romantic road-signs for Marrakech and Casablanca.Land Rover went to extraordinary lengths to develop the Freelander 2, including working it hard through Arctic winters and desert dry-seasons. The company wants it to have the genuine spirit of adventure that should come with the green oval badge, but add something it's had a hard time finding in the past - all-round reliability. If this previously elusive quality has indeed been found - and only time will tell - there is nothing about the new TD4 model I'd change.My test vehicle was in range-topping HSE trim with everything from keyless push-button start/stop and a similar satnav pack to the Range Rover, to a stripped down version of the excellent Terrain Response System launched on the Discovery 3 and a new Gradient Release Control which slowly lets off the brake when you've stopped on a very steep downhill.Even if you aren't planning a trek into the rural backwaters of northwest Africa, it's an attractive package. Here's why. For a start the car's powered by an all-new 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine, developed by Ford in partnership with the PSA Peugeot Citroen group. Compared to the outgoing model it's got 43% more power along with a massive 54% extra torque, it'll reach 62mph more than two seconds sooner, and yet it's no more costly to run.The next thing is that it's a thoroughly grown-up, good-looking car that's laudably been built to the form-dictates-function school of design thought which means you have a solid looking car with a minimum of external frills.Okay, it is an on/off-road compromise, but it's a good compromise. For the road, it has a rounded nose and a steeply raked windscreen to make it as air-slippery as possible. For the dirt it has minimal overhangs at the front and rear, a clean underbelly without any dangly bits and a ground clearance of 22cm (8.5 inches).Freelander 2 has an electronically adaptive 4x4 system which splits the torque between the front and rear depending on where it's needed. On the road it's mostly going to the front, but in extreme off-road conditions it can almost all go to the back if that's where it's needed.On this version of the Terrain Response System the driver turns a knob to one of four settings - normal, grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, or sand. Working through the brakes, engine management and traction control, it tailors the car's performance to best get you through the rough. It's simple to use and, as I found out, extremely effective.Indoors you can comfortably accommodate five six-footers, the rear three seats can fold forwards to leave a fairly flat cargo hold, and it's light and airy thanks to big windows and two sunroofs. From the driver's seat you can see the rising edges of the bonnet, which is equally helpful in roadside parking or weaving through the gaps in the African scrub.On the road, the Freelander 2 gives minimal body roll for a car so tall and feels as responsive, as smooth and as effortless as most quality saloon cars. The gearshift is solid and the steering feels perfectly weighted no matter what the speed you're doing.But what would make it my car choice? Simple - it has almost everything I need and want in a car. It has accommodation big enough for a family, it's got the guts and ability to tow my inshore rowing team's boat between competitions and onto the beaches to launch it, it'll keep me mobile through the white howl of winter, and it'll take me and my tent to the most out-of-the-way campsites.On top of that, the TD4 Freelander 2 is economical enough to run on a daily basis and is expected to hold onto 54% of its value after three years and 36,000 miles. If it turns out to be as long-term reliable as Land Rover wants it to be there's not a thing that needs changing and come the riches I so rightly deserve, this is now at the top of my shopping list.Second opinion: On British tarmac the Freelander is also very impressive. No car with such talent through Moroccan sand dunes can be ideally poised on normal roads, but as Mike says this one is a good compromise; in particular, it has the most responsive front end of any Land Rover I have ever driven. It's also so quiet that you wonder if this can really be a diesel Landie you're driving. Outstandingly better in all respects than the outgoing model with which it shares a name but almost nothing else. David Finlay. Engine 2179 cc, 4 cylinders Power 160 bhp @4000 rpm Torque 295 ib/ft @2000 rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 37.7 mpg / 194 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.9sec Top speed 112 mph Price From £31399.00 approx Release date 01/12/2006