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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  Slow and Overpriced - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By Tom - December 13 - 3:56 pm

  A good SUV in allot of way. It’s strong, solid and safe. However it’s a thirsty, under-powered slug with a nice leather interior. Also the ongoing service will take the fun out of having it. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with this SUV, not to mention the hit I’m going to take to get out from under it. Never again

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  There is a reason its called a Rover - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By rangeit4444 - November 4 - 4:03 pm

  There is a reason its called a Rover because its a dog! Love the styling, but the reliability is horrible, resale value is pretty much zero. The electronics are so far outdated and the interior is still way behind others in the same class. I would never buy one again. We thought our 745li was bad on reliability, but this thing is horrible. Run and run very fast to something else. We traded it in for a loaded Lexus SUV and gosh what a difference! Talk about creature comforts, yet still have towing and off road capabilities. The 745li is going to be dumped for a Lexus soon.

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  90K miles - time to replace every gasket - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By BarryC - August 28 - 11:20 am

  I loved my 03 Disco until year 5. After 90,000 miles (147,000 km) every gasket in the engine had to be replaced. What originally appeared as a simple oil pan leak turned into the replacement of the head, timing assembly, and oil pan gaskets, plus radiator leaks and other miscellaneous hoses at the cost of CAD $2000 in parts and $1,300 in labor. Other annoying items: the passenger window motor self destructed, premature fading of wheel well fenders, excessive engine knocking even with regular 94 octane use, seat heater failing. The vehicle was serviced religiously. My advice - sell before the warranty expires. Im used to high maintenance vehicles but will never buy another Landrover.

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  Fun Car with some imperfections - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By jonnyman - August 25 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car, even though people o know had some problems with it , i didnt, except for one thing, the brakes! the break pads use up realllly fast ,and then the discs usually follow, every 15000 kms, the breaks and discs had to be changed its crazy!

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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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  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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  manager - 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport
  By rao patel - July 15 - 10:54 pm

  i took to dealer two times. to find shifting problem couldnot find any thing. problem still there. blaming software. somany years driving of different model manufacturer i donot recomend to own land rover discovery.

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  Dont be fooled - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By Toyotas From Now On - July 7 - 12:13 pm

  This was my first and last experience with Range Rover! If you want to throw your money away, this is your brand. Do your homework before you get caught in the hype of Range Rover. Ive owned numerous SUVs (Mercedes, BMW, Land Cruiser etc.)and this brand is truly "tall hat-no cattle!" Never purchase this brand without a thorough pre-inspection by a certified Rover mechanic. Get to know him well because you will be helping put his kids through college! Youve just met your new best friend. The ride quality and rugged good looks are the only redeeming characteristics that stands out to me. Toyota/Lexus is your stand-out best-choice every day of the week.

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  Transmission & Radiator Issues Beware - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Mpanico2004RR - July 3 - 9:10 pm

  For anyone buying a pre owned 2003-2005 Range Rover HSE, make sure that the radiator issues in the past have been corrected. They fail and the electronic thermostat does not sense the overheating. Thus, the radiator fails and the transmission overheats with zero warning. Over time, the tranny 50K on will eventually fail and cost you thousands to repair. We are a loyal RR family owned 2 and one saved our friends life in a head on accident. But, Land Rover North America has zero loyalty back after your cars warranty expires. Even though you may have had chronic complaints about issues they can not resolve, after that warranty expires and things eventually fail, they say sorry. Terrible!