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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  Money pit - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Gem Elliott - September 2 - 1:29 pm

  These types are only good for one thing and thats leasing. Make sure to get out of this vehicle by the time the warranty is up. The engine works well but all of the peripherals along with electronics are suspect. Also the air suspension will fail around 80K miles. The dealer freely admits to this. Each corner is $1500 to repair. So youll end up spending about $6,000 on all for corners at some point. Then you will most likely get the dreaded steering column lockout. This is actually a safety feature that eventually craps out. Replacing this unit with a new one is $6,000. If youre smart you can get a salvage unit for around $1200 and then spend another $500-700 on installation or try doing it yourself. Of course thats if you get one that works to begin with. The cars electronics are also very temperature dependent. Here in Chicago it suffers from many cold related ailments. The rear trunk section will get loose and will need to be rebuilt at some point before 100K miles.

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  Cant Wait for Snow - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By Alaskan - September 2 - 10:00 am

  Drives/feels like a luxury vehicle on the road. Very stable and comfortable on the rough Alaskan dirt roads. Honda Pilots and the like are just minivans, my Land Rover is a truck with true off road capability. I am looking forward to trying it in the snow.

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  bad apple - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By HNV - August 29 - 10:00 am

  Our Freelander has been nothing but problems. First of all, you can not take it off road, even though that is what they are designed for. Secondly, if you do take it off road, be prepared to pay dearly for any repairs it needs. We have paid for almost $20,000 in repairs that Land Rover claims are caused by offroading, even though the car has not been offroading for almost a year. Our car was poorly made, and does not hold up to what Land Rover claims and advertises it is, and they do not stand by their vehicle. I am reluctant to drive it now, fearing the transmission (which has been completely replaced) will die and leave me stranded again.

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  Not Happy - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Julie - August 26 - 7:06 pm

  I have had my Freelander 16 months. So far the battery had to be replaced, a vaccum hose has been replaced, the heater core went and when fixing that the vaccum motor had to be replaced. I am now on my 3rd radio due to problems with the radio or GPS. And my new problem is the lighter has quit working. Of course this has all been covered by warranty but should all this be wrong with a new car and an inconvience to me as I had to keep taking the vehicle to the dealership until my husband bought the LR3 so now they bring me a loaner and pick mine up. I really like the design of the vehicle but service was not good until we became a 2 Landrover Household.

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  Beautiful to drive, frustrating to own. - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By FirstLR - August 24 - 2:50 pm

  IÂ’ve had the 2010 RRS HSE with LUX package for two weeks now. I love how the car handles; spent the first few nights taking the coast road home [Stop reading here if you only want favorable words]. The electronic/software issues on the other hand, are now making me think this is the Microsoft Vista of automobiles; nothing quite operates the same two times in row. Manufacture date is 09/09. This is my first LR vehicle, having spent the last 10 years as a Lexus owner with nary a cold, so maybe my expectations are too high. Id like to loan LR the top notch Test & QA team from my company for a few months. Taking the car into the dealer for 7 issues (all but one are electronic/software related).

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  Rocky Mt Rover - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By Rocky Mts - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I moved to Colorado from Louisiana this summer and decided to trade in my little sports car for a more snow-worthy vehicle. For me, a single guy with no kids, the Freelander SE3 was perfect: inexpensive but unique, fun to drive, agile on road and off, practical, and (best of all) providing an open air driving experience. I am very happy so far with the SE3.

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  Bring out Disco Anniversary Edition! - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By JAF - August 22 - 5:56 am

  Love my 04 disco but know when looking into getting one you are also purchasing an on-going expense to maintain. The ride is great, the power is great and looks by far is the best thing about this truck! My hopes are that Land Rover comes to its senses and creates the Disco Anniversary addition...same body style with some of the great features of the LR3 / LR4. Will never get rid of my current Disco though...LOVE IT!

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  1st car bought outside the "big" 3 - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By ccaparelli - August 18 - 11:33 am

  Having owned 2 Jeep Grand Cherokees and a Ford Explorer, this was the first SUV Ive owned outside of the "Big" 3. Needless to say, I have been extremely pleased with my LR2 so far. Ive put just under 7,000 miles on it and have averaged 18 mpg city and 23/24 mpg highway, using standard fuel (87 oct) with no noticeable pinging/knocking. The interior may not be as pretty as a BMW, but it is very practically designed. Vision from the drivers seat is fantastic,very few blind spots. The nav system is very interactive and works great, and the sound system, although a little light on bass, is very good. Acceleration is a bit sluggish, but its an SUV with good fuel economy, not a corvette

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  JUNK! - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By David Nadeau - August 18 - 7:20 am

  2 days after purchase, check engine light on..return to dealer..Needs new motor...common for this model..Ford Warranty ESP kicks in..$9600.00 for a new motor! Then Differential goes..now right front axle is gone...all covered under warranty...but it has spent more time in the shop then in my garage...Cant wait to get it back so I can trade the piece of junk!

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  Great handling but shoddy parts - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Michael - August 14 - 2:30 pm

  In spite of problems with acceleration and poor component parts, the car drives very well and I completely trust it in bad weather. It is comfortable and the engine/drive train have been reliable.