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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  Land Rover Discovery HSE - New to Brand - 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport
  By Jim R - December 15 - 12:32 am

  Overall very happy with my new SUV. Drives great, looks great, and overall quality is very good. Minor issues with turbo lag but Ive learn how to adjust my driving to avoid unwanted turbo surges. Disappointed in Land Rover’s Incontrol Apps and Hotspot. The Incontrol Apps are glitchy and 50% of the time I have trouble connecting to my iphone 5s. The JustDrive app that is suppose too be the ultimate in hands free but a is a 3 on a scale to 10; 10 being the best. The Discovery 2016 has built in Hotspot, In-Control Apps, and navigation that require data plan with AT&T; cost less than $10 per month. For this to all to work the SUV has built in cell phone with sims card. The kicker is the cell phone is 3G (NOT 4G LTE). This means my 4G LTE iPhone connects to my SUV which is 3G service. The 3G is significantly slower than 4G LTE, and definitely a huge step backwards. Other auto makers are putting hotspots in the their cars with 4G. I never would have guessed this was 3G.

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  All Name, No Game - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By JC - December 13 - 6:53 am

  After running my 03 Disco for 44k, my vote is mixed but leaning towards the not worth the price and could use lots of improvements side. Nothing big has gone wrong, but lots of little items have. Both front windows failed in a week. Gas door has broken twice, horn buttons snapped off, leaking windows, two oil leaks after service, brakes need changing almost yearly, spark plug wires went bust, cruise control is poor and punchy, and comfort level in rear is horrific, front poor. A/C vents just don’t seem to hit driver in face, a must in Florida summers. On the other had, great looks, powerful, off-road works very well.

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  Good Vehicle - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Wonderful Vehicle - December 13 - 1:03 am

  Its a good vehicle we drive it up and down the east coast and can get 20.4 MPG. Its also nice with the over-the-head DVD player which makes the rides better. I like all of the features on the SUV. Its a very smooth ride.

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  Money Pit - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By bethannsw - December 11 - 12:03 pm

  This car is a money pit. Bought it as the only car for our family of 4. Fabulous in snow, but bad for your wallet. $3000 to repair massive coolant leaks, new fuel pump, ball bearing (??) needs replaced amongst other things. Check engine light is on and vehicle is shaking and barely running. Ive only had it 2 yrs and it has 70K miles on it. There should be a large law suit filed against Land Rover for this vehicle as it seems to have the same problems and even the Land Rover dealerships tell you its a horrible car. Shame on you Land Rover!

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  Been there done that - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Shermie - December 9 - 9:53 am

  Purchased a brand new Freelander and it is the only regret I have in my life. So you can assume exactly what kind of ownership experience my family and I had to endure for over 5 years. When the motor finally dies at 58Kmiles, and the transmission had been slipping for 1 year, the car still smelled brand new when it was sold for scrap parts. Never ever buy a Freelander, unless you have a high tolerance for a cheaply built, outsourced funky japanese tranny and a Chiness built motor with epoxy glue holding the cylinder sleeves together. The 5 years of missing coolant was nothing compared to what this car did to my life and finances. Pure junk.

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  Wow, Finally - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By tod - December 7 - 6:46 pm

  I finally found a Range Rover. I love teh sexy look. Just had to get one. Ride is great and unbelievable. Test drive and you will purchase it. I stil get a lot of attention even after two years of ownership. I love this truck. Drives comfortable like a luxury sedan.

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  Best SUV Ive owned - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By chazley - December 7 - 2:00 am

  I recently purchased a 2003 Discovery SE. I have owned 3 Nissan Pathfinders, 1 Grand Cherokee, 1 Cherokee sport, 1 Ford Expedition and 1 Toyota 4 runner. The 2003 Discovery SE is in a class by it self! I highly recommend this vehicle.

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  Solid Performer - 2011 Land Rover LR4
  By Jeffrey Audet - December 5 - 8:41 pm

  Have had very few problems with this SUV. Excellent towing ability

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  Whats in a Name - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By palumbon - December 5 - 10:00 am

  The land rover name means nothing when it comes to tough SUVs as far as I am consern after driving the freelander.

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  Dont make the mistake - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By br1993 - December 4 - 8:30 pm

  Im on my second Range Rover. My family has 4 of them also and were all moving away from Land Rover. Dont let the extended warrany fool you. You will spend 4 times the vehicle price to maintain the vehicle! Dont ever buy a used Land Rover! So many problems and not worth the headaches. Land Rovers are kind of like horses, the best two days you have them are the day you buy them and the day you sell them. Get Ready for $1000 brake jobs every 8,000 miles. Make sure you like the dealerships loaner car before you buy because thats what you will be driving most of the time. Everyone of our landrovers has had MAJOR problems. Please dont make this mistake.