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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  A giant step for Land Rover - 2010 Land Rover LR4
  By tjp74 - October 14 - 11:03 am

  This is no typical midlife facelift. I could see that Land Rover engineers and designers really poured their hearts into this new design. I could tell their efforts. Ive got the top of the line, HSE Lux plus package that has standard 5 camera surrounding monitoring system. Its got black premium leather with no cost optional Grand Black Lacquer wood trim that makes the whole interior look so gorgeous. The difference between LR3 interior is like night and day. I also looked at new Lexus GX460 and to me, there is no comparison. Ride and handling is very good. My previous car was Lexus GS350 AWD sport sedan. LR4 doesnt feel like big heavy SUV. And huge room for the 2nd and 3rd row passengers.

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  Great vehicle - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By NY / SI - October 11 - 9:06 am

  Had it since April-no major problems (no sound from radio fixed by software re-load, small ratle in the door fixed during 6 mo. service. Great car overall with very decent acceleration esp in Sports mode, very comfy seats and very decent OEM sound system

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  Second Impressions - after one month... - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Chai2 - October 10 - 10:00 am

  Having driven just over 1,000 miles in a month I must say that our Freelander is a winner. It is without doubt the best handling SUV Ive driven, hugging the road like a BMW in tight turns. Its traction is superb in slick conditions. Weve been off-road a few times and our Freelander surprised every time with its electrifying performance. We improved upon the already excellent seat comfort by installing third-party armrest (found through the internet). We also installed full length roof rails further improving the already stylish look.

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  08 RR HSE - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover
  By HappyHour - October 9 - 9:20 pm

  Truck is awesome. Surprisingly smooth and stable on highway and then effortlessly trudged through a recent 24" snowfall while my neighbors all watched and applauded. Acceleration is pretty good even in the HSE. We did an aftermarket rear seat DVD and is our biggest gripe. If you need one go with the factory system.

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  Best car for its purpose - 2007 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Mac - October 5 - 12:30 pm

  My SS sport is amazing. Ive owned it over 2 years. It handles great...all buttons are at my fingertips and the dvd/nav system works great. Nav system is not for the elders, as goes for any computer system. I have a 3 year old and 4 dogs and have no complaints. Fits my needs and this Alabama girl is not afraid to drive it in the snow or mud...hence what its made for.

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  Range Rover Review - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Steve McNair - October 2 - 7:56 pm

  I have been pleased with my ownership experience. This vehicle offers the rare combination of prestige, sportiness, and utility. It is at home on the freeway and on city streets. My only suggestions for improvement is more cargo and storage space. The glove box is woefully small and other than the center console, there is no other place to store anything bigger than a credit card. The other suggestion is to make the navigation system more user friendly. This car is extremely nimble, considering its imposing weight. The only reliability issue I have had has been a problem with the tailgate latch not closing completely. The problem was repaired at the dealership to my satisfaction.

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  Worst vehicle - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Keri - October 2 - 5:53 am

  This is by far the worst vehicle I ever owned. Landrover makes it next to impossible to have other shops do work on the vehicle. The price of their timing belt replacement on the freelander is $2000, this is insane. Four people in my family have owned landrovers and realized it was a terrible vehicle and some have gotten rid of them and others are trying to get rid of them. Take my advice, and never, never buy landrover products. I dont know how their still in business

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  My best car yet - 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Garp - October 1 - 7:49 pm

  After ordering my Autobiography, I waited a long 5 months (ridiculous) until collection day. After having finally received the vehicle, I can say I am truly impressed with the quality, ride, performance and design. Literally my only two minor complaints are that the rear seats are rock hard and after doing a six hour road trip, my back hurt compliments of the front seat. I never had that problem on my 2008 BMW X5. Perhaps the seats will break in over time. The second complaint was that I had to pay $650 to get a black Morzine fabric headliner. You get the same headliner in beige for free. After paying $108,000 for this vehicle, the headliner should have been Alcantara at the very least and preferably leather as on the big Range Rover Autobiography. That kind of short sighted decision by Land Rover to save a few bucks makes you feel a little cheated. You might want to reconsider that one Land Rover. But in the end, I love everything else about this vehicle and it is truly the best vehicle Ive ever owned. It looks fast standing still and people are awed at the perceived and real high-end quality that this vehicle exudes. I never thought I would love the Driving Experience of another vehicle more than my BMW X5. The Range Rover Sport is that vehicle for me. I was a little concerned about what Ive heard about supposed reliability issues but I sprung for 3 extra years of the Land Rover extended warranty, and I felt that warranty was a good value. So I feel confident that my experience with this Range Rover Sport will be a good one over the next seven years. I highly recommend this car.

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  Emasculated Range Rover - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Barry - October 1 - 10:03 am

  We recently traded our 2003 RR for the new 06 RR. This may have been a mistake. The biggest complaint has been in the drive train. The 03 RR was based on a BMW V8 from the 740 series. It had 286 hp. The car always seemed to have ample power and acceleration, no matter where you were in the RPM curve. The new 06 is based on a Jaguar/Ford V8. The spec sheet says 305 hp. Frankly, I dont think the engine puts out half that much. It feels anemic, has no pull through the gears. When you finally make the transmission kick-down, the gears seem to have the wrong algorithm. Land Rover probably couldnt afford the price of the BMW powerplant now that it is a Ford company. I miss my 03.

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  Staying with Land Rover - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Jayk - September 25 - 12:56 am

  I have newly purchased a LR3 HSE and just love it. Big improvements over the Discovery Series II I owned for 6 years and put 183,000 miles on. I loved that car. It was time for a change. The LR3 is landrovers way of saying we listened. The ride, the interior, the 3rd row seating show vast improvements from the series II. The turning radius is awesome and I trust the cars safety record to protect my family. Looking forward to surpassing the 200,000 mark in this one.