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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  Happy With LR3 - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Patrick - October 8 - 6:30 am

  I have over 30,000 miles on my LR3 and have been very happy with the vehicle. Have gone off road and on road, and its been near perfect

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  Great SUV - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By John krebs - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Super does everything right

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  freelander - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By dg3 - October 7 - 2:00 am

  This car is awesome. It drives very smoothly and is relatively quiet. It handles like an SUV but corners like a car. I LOVE IT!

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  Land Rover Freelander - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By junehhan - October 3 - 2:00 am

  This is clearly a great vehicle from Land Rover. While it may not have the offroading ability of the Discovery, or the Range Rover, its incredibly and surprisingly capable offroad. An entire day spent at the Paragon Offroad Park proved that this vehicle is in every step a Land Rover. Its just too bad that my Freelander spends most of its time getting repaired at the Centre because Land Rover couldnt make a reliable vehicle.

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  A British tank with same fuel mileage - 2010 Land Rover LR4
  By O - September 30 - 5:36 am

  Had it for about 6 months, driven about 5000 miles. Drove it over two curvy mountain roads during a blizzard with no problem. Had to take it in twice. First time was for a vibrating noise during acceleration coming from the dash. Dealer said it was a loose wiper motor. Second time was for a tire pressure monitoring system failure (which cleared itself b4 getting to dlr) and for a "software update" which land rover insisted was not a recall in their letter. There seems to be some build quality issues. Hopefully they dont turn into long- term reliability issues. Vehicle is very stately looking. You dont see one everywhere like my old Ford Explorer. Wife loves it. Happy wife, happy life.

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  Best Thing We Have Ever Done - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Jo Jo C - September 30 - 1:26 am

  This must be the most advanced Land Rover ever. We use to own a Mk1 Discovery so it was a big step up to the Discovery 3/LR3. Everything is just perfect, so well put together, so fast, and no normal person is buying this car to get good economy

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  Finally a car that does everything - 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By clutchplate - September 29 - 5:33 am

  Every time I buy a car I look for one that does everything and always end up compromising. All I wanted this time was one that could go off road, get me to the snow, be fun to drive on a mountain road, get decent mileage, look good, sound good, have room for my camera/video gear and clients, have a 4 year warranty and cost less than 50k. Oh yeah, it had to have paddle shifters. This car does all of the above and is more fun to drive than I expected. Getting 32 MPG on the highway at 70 MPH, not nearly as much when racing through the hills. No problems so far.

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  HSE is Having Superior Enjoyment ! - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By HSE Owner - September 27 - 10:00 am

  I bought this Land Rover from Dimmitt in Clearwater on 5/15/03. Great dealer. John the salesman is excellent. I went from a Ford Harley F150 to this so I lost some features I was used to (not to mention power) that should be on this SUV for its price tag. Such as auto lights, keyless entry and a better sound system (Harmon Kardon is not very good despite what people think). However, I love this and dont miss my truck at all. It is a little small (Im 61) but still comfortable. People complain about the power but I thinks it pretty quick. It does shift a bit hard.

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  Best of the Best - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By JPMiller - September 27 - 10:00 am

  I have owned the 2003 Range Rover for a bit over 6 months. To date, this has to be the finest vehicle that I have ever owned. It isnt the most expensive, just the finest. The 2003 Range Rover is both responsive and impressively agile (for a large full time four wheel drive vehicle), while maintaining the luxurious aspects of interior comfort that have become a benchmark for all luxury SUVs to attain. I love it! I hope that the current Range Rover designers maintain the spirit under which this vehicle was designed.

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  need 2 for in is always in the shop - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By now - September 21 - 10:00 am

  had it for 2 years in for repairs 25 times. Told this car needs alot to twicking by the shop manager. Something was either broken or a warning lignt always on Trade in lost more than half its value. Would not recommend this suv to my worse enemy.