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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  Hot hot - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By To Hot to Handle - June 6 - 11:26 pm

  This suv can turn heads all day long, smooth, fast, sexy, Ive had mine 9 months and not a problem yet, also Im getting 15.2 mpg and driving hard.

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  Need to be Different! - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By pappa granda - June 6 - 10:00 am

  After reviewing all of the SUVs out there, the LandRover DIscovery stands out!! 2003 offers abigger, more powerful engine, exterior changes, better warranty and noise reduction. She is tough, rugged and drives great!! If you care about gas mileage, she is not for you. If you wnat to be middle of the road, she is not for you. If you want class, power and toughness, call your nearest LandRover dealer. PS she has a bit of snob appeal, as well!!

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  RR supercharged - wow - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By martin thomas - June 4 - 12:46 am

  Having driven diesel landrovers for 3 years to drive a s/c V8 beast was just fantastic. Acceleration is phenominal and you can quickly exceed national speed limits without noticing. Going around corners fast is somewhat an experience with such a large vehicle, but stopping power is really good (thank goodness). Fuel consumption is hideous with a max overall of 15 mpg and a town drive of around 11mpg. Best I ever got was 22 on a motorway. But what the hey! the overall drive is just fantastic, sometimes I just pull away flat out just to listen to the V8, even pulled a coach off the road once, surprised me too. Performance is supreme, consumption terrible, but if you can affordone, go for it

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  recent freelander owner - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By Suzanne - June 1 - 1:36 am

  I bought my car 3 weeks ago and I love it. The rides very smoothly...doesnt have that boxy feel that larger suvs have. I probably should do this review again later since I have only had my new freelander for a short time. Just got through my first snow storm and it drove amazing ease throught the snow. If you are a very tall person I would try getting in and out of it several times, you might find it difficult.

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  Worth Every Penny - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Tom M - May 30 - 1:33 am

  Ive only owned this Range Rover HSE for a few months, but in the time, it has performed beautifully. It truely is like driving a status symbol. The ride is unbelievably smooth, and the ability to lower the car a few inches when in a parking garage or wanting an easier fall out of the car is very well thought out. Off road, there is nothing else I would rather be in. Build quality is good, but I have had some minor glitches with the satellite radio and the built in DVD entertainment system in the rear headrests, but they corrected themselves. Truely an excellent truck.

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  one of the kind - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By cate - May 25 - 2:00 am

  safe that is how you feel inside this car.yes it is not the best for gas mileage but who care.being safe has no price.off road capability are the best and all the benefit of that gives you the best ride on snow , rain ect...

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  Too Many Little Things Go Wrong.... - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By mthomas - May 21 - 11:56 am

  Wind noise around doors, wind noise around sunroof, adjustable steering column breaks and steering wheel falls in my lap while driving, noisy out of balance tires that cant be balanced, audio speakers falling onto floor- board, intermittent "jack hammer" sound coming from behind dash when accelerating (of course, it wont do it when its at the dealership). Did I mention all the noise!?!?!? A plethora of squeaks and rattles....PLEASE! A great status symbol and ego booster, but for $75K, how poor! And, for $75K, wheres the satellite radio, auto-on at dusk headlamps, automatic door locks, etc. etc. etc.????????? Go with the big Lexus SUV. You wont be disappointed.

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  Happier than ever - 2011 Land Rover LR4
  By mryan2756 - May 19 - 7:51 am

  We traded in a 2011 Ford Explorer on the LR4. My wife hated the Explorer we previously had a LR3 and loved it. We only went to the ford for better gas mileage witch did not exist. This vehicle is far better than the LR3. We purchased the LR4 lux package.

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  An awsome vehicle, on-road and off - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By UnbrknCh8n - May 18 - 4:56 pm

  I had some fear about buying the first year of the LR3. However, with almost 25,000 miles on my truck, it has performed flawlessly (except for the tires, but thats another story). It is wonderful off-road, smooth on-road, stops on a dime, and is fun to drive. It truly does seat 7 adults, and the fold-flat rear seats are very useful. The terrain-response really does work (Ive tried it in mud, snow, sand, and on steep, rocky trails). If you are not ever going to off-road, there may be cheaper SUVs, but if you spend any time driving on anything other than dry pavement, it cant be beat!

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  Better than my Discovery? Sometimes. - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By SnapHappy - May 11 - 3:26 pm

  I also own a 2003 Discovery SE, and the LR3 is a very different car. Some improvements were made, but other changes were steps backward. Its MUCH smoother on the pavement due to a less stiff suspension, but the 4.4L 300HP engine (while zippy in passing performance) has a 1-2 second lag between the time I step on the gas and the time it actually responds. My 4.6L 217HP Disco SE has already taken off like a rocket while the LR3 is still thinking about it. Very quiet inside - the engine is nearly silent. I dont like that the LR3 SE trim is more industrial (and less "classy") than the Disco SE. Overall performance is great, but little tweaks were missed.