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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  WORTH THE BUCK - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By LHoward - September 23 - 11:06 pm

  A delight to drive on or off road. If I want a sport car I will buy one, but I was looking for a well built and safe vehicle for me and my Wife. Superior comfort with a real luxury SUV feel. Has power and with the automatic suspension you can adapt to the road. If you cant afford 60k dont try this vehicle, but if you understand safety/luxury be my quest you wont be disappointed.

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  2005 Land Rover LR3 SE V8 - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By MotorStreet - September 20 - 3:50 am

  The LR3 is hugely impressive. It tows our 4000 lbs boat with ease. The LR3 has a huge cargo area and seats that fold flat quickly and easily. You can fit a six foot tall adult easily and comfortably in every seat. Its easy to see out of and park the LR3 because of its relatively small proportions and huge windows. Another impressive part of the LR3 is its extensive warranty and the dealers service programs. The air suspension is a nice feature, because it means that the car can be low for access or higher for snow, towing, or off roading. This SUV feels solid, but suprisingly nimble on the road and in snow or ice sticks to the road like no other vehicle.

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  Broke Down at 2800 Miles - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Samuel - September 15 - 11:20 am

  Beware. Look elsewhere. Car completely broke down at 2800 miles. Excuses from Land Rover have been key fob software problem. How does a key fob effect coolant being burned out of the engine at 2800 miles? Car would not start looked under hood coolant below way below minimum. Car in shop now for 3 weeks. Land Rover clueless as to what is going on and wants us to be the Test Pilots. No Thank you. Same problem happening with other buyers. Land Rovers Solution is that when your car stalls on the freeway to just pull over and take the key out and let it reset and then try again! Would not be good if the car stalls on incline doing off road excursion. Looks like an accident waiting to happen.

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  Fun to drive - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By joe - August 30 - 3:23 pm

  Great car unfortunately you better have the wallet to pay for the costly and often repairs. 550 dollars air sensor went out that helps determine the amount of air to let into the engine. This caused the SUV to be unable to even start. Was very fun to drive and turned a lot of heads at my high school. Due to bad weather and my inexperience as a driver it was totaled in a high speed rollover. Very safe car however I walked off with zero injuries and the car held its frame perfectly! Its high mileage and broken axle/wheel rods ended up making it cheaper to totaled. Fun car though

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  Range Rover Supreme - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By bigdogpve - August 19 - 2:00 am

  My 2003 Range Rover is a fantastic improvement over my 1997 HSE 4.6. The power plant has a excellent power band. It averages 13 miles per gallon but can The suspension handles anything from rough outback to crusing the freeway at 75-85 with the same excellence. The Logic 7 sound system is fantastic. The brakes were not engineered to my needs so I replaced it with a Brembo 15" Rotor system and can handle the Palos Verdes Hills with authority. The Navagation System is a bit complicated but it will get you there.

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  Great vehicle with bad gas - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By Sam - August 16 - 8:30 am

  I towed 6,000lbs of Porsche 911 and full trailer across the country with this truck. Never missed a beat. Ran super in the snow and is very comfortable not to mention great looking. Zero problems. Brake pads are still more than 50% in front. DVD player is wonderful for kids. Everything you could want except for some of the worst gas mileage in its class. We average about 12 MPG. But considering we bought late in the model year and got a $42,000 truck for $31,500 I figure the savings buys me about 4,000 gallons of gas. So no worries.

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  standing out - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By dragos - August 15 - 10:03 am

  nice suv overall... not your common look... could use some extra hp and some more mpg... a diesel version for usa would be desired for repeat customers... premium fuel is $3/gal... but... at 57K should not be a concern?!!!

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  Great vehicle/Dealer service - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Booth - August 14 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I bought this vehicle 1.5 years ago and have had no issues with it so far. Power is adequate, build quality is fine. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for something a little different, Liberty, Escape and RAV4 are on every street corner. Dealer service/buying experience is unmatched, truly top- notch. No pressure, when-are-you-going to buy phone calls. 4x/year off-road events, strong commitment to continued customer relations.

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  Same Old Range Rover - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By David - August 7 - 10:33 am

  Best Looking SUV in its class. Too bad Land Rover has not fixed its mecanical issues. Wait till you get to 25000 mile and the dealer tells you that you need new brakes all around. Dealer wont help nor will Land Rover. They claim this is normal wear and tear. Right!

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  Range Rover vs. Porsche Macan - 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By Bruce - July 30 - 7:47 am

  I test drove the Range Rover and the Porsche Macan. I couldnt justify paying 10K extra for the Porsche Macan. Sure the Porsches engine was strong and had better pick up and felt expensive but was it worth 10K more. I really like my red Eovque and it gets a lot of great looks and compliments. I would like the pick up to be a little faster in the Evouqe but given the recent news about VW, I would give up power for better emissions. The interior is very nice and feels classy. i acutally had to read the owners manual from almost front to back to understand all the features. The SUV looks comparably small compared to other SUVs and lack of trunk space is noticable (i had a Audi Q5 before). Overall I am very satisfy with this purchase. i probably paid too much for it but oh well.