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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  HSE 2003 - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By wrldsk8r1 - April 28 - 2:00 am

  . . . . . . . . . . . Great Car

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  Heartbreaker - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By kcslc - April 26 - 8:03 am

  I just ended an almost 18 month relationship with my LR3. At the end, I still loved the style and comfort of the vehicle. However, its dreadful reliability finally won out. In the time I owned it I fixed a suspension air compressor ($1,200), broken glovebox door ($250), broken keyless entry ($250), and rocker panel trim that fell off bi-annually. When I traded it in it had faulty HDC control, broken pass door lock, and worst of all a bad bearing in the front axle. This was all between 47,000-62,000 miles. On the plus side: good power, decent mileage for a V8 SUV (17+/-), real off-road ability, uniqueness, just right sized for my family. Id own one again, but ONLY under warranty!

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  Wow! Amazing Best car I ever owned - 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By coldenny@yahoo.com - April 22 - 8:01 pm

  This car is amazing! Ive owed this now for 18 mouths and put on about 26,000 miles on it. Truly a total package. Very fast, ride is smooth and exciting ! I receive unbelievable gas miles On my hour commute to work which is 50 miles one way I can average 26 to 30 miles per gallon. This is mostly highway driving at highway speeds. Think about that a 500 + horse powered 5500lb car getting these kind of numbers! Everyone that I take for a ride is super impressed. I also Live in snow country never an issue !

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  Freelander winning our hearts... - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Morvac - April 20 - 10:46 am

  We was looking for a small SUV for my wife (Ford Escape/Explorer) but came away with this and couldnt be happier. Weve put a few miles on it now and have came away impressed. It took awhile to get used to the non- traditional interior placement of items. Driving is impressive, road conditions do not matter and it inspires confidence youre going to get to wherever youre going. We average 20.1 MPG which isnt bad since Im used to 17 with my Explorer. Plus the 4 yr/50k mile warranty is nice. All in all we would buy again. We plan to use it 98% on pavment; the rest maybe for camping, fall foliage or something - nothing hard core.

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  2nd Land Rover...great, so far... - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By brent bonfiglio - April 17 - 10:00 am

  I have only driven Audis... but my spouse liked the looks of the free lander se3--- after we purchesed the se3 I found myself always driving it, so I decied on a land rover, myself....I bought my disco, and have enjoyed it very much...VERY, VERY diferent from my previous car...but in a good way..the build quality is NOT up to Audi...but it is still acceptable. I have found no faults with this vehicle...and would reccommend it to anyone...just be ware of the fact the fact that they can be very expensive to maintain...over all a very good vehicle...

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  1st time LR buyer - 2011 Land Rover LR4
  By batesoh - April 14 - 1:38 am

  Bought the LR4 LUX (new) over the BMW X-5 turbo and Volvo XC90 V8; Mercedes was +$12,000 for similar engine/options. An absolute pleasure to drive. Plenty of power for all 7,000 pounds. An absolute delight on the freeway. Excellent visibility from drivers seat. A few electrical/communication issues, but dealer has been there to support us all the way. 19,000 miles and counting.

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  awesome SUV - 2005 Land Rover Range Rover
  By joe sumlite - April 13 - 7:30 am

  I have driven em all.... This beats LX470 by far. This truck is extremely comfortable, the ride is smooth & quiet. I wish for a bit more power at low end - but everything else is perfect. Havent found anything I dont like. Worth every penny.

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  Good Car - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Some one - April 12 - 2:43 pm

  I have had the Car for almost a month now and have driven it more than 897 miles and it has been problem free so far. The fuel economy is bad but its not that big of a surprise if you know anything about Land Rovers. The blue tooth wireless phone is easy to connect with but people have told me when I call them is some times difficult to hear me.

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  Still holding on to my LR3 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By gr8song - April 7 - 12:21 pm

  In 2007, bought my 2005 LR3 used at about 45,000 miles and also bought very expensive extended warranty from Fidelity due to its bad reputation of reliability. Ending up never needed the extended warranty. Never have had any major problems except a few minors like the rear window wiper and brake cable corrosion. The "Check Engine" light occasionally came on and was told by my dealership that I needed new battery more than a year ago. My local Interstate Battery store checked the battery out just fine, and I am still running with it. I did changed 4 brakes with brake rotors twice for the 4 years and 50,000 miles that I have owned it so far for almost $3,000 each time. Thats expensive!!!

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  Awesome - 2010 Land Rover LR4
  By arogin - April 4 - 9:13 am

  I LOVE this truck. ordered an Alaska white with ebony interior LUX package. other than the fact that the gas mileage stinks, i am completely in love with it.