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:

• 

  A soccer moms dream! - 2007 Land Rover LR3
  By ML - November 23 - 1:50 pm

  This is my favorite SUV! Waited to write review in case I had reliability issues that I had read on this site - 9 months/20K KM and nothing so far. Compared to my past Escalade, Denali, Touareg, Jeep GC ltd, and MB 430, my Rover is way more fun, sturdy yet nimble, tows with ease, has more versatile interior space, much quieter cabin, better road view & headlighting, most headroom, and all the luxuries to boot. Not quite as quick as Touareg (V10 mind you!), 5.4L Jeep, or MB430, but shift into sport and it provides more than enough power for the average Joe. Breaking is strong and confident for a vehicle this size. Purchased the LR3 over the Lexus 470 & Audi Q7 - glad I made the right decision!

• 

  Great Vehicle - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Ken Daniel - November 15 - 7:53 am

  What a surprise my wife and I received after driving the LR3. WE drove all the other models including the new Acura MDX, the new Volvo and the new BMW X5. They were all good, but not great. The LR3 drove as good or better than all of them. It was very comfortable on the highway, tight and responsive, all the bells and whistles and more, including the GPS, fold down second and third seats, unique Europeon styling and one of a kind looks. Give it a try before you make that final decision. After 3 months, not one problem, as good as the day we drove it off the lot.

• 

  Best Range Rover Yet - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By RRJOE - November 4 - 5:10 pm

  I have owned a 2005 Range Rover, 2004 Discovery, and a 2004 Lexus 470. The 2006 SC Range Rover is light years ahead of all of them. Superb build quality, excellent handling, and styling like no other.

• 

  A Beautiful Animal - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By coastman - October 29 - 4:36 am

  This is my third Rover. Land Rovers brief partnering with BMW produced a wonderful machine, much more refined and powerful than its predecessors. Its a smooth-driving work of art and considering its weight, very fast and powerful. The gas mileage is simply awful but it could be worse.

• 

  The class act SUV - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By Gaukel - October 27 - 10:00 am

  The Discovery should be driven by people who respect a true SUV and its off road capabilites. Those other soccoer moms can stick with the junk such as the Pilot.

• 

  magical - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By ossama - October 27 - 10:00 am

  Nice rich car , that everyone looks at you while driving , not much on the road.you feel like a cool person. Fun to drive , rich interior design , great visiblity, and heavy on the road.only disadvantage is the Gas , oh the Gas, but to enjoy and show off,there is a price for that .

• 

  2003 Range Rover - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By tomh - October 4 - 11:20 pm

  Second owner of vehicle. Purchased at dealership. Fell in love with it from moment we drove it. Went to look at the LR3 and saw the new body style and knew of the partnering of BMW and Range Rover. It was all over after the test drive. The engine is the same as the one in the 7-series BMWs. Great pickup and when cruising feels like one is floating over the road. We purchased the extended warranty to be safe re any major repairs. Overall the mechanical issues have been minor. Had one incident with the drivetrain yet all covered under the warranty. Have had one "major" service and was pretty costly. Overall very pleased and would buy again. Definitely would encourage buy the extended warranty

• 

  Super all around vehicle, maybe built more for those who go off road... - 2011 Land Rover Range Rover
  By rd1059 - September 30 - 7:28 pm

  I bought this car after my wife had a 2010 RR Sport for a year, we both loved it. I needed something a bit larger, so opted for the HSE. I am a bit more used to some technological bells and whistles, but still love this car. First, i find it odd, there is no unlock in park, I later learned even the supercharged does not, just odd. the Nav systems screen is not the greatest, but compared to my 2012 Audi A-6, maybe nothing would. The driving of this car however is amazing, comfortable and powerful, I LOVE IT. However, i have no real off road use for this vehicle, it seems to me a lot of $$ you pay are for those features, and they seem to be plenty. It handles well in snow and ice

• 

  Discover - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By scs3100 - September 26 - 10:00 am

  A great car for all types of of land and ravel paths

• 

  Fun 4x4 - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By Bill Powell - September 25 - 7:03 pm

  I owned a Land Rover Discovery before the Freelander. I find the Freelander to be very capable, comfortable and it does all I ask of it. I like the distinctive exterior style. Compared to the "thirsty" Discovery which required premium gas, the Freelander is economical as it gets better mileage and uses regular grade gas. I am very happy with my Freelander after owning it for 15 months and 14,000 miles. Frankly, it fits my needs much better than the Discovery did and is far more reliable. In short, the Freelander is a true Land Rover without some of the shortcomings of the bigger models.