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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  BIG joke---on me - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By LOSER - August 21 - 5:13 pm

  We have had the car for a year, and we have taken it in on 7 occasions, most of the things were repeats, squealing brakes, which are apparently normal! Sometimes sticky and sometimes mushy. The traction control turns itself on and off at will. The rear door wont unlock, the window goes down at will- pretty much all things electric dont work. The seatbelts dont work, and the airbag didnt deploy in a wreck. Also the speakers sound like they are blown and always have. The dealer could care less, the mechanics come up with completely assinine excuses for things- when they arent being extraordinarily rude-dont expect help from the big co. either-nobody will help

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  Glad to be in a LR3 - HSE** not X5 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By David Cowan - August 11 - 7:46 pm

  We had the x5 BMW for the past 3 years and this beats everything about the x5. Great driving.

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  GREAT VEHICLE - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By TMILES - August 11 - 2:00 am

  THIS IS OUR SECOND DISCOVERY BOTH HAVE BEEN EXCELLENT VEHICLES,GREAT HIGHWAY RIDE,VERY STABLE IN BAD WEATHER AND NO PROBLEMS.

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  very happy - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Bret Green - August 6 - 1:00 pm

  my wife and I love it,it not only looks great but is very enjoyable to drive and are two boys love its looks and of course the dvd player,myself personally I love the 4 wheel drive system and the air suspension height adjustability

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  Like it, But.... - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By bsvenson1 - July 30 - 10:00 am

  I really like the vehicle , but there are some things that should be changed. Such as the doors should open further, in-dash cd changer should be standard, exhaust should be on opposite side of rear door handle, do away with plastic fender flares that fade in sunlight, it should have seat and mirror position memory, and the tilt steering wheel should tilt more. I dont have any major complaints, just litle things that could easily be changed to make the vehicle that much better.

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  mad in Texas - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By madin TX - July 30 - 12:30 am

  I loved my Freelander until my first experience with the Rover dealership. I paid over $300 for the 45,000 miles checkup.They told me there was nothing wrong with the transmission. Now that I am out of warranty at 50,000 miles I am having problems. I called them and told them that my brake lights just stopped working and I have to go out of town and I needed to get them fixed asap. They told me it would cost me $125.00 and they could not get to it for four days! My husband paid $17.83 for the brake light swtich and fixed it in less than five minutes.

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  I expected more from a Land Rover - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By HutchNY - July 29 - 12:33 pm

  I drive a lot on the road, and live on a farm. It is a tough little car and Im not afraid to take it off-road from time to time. It does hold up to the rigors of off roading quite well, but there are too many little squeaks that i cant get rid of. Great stereo and the seats are comfortable. My biggest gripe is that i have to go to the dealer for oil changes. No one else carries the filters.

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  Needs a diesel engine! - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Ray Moss - July 19 - 10:00 am

  I bought my LR2 (called a Freelander 2 in England) in the UK. I wanted a diesel engine so I opted for the UK version. Its strong and gets about 35 MPG around town. The manual 6 speed is smooth. Ive been off road and up and down the highways. I love this vehicle.

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  fun little car - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By crcw - July 18 - 2:00 am

  I really enjoy this car. I have had a pathfinder and I love the automatic four wheel drive of the freelander. I also really like the size...it is not too large and yet it is small enough to easily park anywhere. Wind noise and the sunroof mechanism is a bit annoying. I have had the car in 3 times for the sunroof...either not closing or not moving at all. My engine makes a clicking sound...the dealer told me it was low oil...I dont know if trust them. Dealer otherwise has been A+.

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  Gr8 Ride! - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By TheSugarsRover - July 18 - 2:00 am

  We just purchased our new Land Rover SE from the guys in Fort Worth. Great Dealership and we love our new ride! The ride is smooth and powerful for such a heavy vehicle. It is such a unique experience driving this vehicle.