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:

• 

  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

• 

  Worst Vehicle I have ever bought - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By sripley - December 27 - 5:13 pm

  This SUV has a major design flaw affecting the Head Gasket, causing Coolant to seep into the Oil and Cylinders. The SUV cannot be repaired once this issue occurs. I would not recommend buying this vehicle, as it will only cost you thousands of dollars and in the end result in the SUVs engine seizing.

• 

  Landrover LR3 HSE - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By F. A - December 27 - 8:06 am

  A remarkable vehicle that sets the benchmark for capable off-roading SUV with refined on-road capabilities. Very ergonomic, has all of the features and more expected from a luxury SUV. If you want plush trim select another SUV e.g. Lexus GX 470. If you want a car with many intuitive features, without sacrificing the need for a "go-anywhere" SUV then the LR3 should be on the top of your test drive list. The V8 is very adaptable and will not leave you wanting more power when you have to get out of the way quickly. The terrain response is really neat and will help you avoid potential accidents. A must in the colder northern US states.

• 

  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.

• 

  Love it - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By gpp - December 25 - 10:00 am

  We picked up an SE7 with a couple of extra features. To accomodate child access to the back seat, we added running boards. To date, the car drives very well with nice pickup. Driver space is super -- at 63" my only complaint is with the steering wheel positioning for entry into the drivers seat. Surprised also by stopping distance, which is quite good given the weight. While moving, the car seems to float, giving the imprecise feeling of standing still -- I still have to look at the spedometer to gauge the speed Im going. I mean this in a good way:. Basically, we love to drive it. Also, the gas mileage in town has averaged 16! Better than I had expected

• 

  Land Rovers best - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By maciosaig - December 25 - 9:13 am

  The LR3 has been nothing short of excellent. Its on-road performance is excellent for what it is. Off -road it surprised me, I do a fair amount of medium to difficult off-roading and the LR3 has not let me down yet. I use the LR3 to commute every day, so I wish it had a diesel engine option like the rest of the world has available. I hate the complicated voice activated navigation, it has difficulty understanding alot of commands, especially when asking it to find Italian restaurants. The off-road part of the nav system is excellent and very technoligically advanced. Passenger comfort is great and cargo hauling is excellent. More aggressive tires and manually locking diffs are needed

• 

  Loving it so far... - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By - December 23 - 2:00 am

  Its been a fairly snowy winter thus far in Central Massachusetts. I live on a min-mountain, let me tell you I have not had a problem getting home on those snowy nights.

• 

  Finally got myself a good SUV! - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Greg Thomas - December 23 - 2:00 am

  First I had a Chevrolet Tahoe with its plastic interior parts and it didnt make it home before it started having problems and the factory had to buy it back. The Range Rover has it all, looks, quality, luxury and performance. The dealership, Land Rover of Marin is the best I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.

• 

  2003 range - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By silrover - December 23 - 2:00 am

  This is the best suv produced today.It is rock of gabralter solid.It glides with grace over NYC potholed streets.There is always enough power and its application is smooth.The interior is among one of the finest ever to grace any auto,it is silent, all the controls are legible, easy to use, and most importantly feel like they were made with great care and quality.The materials are first rate.It blows away the interior of my wifes 2001 mercedes- benz S430.I thought my prevoius 2001 toyota land cruiser(which my son now drives) was the best suv all around, but there is clearly a new benchmark. this suv truly feels worth more than the price of admission.

• 

  Great SUV - 2010 Land Rover LR2
  By silthedoc - December 19 - 11:01 pm

  Im rather stunned by some of the lame reviews Ive read here. Ive driven BMWs, Jaguars, etc., and my LR2 is by far the best vehicle I have owned for the value. If youre not obese you will be o.k. with the armrest. What the heck do people put inside a console anyway?? If your family does not resemble the Brady Bunch, youll be just fine with cargo space, and with space in general. The SUV is well built, rides smoothly and comes with tons of features for which youll have to pop extra bucks on RX350s, X3s or X5s, ML 350s or GLK350s. Trust me, it is a beautiful machine that looks no where near what everybody drives. My SUV is fully loaded and I paid less than $28,000.