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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  Great Fun! - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Roverette - March 19 - 9:53 pm

  Enjoyable car to drive. Handles well. Drive is comfortable. Not too hard, not too soft. You have the ability to change how the tranny works and the suspension changes, too. Very roomy, great visibility. Nice looking vehicle. Runs great. Quiet on the road. You can buy this and feel confident that it will be running well for years to come. Very solid automobile.

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  LR3 is pretty tight - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Zerry S Vaughan - March 11 - 12:26 pm

  My wife and I are happy with the purchase of our LR3 so far. It has lived up to what we have expected from it. Here in VA. we had a couple of snowy days and I put it through a test of what I need from an SUV and it handled great!!! For everyday driving conditions it is a fun, smooth driving experience. I didnt expect for an SUV to handle as well as the LR3 did, I mean when Im driving down 95 switching lanes I feel comfortable and in control with not even a hint of swaying Im impressed. The Harman Kardon sound system is the bomb, and the sound is so richly toned and crisp like whoa!!! Great job Land Rover.

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  Loving my 2016 Range Rover Sport Td6 (Diesel) - 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Flaviu Budean - March 10 - 11:25 pm

  What a ride... Ordered my 2016 and was delivered in October. I totally love the truck. The efficiency of diesel engine is amazing. I get 26-27 mpg combined. This kind of milage per gallon is the reason why most SUV should be diesel. I do not even use the smart on/off technology because I believe that diesel engines should have a minimum of ON/OFF for engine. Truly for a person to be fully satisfied with this RRS, they have to get all upgrades possible. Audio is garbage for the money you pay if you do not upgrade to the Meridian system. But this is a small sacrifice that is made up by the way it drives even if you are like me, bough the car without upgrading to Meridian System. Overall I could not picked a better SUV. Very happy with it and my friends and family love it too, so now there will be other RRS purchases in family :)

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  Perfect Compromise - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Madox - March 6 - 6:56 am

  Im not a fan of SUVs as a class and had to buy this one as the best compromise between performance, luxury, style and utility. The Cayenne is too awkward-looking and cheaply made inside, the BMW X5 is just an AWD car on stills, not an SUV (and too ubiquitous at that). Ive put 1K miles on my RRS, problem-free so far. Ride quality is superb. The steering is just right: easy but not overly so. Directional stability is impressive, feels like riding on rails. Build quality is excellent. Im glad I opted for the supercharged version with all the bells and whistles (DVD at rear including) in the limited edition trim, it does give you that feeling of being treated as someone special.

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  Supercharged 2006 - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By E S - March 3 - 4:10 pm

  I traded in a 2004 HSE for the 2006 Supercharged. The difference is incredible! The power and ride of the Supercharged is a vast improvement on an already great truck! The subtle styling changes are beautiful. The luxury interior is relaxing and refined. The power is unbelievable. Range Rover did an incredible job. The difference in price between the base and Supercharged is worth every penny!

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  lr3 rating - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By stephanie elendu - February 28 - 2:36 pm

  my car (lr3) is fun to dive, she does whatever you want. Its a pleasurable experience to own an LR3, if you own one, then youll understand what Im talking about; thats why the LR3 is rated "the SUV of the year" for 2005.

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  4.6 vogue - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By ash - February 23 - 3:23 am

  A great vehicle which I have had converted to lpg. I have added a sport exhaust so that it sounds like a proper v8. Never had any problems since purchase in March of 2007. Electric seats dont work and the rear wash has died but the enjoyment I get when I drive this superb piece of machinery far out weighs these trivial problems. Havent been off road yet, one day soon i hope.

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  Love the LR2 - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By tom m - February 20 - 4:46 am

  This vehicle continues to amaze me with its incredible design features which makes it so enjoyable to drive. It is very comfortable to drive with precise steering and powerful brakes. The fuel economy has been much better than I had expected with mileage rarely less than 20 MPG and as much as 30 MPG when driven at steady 60 MPH. My major problem is getting the car before my wife takes it.

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  Highway Adventure - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By esrisch - February 8 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle has the perfect brake response and overall feel that I have ever felt from a large or rather mid-size SUV. Its a shame that the new LR3 will look drastically different, yet identicle to other Ford SUV counterparts. If you are on the fence on whether to wait for the new LR3 or the DIscovery II, buy the Discovery II if you wish to stand out from all the other vehicles on the road. The look is unmistakable. Dare to be original for once.

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  More bang for your buck! - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By John67 - February 4 - 1:23 pm

  Wow! My new LR2 has been the greatest car Ive ever owned. Where do I begin? Great styling. Other people love it also. Plenty of pep. I like the maintenence being included. I have yet to have any problems. What is there not to like about this car? By far the best in its class. A lot of great standard options. Sunroof standard. Not everyone has one which I great. Im sure Ill start seeing more since they have only been out less than a year and only bring a few into the U.S..Just a great, fun car! Wow!