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:

• 

  Be Careful What You Ask For - 2007 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Gary In Tampa - March 23 - 12:16 am

  This our second Range Rover, moving into this one from a 2006 Sport. Nice power and the ride is a dream. There are all of the nice things that you expect on a RRSC, but hold on to your hats if you expect all of the bells and whistles to actually work. Expect multiple computer failures and electronics not to work properly. Plan on knowing your service manager on a first name basis. When everything works, there is no better.

• 

  Getting Most out of a Range Rover - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By optimaldriver - March 21 - 2:56 am

  A Range Rover will give back what you give it-drive it gently for first 500 miles ideally on a long trip where you vary your speed. When cold it will use a lot of gas so dont idle. Use synthetic oil always. We get 20+ MPH on highway, 18 around town, no problems in first 30 K miles. No other vehicle has this kind of comfort and luxury. Almost silent on highway, no wind noise unlike a Lexus. No downshifting when you brake going downhill like a Lexus. No service every 5K like a Lexus! This vehicle is brilliant in snow or anything you throw at it. Warm it up gently and treat it with respect and you will be generously rewarded! Abuse it and one of its million parts will fail!

• 

  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.

• 

  Fun Yet Parctical Car - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Hanaburgh - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for well over a year and have not once regretted my decision. After test-driving numerous all wheel drive vehicles, the superb on- road handling and true off-road capability convinced me that the Freelander was really the best of both worlds. It is fun to drive, reasonably economical (especially for an SUV), and mine has not yet gotten stuck in mud or snow. Most importantly, it handles the Maine winters with ease, even when the plows are too busy keeping up with the major roads to bother with my sparsely populated neck of the woods.

• 

  range rover super - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Mike - March 14 - 3:00 am

  It is an awsome machine. This is my fifth Range Rover. Its beyond what I expected it to be, excellent acceleration, when your driving it you feel like your gliding, in a way its bad because you dont feel any thing and you might fall a sleep. But over all it a great suv.

• 

  Really Nice Car - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By New RR Lover - March 12 - 1:43 pm

  Bought my RR used with 22K miles. It was a "Factory Reacquired" vehicle, better known as a manufacturers buyback. I waited for 2,000 miles to write this review to make sure I gave an accurate response. This is a really nice vehicle. The ride is a dream and I feel so safe in it. I have the rear entertainment and satellite radio and both work well. The reason for the buyback was a check engine light that would not go off for the previous owner. Land Rover fixed the problem and gave an extra 12 months and 12,000 miles bumper to bumper warranty (minus a $100 per instance charge) so I thought for the price I would take a shot. I couldnt be happier.

• 

  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....

• 

  jealous - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By emmitt - March 7 - 5:26 am

  All I can say is the vehicle rocks!From the exterior styling to the killer sound system this is the best SUV on the planet

• 

  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.

• 

  owner - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By von - February 27 - 10:50 am

  like the style; interior/exterior. ok handling. build quality not so good; ratle noise from sunroof and from the rear. in the summer, water sprayed out from the air vent when a/c turn on. In the winter smells of antifreeze when heat turn on.