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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  Supercharged about my Supercharged - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By p - January 11 - 9:43 am

  I love this truck. I looked at, and drove, virtually every high-end SUV on the market. Nothing came close to the RRS Supercharged in terms of style, ride and power.

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  Rang Rover HSE - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By New Owner - January 10 - 10:26 pm

  I had the misfortune of owning a first gen Discovery which I traded in for a wonderful Lexus LX470. The LX470 was my favorite ever but this Range Rover is very cool and definitely a competitor for the best ever. Love the Lux Package comfort, Nav Unit and Integrated Bluetooth Phone. Nice SUV. A little pricy at the Dealer. Saved from $84,000 MSRP to $68,750 on E BAy! 2000 miles!

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  Best SUV around - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Best SUV around - January 10 - 5:46 pm

  Ive had the fully loaded HSE since November, 2005 and have 6000 miles on it. No problems whatsoever! I love this car...the smoothest SUV Ive ever been in. I thought about the X5, MDX, Toureg, RX, Cayenne and ML.....I have absolutely no regrets for picking the Land Rover. The best part of the car is the ride....by far.

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  proud owner - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By freelanderproudowner - January 9 - 10:00 am

  This is the best of all SUVs out there. Its like a best kept secret and also got a great deal. Pleasure to drive, fun to won, awesome looks, different from all the rest. Plenty of features come standard.

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  Im in love all over again. - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By C.L.B. - January 8 - 2:16 pm

  Yep, just when I had given up on SUVs, along came LR3. I traded in my Mitsu Montero Ltd.(the full size one), for a Toyota Solara in 07. I wanted something sporty, fun to drive & good on gas. I got all of the above & had given up on owning SUVs. Then one day I decided to drive into a Jag dealership to take a look at the new Jag, when I saw a silver LR3. It was love at first sight. I absolutely love it. It has plenty of room for 7, handles & ride is A+, so many features, off-road A+, city & highway A+, luxury A+, my friends love it, complements all the time(could be because of the 22" chrome rims), gas mileage, well, its a SUV, but its worth it. Heck, I have my Toyota when I need to save money.

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  Best SUV out there - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By prover - December 30 - 6:40 am

  Great car. Handles excellent in severe weather. Sweet sound system and smooth seats. Bluetooth is simple as well.

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  Traded the 99 DISCO II - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By EZ - December 27 - 6:40 pm

  90K miles later, we traded the 99 Discovery II for the LR2, SE, Narvik Blk, Alpacha, Cold Pack, Light Pack, and Teck Pack. I drove all the others and kept coming back to Land Rover. Had great service from the DISCO and have 550 miles on the LR2. Fun to drive, much better MPG than the Disco. The key system is a bit funky, but if you let the vehicle recieve the key instead of shoving it in, there will be no probs. Added the roof rack, cross bars, mud flaps and trailer hitch for bike rack. Drives smooth and plenty of power from the 6 cyl. Not the boss hog SUV for sure, but for the mid-size it is a winner.

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  cool - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By majmun - December 25 - 2:00 am

  cool as heck

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  awesome - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By konj - December 25 - 2:00 am

  excellent car.

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  It Wows! - 2007 Land Rover LR3
  By Stephen - December 19 - 11:43 am

  This is one smart, hot, sleek, functional, stylish and rugged baby. That is a disparate set of qualities and as a loyal Land rover driver, I didnt ever expect to have all these attributes in my vehicle. Past Land Rover Discoveries inspired a grudging loyalty among devoted fans. The LR3, well thats altogether different... Unreserved and undiluted satisfaction. I just love it.