Overview & Reviews

Land Rover is a luxury SUV manufacturer that has its roots in England. Many of its vehicles are replete with the sort of leather-lined comforts that call to mind hunting lodges and high tea. Land Rovers are also known for being stellar trail-busters, endowed with the moxie to get down and dirty when the road gets rough. Currently owned by Tata Motors, Land Rover is one of just a few automotive brands in the United States to solely market SUV products.

After World War II, two British brothers, Spencer and Maurice Wilks, were impressed by the rugged and versatile nature of the U.S. Army's Jeep. They worked with the British automaker Rover to create the first Land Rover in 1948. Called the Series I, this truck was equipped with permanent four-wheel-drive, a canvas roof and optional doors. These early Land Rovers were crude but extremely well-suited for operations in the field.

The 1950s saw Land Rovers moving toward increased power and refinement. Launched in 1958, the Series II offered added horsepower and a somewhat less rudimentary exterior, with sills designed to disguise the exhaust and chassis. The first diesel-powered Rover was also produced during these years. The Series IIA came next, in a production run that lasted from 1961-'71. As the '60s drew to a close, Rover was acquired by Leyland Motors Ltd. (which would later become British Leyland).

Land Rover's storied Range Rover made its debut in 1970. Equipped with a V8 engine and a body made mostly of aluminum, the stylish vehicle was more consumer-oriented than its predecessors. In the mid-'70s, British Leyland was nationalized; by the mid-'80s, the company — renamed the Rover Group — had been acquired by British Aerospace.

The automaker officially entered the U.S. automotive market in 1987 when the Range Rover made its debut on American shores. It was followed in 1989 by the Discovery, which was initially offered only in two-door form. The Discovery was the first all-new Land Rover in 19 years.

In the 1990s, the sudden popularity of the burgeoning SUV segment placed the brand in an enviable position. In response, Land Rover's vehicles, while still retaining their go-anywhere attitude, became more luxurious, particularly after BMW bought the company in 1995.

The Land Rover family of vehicles has continued to grow. The late '90s saw the introduction of the Freelander; the compact sport-ute held the distinction of being the first production vehicle to offer Hill Descent Control. The latter optimized maneuverability on steep descents by automatically braking to keep the vehicle's speed in check.

BMW's control was short lived, however, and in 2000 Land Rover was sold to Ford. Ford worked hard to improve the reliability of Land Rover's vehicles, but by 2008 Ford's financial instability resulted in Land Rover being sold again, this time to the Indian automaker Tata Motors.

Today, Land Rover is still well known for its luxury SUVs, including the ritzy yet rugged Range Rover as well as smaller and more affordable models like the LR4 and Evoque.

User Reviews:

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  complete failure - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By robert - December 15 - 4:26 am

  a month after purchase with only 34000 miles I have to take it to the dealer for repair, after it reached 55000 , it has been trips to the shop, faulty parts and costly repairs that they say is not cover by the warranty, now at 80,000 i have to replace the transmition and the cooling system has a leak they dont know from where? if I keep driving I have to replace the engine, this is a well known issue with the dealer for this cars but they wont take responsability for the bad quality of the engine. Now after I spend $5000 for repairs I have to get rid off before the engine blows up! a toyota cost half of this one and last at least 250k miles!

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  Dont even consider this vehicle - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By disappointed - November 21 - 4:43 am

  I owned a 2003 Freelander and had to get rid of it. At 65K The head Gasket went. It was to Land Rover multiple times and they could NOT diagnose it. I had to personally tell them that the coolant was going into the oil because I took an oil sample. After they diagnosed the head gasket , they would not garantee the repair. The total for the repair was $2800. It ate brakes and rotors , I had electrical probs including the radio cutting out when it rained. I thought Land Rover was reputable and they would sell a reliable vehicle. I was wrong. I can go on and on . . .buying this vehicle was a MAJOR mistake.

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  Freelander Warning! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By warranted - October 27 - 8:03 am

  Nothing but problems with electric, engine, windows. Stupidly let mileage get past warranty, only to have engine blow due to a design defect Land Rover is well aware of, coolant leaks into engine block, lock-up, one dead engine. LR will do nothing for victims like me (estimated $10,000 or so loss in "value" from one day to next, as I now hold nothing but an engineless shell). Strongly recommend against Land Rover due to poor quality.

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  2003 Land Rover FREELANDER 6-Cyl. 2.5 L - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Bellap - October 10 - 4:30 am

  When I bought this vehicle 3/07. I thought it was sporty and great size. With all the bells and whistles. Soon after buying this found that one of the tires was bad, had to have that replaced. Then found my brake lights had issues. Took back to the dealership advised they never worked properly. All within 1 mo. of buying this. Then recall: Brake Light Switch Replacement Recall Action P004. Which came after 6mos of me owning this. Then 2/19/08 my engine over heated. We thought oh, maybe new thermostat. Nope, the whole engine has to be replaced. Guess what? It cant be found. Currently stuck in a car rental warranty only covers 6 days. So I am SOL. Do not buy this vehicle.

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  The curse of Lucas electrics lives - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By aatk - October 10 - 2:00 am

  Im a Brit. I bought a British car built by scousers. I should have known better. This must have been a Friday vehicle. So far were up to a new engine management computer, a new nav system, 2 heads (for the stereo) and its back in the shop for a problem with the airbags that they cant seem to diagnose. There have been other minor problems (faulty power windows etc). At least its all under warranty... If it hadnt lost 1/3 of its value in 12 months Id be getting rid of it and going back to a BMW. As it is Ill probably amortise the cost over another year.

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  Worse vehicle ever - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By tripper - October 6 - 2:46 pm

  This has been a terrible vehicle. Since owning i have replaced the transmission at 45k, replaced air shock system, and now a new head gasket with only 72,000 miles on it and it has never been off road or out of the garage in the weather. Land Rover and Bear Valley Rover have not stood behind their product. It is a poorly made vehicle. I have owned BMW, Chrysler, Pontiac, Fiat, Oldsmobile, Buick and they were all better than this product. Even the car tag screw holes were drilled off-level so the car tag sits crooked.

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  Rather Be Walking - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By Rather Be Walking - September 30 - 10:00 am

  Bought my 2003 Disc.SE new and experienced problems ever since. Replaced electronic control units in both sunroofs, fixed the drivers side window and front sunroof as they were stuck open, cigarette lighter and heated seats stopped working after 2 months, and gas tank door fixed several times-it refuses to stay closed. Tail lights burn out continuously, back door bolts rusted since month 2 and bolts under hood corroding. Vehicle is very loud. Control panel layout is awkward at best. After sale service was so bad that I would never go back to that dealership. Take a very long test drive before purchasing this vehicle. Cant wait to get rid of mine.

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  landrover freelander - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By lauri - August 17 - 9:43 pm

  very expensive to service and maintain. axles are gone @ 75,000 miles, have replaced radio three times, replaced the entire fan unit and sensors at 72 K miles ($1100.00) rotors and pads will be replaced every 20 K miles, but they wont tell you that at the dealership. Service maintenance is time consuming and expensive.

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  Here it is - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Katarin - June 11 - 10:00 am

  Not much for the money spent

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  Waste time going back & forwd to dealer - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Lemon - May 14 - 10:30 pm

  What the....this guys writing about excellent car seems like from marketing department to counter bad feedback AC leak into interior carpet. Gas suspension dead one after another. Gas pump kaput. Radio/Audio need to be reset by dealer for some strange reason this is just some. Going back and forward to dealer ship like i have free time to burn. Thats why the sales never top BMW or Lexus as a new comer finally I settle with Lexus No Headache at all.