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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  Quality not so good - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Mary - September 25 - 7:30 pm

  I am very unhappy with the quality of my SR2. The exterior paint is very thin, the drivers side seat has torn, the performance is horrible, the only good thing is the fuel economy. I have never been this unhappy with a vehicle in my life, I paid approx. $39,000 in Aug. of 2007. I was recently offered $25,000 trade in from the same dealership I paid $39,000 only a year ago. Wow! I have to take a $14,000 loss on this vehicle. I am so unhappy with this vehicle I am going to take the $14,000 loss just to get out of it, however I will never ever purchase another Land Rover or Range Rover ever!

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  Worst Car I Ever Bought - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Kerstin - September 25 - 3:23 pm

  This is the 2nd Land Rover Ive purchased. I had a 2006 LR3 and should have known better but figured the 2nd one couldnt be as bad as the first one. Wrong! The car was beautiful, orange, black leather, loaded. It was in for repairs more than I had it. I had some serious electrical issues that the dealer was unable to diagnose. Once the car stalled at a traffic light and I had to coast out of a major intersection. I only kept the car 6 months. It was not reliable and I worried constantly about being stranded in it. Never knew if it would start up or die on me. Only got 18mpg! (when it was running!)

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  Outstanding Vehicle - 2007 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Jim - September 24 - 11:40 pm

  I have used the vehicle to travel 3- 400 highway miles a week. I have towed 20 boat 300 miles w/o effort, pulled boat full of water from sandy beach without trouble. I have driven through sandy orange groves...the vehicle performs as advertised. I use the lowering function for easier entry for the ladies, (still too high for elderly to easily access)parking in the garage and when using drive up banking services. I currently have 54,000 miles on the vehicle, 0 problems and I have averaged 18.6 mpg.

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  WORTH THE BUCK - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By LHoward - September 23 - 11:06 pm

  A delight to drive on or off road. If I want a sport car I will buy one, but I was looking for a well built and safe vehicle for me and my Wife. Superior comfort with a real luxury SUV feel. Has power and with the automatic suspension you can adapt to the road. If you cant afford 60k dont try this vehicle, but if you understand safety/luxury be my quest you wont be disappointed.

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  Love my FullFat Range Rover - 2005 Land Rover Range Rover
  By bergml - September 23 - 2:19 am

  107K miles, no major faults to note. All records going back to new. Typical fiddly LR stuff here and there (door handle release cable, dead battery---but it was the original that lasted 7 years, and these things are typically hard on batteries, occasional goofy electrical gremlins, cooling hoses randomly burst---this is well documented) but all in all, the truck has been tremendously reliable and is very comfortable and nothing feels as safe when youre having to navigate through blinding snow storms and 10 degree temps. My truck has the lux package so the seats are straight out of a 7-series BM and are very comfortable. Find one that has been looked after and youll see why we love them!

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  2005 Land Rover LR3 SE V8 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By MotorStreet - September 20 - 3:50 am

  The LR3 is hugely impressive. It tows our 4000 lbs boat with ease. The LR3 has a huge cargo area and seats that fold flat quickly and easily. You can fit a six foot tall adult easily and comfortably in every seat. Its easy to see out of and park the LR3 because of its relatively small proportions and huge windows. Another impressive part of the LR3 is its extensive warranty and the dealers service programs. The air suspension is a nice feature, because it means that the car can be low for access or higher for snow, towing, or off roading. This SUV feels solid, but suprisingly nimble on the road and in snow or ice sticks to the road like no other vehicle.

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  What a Lemon! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Amanda Harle - September 17 - 7:26 pm

  Car was bought used w/24,000 miles on it. I had the car for three days when the transmission dropped. When I finally got the car back, one of the rear windows wouldnt go up. Driving 3 hrs to the nearest dealership in Grand Rapids, MI, the engine seized. The dealership told me they had to call the factory in Europe to confirm that a head gasket had gone. In the last couple years, Ive had the sunroof fixed 3 times, window motors replaced, speakers replaced & the air conditioner has NEVER worked. Now, at 60,000 miles, BOTH head gaskets have gone. The car I bought for reliability turned out to tbe the COMPLETE OPPOSITE. I would love to join a class action lawsuit against Land Rover....

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  worst SUV - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By leboniz - September 15 - 5:27 pm

  I spent thousands of dollars on repairs air suspension failed converted to coil spring with new shocks $2500 at landrover specialist, water pump failed $600 , heater core leaked inashboard $1800 due to dashbomoval, overheated due to radiator leaks $550 , Alternator & battery $1000 , windows regulator $600 , windows master switch $180, tires $600, brakes pads & rotors $400, Muffler $350, coolant tank $120, at end electric problem in door actuator door can not open & AC heater control stoped, rádio stoped, , transfercase chain stretched out, i gave up and sold at big lost $3000 , it ruined my life and hard earned money :(

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  Broke Down at 2800 Miles - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Samuel - September 15 - 11:20 am

  Beware. Look elsewhere. Car completely broke down at 2800 miles. Excuses from Land Rover have been key fob software problem. How does a key fob effect coolant being burned out of the engine at 2800 miles? Car would not start looked under hood coolant below way below minimum. Car in shop now for 3 weeks. Land Rover clueless as to what is going on and wants us to be the Test Pilots. No Thank you. Same problem happening with other buyers. Land Rovers Solution is that when your car stalls on the freeway to just pull over and take the key out and let it reset and then try again! Would not be good if the car stalls on incline doing off road excursion. Looks like an accident waiting to happen.

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  Great Car - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By lee crosse - September 14 - 12:56 pm

  I love being in my RRS. Writing from the UK where I drive a diesel. 29 mpg on a decent run. After 24,000 miles in 7 months (including a 2500 mile round trip to Poland after having taken delivery of the car 2 days before) I can safely say this is the best car Ive driven. Quiet and smooth and when cruise control set to 100mph on German autobahns its a dream. Very few niggles in my first 24,000 miles: warning lights often come on for no reason; dipping wing mirrors sometimes dont come back up, and problems finding the correct snow chains. But otherwise this car is FAB!!!!