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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  Range Rover Luxury for lower price - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Dominican LR3 Owner - June 4 - 4:13 pm

  This Baby has nothing to envy the Range Rover, comfortable, fun to drive, driving in Semi Automatic Tranny is amazing, i love this vehicle, Bad: Fuel consumption for a V6 is kind of high but, the person who buys a vehicle oof this caliber knows they must spend money on fuel, if you are looking for a "Fuel Efficient" vehicle buy a Toyota Rav4 and take it offroad, Quality people, British Quality, the best offroading vehicle out right now, BUY IT NOW!!!!

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  Do not buy!! - 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By Mrs. M - May 30 - 4:50 pm

  I bought the Evoque in a bit of a hurry because we were moving to the mountains and I needed a four wheel drive. I am so sorry that I didnt do any research! I hope these reviews save someone else. We bought the Evoque used with 20,000 miles and a 50,000 warranty thank God. Long story short...at 36,000 miles it had to have front and rear brakes replaced, a new battery and then after I had had it home only ONE week I also had the gear box fault another reviewer mentioned. It had to be towed!! Thankfully I was not in traffic like the other reviewer!! They said they cant get the part for a month, I still dont have it back. I am really in disbelief over the whole thing. I thought Land Rover was a good brand. I see them everywhere!!?? So if I ever get it back, I am getting rid of it right away of course and at a BIG LOSS!

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  An honest real review - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By joea01 - May 27 - 6:37 pm

  Here is a 3 month review -- First off I cant express how Important it is to HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT BY A THIRD PARTY. If you buy one and its priced at or above the blue book value (which is fairly spot on) you give yourself no wiggle room if something goes wrong...and typically people dont keep great records and things WILL go wrong about every 4-5 yrs (amk pump). I knew this going in and this is typical car breakdown -- I spent $2700.00 the first week-> belts, out/in tire rod (100 each), control bushings (300) , alignment (80),amk suspension (800), bolts and clamps, air filter, computer reprogramming (6 comps), tpms sensors, ball joints, oil/lube/filter. Gas mileage 10 city/15 highway.

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  After the initial love affair is over shell bleed you to death - 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By joe493 - May 25 - 9:32 am

  The Range Rover sport is in my view an over priced V6 powered ego trip. The poorly designed interior layout coupled with the least intuitive gps and entertainment system out there should give anyone pause. And why does the gps system point upward into to the sun? The small screen is hard enough to deal with, let alone the excessive sun light! Additionally youll find that although Land Rover claims there SUV as being the best off road vehicles in the world, its interesting why there tires only offer about 3/16 to 1/4" clearance for the rim. The best drivers will still curb the rims. When its time for breaks, 30k miles. Expect to pay 1000 dollars per axle. Oh, oil and tire rotate, 300

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  WOW - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By papillonpup - May 24 - 9:06 pm

  What a difference from my old Disco. Waited for this one since the Auto Show and it was worth it. GREAT on-road drive but havent had the heart to take it up to the quarry yet. Went over the test track at the dealership like a bump in the road.

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  Worst vehicle ever! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By angry in mn! - May 22 - 5:46 pm

  This vehicle has been so much more trouble than its worth. The cooling system always has some sort of leak that cant be fixed, which causes it to overheat all the time.

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  Best in Class - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By Duke974 - May 22 - 2:00 am

  while no vehicle is perfect, the Discovery seems to be the best all- around of the SUVs. It performs like a tank off-road and a luxury car on- road.

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  SUV for a BMW driver - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Karen&Mark - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Im a Former BMW 528i Touring owner and feel at home in this Range Rover. BMWs hand is everywhere and it completes what british heritage was aiming for - the most capable off road, the most luxurious, and suprisingly enjoyable to drive on road. At a year old and 20,000 miles it has had 0 problems.

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  wish i would have read these reviews before buying!! - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By jferguson74 - May 21 - 8:56 am

  i bought my freelander in july of 2011 it only had 55,000 miles and got a good deal on it. only put 3,000 miles on it since i got it and have spent over $4,000 in repairs!!!!! starter, head gasket, window motor, radiator, etc! almost everything. its so hard to find someone to work on it and the parts and labor are ridiculous. once we get it out of the shop this time we are trading it in!!!! do not waste your money... it may sound like a good deal but its not worth the money and aggravation!!!

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  Hot fun in the summertime - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By ADM HALSEY - May 21 - 4:46 am

  So far, this vehicle is all it can be. The steering and brakes are excellent, ditto for overall handling & response at all speeds. The sweet spot for maximum MPG on the highway is around 66-67 mph - I have cruised to the tune of 22.7+ MPG. Just dont drive like a fool around town and you may inch to 16 MPG. Nothing major to take issue with, aside from petty annoyances that were more than answered on the web site - excellent training videos for all aspects of the car. I came to aquire this car through a series of fortunate events, had I paid the full $62,000 I might be singing a different tune. I have driven many vehicles since 1970, now I get it about LR. Nice car if you can afford.