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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  2003 Range Rover Freelander - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By cvandiver - May 1 - 6:00 pm

  Just purchased a 2003 Land Rover, I have had this for 1 week and it is already given me problems. The first day I found out ignition key will not unlock the drivers door, which by the way is the only lock on this rig besides the tailgate, the gas cap fell apart in my hands, the gas mileage is really bad. Driving today it is shifting on its own going down the road, but is shifting hard. The dash is blinking 4F and is says that it is decending down hill,. Being in park is it saying 4F. I took it to the dealership had their mechanic come out and take a look, he checked it out and is saying that I have a Transmition Problem. This is NOT GOOD, used dealer is not anwering our calls to him,NOT GOOD

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  Should have bought something else - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By MrJake - April 17 - 2:00 am

  I bought a Freelander because it was well equiped and would do well off road and in the snow. What I have experienced is a vehicle with poor reliability. I have had oil and water leaks, cracked cylinder head, bad transmision, and a host of other problems. Dealer maint, costs are steep ($90 oil change). Gas mileage is not very good for such a small SUV.

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  Issues - 2010 Land Rover LR4
  By reviewer11 - February 11 - 3:40 am

  My wife and I bought our LR4 used with 44k miles on it. We have had it right at a month and it has been in the shop for three of those weeks with various issues. Brakes (we read the reviews and know that they are an issue already) oil dripping from under the engine, and the air suspension gave out on us on a road trip. When we took it to the our local dealership LR Austin, they told us that the brakes were after market that there was nothing they could do. We got them looked at elsewhere and they were in fact OEM and the exact ones the dealer installs. They told us the oil leak could not be found (even when there are drops of oil in out garage) and the suspension went out, can find prob?Junk

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  LR3 does not work-stay away-it is unsafe - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By hassler1 - February 8 - 10:03 pm

  If you purchase a $54,000 car, you would think it would run. In 10 months, it has stalled at least a dozen times, died and been towed to the dealer twice, locked out of the car with keys in hand in a snow storm, because electronic keys are faulty (twice) try to find the place to insert key - it is covered with plastic and you must rip off molding. I have owned numerous cars and have had more problems with the 2005 LR3 then all combined. When we bought it, we loved it for 1 month, then reality struck and the car is unsafe to drive by anyone and after all these headaches the dealer offered me $25,000 as a trade in on My $50,000, 10 month old LR3 Stay Away at all cost!

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  Serpentine Belt replaced 6x in 1st 6 mos - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By unhappy at the disco - January 26 - 10:33 am

  I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone. I have had to take it to the dealer for servicing 8 times in less than 8 months. Six times to replace the serpentine belt and the other two times because the check engine light was on. Can you imagine what this piece of junk will require when its a couple of years old?

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  BIG mistake! - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By ihatelandrover - December 2 - 9:03 pm

  Purchasing this vehicle was the worst mistake I have ever made. A coolant leak caused me to need a new engine after only 50K miles. Land Rover fought me tooth and nail over this, although they admit that this was a factory defect. It took 2 months to get a new engine (at considerable cost to me, even with the extended warranty). This is the second Land Rover that died on me. This car also ate brakes and, like many Freelanders, the sunroof broke an hour after I drove it off the lot. This vehicle was not worth the money that I put into it. The poor quality of Land Rover customer and sales service only made the experience worse. I will never consider a Land Rover again.

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  Bought this junk to prove my daughter wrong 4/8/17 - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By mike Marshall - November 23 - 12:21 pm

