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:

• 

  Still has reliability problems - 2011 Land Rover Range Rover
  By m2140 - June 25 - 9:14 pm

  Ive had my Range Rover for 6 months and around 10,000 miles on it. In that time Ive had 2 major service visits that required the SUV to stay at the dealer a combined total of 3 weeks. On the first visit the engine had an oil leak. A gally plug near the started was the culprit but oil leak Oma brand new engine with on 3000 miles was surprising. At 9500 miles the started showing an error and would not move up or down. Turns out the compressor went bad. Ive also had both seals on the main windows replaced, on the passenger side the mirror had to be replaced all together Its way too many issues for a brand new vehicle this expensive.

• 

  Still unsure about my HSE - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By tikelmeami - June 24 - 10:00 am

  Had my truck for 1 hour. Pulled in my garage with AC, and headlights on. Took key out of the ignition, the air was still running. Thought the engine was on but it wasnt. Turned off lights to get out of the car, my AC went off. HA HA...No key in the ignition but the lights turn on and off my AC. Dealership said they never saw this before and called technical support. Said it was minor. The HVAC system wasnt programmed right so they had to reprogram it. THE TURNING RADIUS SUCKS.Makes me feel like I dont know how to drive when parking or making a u turn. When you roll the window down an inch,the wind in the car is unreal. I like some fresh air, but geez

• 

  What a nightmare !! - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By NO more Disco - May 21 - 10:30 am

  Bought this from the Land Rover Dealer, They forgot to mention this year has a problem with ABS/Downhill Assist/Traction control failing,and with Engine Oil pumps. They remembered it after I bought it, "yes they have had a few problems with this year" The 2003 is not the year to buy, the locking diffs, and transfer case are not on this model year but on the 2002 and 2004. Should have bought a jeep. It looked cool, when it ran it was awesome when it did not it was awful.

• 

  ***REPAIR NIGHTMARES*** - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By mail4kwa - May 8 - 10:00 am

  I have spent the past week in a 2004 Freelander as a loaner while my 2002 was being repaired. 2002 1)Front brakes pads at 25k and 37K 2)Front brake rotars were warped and cracked 3)Ill fitting rear door squeeks 4)HDC & TC lights always on 5)All brake lights "went out" for a week 6)Rear windshield wiper has seizures 7)Front windshield wiper jets broken 8)Seatbelt warning lights on all the time I could go on but Ill stop 2004 While driving back to dealership, realized HDC&TC lights on...discovered that brake lights where on during the entire week! Yes! And it had less than 800 miles! CRAP!!!!!

• 

  Horrible company who does not value their customers! - 2013 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By hockey499s - April 27 - 7:16 pm

  If you decide to buy a land rover, be prepared for all the extra expenses you will incur as they overcharge you EXTREMELY on every service or anything done to the car. Also be prepared to get one of the many FAULTY CARS land rover sells people and have to bring it back in for repairs constantly (in which case you will probably wind up driving around in a loaner car (if they even give you one at all) for a decent amount of the time you own/lease the vehicle, worth much less then the car you are paying for. Oh and most of all, be prepared to NOT BE a "valued customer". I clearly am not considering they still have me in a vehicle that constantly breaks down and wont do anything about it.

• 

  I got a Lemon - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Sunridgefarm - April 16 - 8:53 am

  I have had my LR3 for 8 months and it has already been in the shop for over 50 days. First a bunch of lights went on for no apparent reason, the shop had my car for over a week. Then I took it in for its 7500 mile check and the next day it started to surge forward then the engine would die. That took 3+ weeks to fix (new fuel tank). I got the car back and within 3 hrs. the engine light went on. Another 10 days and a new feul pump, the service manager took it home to test it and the light went back on. Finally got my car back and within 24 hours the check engine light is back on. I have had it and am filing a Lemon Law claim.

• 

  frustrated - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Pamela - February 10 - 2:10 am

  This by far is the best looking SUV in its size, but have not had it since Jan 21 due to electrical problems. It was in the shop 3 times before this last one, a total of 4 times in 6 months. It has been in the shop for a total of 67 days as of today. The service department cant figure it out. It goes into crash mode while driving down the freeway. This means hazards light up and wont turn off, locks constantly lock and unlock, all service lights on the dashboard light up and the suspension drops no matter how fast or slow you are going. They have replaced the CPU and harness, and check all circuits, it still has the same problem. I will sell it when I get it back.

