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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  Love to Drive - 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By kohnw - August 17 - 10:21 pm

  Ive had this SUV for a couple months now and Ive very enamored with it. The Evoque features great design inside and out, with excellent comfort and performance.

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  Lemon? - 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By mike111111 - August 11 - 8:21 pm

  New 2014 Evoque in for its first service plus periodic loss of power, dome light comes on when encountering a bump in the road and the sunglasses holder is either stuck closed or pops open on its own. Dealer had to replace a bad fuel injector and order a new upper console. Result is that the parts take a while to deliver from England and I am without my brand new Evoque for 5 days.

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  LR Freelander S - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Gylfaginning - August 7 - 10:00 am

  A former owner of a 93 Jeep Cherokee Sport (one of the world-wide top ten, ever), I interpret the Liberty as an aesthetic offense (whatever the magazines say, "retro" was dead upon arrival). Moreoever, Chrysler dealers are Chrysler dealers; and the cheap extended warranty that they push does not compensate for the Rovers (true) warranty (with ABS [yes we know the Paul-Bunyan Off-R. excuse], etc.), build, handling, and style.

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  LR is slipping - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Jeff - July 16 - 4:30 pm

  3rd and last Land Rover! For such a stunning car (we had the cool orange, one) what a pile of poo! Bought it new and almost an instant headache. I broke down in SEVEN different states! From NC to CA! Left a LR service center in NM, 6 hrs later I was broke down again in CO! Constant PRICEY services, and with the sporadic dealer locales it can be a bit of travel. Inside, the car is very cheaply "thrown together." After 20k miles you never ride in silence!! With everything rattling inside and wind noise it can turn a grouchy morning into an epileptic fit! If youre looking for a car to look at then look no more! If you actually use and DEPEND on a vehicle for more than an eyegasm steer clear

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  Rover buyer from here on out - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Tx Red Rover - July 14 - 10:00 am

  If buying a Land Rover is going to be this easy in the future, I will NEVER buy anything else. The guys at Land Rover San Antonio could not have been better. 1 1/2 hour test drive, paid for and had the keys in 20 minutes. This Rover is great. Small enough to be practical, good cargo room when needed. Comfortable inside. Some complain about the interior. Wake up, its a SUV, not a sports car. If you want wood and leather, buy a BMW. Great English feel. Very practical and easy to use. Good pick up, which is needed in the land of monster SUVs driven by soccer moms on the cell phone. When you buy one, you really do become part of the Land Rover Family.

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  My dream car - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By weslowery - July 10 - 6:37 pm

  Im a 17 year old and I have always wanted a Land Rover. I got one at 85,000 miles and by 90,000 we were begging for someone to take it. I loved it but it was way to expensive to fix. First was the front differential at a costly 2,000 and a window regulator 675.00 and then secondairy air pump 500.000 and last but not least the ABS modulator and front right hub. Land Rover was asking 4800 to fix that. We said forget it and sold it for dirt dirt dirt cheap but were just happy to get rid of it. It was junk!!

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  Cmon people! - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By DOC - July 10 - 4:46 pm

  Ive really enjoyed having this SUV! All the complaints about service is probably because a lot of "yuppies" who dont know the first thing about taking care of a car own them! Basic maintenance and upkeep will eliminate these problems. Enough already about the gas mileage...ITS A V8! Great SUV in my eyes!

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  Mixed Bag - 2002 Land Rover Range Rover
  By ff120 - July 4 - 6:43 pm

  I purchased my Range Rover with low miles on it. It is a great vehicle to drive that has many problems. The air suspension gave me fits. I had to eventually replace the entire system with regular shocks. The cooling system is always giving problems also. Funny enough I still love the car. It is great in bad snow and rain. Besides the trips to the shop for maintanence it has been reliable. The door locks and windows will act up at times along with the check engine light. By the way the SRS light is "haunted", its goes off in warm weather. The engine and trans are perfect. The body is rugged and the interior still looks new. For the money the door rubber should be better. Good car needs work

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  Long Time Coming - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By JakeBarnes - July 2 - 4:00 pm

  Ive loved the Disco since it first came out and I finally made the plunge this spring. The ride quality is great for an SUV and the styling (interior & exterior) is a cut above. Ive only had it for 6 Mos. but it has been maintenance free. The only shock was gas mileage. Going from an Audi A4 to the Disco was a big difference, especially during a time when gas hovered around $2.50 / gal.

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  I still love it after 33K mi. - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Emmett_III - July 1 - 3:43 am

  After 33K mi, I have had zero problems. My only visits to the dealership are for the free maintenance included with the purchase.