  Admittedly bought this 2006 RR with 135K miles in mint condition, 2 owners, proper maintenance ONLY because my 17 year old daughter is a car lover like her dad but knew RRs were horrible in quality and reliability and very expensive to work on. So, against my better judgement bought this RR. Within the first 2 weeks one of the front air suspension struts blew out. Cost $800 to repair. Basic oil change was $150. Front brakes due for replacement but British mechanic says CANNOT TURN RR ROTORS SO ONLY NEW ONES AVAILABLE. Got suspicious of this mechanic so took to my regular mechanic who simply put on after market brake pads, but still cost way less (still $250) than the $800 the "British Mechanic" repair shop was trying to soak me for. Rear view camera works about 25% of the time. SUV sits up so high with no running boards or handles on front pillar that very difficult to get in or out for us shorter people and puts heavy wear and tear on sides of both front seats creating upholstry tears and paint wearing off plastic trim parts that are very cheaply made. Even the rubber key was so worn it barely worked=poor design and material usage and they are $400 to buy and have programmed! After 2 weeks and $1000 in repairs with more to come on those expensive air bags suspension ($800 PER wheel!) I decided to sell it. After driving a 2001 Lincoln Navigator which was of average quality, I would choose the Lincoln for less expensive repairs for both labor and parts. I myself bought a 2008 Infiniti QX56 SUV with 119K miles and cannot say enough good things about this SUV in EVERY category. It is a FAR superior SUV to the RR in EVERY way (and all others that I tested/researched). The RRs are currently the "cool SUV" to drive thus my young daughters lust for it but knew it was going to be a mistake as is the case with most English cars. (owned a 99 Jag XJ8 for 5 years=huge repair bills done all at under 69K miles!) Owned an 86 Bentley Mulsanne for a year just for fun but just after one minor repair it costs $2000, so got that out of my car loving system. English make some beautiful cars but some of the most unreliable and expensive to work on. Got disgusted with American cars as well despite trying to "be American, buy American" but quality still not where it should be at any of the Big 3. Finally broke down and bought a Japanese car, something I swore Id never do as they have always been so UGLY but many have finally figured out how to actually make a car look nice looking. If you want a really nice HUGE comfortable, powerful, high tech SUV. Def. try the Infiniti QX56 with almost 400 ft lbs of torque it does zero to 60 in 7 seconds, rides like a big Cadillac sedan in the comfort area and lots of room for hauling things when needed. Even my 17 year old daughter loves it, esp. with the technology upgrade package (BOSE, Nav, rear view camera, rear entertainment) and the roar of the factory exhaust is quite nice as well. One of the nicest cars Ive ever owned and have had almost 100 cars over the years. Stay away from RRs unless you want to spend a lot of time at the repair shop spending ungodly amounts of repair money. Heck, I dont even like the looks of it! Too top heavy on windows making it look like a "green house on wheels" and interior is WAY to small for serious Costco trips, minimal storage, many cheap parts at dash/console areas as well, esp for the high price that is charged when new. When driving it, it reminded me of driving something out of the 80s. Very outdated. Power is just average, esp. when compared to my former Lincoln Navigator and ESP. the Infiniti. And note** your car insurance will increase significantly compared to other same year or older SUVs like Lincoln Navigator being that RRs are so expensive to repair. I got a $600/yr increase in premiums "just because it was a RR" according to my AAA rep. Sold the RR within 3 weeks just to save my money and sanity! "It pays to be cool" but I aint no fool! Sold the RR and got her an 2007 Infiniti FX35 which is also far superior to the RR in every way except the view height of sitting high in the RR.

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  Very Disappointing - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By tv200 - November 17 - 6:13 pm

  Eleven years of Land Rover ownership and looking to jump ship. Very poor reliability and questionable design. Multiple electrical problems, warning lights and messages galore. Lurches from slow start, brakes squeak, radio sometimes decides to take a break from working, tires wear early and unevenly. Alarm goes off randomly, doors lock and unlock selves as radio goes off and on (keys not even in car.) Sunroof leaks. Poor winter traction, especially when braking. Windshield heating element distorts vision at night. Brights activated accidentally with turn signal use, rear wiper, when working, activated accidentally when using windshield wipers.

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  Freeloser - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By harndt - November 11 - 7:36 am

  What was Land Rover thinking?! I have replaced the engine, transmission, heater core, thermostat, exhaust plenum, rear window actuator (twice) and have had my car in the shop longer than Ive been able to drive it! Land Rover will not take responsibility for this mistake of a vehicle. I was told the engine broke because the valves bent. They built the engine with "Interference valves" meaning they do interfere. If they are slightly off, the pistons will smash into them, causing them to brake- causing you to need a new engine. I only have 60,000 miles on mine and have spen more repairing it than I owe on it. Does anyone know of any class action lawsuits? Because I am on board.

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  Poor Quality/Poor service - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By doobie856 - October 25 - 11:13 pm

  I own a 2004 RR and in the time that I have owned it, it has been a constant problem. I had a problem with the recall service that was completed on the vehicle 2 years ago and LR simply said that it was not there issue and that I would have to eat the cost. Within 2 years I am having to replace the front differential and drive shaft, after LR said it was properly replaced. Understand, I do not off-road my vehicle, or take it through any type of rough terrain. I believe that the quality of product (parts) and service are very poor and not worth the money. For those of you looking to purchase one, I would consider alternatives.