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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  Buyer beware of Maint cost - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Turbs - July 25 - 10:00 am

  Buyers should be aware that the maintenance cost for the Range Rovers are huge. Count on replacing brakes and tires every 20 to 30k miles. I am told by my dealership that this "is to be expected."

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  Its a real Land Rover - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Fatbob - July 15 - 1:43 pm

  This vehicle remains true to the Land Rover tradition of being capable off road. In addition the new model has increased the on road drivablilty by a large margin over the old model.

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  I really like my 04 Freelander - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By Randall Thomas - July 13 - 1:00 am

  We use the Freelander as a daily driver on pavement, with only a few off-road trips. It is comfortable on long trips, delivers gas mileage in the low 20s mpg, is fun to drive, and distictive. It is very confidence inspiring on wet and icy roads here in the mountains of Eastern KY, handles great, and is easy to park. We have had no reliability issues and the dealer experience has been outstanding--even organizing an off-road trip in West Virginia and a free restaurant meal! Im only sorry that Land Rover has (for now) discontinued the Freelander in the USA, giving me something of an orphan feel- -kinda like how I feel about my old MG.

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  very disappointed - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By sad and mad - July 10 - 10:00 am

  this is my 2nd freelander, both 2002 models. 1st lasted 600 miles, computer malfunctioned. dealer had it over 25 days, could not fix it, even with help from mfr. after a hassle with maryland and getting a lawyer involved, i got a new replacement vehicle. no problems with it until it hit 15,000 miles. computer malfunctioned. same as before. dealer got it fixed this time in a week, after a lot of effort to locate a replacement computer on their part. picked it up and went immediately to trade it in on a different car. cannot count on its reliability. gave absolutely no warning before it malfunctioned. have complained to landrover. they have lost a

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  LR3 Fan - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Anto - July 1 - 11:23 am

  cant ever remember feeling so emotional about a SUV before, and Ive had my fair share of machines.Both inside & outside, the LR3 reflects me in every way. I just dont see myself in any other vehicle. At 61"-220lbs, I feel extremely comfortable inside. Being married with 2 kids, having a 7 seater is wonderful. Also being a business man needing trunk space comes in handy. I dont necessarily need the attention the LR3 gets, but it does make me feel nice. It rates in my books as one of the best looking machines on the road.

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  Supercharged Would be a 10 - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By 3lakeswi - June 18 - 12:33 pm

  So far I love my RRS. The only thing I feel it needs is more hp - although more hp is available for a price. Compared to Porsche Cayenne V8, FX45, BMW X5 4.4 - this was by far the best ride for the money. Just coming up on 1000 miles and have loved every minute of it. It will be interesting to see how it works in Northern Wisconsin winters with the stock tires. Also hope the trade-in value will rival that of BMW.

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  Beware - 2010 Land Rover LR4
  By Tim - June 13 - 10:00 am

  I owned this vehicle for 2 days and 30 miles. Noticed rust on the brake disc (not on the contact area which you expect to rust as soon as water hits it), which prompted me to look underneath. The vehicle was so rusted out it actually looked like it had been sitting in a salt bath. Every piece of metal had pervasive rusting.

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  Pretty but Terrible Quality - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By cmh - June 12 - 4:56 am

  We fell in love with the drive and look of the car, but our love quickly faded when everything started to breakdown and cost a fortune to fix (not to mention that the Land Rover repair shops are so overbooked because these cars are lemons-- most places cant even look at the car for a week theyre so booked up). Electrical system is a disaster. 3 times the car just died on me while driving my kids in our "safe" SUV. In the last month alone I have taken my car in 3 times for various major problems-- Electrical failure, alternater failure and hydraulic failure. It looks cool, but dont be fooled!

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  New Look, New Price, Its a Ford! - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By Geodillon - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Overall the new 2004 Land Rover Freelander looks a lot better than its previous models did. Its taken the Ford Motor Company look and has been a bit polished up from the 2002-2003 models. Other than the look, the price has changed and has been long due.

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  Test drove the S - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By nt2050 - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I spent nearly an hour with the sales person on the test drive. He is friendly and willing to take time to answer my questions. Most likely, I will drop the $$ on it after coming back from vacation in 01/2004. Hey, anyone know the "reasonable" price on S? The sales guide quoted me $36K (TT&L...) total.