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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  Concerned, Happy So Far! - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By paulr - June 8 - 10:00 am

  I always liked the exterior design of the Land Rover. I have clients who are mechanics and they said stay away from these vehicles. Therefore I leased my wife one b/c she loves it and does to date. I hedged my bet by leasing and keeping ownership under warranty. I must say I love driving it on the weekends. Lots of fun, I cant wait to go off-road if my wife lets me. Very happy thus far!

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  Concerned, Happy So Far! - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By PaulR - June 8 - 10:00 am

  I always liked the exterior design of the Land Rover. I have clients who are mechanics and they said stay away from these vehicles. Therefore I leased my wife one b/c she loves it and does to date. I hedged my bet by leasing and keeping ownership under warranty. I must say I love driving it on the weekends. Lots of fun, I cant wait to go off-road if my wife lets me. Very happy thus far!

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  Love mine, with reservations - 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By bonuspoints - June 5 - 10:42 am

  I bought this, the first time, on a whim. Driving by the dealer, I saw one and bought it on the spot. Fully loaded Dynamic at almost $60k. The first one was immediately a lemon, so it was replaced. After six months, the latest one has been a joy to drive. Great performance, great style, very practical in most ways.

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  An honest real review - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By joea01 - May 27 - 6:37 pm

  Here is a 3 month review -- First off I cant express how Important it is to HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT BY A THIRD PARTY. If you buy one and its priced at or above the blue book value (which is fairly spot on) you give yourself no wiggle room if something goes wrong...and typically people dont keep great records and things WILL go wrong about every 4-5 yrs (amk pump). I knew this going in and this is typical car breakdown -- I spent $2700.00 the first week-> belts, out/in tire rod (100 each), control bushings (300) , alignment (80),amk suspension (800), bolts and clamps, air filter, computer reprogramming (6 comps), tpms sensors, ball joints, oil/lube/filter. Gas mileage 10 city/15 highway.

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  After the initial love affair is over shell bleed you to death - 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By joe493 - May 25 - 9:32 am

  The Range Rover sport is in my view an over priced V6 powered ego trip. The poorly designed interior layout coupled with the least intuitive gps and entertainment system out there should give anyone pause. And why does the gps system point upward into to the sun? The small screen is hard enough to deal with, let alone the excessive sun light! Additionally youll find that although Land Rover claims there SUV as being the best off road vehicles in the world, its interesting why there tires only offer about 3/16 to 1/4" clearance for the rim. The best drivers will still curb the rims. When its time for breaks, 30k miles. Expect to pay 1000 dollars per axle. Oh, oil and tire rotate, 300

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  New Gas Hog - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Eric - May 11 - 11:33 am

  I recently move from the world of Infiniti Sports Coupe to a Land Rover LR3. While they are two very differnt car they both provide a great driving experience. I have really enjoyed my LR3 for the 2 weeks that I have had it. I look forward to taking it into the Cascades and testing it out a bit more. I do think that where it is great for style and offroad it is lacking in luxury assets. My Infiniti ($10K) less was much nicer inside and had a lot of standard features that the LR3 does not have. Come on Land Rover, step it up in the standards. Finally, GAS, are you kidding 12-13 mpg if I am lucky.

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  Vastly improved, but needs more work - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By BostonMa - May 9 - 10:00 am

  Great looks and interior. And the ride is at last worthy of the price. Engine needs more power and better mpg. Needs auto-on lights, auto wipers, passenger memory seat, compact key, modern nav system. Would have been nice to have 3rd row of seats. Very noisy over 80 mph. With 3k mls I have 3 weeks at the shop for unacceptable stuff like fixing the nav voice, replacing the door mirrors, replacing the correct color inside trim etc. I also noticed small rattles and squeaks disturbing the interior.

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  2002 freelander landrover - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By rokit777 - May 6 - 5:40 pm

  Hello I purchased my landrover at 45,000 mi,I felt so lucky to have such a beautiful SUV. The problems began as I drove my car out of the dealership. It was at the dealership for the first month of owner ship , I had fuel line problems, coolant leak, heater core replaced, coolant system replaced, transmission replaced, brakes replaced very often, needless to say the car has been great when it runs... I love it.... but too many mechanical problems,and pricey to fix. I am now at 100,000 mi and once again when I turn the heater on there is a burning smell, and the smell of coolant . I cannot afford anymore work, I cannot afford a new engine or head gasket. I took a loss and traded it in...

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  My Land - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Pepe - May 2 - 2:00 am

  Buying a prestigous name. Good Car. Take it anywhere.

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  More than a pretty face - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By jersey - April 26 - 2:00 am

  This is not just another cute ute. I have recently had this SUV seriously off-road it can perform. Even the professional trail guide was impressed. I like the interior, but this is definitely a matter of personal taste. Concerns about storage and on-dash cupholders are BS. Ive take a couple of fast-food cups down a rough dirt road with zero spillage. There is limited seat travel and no height adjust. The sun-visor is poorly designed and blocks vision due to its design unless you are short. Rear storage is smaller, but still adequate for most people.