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:

• 

  The Best is Yet to Come! - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Land Rover Rules! - January 11 - 10:20 pm

  The LR3 is, without a doubt, a vehicle without peer. Where can you find the spaciousness, On & Off road capability, safety, all weather reliability? No other competitor does it like the LR3! Purchased Certified to 6 yrs and 75,000 miles. Issues have been minor and covered by warranty. No suspension issues, ever. Tows up to 7716lbs with confidence. Handles up to 90 cu ft. of cargo or 7 full size adults! Replaced original battery at 53k! About to put third set of pads on frt.,rear o.k.! These units will operate to 300k, if you like. So, dont buy the poor reliability claims. This is primarily a misunderstanding of the vehicles unique design parameters. Purpose built, to last a lifetime!!

• 

  Read this before buying your Range Rover - 2005 Land Rover Range Rover
  By hamid azadegan - January 11 - 1:43 pm

  This car has too many on board computers - 27 to be exact (as Ive been told) and mine has had thing go wrong with them which took the dealership three weeks to figure out what was wrong, and still at a little bit over 11k miles I have a list of another eight things that need fixing on my next visit to the dealership.

• 

  2004 SE - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By Bobbymey - January 10 - 10:00 am

  This is my third SUV and by far it is the best. I live in Coloarado so it is perfect for winter driving and off roading.

• 

  Major Suspension Problems - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By dmorningcall - January 10 - 10:00 am

  A beautiful SUV with major suspension issues. Car has been in the shop for over a month this year. Rear and front suspension failed. Sub frame bolts came loose!

• 

  Range Rover - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Roskos1 - January 5 - 10:00 am

  This is our second Range Rover of the new model, our first was a 2003. Great car, wife loves it with the kids. Be sure to have your dealer install the headrest DVDs, (after narket). A/C is the best I have ever tested. The volume from the fan is incredible, (we live in Arizona). Stabiltiy and power is great. This was a BMW designed and built factory for this model before ford purchased Range Rover. It has all of the look and feel of BMW on the inside, with the ride os my S500 class Mercedes.

• 

  Smooth and simple - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By facet - December 27 - 2:00 am

  The ride of the Freelander is fantastic. It handles snow and ice without a hitch. I have taken it through 20 inches of unplowed snow, it did not have any problems. The AWD system works well.

• 

  I love this Land Rover - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By chuck2003 - December 27 - 2:00 am

  Traded a Freelander for the Disco. Should have bought the Disco in the first place. Dont get me wrong, the Freelander is a great vehicle, but the Discovery has better build quality, more space, luxury features, and feels much more solid. And it almost begs to go off-road. We opted for the 7- passenger version (SE7).

• 

  Outstanding Vehicle - 2007 Land Rover LR3
  By Bradley - December 25 - 3:50 pm

  Each day of driving I am more pleased with the LR3. I have accrued 4000 miles so far and have enjoyed every one of them. The vehicle is a bit heavy, but has a very smooth & comfortable ride. The 4.4 liter V8 performs well in all normal day to day driving conditions. Some dedicated studying is required to make full use of the stereo & climate interfaces. Though overall, this vehicle gives its driver an incredible sense of poise & stability....rain or shine, but especially rain!

• 

  Dealer support - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Anaheim Rover - December 20 - 8:46 am

  I bought a LR3 HSE about two weeks ago. So far, my experience has not been too good. I purchased the car on a Monday night, and the dealer said they needed two days to prep the car. I picked it up on Wednesday, and within minutes of driving off, noticed the Navigation System didnt work. So much for thoroughly prepping the car. This couldnt have been missed. It has now been two weeks, the car has been in the shop twice, and I am still waiting for, hopefully, the right part. Well see. The dealer seems very interested in selling cars, but their customer care / support is terrible

• 

  Coolest SUV - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By DCorey - December 17 - 1:03 pm

  Very high coolness factor. Sweet Sounding Supercharged Engine that pushes this ride like an M3. The stereo/dvd system is the best Ive experienced in a vehicle. The memory seat buttons are tough to navigate due to space, but other than that the interior is flawless. Needs to have power lift gate for my wife since she is the primary driver :( . Back seats a little rigid and tight for long runs. Auto wipers and seats/steering column a bit quirky. Dealer picks up and delivers. Cant Beat That. At the dealer twice for scheduled maintenance.