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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  Loved this car - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By mali - October 5 - 9:06 am

  My parents first purchased this car, and at first I thought it was the ugliest thing they could have bought, but after a few years I really started getting attached and when I got my license my parents let me have it. Within the year I drove i but 18,000 miles on it and it already had 186k so it was at the end of it life, so expected there was wear and tear but mostly in good condition. What broke was the suspension (EAS fault) which probably costs more to replace than what the car is worth currently. I used this car to drive friends around, haul grain for the horses, and we took many family adventures in it threw the cascades. Over all it was pretty reliable

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  Impressive, but not perfect. - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By nomarkup - October 2 - 10:00 am

  MUCH better than 2002 Mercedes G500. Great ride. Beautiful detailing. But, navigation system horrible compared to Japanese DVD based systems.

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  my car - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By sshokrian - September 30 - 10:00 am

  I find the navigation systom very easy to use, as well as the audio. compared to the 2004 Mercedes s500 which we bought in Feb, 2004 it is a snap. My lease will be up on that thing before I figue it out.

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  Sitting Pretty - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By College Dude - September 10 - 6:23 am

  I bought the Range Rover Sport because I wanted something that not many people drove. I was originally going to get a luxury sport sedan of some sort, but I fell in love with this Range. The exterior is what really brought me to buy it. It is extremely sleek and sexy. I get looks everywhere I go. The interior really surrounds you and makes you feel like you are part of the car. The only draw back that prevented me from buying it the day that I saw it was the Land Rovers terrible reliability. The dealer assured me that those days were over, but within a week of my purchase, some suspension lights came on. I got that fixed and havent had a problem since. This car stands out.

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  What the RRS should always have been... - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By LR Newbie - September 6 - 7:00 pm

  I always liked the idea of the Range Rover Sport but to me the interior was always too close to the LR3/Discovery and no where near the Range Rover. The 2010 model has addressed this biggest flaw and at the same time brought the standard model up to a performance level which is worthy of the word "sport". I took delivery on Friday and drove 500 miles over the weekend on a combination of highways and back roads. The car feels very solid on the highway with great control on the more winding roads and the seats are superb. Its a big step up in comfort from my old ML550 but performance isnt close to the ML but certainly on the right side of adequate.

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  Im Ridin Dirty - 2007 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Richard - September 1 - 3:46 pm

  I just purchased my Sport very recently; but Im already in love with it. My initial city/road mix is yielding 18 mpg, which is as good as my 6 year old Volvo S80...but a much cooler ride. I have more features than I ever imagined and even added a few extra items such as the side molding, wind deflectors and rear lamp guards. This is truly the way to roll; even if youll never get off road with it. As well, the service and treatment for purchasing a product like this was as expected. And the bottom line, the gas mileage is weak, but if you have to worry about gas prices when youre buying a SUV for $62k...you shouldnt be buying it. My favorite vehicle of 28 Ive had!!

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  Works great for me - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Keals - August 29 - 2:00 am

  This Landrover has been great. The front window heater did not work at first. I took it in and the fixed it. The ride is fun. It rides like a BMW. The leather seats and sunroof feels and look great. The Freelander is not so big that you cant park in a parking spot. It feels and drives like a large SUV. Being able to change the radio at the steerting wheel is a big plus.

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  No Worries! - 2007 Land Rover LR3
  By Vance - August 25 - 10:26 pm

  We needed a family utilitarian replacement SUV after all the negative safety issues with our Pathfinder. We stumbled across an 07 HSSE with less than 17K on it while looking at an 09. This was our first experience with Land Rover. We tried the Pilot and the Highlander, but then they are everywhere and very dull. This was love at first drive! Quite different than some of the negative comments read before hand. It was smooth on the road and very comfortable, while having tons of room in 3 rows. Better yet its not a "manly man" truck like a Tahoe or similar. And the plastics are fine. Much better than what we were expecting. Yes, gadgets are plenty, but read the manual. It works!

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  I love my LR3 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By texas retired - August 25 - 6:26 pm

  I bought my LR3 new and absolutely love it. I have had almost no issues with my SUV. There were a few warranty items in the beginning but smooth sailing now. It is about to go out of warranty and I am investigating extended warranty just in case. This is my second Land Rover, the last was a 2000 Disc II and I had no issues with it either. I keep hearing about reliability issues with these cars but I have not ever had an issue with the 2 I have owned.

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  NOT QUITE SURE? - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By TL - August 23 - 12:56 pm

  I come have had 2 Porsches, 5 BMWs previous to the Disco. I have always admired its unique design, quite eclectic, old world British design that has refused to give into recent silly modern morphisms. The interior design is also very luxurious and utilitarian, dual sunroofs, bun warmers, powered everything.. I find the Disco sluggish, have to keep it in Sport Mode most of the time, which further impairs the already embarassing gas mileage. I have found Land Rover to be second rate as far as service (compared to BMW and Porsche), they do not extend "Range Rover" courtesy and customer service to Disco owners.