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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  Worst Car Ever - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By unhappy customer - June 9 - 8:13 am

  This is the worst care I have ever had. Land Rover is buying it back as a lemon. The car constantly cuts out while driving, the gas gage constantly tells me I have no gas even when the tank is full and I have taken the key out of the ignition and the car stays on and tells me the key is still in the ignition. I have had nothing but problems, it has been in the shop more than at my home and the guys at Enterprise are my new best friends. I would never, ever buy another Land/Range Rover again, or for that matter even take one if someone gave one to me.

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  worst car ever - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By sw47 - June 8 - 9:52 am

  this car has been a disaster from day 1. new, it began with water leaks, and electrical malfunctions. LR once offered to take it back, and i was foolish not to take them up on it. problems continued with electrical malfunctions, rear wiper failures x2, jack failure, window insulation failure, and the big one ABS modulator failure, an approx. $3000 repair. oh and also ignition key breakage in the lock. (never happened before). this truck still has less than 70k miles. Despite appeals to LR they will not stand behind their product. (there was an ABS modulator recall for some models) best advice, stay away!

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  luv my landrover - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By discovery2owner - June 4 - 10:00 am

  this is the first landrover disco, i have ever owned, and i love it!!!!! but it!! you will not be sorry. This car dose everything right, and it dosnt blend right in. it diffrent. It has a quirkyess to it that can no tbe explained. I love it!! Plenty of grunt, and i love the new front end, looks like a rangerover! spartin interior but it works in this truck. I have attended a few off road treks since my purchase, and it great. i feel like a pro. I am 62 and the front seats are very comfortable, and pleny of room up front for my legs. very little windnoise for such a boxy truck

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  Love our LR3 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By SJB - May 17 - 3:10 pm

  We looked at and drove every 7+ passenger SUV before buying the LR3. Our final choice was between the Lexus GX470 and the LR3. Adults can actually sit in the rear seats of the LR3 and the seats fold completely flat and you wouldnt even know that they are there. When they are upright they have a footwell. I have more room in the back seats of my LR3 than my brother does in his Yukon and Im pretty sure I could park my LR3 inside of his truck. And thats really where the LR3 stood out for us. I never feel like Im in a truck. The over the hood visibility is tremendous, the ride, while tight, is smooth and quiet. We often get 20 mpg on the highway... on and on and on, we love the LR3

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  Winner of Our 10-Vehicle Drive-Off! - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By j!m - May 17 - 10:00 am

  We spent a month researching the 17 vehicles in this category, and test- drove 10in a multi-round drive-off; this one had the best balance of on- and off-road capability, and ultimately, off-road performance was the decider. Traction Control, in particular, has already carried us through five spots where other vehicles without it got stuck. Dealer-sponsored outings are great, and we held our own with ~20 Discoverys on medium-rated trails with rocks, steep grades, water crossings, and soft sand; most of all, the Freelander is FUN, FUN, FUN to drive!

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  Better than my range rover and ML500 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Guess402 - May 16 - 1:10 pm

  This is far and away the best all around SUV on the market today

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  best land rover yet - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By mrocho - May 14 - 4:00 am

  i have driven a lot of suvs and particularly land rovers. this thing is head and shoulders above. it is the quitest vehicle i have been in and has plenty of power. the 6 speed transmission is very smooth. the 3rd row seat is fantastic and folds flat in the floor. so far so good on reliablility. no problems at all.

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  Dont buy - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By jin - May 8 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle has nothing but problems since day one. The extended warranty helped but the car has been a money pit. It is in the shop every two months, engine light is always on, this time the time belts had to be changed at 46,000 miles. Electrical problems abound, Fuel economy is terrible, interior design is a joke and as stated reliability is very poor. It has cost more to maintain this vehicle that what it cost to buy.

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  Love this thing - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Thomas M - May 7 - 1:10 am

  I absolutely love this thing. It feels very responsive and comfort is second to none. We have put 25,000 miles on this thing since September and have had no problems this far. My previous vehicles were an 08 Cayenne and an 04 Jeep Wrangler. The Rover doesn;t handle as good on the road(its not a porsche) but I feel more at ease knowing I am in one of the best off road vehicles in the market and it is a hell of a lot more comfortable then the Jeep.

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  WATCH OUT! - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By SCREWED - May 4 - 2:10 pm

  Watch out! I had two freelanders (first replaced it was so bad), seccond one in shop all the time. Land Rover Customer service is horrible, they refuse to work with you at all. Bad Transmission, failed windshield wipers,seat came off rails (twice), sound system failed, windows stopped working, Brakes squeek, streeing wheel squeeks, engine rattles....... They never even attempted to make it right. I even had strangers come up to me and ask if mine was as bad as theirs. I think they rated as one of the worst SUVs in the world.