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:

• 

  I love my LR3 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By texas retired - August 25 - 6:26 pm

  I bought my LR3 new and absolutely love it. I have had almost no issues with my SUV. There were a few warranty items in the beginning but smooth sailing now. It is about to go out of warranty and I am investigating extended warranty just in case. This is my second Land Rover, the last was a 2000 Disc II and I had no issues with it either. I keep hearing about reliability issues with these cars but I have not ever had an issue with the 2 I have owned.

• 

  Remember the Yugo? - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By zpirate - August 24 - 6:23 pm

  Wow, what a mistake! We traded a 04 RR in on the 06 RR. Gosh darn it! We read the reviews on the 2006 just like youre doing, and people seemed to like the vehicle, so we traded. Im sorry for that stupid decision. At least the 04 was decent with the BMW drive. Our 06 is an electronics monster that reared its ugly head when we drove off in it. Weve had nothing but trouble with it. Theyve reprogrammed it and installed software upgrades 12 times and it still surged, shook, vibrated, cut in and out on its own. They cant fix it. We gave up and bought a Mercedes. My suggestion is dont buy one. L/R lost a customer for life.

• 

  NOT QUITE SURE? - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By TL - August 23 - 12:56 pm

  I come have had 2 Porsches, 5 BMWs previous to the Disco. I have always admired its unique design, quite eclectic, old world British design that has refused to give into recent silly modern morphisms. The interior design is also very luxurious and utilitarian, dual sunroofs, bun warmers, powered everything.. I find the Disco sluggish, have to keep it in Sport Mode most of the time, which further impairs the already embarassing gas mileage. I have found Land Rover to be second rate as far as service (compared to BMW and Porsche), they do not extend "Range Rover" courtesy and customer service to Disco owners.

• 

  This is a SUV - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By go land - August 21 - 10:00 am

  Fun to drive off road.Good power.Beatifull design.Class.Excellent SUV

• 

  Nice Crossover - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Scott Heaton - August 20 - 10:06 pm

  As the previous owner of a Discovery II, I can say this is a much smoother, solid-feeling vehicle. I enjoy the driving experience more every day. Four months into ownership have given no disappointments.

• 

  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.

• 

  Fantastic Car, but have a warranty - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By RC - August 15 - 12:46 pm

  I love the RR, will likely buy another. My advice is always have a warranty (factory) because they are expensive to fix. Ive had some routine problems that were very expensive to fix on this car (two examples are the alternator and starter).

• 

  Love the LR3 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By LR3 Lover - August 11 - 1:26 pm

  Just to be honest, I am happy with my Fully Loaded LR3 HSE w/ brush bar. Here are some experiences I had with my LR3 right from the start to less than 3,500 miles that I would like to share with you (Listed below): 1) The driverÂ’s side door mirror wouldnÂ’t tilt up or down. 2) In Reverse, both side door mirrors will tilt but will not tilt back to normal positions as like before. 3) Loud noises from upper tailgate when going over any size bumps, and when making turns. 4) Sometimes, itÂ’ll take over a minute for the radio to come on, or after I turned off the radio then on again. 5) Suspension Fault. IÂ’ve never driven the LR3 off-road, or even off- curve (peopleÂ’s most off-road exp)

• 

  Discovery SE - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By Orl Land Rover - August 6 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car brand new and have had a great time with it. I tow a boat and its brakes are amazing. The ride is extremely stable, even when cornering hard. Very fun to drive and not everyone has one!

• 

  AWESOME! - 2009 Land Rover LR2
  By AWESOME! - August 3 - 9:03 pm

  The LR2 is the best choice in its class period! The stylish and rugged look is what the land rover is about. The interior works for this vehicle and is easy to control. There is more then enough room in the back and excellent head room compared to any of the other vehicles that we looked at. Its a land rover, its unique and its should be on your list of SUVs.