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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  Worst vehicle - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Keri - October 2 - 5:53 am

  This is by far the worst vehicle I ever owned. Landrover makes it next to impossible to have other shops do work on the vehicle. The price of their timing belt replacement on the freelander is $2000, this is insane. Four people in my family have owned landrovers and realized it was a terrible vehicle and some have gotten rid of them and others are trying to get rid of them. Take my advice, and never, never buy landrover products. I dont know how their still in business

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  Lemon - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Larry Goodman - July 18 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car 2003 in june of 2002. We had problems from the start. Replaced engine, resealed all windows and hydrolic problems. The car was found to be a lemon and was replaced by Land Rover. We received a new a new 2004 on Dec. 23 2003. We are now having the same problems as before. The hydrolic system has put the car in the shop for the last week. While the dealership has been acceptable the quality of the SUV has not.

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  Totally disappointed - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Totally disappointed - July 16 - 5:43 pm

  I loved the looks of the SUV. But the maintenance is terrible. New brakes and Rotors at 22,000? Never before in a vehicle Have I had this happen and then New tires needed at 28,000. I was Told that I got the average life out of brakes and Max out of Tires. I had problems with air noise and with the front end steering from day one. I have traded car for BMW that has showed me a Rover is not the way to GO. Very disappointed in the up-keep of this SUV. Glad to no longer be an owner of this SUV.

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  We hate our 04 Discovery - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By Nothing But Problems - July 2 - 10:00 am

  We have had our Rover for six months with 8 trips to the dealer for problems. When buying this new vehicle we thought we would never have so much difficulty. We would not suggest for anyone to purchase one. By far the worse vehicle we have ever had. The dealership has done nothing to help the situation.

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  bad car - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By david mckinney - June 1 - 10:00 am

  after two years of owership the motor and trans are shot

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  Overpriced - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Primal28 - May 29 - 10:43 am

  I began having problems immediately after purchasing the vehicle. The most dangerous problem was the lunging and hesitation (dealership claims it was a software / programming issue). I have experienced near death 5 times now! The navigation, radio, blue tooth & voice recognition malfunctioned and some were never repaired, just disconnected by the dealership. The car was lemon-lawed (hauled off on a flatbed trailer 3 weeks ago) and I still have not received my settlement payment as Land Rover has conveniently misplaced the paperwork. Im still making $1,000 a month car payments and riding a bicycle around town.

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  Disaster on wheels - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Never Again - March 18 - 7:06 pm

  I purchased the 2002 Freelander S several years ago. Within the first year I spent over $5,600 in electrical, engine, and exhaust parts - that doesnt include labor costs. The rear door window and wiper broke ($500), front passenger lock malfunctioned ($300), my entire dash had to be replaced because the coolant system was spilling fluid into the dash ($2800), and the exhaust system went ($2000). The Freelander depreciates in value by $2500-3000 per year. Highway and city mileage is dismal. Blue book value is only $6,000 right now. I cannot wait to get rid of this vehicle. I cannot emphasize enough what a horrible decision is was purchasing the Freelander.

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  Worst SUV ever - 2007 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Jamie - March 12 - 10:40 pm

  Ive had my Range Rover Sport for 15 months and I cant wait to get rid of the vehicle. I bought the SUV new and Ive had radio complications, had to purchase 4 new tires, and replace brake pads after the 1st year. Thats not counting the times the SUV was in the shop to reset signal lights. I understand you have regular wear and tear maintenance problems, but Ive never purchased tires or brakes within one year of buying a new vehicle. When I asked the dealer was this normal, their response was "yes". The back seat room is ridiculous (very uncomfortable) and the navigation system is a joke.

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  A waste of your money!!! - 2011 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By jen_rei - February 27 - 1:28 pm

  I bought my 2011 RRS HSE by the mid December last year and I only have 5K+ miles as Im writing this review but I already experienced a lot of trouble with it! First, the rubber seal thats on top of the wind shield came off and flapped against the wind when I was driving and it scratched the roof. for a 60K car this is the least kind of problem one would expect! Maybe on the 2K mile odometer reading the car flashed a parking brake fault when I was driving it on the freeway that prompted me to find the nearest spot to stop. The Encino dealer said that they will just update the electronic programming of the vehicle, and it happened again twice as of today after several months! dont buy this!!

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  I hate this truck - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By ihatethistruck - February 26 - 2:00 am

  What a piece of junk. Hard to get into, difficult to get comfortable in, slow to accelerate, quirky controls, bad fuel mileage, dash rattles, and, lets see what else.... Oh, too expensive for such a piece of junk. I wish I had not bought this thing.