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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  One Year Later, Still Love the Rover! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Chad Starling - June 28 - 10:00 am

  Ive had the Freelander (S) for a year (12000 miles) now and havent had anything major go wrong. At about 5 months, the heated windshield had to be replaced due to a factory flaw, but it was taken care of quickly and at no cost, so not a hassle at all! Love the way it rides on and off road and was surprised at how capable it was off road the first time.

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  Cons and Pros - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By mgur1 - June 22 - 3:50 am

  Just returned fully loaded LR2 after lease with 32K on it. After first six months was thinking to keep it. Sluggish acceleration was only one thing bothered me. On a highway you can use a sport mode to go uphill or to pass another vehicle, but in a city it doesnt help. Soon multiple recalls and electronical problems started building up like snowball and that turned me off. Steering pump broke, heated seats element burned, sunroof went off the rails, check engine light, air pressure gages mulfunctioned, fuel gage drops on zero and "Low Fuel" warning beeps with more than half tank of gas. Dealer fixed it, after two weeks got same thing. Bluetooth drops signal very often

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  The good, the bad, and not so ugly. - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By kwon303 - June 16 - 10:23 pm

  I bought this 05 model in 07 with about 19000 miles. It now has about 65,000 and I have to say overall I have been very fortunate. Ive heard lots of things about reliability and to be honest and here my experience, tranny is starting to jerk a little when I slow down and speed up so Im a little concerned but I bought the 6 year 75,000 mile warranty so well see whats up. I had to get the rear tailgate fixed...NOT CHEAP..latch broke and would not open. Also sunroof leaks out of overhead dome light... not covered under warranty. BUT this thing rides like its on a cloud, and handles anything off road and looks are timeless. Overall I think I got one of the decent rovers and keeping it.

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  Think Twice - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Kross98 - June 16 - 9:20 pm

  I thought buying a Land Rover would mean minimal problems but this vehicle has given me more headaches than any vehicle Ive ever owned. Bought it used in 04 and have had it in the shop at least 10 times since. Mostly mechanical problems such as window malfunctions, door locks, etc. Have problems with it starting on occasion but LR says they cant find a problem. Very disappointed with the reliability of this SUV and usually disappointed with the customer service as well. Think twice before buying this vehicle.

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  Range Rover expencive but worth it. - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Phil Susterick - June 11 - 10:00 am

  I live in MN & were known for harsh winters. As result Ive been driving 4x4s for the past 18yrs, Jeep Grand Cherokee mostly, but, my 2003 Range Rover beats the heck out of all of them put together. Ive never felt safer or in more control as I do with this vehicle. And off-road - there is NO equal. If you can afford one youll never regret ownership. I will buy another.

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  HSE 2003 - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By wrldsk8r1 - April 28 - 2:00 am

  . . . . . . . . . . . Great Car

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  Heartbreaker - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By kcslc - April 26 - 8:03 am

  I just ended an almost 18 month relationship with my LR3. At the end, I still loved the style and comfort of the vehicle. However, its dreadful reliability finally won out. In the time I owned it I fixed a suspension air compressor ($1,200), broken glovebox door ($250), broken keyless entry ($250), and rocker panel trim that fell off bi-annually. When I traded it in it had faulty HDC control, broken pass door lock, and worst of all a bad bearing in the front axle. This was all between 47,000-62,000 miles. On the plus side: good power, decent mileage for a V8 SUV (17+/-), real off-road ability, uniqueness, just right sized for my family. Id own one again, but ONLY under warranty!

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  2nd Land Rover...great, so far... - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By brent bonfiglio - April 17 - 10:00 am

  I have only driven Audis... but my spouse liked the looks of the free lander se3--- after we purchesed the se3 I found myself always driving it, so I decied on a land rover, myself....I bought my disco, and have enjoyed it very much...VERY, VERY diferent from my previous car...but in a good way..the build quality is NOT up to Audi...but it is still acceptable. I have found no faults with this vehicle...and would reccommend it to anyone...just be ware of the fact the fact that they can be very expensive to maintain...over all a very good vehicle...

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  Good Car - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Some one - April 12 - 2:43 pm

  I have had the Car for almost a month now and have driven it more than 897 miles and it has been problem free so far. The fuel economy is bad but its not that big of a surprise if you know anything about Land Rovers. The blue tooth wireless phone is easy to connect with but people have told me when I call them is some times difficult to hear me.

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  Still holding on to my LR3 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By gr8song - April 7 - 12:21 pm

  In 2007, bought my 2005 LR3 used at about 45,000 miles and also bought very expensive extended warranty from Fidelity due to its bad reputation of reliability. Ending up never needed the extended warranty. Never have had any major problems except a few minors like the rear window wiper and brake cable corrosion. The "Check Engine" light occasionally came on and was told by my dealership that I needed new battery more than a year ago. My local Interstate Battery store checked the battery out just fine, and I am still running with it. I did changed 4 brakes with brake rotors twice for the 4 years and 50,000 miles that I have owned it so far for almost $3,000 each time. Thats expensive!!!