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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  Solid - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By D3 - November 19 - 4:40 am

  Very solid vehicle. Handles suprisingly well for its size and weight. Exceptionally stable on-road, typical Land Rover off-road capability.

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  Best you can drive north of Mason-Dixon - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By dond - November 18 - 10:06 pm

  This has been the best vehicle for year around reliability and comfort - complete dominance over inclement conditions (we live in Maine) no road under any condition save for a 40" snowfall would be considered impassable and under the MOST luxurious conditions. Nothing but best experiences with dealership on any and all warranty issues - anyone expecting trouble free experiences with a vehicle with this much techno-lux capability is not living in the real world - but LRNA is really up front about keeping me on the road - if you want this kind of lux w/o problems go get a LEXUS, but dont expect all condition capability in all seasons w. fit and finish among the best euro mfgs.!!!!

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  The Worst Range Rover ever! - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By VERY UNHAPPY - November 18 - 10:00 am

  In the past 6 months, the car has broken down 3 times and had to be towed to the dealership ... this is my third Land Rover, and this is by far the WORST! The first 2 years were fine .. then the car started to fall apart ... and only 22K miles. Run, dont walk away from these cars. Land Rover Corp. does not care about customer satisfaction and or consumer loyalty.

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  Dont ever buy a Landrover Freelander - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Maurice - November 17 - 1:06 pm

  I have never had so many issues with a vehicle. If you are even thinking about buying a Land Rover Freelander STOP! Don’t waste your money. Two weeks after I bought it I noticed the engine was over heating and that was the start of my problems. From the motor, to the windows, to the heat, to the sunroof, to the door locks all had to be replaced with NO RECALLS. I know I put at least $6,000 into it. The dealership doesn’t exist anymore and the Freelander is a huge lemon. I repeat DO NOT BUY A LANDROVER!

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  FUN FUN FUN - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By bp - November 12 - 5:50 am

  Traded in a Volvo XC90 for this Sport and that was a great decision. Drives wonderfully and is a SOLID vehicle. Love the nav sys., sat. and voice command. British accent is so cool!

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  Horrible Vehicle - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Bingo - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Since taking off the lot I have had nothing but problems....engine, tranny, power windows... Nothing but problems. Horrible customer service. JUNK!

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  Have your money right - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Hario - November 1 - 7:40 am

  Buy this car if you absolutely have to have it! It will be costly, I replaced the trans at 63,000 miles, 8 grand, the air shocks at 70,000 mi, 3 grand. this car stays in the shop so much I might put 5 to 6000 miles on it a year you can get the parts cheap online but dont buy this vehicle without a warranty! Its not if this car will give you problems, its when it gives you problems, and they all will be costly, nothing under $1000.

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  Its a love/hate thing. - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By JustinTimeDC - November 1 - 12:16 am

  I did a ton of research and came up with this car because it is FUN! The t-roof pops off, hard top comes off, and you are out in the sun. Seating is excellent, I have a bad back and the support is the best! You can wipe down the entire inside with water or windex or whatever...keeping it clean is a snap. It looks fun, and no one has ever seen one before, so it gets a lot of attention. For a single person like me, it has tons of room for everything I need. I am a nurse and have to get to work no matter what the weather, and it gets through anything nature dishes out. I have had a computer/software problem but the dealership works with me and gives me loaners when needed.

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  Wonderful SUV - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By jbmay - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Absolutely the best SUV I have ever driven.Great performance, excellent handling,goes anywhere, and I love the way it looks. It is great for long trips, it has no trouble pulling big boats, and I feel very secure driving in bad weather.

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  Land Rover Evoque 6sp manual diesel - 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By jlwolff - October 30 - 8:15 am

  Why LR does not offer the 190 hp diesel 6 spd manual Evoque in the US is beyond me. I had military sales order a German spec model and this Evoque was much better the the US spec quirky automatic. The car gets about 40 mpg on the autobahn and will run a steady 120 mph all day. Visibility not a problem and back up camera a must. LR needs to offer this model to the US. If VW can bring over diesels that LR needs to follow suit.