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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  Nice car but needs refinement - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By mattsfreelander - December 31 - 2:00 am

  For such a small practical car it gets 17 MPG around town...not good, makes us feel guilty. The interior trim is interesting looking but really shoddy quality...the steering wheel loosens the more we drive it...the windows sound cheap rolling up and down and make crackling noises...lots of rattles have started to appear which seems a shame this early on. I fell in love with the car at a car show and had to have one...it has been excellent on vacations and back and forth to the hardware store ...but just a little cheap on quality for the money we paid (24,995 with 5000 miles) and an unnecessary gas guzzler.

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  not too shabby - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By glm - December 31 - 2:00 am

  great engine and handeling- it took the Germans to make a decent British car. You can still see the British heritage in some of my complaints in fit and finish. I just turned in a LX 470 with 50k for this car and cant think of a single complaint with that car1

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  rover review - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By malcolmesq - December 31 - 2:00 am

  This is a fantastic looking and driving vehicle. The gas mileage is terrible and I have a serious problem with the paint on the exterior but it is a fun car.

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  fun - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By De Sass - December 23 - 9:36 pm

  I love my SE3. Its easy to get in and out of, it handles great and its just plain fun to drive. I have always driven pickups, so I was a little concerned about low seating, but I sit up high pretty well. I havent driven it off road yet, except for our driveway, which is dirt and stone uphill, lol. But it takes it much smoother than any of my trucks did, lol.

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  impressive.. but .... - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By kate - December 17 - 2:00 am

  Ive been happy with the vehicle itself but unhappy with the quality and speed of the American servicing ...they dont seem to know what theyre doing and it is the consumer that has to foot the bill for their R&D

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  Great Ride Great Value - 2007 Land Rover LR3
  By Canuck - December 14 - 10:20 am

  Despite some initial hesitation, I am glad I went for the LR3 HSE. Overall it is a great vehicle in any driving situations. The comfort and ride is superb even during long trips with kids and luggage. The flexibility of seating arrangements is second to none. The sense of security and off- road capability of the LR 3 place it in a class of its own. My wife and I went to the Land Rover off-road driving school in Montebello Quebec and loved it. LR3 is virtually unstoppable. It is not a SAV, Crossover/sedan on steriods it is a true SUV. If you are looking for sedan like performance..buy a sedan. V8 offers plenty of power under all normal driving conditions including passing and goign up hill.

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  The best car ifproblems not existed - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover
  By George - December 10 - 3:00 pm

  I love driving this car. The feeling , the interior design and quality, the speed of the supercharce+ 400 bhp, and space are top of the range . but mechnical probelms exists. rover company need to do something about it.

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  Awesome SUV! - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By alberto martinez - December 6 - 11:33 pm

  Its been a fun experience driving the car. You will also get a lot of compliments -it looks great. The brakes are very good and it handles really well on curves for an SUV.

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  Great car....pick carefully - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By dli6990 - November 19 - 3:16 am

  I love my Freelander, my favourite thing is that its very rare. I had read about thousands and thousands of complains out there, but mine had none of them. Is not the most reliable car on earth but I love living with it. My advice is that pick a good one if you ever want to buy one, pay careful attiontion to every thing when you test drive. After you got it, check under the hood often and dun let any liquid in run below the "min" line(definitely dun let it run dry). I think most major problem are caused by not paying attention to your car, and the service the car as soon as the service is up.

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  good car - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By strmman - November 19 - 2:00 am

  Love the car but it is underpowered, not fast, sucks gas like a v8. The lowest model has bad fabric seats and maintenance is quite expensive. The dealer is exceptional though and I will consider trading up to a Discovery S next time.