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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  Worst Car Ive Ever Leased. - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By baradlee - April 18 - 12:30 pm

  This SUV is designed wrong, assembled wrong and just is not worth the money. And to top if off, the dealership mechanics are unskilled ans shoddy AND Land Rover could care less. 3 Sets of front brake pads & 2 sets of rotors, by 16,000 miles. Complete transmission failure(flatbed) at 26,000 miles. Thermostat leaked and was replaced at 27,000 miles. Door hinges broke, windows fell out their tracks, cupholders broke, sunroof broke. The A/C is a noisy, worthless piece of junk. Fuel Economy 13 city, 17 Hwy NO LIE! And this thing is a DOG! Cant wait to be rid of the darn thing.

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  The Worst Car I Have Ever Had - 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport
  By Drew - April 4 - 7:55 am

  This car is the worst car I have ever had. The gas mileage is not even close to as advertised. I am constantly fueling this car up and when I asked the dealer to help me he said there was nothing they could do that the car just gets bad mileage. I am sure your gas mileage statistics must be fraudulent. Worse off, the electrical system is also very poor and they are frequent battery drains which caused me to have to get my car jumpstarted. I cannot believe I still have a year left on this lease as this is the worst piece of crap and completely unreliable. I would never get a Land Rover again. Buyers beware.

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  Failed from 2nd week and no repair - 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport
  By Mickey - January 14 - 10:57 pm

  Dealer does not know how to repair the car. The car failed after the 1st week I purchased it, then it went in and out from the shop for the following 4-5 months. It should have rang a danger bell when we found out that the dealership was over 60 loaner vehicles. They kept replacing the back up camera when the entire electrical system would shut off. After I asked if they had tested the cameras they removed, I got blank look and they said they did not know what do to. They always have to wait for a technical adviser from headquarters to tell them what to do. Battery error signals showed up and the dealership did not know what to do except blame us that we must be driving very short distances (not true) after 2 weeks they decided to change the battery. Remember the Lemon Law if you are in California.

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  The Worst Range Rover ever! - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By VERY UNHAPPY - November 18 - 10:00 am

  In the past 6 months, the car has broken down 3 times and had to be towed to the dealership ... this is my third Land Rover, and this is by far the WORST! The first 2 years were fine .. then the car started to fall apart ... and only 22K miles. Run, dont walk away from these cars. Land Rover Corp. does not care about customer satisfaction and or consumer loyalty.

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  Expensive piece of junk!!! - 2002 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Shaniece - August 7 - 4:56 am

  ...horrible...I purchased a Range Rover from someone and in less than 24 hours, it caught on fire and burned up on the way to the guys mechanic, with my 3 year old in the car. I didnt even get a chance to insure it, because it was a weekend. I contacted Range Rover, they were like "oh well" and even took the seller to court for my down pmt back . Get this...he tried to counter sue me for pain and suffering for not receiving the remainder balance, and report my check because I stopped them. The judge did not rule in my favor, and I lost the fastest $5k ever in history...at least for me. Im still devastated.

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  Worst Vehicle I have ever bought - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By sripley - December 27 - 5:13 pm

  This SUV has a major design flaw affecting the Head Gasket, causing Coolant to seep into the Oil and Cylinders. The SUV cannot be repaired once this issue occurs. I would not recommend buying this vehicle, as it will only cost you thousands of dollars and in the end result in the SUVs engine seizing.

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  Very poor service - 2015 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Deo - May 5 - 10:12 am

  There was a problem in my rrs brake and we reported on the 2nd week we got the car. However, dealer and land rover never treat it seriously and always tried to push it away. Dealer is smart, they made the first record in their system right after the brake is out of warranty. Although they promise to replace it for us in October 2016 and now they say we need to do it on our own. Stay away with this cheap brand. Shame on you!

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  Unreliable Slug - 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By Wakes - March 22 - 10:44 am

  I purchased my Evoque new in February 2015. Since the vehicle was purchased it has had a software update (at 1200 miles) for the transmission to improve performance. Then the check engine light came on at approximately 2K miles. Turned out to be a faulty sensor that took several days to repair, due to part being unavailable. On August 1st, while in traffic the transmission froze up and the vehicle rapidly decelerated with the dashboard warning indicating "Gear Box Failure", resulting in the vehicle being towed. Land Rover corporate claims they have since resolved the problem with another software update, however I have not had the opportunity to drive the car yet-33 days later. While the dealership was addressing another issue- freeze up problem with the touch screen interface; the computer module blew out. After 33 days the part has finally come in. The transmission on this vehicle is very sluggish in the lower gears, and power is very limited from a stop position, which makes pulling out into traffic a challenge. I really would love to recommend this vehicle, but the amount of problems and poor transmission and acceleration make this a poor and hazardous vehicle to own. It does get good mileage, when working. I have never experienced a new vehicle with so many issues in such a short period. Land Rover Corporates attitude has been less than overwhelming. Extremely disappointed in the vehicle and the corporation.

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  Problems from the start - 2011 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By rangerage - November 23 - 11:50 pm

  Wheel alignment, computer problem i went back to service three times in a month. The gas tank keeps showing no gas when there is full tank. The service is horrible at the dealership. Looking to pull out of the contract

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  Disappointing Purchase - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By alias2 - September 20 - 2:00 am

  If you are considering this purhase stop...and test drive several Landrovers. I have been stranded by my 2002 Freelander with only 2200 miles at the time. It still does not ride well. A true disappointment and bad choice for this year.