• 

  Dealer Buy Back - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By JBeasley - January 24 - 10:00 am

  Many problems, from tranny to headlamp issues, the dealership decided to buy it back.

• 

  Not that impressed ! 11 month update! - 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By James - January 6 - 9:43 am

  Okay, never wrote a review before so here it goes, I hope this helps others. Im comparing our new 2015 Range Rover to our 2013 GLK 350. They both costs us about the same. We wanted to try the new Range Rover this time around. Lets start with the outside, we love the look however, no roof racks. You have to buy them at about $1400. The GLK looks like a family car while the Rovers lines look clean and stylish. The cargo door opens with the remote however, you have to push the button on the tailgate to make it close. The GLK you can just use the remote to open or close. The interior, the cargo bay is a lot smaller then the GLK. The driver seat feels okay not great. The finish work inside compared to the GLK , the GLK wins hands down. The steering wheel feels off, not sure why just yet. I cant put it into words, it just feels off. The sound system lacks just about everything, dont plan on rocking out while driving. The take off is good for a 4 banger, yet the transmission shifts hard in and out of gear at times. The interior noise level is a lot louder then the GLK. The GLK has a nice wood finish while the rover is plastic. The backup camera sucks! seriously guys you need to give this some real attention. The ride? This is where the rover is really lacking when comparing it to the GLK. If you hit a good size dip in the road plan on losing your back molars, felt more like a tank then a luxury rover. Ill update this after I take it off road. The rover feels light and you feel more of the road while the GLK is a much smoother ride. The navigation? This is a 50/50 the GLK navigation has no clue what Im saying and there has been more then one time when I wanted to tear it out of the car over frustration. The rover map it tough to follow because it show you going north, south, east or west and you can get spun around looking at the map. The controls on the steering wheel are terrible on the rover. Dont push too hard on the volume or you will change the radio station, very frustrating, and no mute button. The back window is tough to see out of. The lane assist is on the weak side. The GLK makes a noise inside if you try to change lanes with a car in the blindspot, the rover just blinks,,the GLK one has saved my bacon more then once. The rover does have sensors that let you know you are too close in the front and rear while parking. The GLK does not, if it did my wife would not have backed into another car! The Bluetooth for your phone. Your really going to have to have some patients with the rover, you say a command, the command comes up on the screen and it ask you is this the correct command, it takes forever to get though the commands to make one call. The GLK just say a name and it makes the call. Feels like talking to a 5 year old with the rover, dont have too much coffee when asking the rover to make a call or you may end up losing it? this clearly needs some work. So why did we buy the rover? I lease a new car every 30 months and we really wanted to try the new rover. The new GLK wont be out until 2016 and I never want the first year of a completely new car. Just from the two weeks having the new rover and driving both side by side Ill most likely go back to another GLK after this lease is up. Glad this is my wifes car! Update after 11 months. Off road? It is very capable, my only complaint was all the cameras coming on, this is a great feature Im just not sure how to use it yet. We were having a warning message coming saying all wheel drive not working, after four times in the dealership they got it fixed. The key fob stop working one day and I was stranded with no way to start the car. They sent a tow truck, at least their services department is on it and will take good care of you. As I mention previously the GPS in the rover sucks! I cannot tell you how many times it has taken me the long way or in the wrong direction completely. Rover services said there is nothing they can do to fix it. Rattles? This thing has on and off rattles that are driving me crazy. And I mean crazy! I take it in for them to find and fix and it wont do it for the dealership. It sucks gas likes its free. Other then the cool factor of the body Ill be leasing another Mercedes-Benz once our lease is up. Sorry rover, you guys need to work on your finished product a little better. For the same price I can get a better product. I feel if they make some corrections this could be a great SUV. Hope this helps others

• 

  Dressed up Hot Trash - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Liquidair33 - December 25 - 2:30 pm

  Just wanted to drop 0.2 cents about my 04 Rover. Rides nice except that the transmission lurchs into and out of third, shop doesnt know what the deal is. Also when the brake pad sensors go off to tell you that they are worn, well that actually means that youll need new rotors. If the battery runs out when you leave your lights on, well it wont be able to be jumped by a tow truck slave and youll have to get a new $300 battery and new head gaskets (I guess they just wear out after 65K). You will look very fly driving this ride but make sure you get a dependible back up ride for when its in the shop. And some room on your Credit card for the repairs.