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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  I expected so much more! - 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By Lynn C - May 3 - 8:40 am

  First the good: This is a great looking car and there are so few on the road I feel special driving it. Also, it handles quite well in snow and ice. The bad: Its small, you cant close the trunk from the inside of the car, the navigation system is horrible (Ive been routed to dead ends more times than I care to recall), the front seats have no lumbar support, the rear window is way too small and the transmission is jerky. The front console is too small and there are too many controls on the steering wheel that could adversely affect driving. The ugly: New front and rear brakes and tires required after only 25k miles! Cost of routine maintenance is ridiculous, and the excessive number of software updates required is unheard of and take FOREVER. Unless you like spending time at the service center and wasting money, move on to something else.

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  Great and Awesome Car - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Sierra Madre - April 30 - 12:26 pm

  If you are looking at cars like crossovers or mid sized suvs save yourself some time. This car is the bomb. Sure, its a gas hog and believe me we tested Camry hybrids and such but with the 2 year lease at LR its a great way to hold 2 more years while the manufacturers get their stuff together on hybrids. Its an awesome looking vehicle. My wife is driving this one and it replaced an 03 4 Runner. Get it!

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  Happy So Far!!! - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By Sharon - April 24 - 9:03 am

  I am having so much fun with this car! The interior is smaller than what I am used to (I have owned several SUVs in the past). But its just me so I dont need much room! It has plenty for what I need! I have had no problems whatsoever and am loving driving this car! I have read all about brake problems, transmission, etc. I think every type of car has its lemons that role off the line every once in awhile! Mine is not one and I am happy to see all of the good and realistic reviews on this vehicle!

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  On road off road its a peach - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By MINISNMORRIS - April 23 - 11:50 pm

  The performance of the LR3 is unsurpassed. Having been a past LandRover owner I thought it was just aDiscovery in new clothes. But it truely is completely new. It is heads above any other SUV on the new line up for 2005.The first bweekend we owned it we headed for the hills;my wife ,myself and 5 dogs.The fold down seats were perfect for them(the dogs not my wife,she insisted on sitting up front).My gas mileage was actually better than the ratings claim not much but still higher.The terrain response makes even the casual driver feel at ease in all types of driving.I think Land Rover has hit the nail directly on the head.It runs circlesaround the competition.DRIVE IT youll LIKE IT.

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  Good Value For Your Money and its Fun - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By Schaer - April 17 - 10:00 am

  I have now been driving a Discovery Diesel for the last 15 months. The car is fun to drive on highways, in the mountains as in town. Reliability and finishing is great. The view for driver and codriver enhances the road safety.

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  Worst vehicle I have ever owned - 2005 Land Rover Range Rover
  By George - April 16 - 9:53 am

  Throughout my life I have owned many high class vehicles and this is by far the worst vehivcle I have ever owned. It has more problems then can be listed in this 700 word review. Among some of the many problems were incidents such as disabled suspension, steering column failure, being locked in the vehicle, the windows mysteriouslty going down over night, the security alarm dosent work, and Land Rover North America refusing to take responsbility for all these problems and admit ITS A LEMON. In short I would not recomend this car to anyone I personaly am getting rid of mine and purchasing an Audi A8L.

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  Sturdy and Solid SUV! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Cindy04 - April 9 - 11:13 am

  What a great SUV. Very sturdy and solid on the roads and in any weather condition. Powerful engine up hills, a little sluggish at the start. I havent had any electrical or engine problems at all. Very reliable. One of the funnest and most enjoyable cars Ive owned and driven.

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  2004 Range Rover - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Dan Jones - April 7 - 9:16 pm

  2004 Head gasket problem - know the service men all too well. Not so good for $73,000.

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  The Best of the Best - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By reg - April 6 - 3:50 pm

  So far I have had the privilege of a number of Discos, 2 RR, and LR3 and now the RRS. It is truly fantastic. Land Rover has always made a vehicle which truly could work offroad (unlike so called "Sport untility vehicles"). The RR has always been an elegant working vehicle. Now they have managed to incorporate a sportscar into the package. There are no comparable vehicles on the market today although there are many wannabes! If you want true performance, offroad capabilities and luxury the RRS can do it all.

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  From an X5 to LR2 - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By horsedoctor - April 4 - 10:20 am

  Coming from an 03 BMW X5 makes it difficult to give this vehicle perfect marks in any departement. But a new X5 with similar options was well over 50K - my loaded LR2 was purchased for under 35K and as usual in life: you often get what you pay for. The layout and the interior design gets high marks-as well as comfortable seats and nice features such as satellite radio, heated windshield and seats, sport drive feature, security of full time all wheel drive - all while approaching 24mpg hwy and Im getting 19mpg combined. The storage areas are a bit lacking and I would have rather had a nice center armrest with more storage below it than the drop down ones. Overall this is a great SUV.