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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  owner - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By fafar - May 1 - 2:00 am

  Be ready to spend top $ for good look,that is all you going to get. I am spending more days in shop than on the road

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  SUV that Leaks Water!!! - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Joe Muratore - April 6 - 10:00 am

  Weve had our Freelander in the shop more than on the road! It took 4 tries to get the radio to work and were on our 6th trip to get the roof from leaking - dealer cant find the problem. Weve been told by friends to start the "lemon law" but we dont want to wait out the process. Although the dealership has been nice, they havent been honest or competent!

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  New LR3s - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By r - March 10 - 1:03 am

  Land Rover (Ford ) has made a big mistake making this car in place of the beloved Discovery. It looks cheap and feels cheap especially the interior. A nice try for a new look, but the interior basically looks like a rental car. We have had 2 Discoveries however those will be our last 2 Land Rovers. Also, our last Discovery began having numerous problems a few miles outside of the 50,000mi warranty....

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  Major dissapointment - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Dissatisfied - February 27 - 7:13 pm

  We have owned multiple luxury SUVs including Lexus, BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne and this is by far the worst vehicle and service experience we have ever had. The sunroof leaks, the glove compartment rattles, the rear-view mirror shakes and overall quality of vehicle does not seem good. Poor acceleration and extremely hard ride. We have owned for less than 1 year and are already looking to get rid of it.

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  Freeloader not Freelander - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By D - January 23 - 9:26 pm

  Felt like a solid vehicle initially, but it all went down hill real quick. Poor quality and no reliability. The dealer has had to replace an ECU, the transmission, rear window motor(both), hoses, and the list goes on. I owned this vehicle for only 4 months and I drove it maybe 10 times...Land Rover techs have driven it more than me..but thanks for the 06 LR3..that was pretty much the car I drove during my 4 mos with the Freelander..I mean Freeloader

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  Im buying American! - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By uscarbuyer - January 12 - 4:03 pm

  My Land Rover owned me. I have never owned a vehicle that required so much maintenance. I have never off-roaded in my Land Rover, nor have I had a fender bender or accident. I purely drive on the pavement to and from work, and in town driving to the movies, dinner, etc. My car is a southern car and has only seen snow for two weeks in the almost 5 years it has owned me. I cannot recommend buying any Land Rover! Anything that goes wrong you are told it is the "British design". Brakes and batteries are expected to last 10-20K miles. I cannot remember the number of recall notices, too many to count. At times the windows wont power down. I thought I would enjoy the durability. Nope. All of the cap covers & compartment covers fall off. My drink holder spring fell out for no apparent reason. I am not tough on my car & it is literally falling apart. I will find plastic pieces on the floor & have no idea where they came from. Im buying American!

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  Keep looking - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By RoverOwner - December 3 - 10:33 pm

  Fun to look at, but expensive to own in all respects. If buying used, make sure you have an extended warranty. Car is frought with electrical problems and leaks fluids like a 72 Chevy.

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  Dont ever buy a Landrover Freelander - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Maurice - November 17 - 1:06 pm

  I have never had so many issues with a vehicle. If you are even thinking about buying a Land Rover Freelander STOP! Don’t waste your money. Two weeks after I bought it I noticed the engine was over heating and that was the start of my problems. From the motor, to the windows, to the heat, to the sunroof, to the door locks all had to be replaced with NO RECALLS. I know I put at least $6,000 into it. The dealership doesn’t exist anymore and the Freelander is a huge lemon. I repeat DO NOT BUY A LANDROVER!

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  Horrible Vehicle - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Bingo - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Since taking off the lot I have had nothing but problems....engine, tranny, power windows... Nothing but problems. Horrible customer service. JUNK!

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  Worst purchase ever - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By cb - September 20 - 10:26 am

  I bought my LR used with 40000 miles & thank God I bought the extended warranty! It was in the shop 18 times in 16 months-1 time it sat there for 6 months waiting for an engine that cost me 15,000 dollars! Coolant leaks coils going out window motors broken. At 44,000 miles new engine-I waited 6 mos for that one. 5 months later same problem- I needed another new engine! Out of my 18 trips to the dealer 15 were the same engine problems. The dealer bought it back as a lemon. Oh yeah-it was towed 7 of the 18 times because it didnt run. Never again will I buy a LR. Buyer beware-you will have problems!