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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  Freelander - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By Jane - January 17 - 4:53 am

  The 2005 Freelander is an overall excellent car to have. It has a mixture of sportiness, luxury, and refinement that you cant find in any of its competitors. Its great in the snow and off-road while still having great on-road performance. It is very stylish and feels great to drive. The only complaint that i have is that it is about 20hp short of what it should have. Overall i love it!(looks great in silver or black).

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  Gas Guzzler - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Asif - January 7 - 4:06 pm

  Just bought the new LR3 SE. Love the drive and the feel of the vehicle. Probably one of the best handling and safest SUVs Ive ever driven. In the last 10 days I filled up the 23 gallon tank 3 times with the recommended premium gas. Each fill up ran about $55. The vehicle got about 250 miles to the tank full or about 11 MPG in city/highway driving. It is suppose to get 14 city/18 highway. Remember it is 4 wheel drive 24/7 and has a V8 300hp, and it is one of the heaviest SUVs out there (over 7,000 lbs.) I would recommend that any potential owner rent this vehicle for one day and track the mileage based on the way you drive. If youre satisfied with the results, then buy this vehicle.

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  All that glitters is not gold!!! - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By pat - January 6 - 10:36 am

  I bought my LR3 hot off the presses. But from the get go there was a problem. A nagging vibration in the ride which the dealer claimed he could not feel. The my entire electronic system malfunctioned. The car spent the entire month of Feb. at the dealer. Got the car back only to notice that it would change height by itself when in park mode. After two more visits, Im still holding my breath. The vibration in the ride is still noticeable to me. Oh, and finding a bag of garbage in the cargo area of the car after when I got the car back after one of many visits was not reassuring. Its a beautiful car. The veneer dash inlay for an extra fee is worth it. All that glitters is not gold!!

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  Fun, Practical, & Capable!!! - 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport
  By Galonzow - December 12 - 1:49 pm

  Overall excellent performance on road & off road. Transmission shifts are rough & unpredictable. Normally drive in Sports mode, tends to smooth out transmission shifts & acceleration. Cargo space is great! Electronics are sometimes a bit quirky. (for example: side view mirrors dont fold out automatically sometimes when they should, get fault that auto high beam sensor is blocked when it is not, rendering auto high beam inoperable).

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  Consumer SUV lover - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By Jhomefinder - December 7 - 10:00 am

  Great midsize vehicle-fun to drive, nice to look at. Third row seats are a snap to use and to pur away. Only complaints are poor stereo sound quality, poor placement of CD changer (under passenger seat) and poor gas milage. Plus, I think they could do something a little different with exterior design, but overall a fun and stylish vehicle!

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  Best luxury SUV - 2007 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Art - December 6 - 3:43 am

  I personally think this is the best looking SUV, period. The car puts a smile on my face everytime I look at it. I only had 2 minor problems with the car: front passenger headlight was fogging up during rain (dealer replaced it under warranty) and the steering wouldnt auto-decline to preset position when you start the car once in a while (dealer reset the computer and no problems after that).

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  FUN FUN FUN - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By bp - November 12 - 5:50 am

  Traded in a Volvo XC90 for this Sport and that was a great decision. Drives wonderfully and is a SOLID vehicle. Love the nav sys., sat. and voice command. British accent is so cool!

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  Have your money right - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Hario - November 1 - 7:40 am

  Buy this car if you absolutely have to have it! It will be costly, I replaced the trans at 63,000 miles, 8 grand, the air shocks at 70,000 mi, 3 grand. this car stays in the shop so much I might put 5 to 6000 miles on it a year you can get the parts cheap online but dont buy this vehicle without a warranty! Its not if this car will give you problems, its when it gives you problems, and they all will be costly, nothing under $1000.

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  Its a love/hate thing. - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By JustinTimeDC - November 1 - 12:16 am

  I did a ton of research and came up with this car because it is FUN! The t-roof pops off, hard top comes off, and you are out in the sun. Seating is excellent, I have a bad back and the support is the best! You can wipe down the entire inside with water or windex or whatever...keeping it clean is a snap. It looks fun, and no one has ever seen one before, so it gets a lot of attention. For a single person like me, it has tons of room for everything I need. I am a nurse and have to get to work no matter what the weather, and it gets through anything nature dishes out. I have had a computer/software problem but the dealership works with me and gives me loaners when needed.

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  Land Rover Evoque 6sp manual diesel - 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By jlwolff - October 30 - 8:15 am

  Why LR does not offer the 190 hp diesel 6 spd manual Evoque in the US is beyond me. I had military sales order a German spec model and this Evoque was much better the the US spec quirky automatic. The car gets about 40 mpg on the autobahn and will run a steady 120 mph all day. Visibility not a problem and back up camera a must. LR needs to offer this model to the US. If VW can bring over diesels that LR needs to follow suit.