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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  This car is a Lemon! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By AM - April 3 - 11:03 pm

  This car is a lemon. Engine needed to be replaced at 29K, Transmission at 40K miles. And this car was well- taken care of. We were told by the service dept to get rid of the car at the end of the warranty because of all the problems the Freelander is known to have. Too bad we didnt get the same warning from the sales dept!

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  Worst Car Ever Seriously!!!!!!! - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By wildcats_fan - February 12 - 5:23 am

  After owning one and spending thousands I couldnt begin to describe how bad these Freelanders actually are. If you read this and think your getting a good deal on one then take my advice and run.. Its a known fact that they are a ticking time bomb. I waisted thousands on it and never once felt as if I were going to make it to the next destination without it breaking down. If you really want to know how bad it really was... 17 trips to Landrover and that was under Waranty. After the warranty expired I spent about seven thousand on it at local repair shops and it was literally falling apart the day I traded it off. I was one of the lucky ones and actually got rid of it before it blew up....

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  Worst Car Ever Built - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By MPakdaman - July 14 - 1:16 am

  I owned a 2002 HSE Freelander and hope to never own another Land Rover ever again. I have had this vehicle for less than a year and it has been the worst car I have ever owned. The vehicle has been in the shop 7 times in 9 months and the transmission was rebuilt completely. How can a car with 33,000 miles ever have transmission problems. The service engine light comes on pretty much every month and the techs at LandRover never seem to understand why. After my transmission issue...I had the same problem within a week period....isnt it amazing.

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  A Terrible Car - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Jake - April 4 - 4:26 am

  This is a terrible car! One month after I bought it the timing belt breaks and I spend $ 500 getting a new one put in. The next month, the motor needs to be checked again, another $600 bucks spent on it! I was driving it in manual one day and the transmission loses all gears except for park and neutral. And I was on the interstate at rush hour, the car gets towed overnight because the tow truck wont bring it to my house, Land Rover wants me to spend $1000 bucks getting the tranny rebuilt, the Hyundai dealer where I bought it said to just sell it which I did to my brother for $200 because he would fix it someday. Bad SUV for anybody.

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  Luxury, I think NOT! - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Michael - March 17 - 9:06 pm

  So after owning two Acuras, I stepped down apparently into a Range Rover. Problems: Handle broke off when opening hood, plastic. Door handles breaking off, cars suspension deflates in the cold, takes 15 minutes to get it up. A/C didnt work well in summer, screen went out. DVD player doesnt work now, CD player doesnt work, back lights went out and bulbs dont fix it. Back lid wont stay up, pieces break off of this car constantly. Hood thinks its open when its not, key fab broke, and door locks dont work right. Sometimes car wont start and give reason why. Ive spent about 3,000 on this car in less than 8 months (about 1/3 what I paid for the car in first place. FUN TIMES!

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  Its A Lemon!!!!!! - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By lma710 - January 18 - 2:00 am

  This suv was a lemon. It spent more time getting fixed then being driven! Land Rover didnt stand behind their product!

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  Dont make the mistake - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By br1993 - December 4 - 8:30 pm

  Im on my second Range Rover. My family has 4 of them also and were all moving away from Land Rover. Dont let the extended warrany fool you. You will spend 4 times the vehicle price to maintain the vehicle! Dont ever buy a used Land Rover! So many problems and not worth the headaches. Land Rovers are kind of like horses, the best two days you have them are the day you buy them and the day you sell them. Get Ready for $1000 brake jobs every 8,000 miles. Make sure you like the dealerships loaner car before you buy because thats what you will be driving most of the time. Everyone of our landrovers has had MAJOR problems. Please dont make this mistake.

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  Not A Good Purchase - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By gmielke - August 30 - 8:40 am

  This car got "great" reviews by the auto magazines when I was looking to buy this car in 2002. We have had the transmission blow, which apparently Land Rover knew they should have recalled but sat silent and did nothing, then we had the brakes and air conditioning blow several times, then finally, the engine blows as I am driving it to get its annual service! We are now told that because the Freelander is no longer in production, the engine will be very difficult to find and may take a month or so to locate... then Land Rover tells us that they will not pay for a new engine but will give us a $4500 "credit" towards buying a new Land Rover! Unbelievable.

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  Worst vehicle I have ever owned! - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By styve - July 6 - 2:00 am

  The Land Rover Discovery is the absolute worst vehicle I have ever owned. It spends more time in the shop than on the road. From an electrical system that does not work, to a windshield that breaks without being hit by anything, the reliability of this vehicle is horrible! We drive this vehicle to VT, and have had numerous problems with its ability to handle the elements. We have been told that this is due to the "extreme conditions in Vermont." I thought that this vehicle was for extreme conditions (the extreme conditions were snow and temps in the teens). If you are contemplating buying/leasing one, stay away. There are much better SUVs out there.

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  The worst car Ive ever had - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By julie - June 18 - 3:43 pm

  This car is a joke. The battery died after 1 year as did the brakes ($1100 later) I need new tires at a cost of $1200. For the better part of leasing this car I had trouble starting it. I just returned again from the dealership yesterday and it stalled in the parking lot and now a new problem my driver window is no longer working. I really give up. I am putting a sign on this car to advise all never to own a Land Rover.