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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  Testament to its toughness - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By msn619 - November 6 - 8:19 pm

  As we all know right now the mid west and east cost are on blizzard watch and accidents are all over the city and I was not exception, I was on a stop light waiting to turn left when a sliding car hit me head on maybe around 20mph, I was ok thankfully my 2 yrs old was not with me. His passat was wreaked and my 00 discovery II was badly damaged but no oil or coolant leak, I was able to drive home 10 miles after all that. For 8yrs my discovery II never left me stranded, as long as I keep up with maintenance, she was good to me.

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  LR2 - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By obie - November 6 - 10:06 am

  Drives like a car,very quiet. Turns on a dime and can tow 3600 pounds with trailer with brakes. A fun luxury SUV

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  Its a great car if you have the funds - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Rovering - November 2 - 6:36 pm

  I bought my truck in November 2000. It was a special edition, in which 25 were made (125 were planned, but 25 only made it out). I love the car, plan on driving it into the ground, however it still is a Range Rover. To begin with Rovers are not well known for their reliability. It isnt the question of whether you have a good one or a bad one, it is more like I have a bad one or a less bad one. So far during my ownership, I have replaced a fair amount, about $10,000 worth of work since new. I also know that since I came out of warranty, I need to put in about $4-5k. I would avoid a Range Rover and go Japanese, unless a Land Rover/Range Rover is a must have

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  RRS S/C 4 ME!! - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By midwesting - November 1 - 4:00 pm

  Fast,nimble,handles like a sports car with true off road ability that few other SUVs can match. Chose the RRS S/C over the Cayenne and could not be happier. SIRIUS,Bluetooth,NAV,active HID headlights,headrest monitors with DVD changer,heated seats - completely loaded. Gas mileage needs improvement but I didnt buy it for gas mileage.

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  Love hate relationship - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Russ - October 30 - 3:13 pm

  This car is excellent on streets, but it ends there. Horrible reliability and it can barely go over a pothole. Its simple to fix to- Front and rear differentials! Go with the G Class instead.

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  Its not just the cupholders - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Arch North - October 30 - 12:36 pm

  We love our LR3 just because its a great car to drive. Its unbelievably smooth on the highway due to the air suspension, and a push of a button raises it for off road driving. The engine barely makes a sound when its idling, and is matched with the transmisson so nicely that you barely feel feel it shift. The sound of the engine under accelleration is symphonic! Weve owned the car for about a year and a half now, and still feel like were going on vacation every time we get into it.

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  Coolest SUV ever! - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Josh14109 - October 28 - 2:00 am

  The SE3 is Amazing. The whole idea of a convertable SUV is such a great idea. Ive never been much of a Land Rover fan but they sure won me over with this one!

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  Thank you Land Rover! - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By u2fan1967 - October 27 - 1:00 pm

  Just picked up a Stornoway Gray, Ebony Interior with the cold Pack. Had it for 3 weeks and absolutely love it. Ive owned 3 Jeep Grand Cherokees, 2 Audis and an Acura TSX and this has been the most fun to own and drive. Handles like a dream and to me the performance is just fine. In Sport Mode rocks! Dont be fooled by the motor trend article that criticizes the perf. Plus the breaking and handling of this SUV is wonderful. Great value when you consider a Toyota Rav4 Limited w/Leather and sunroof runs $30k. The LR2 with cold pack is $34. The X3 was way over priced and the RDX was way to harsh like my TSX was. I wanted smooth and posh, now I got it in style! Thank you Land Rover!

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  Freelander Warning! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By warranted - October 27 - 8:03 am

  Nothing but problems with electric, engine, windows. Stupidly let mileage get past warranty, only to have engine blow due to a design defect Land Rover is well aware of, coolant leaks into engine block, lock-up, one dead engine. LR will do nothing for victims like me (estimated $10,000 or so loss in "value" from one day to next, as I now hold nothing but an engineless shell). Strongly recommend against Land Rover due to poor quality.

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  Dont believe the (negative) hype - 2005 Land Rover Range Rover
  By DaTB - October 27 - 12:03 am

  We bought this truck a few years ago as a b-day present to replace my husbands aging 01 RR 4.6 HSE. After buying several brand new and slightly used cars, I decided upon a pre-owned, still-under-warranty 05 RR (which is THEE way to go since you let others pay $30k more for the same vehicle to determine if its solid, or a lemon). And this beast is one impressive machine: its amazingly torquey and can induce whiplash if youve got a heavy foot, it has a cavernous interior, gigantic, ultra-comfortable seats, intuitive and well laid out touch screen, insane, gale-force A/C, and unsurpassed build integrity. But, it is anemic at speeds above 30mp & could use a few more tech features. Love it!