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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  Incredible - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Britcar - March 7 - 10:00 am

  Unreal. Fantastic design. It is a BMW. Hop ethe Brits wont hurt it but I guess ford will keep things up. Needsd redsign of the instrument panel/nav. panel.

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  Best SUV or vehicle around!!! - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By RRL - March 7 - 10:00 am

  After a long and extensive search for a new vehicle, I finally decided on the New 2003 Range Rover. It is everything that I or anyone, for that matter, want in a vehicle. Land Rover, out did themselves on this one. It drives better than a MB S500 and just as quiet and comfortable as a Lexus LS 430. The best part is that I can take it ANYWHERE if I wanted to...

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  Ranger Rover - 2005 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Range - March 2 - 10:00 pm

  i Love the new Range Rover, but it should have come with more horsepower -- at least 300 instead of 282

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  Great choice over BMW, Acura, Mercedes - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Daniel - March 1 - 11:36 pm

  I get bored with cars quite often, but my LR2 is staying for another couple of years with me. I love the LR2. Performance: Coming from a V8 Mercedes(CLS) just prior to purchasing LR2, I was worried I wouldnt be happy with the performance and the ride. Acceleration could be better, but it has plenty of torque for merging on to fast traffic. Ride: LR2 offers a good mix of comfortable ride and capability. I go to Sierra Nevada often during winter, and AWD system performs very well. Off-road capability is also outstanding for a car this size. Handling: Fun! A bit of oversteering around the sharp corners, but its still great. Quality: Rivals other luxury brands (BMW, Mercedes, etc.)

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  The best suv out there - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By ms777sd - February 26 - 4:16 am

  I love my Land Rover, nothing compares, not Chevy, Ford, BMW, this is a real luxury 4X4. its solid, very comfortable, well built, powerful and can take turns like a sports car, absolutly no body roll around hard turns, try that with a Blazer or an Explorer. TRUE 4 wheel drive unlike the other wanabees.. Good luck getting this truck stuck! The only thing I dont like is the key position. It takes a while to get use to putting the key in so close to the dash. Other than that its a winner.

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  the best vehicle ever owned or driven - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By esaias - February 24 - 2:00 am

  the freelander is extremely capable off road. I took it to a ladrover "wheels" offroad event and it was extemely impressive. I driven a lot of vehicles and few have impressed me as much as the freelander with its off-road capability.

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  Love my Rover - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Rover20171 - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I have had my rover for a few months now. I originally looked in this market 2.5 years ago when my lease on my Jeep Cherokee was up. Looked @ X5 and RR. Ended up with a slightly used RR. Liked the fit/finish of the X5, but was turned off when sales guy got spastic when I tried to go over a curb. Was also pleased with my choice then- especially when I sw my neighbor with snow chains on her X5 this winter. The 03 brought the BMW fit/finish to my rugged ride. While doing so, it also cleaned up most of the 00s quirks and gave me a killer engine to boot.

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  Crazy in love - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By KIT SCHREINER - February 8 - 6:03 am

  I love the look, I love the roar, I love the thrill, I love the ride. This is without a doubt my favorite machine. It is as close to an orgasmic experience as you can get even my toes tingle when I lay down the throttle. It exceeds ALL my driving expectations and experiences, including my X Mercedes SL500 and an X Cadillac Escalade EXT. At the moment I am not concerned with reliability because I am enjoying the ride which doesnt come cheap, or easy! It was in the shop yesterday for an update to the computer and it pained me to drive their loaner HSE something. And then my eyes fixed on this gorgeous piece of equipment heading my way and it was my Rover. Hello Darling!

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  Great SUV - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By DriverLR3 - February 3 - 9:40 am

  Excellent SUV overall. No problems other than regular maintenance. Maybe a bit underpowered but overall we are very happy with it.

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  Love it - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Jay - January 21 - 10:13 pm

  I have had the car for six months. No issues to speak of. car had a bad window seal which was repaired at purchase. Otherwise, no issues. Car is very quiet and fit and finish is ex excellent. Beutiful and roomy interior. Outstanding sound system. kids love DVD in rear seats. Navigation is easy to use. i dont like voice command. often doesnt understand me. Very fun to drive. Wants to go off- road but is Lexus quiet. Only car that I have had (and I have had some nice vehicles) that I truly enjoy as much now as I did when I purchased it. Hopefully, I will continue to have good luck with it.