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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  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 donÂ’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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  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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  Fun but annoying - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Jaymar10 - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Fun to drive and looks great, but little things break all the time and the brake system sucks. Have to replace the breaks every 10k miles!

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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.

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  Worst Car Ever Owned - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Apllw - April 4 - 5:13 pm

  The best day of owning this vehicle was the day we sold it. And even that was a loss. Vehicle was always breaking down. No heat on driver side. Brake job. Heated seats never worked. Driving around town I would get cramps in my arms from the effort it took to keep this vehicle driving straight. This vehicle was a gem to drive on vacation or long term trips- and the AWD was amazing.

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  Nothing but a headache!! - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By Woodstock36 - March 27 - 10:30 pm

  It will get you out of just about anything weather wise. Very expensive to fix, called land rover dealer $125.00 an hour for labor, not to mention the parts. Its a great SUV if you have tons of money to sink into it. 56,000 miles, both back windows are broke, keep falling down, back door closed, never to reopen, screaming belt, hanging muffler, now to top it off, its overheating, after sitting just a few min. In 40 degree weather. I have found this situation disheartening, that they would make such a nicely designed vehicle but such poor quality. I have had many vehicles, and have never had so many things go wrong like this, I would expect these things with 100,000 miles on it, maybe even more

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  Tons of repairs - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By freelander25 - March 19 - 3:30 am

  I purchased a used "02 freelander in "05. After 1 year the transmission had to be replaced. Then the A/C broke. Then a couple other valves. The two back rear doors broke, they could only be opened from the inside. The rear drivers side window doesnt open. The only plus are the seat warmers. I would not recommend this purchase.

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  Beautiful to Drive, Awful to Maintain - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By skibum232 - February 11 - 3:46 pm

  I would love to rate this car a 1 but honestly cannot. Purchased used with 50k in 2006 and sold in 2010 with about 90k. Routinely the car went in the shop from 2008 until I sold it and typically was $500-$2000 a time. The car constantly had issues with pumps, leaks, brakes, gaskets. The MPG too was horrid, at one point doing neighborhood/city only I averaged 9.8 MPG. Mechanical aside though I loved it. Loved the looks, the way you sat, the space, features, handling in snow and Land Rover knows how to make a car look cool. Would I ever own again? Probably not unless they overhaul how they build cars. My next car purchase I was focused on reliability and MPG and not just good looks.

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  Freelander 2005 - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By lakewood - February 11 - 5:16 am

  I goofed or did I? I did not test drive the car I took home. I expected regardless of color, they would all work the same. This is idealistic. My transmission had an intermittent problem. Actually, I did not goof. The factory is repsonsible, not me, to deliver a working product. Could a 5 mile test drive identify something...maybe. For the average person, it would not.

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  Its a car you will hate to love - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By Bryce - February 4 - 8:36 am

  This is my second Land Rover Discovery. My first was a 2000. It caught on fire on the freeway. What else do I need to say about that. I was stupid and bought a 2004 model in May 2008. Okay I know its now 4 years old now, but its only got 46,000 miles which I thought was pretty good. I cant drive it without lights turning on every second and a dinging noise going off all day. Driving it will remind you of Vegas. My check engine light wont go off because of the gas cap either. Its funny how they use Land Rovers in Jamaica for off road safaris from 1985 but my 2004 cant make it to the store. If you are thinking about a Land Rover just dont do it. Go buy an Acura.