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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  Coolant System and Transmission - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Shirley Allen - April 28 - 6:03 am

  Transmission had to be replaced. Was still under warranty. Had to have coolant tank replaced, then thermostat replaced because of constant overheat of engine. Vehicle in shop. Dealer says engine needs replacing because of cracked engine. Coolant getting into oil? These are major problems for a vehicle with only 85000 miles and for the cost to purchase this vehicle. Also brake pad need replacing too often.

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  Owned 2003 and 2006 SC Rovers...2010s? - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By roverrider - December 20 - 7:50 am

  Having owned a 2003 Range Rover HSE and a 2006 Range Rover SC thought 2010 Range Rover would have a better overall ride,(i.e., bounce and jarring on concrete roads, not to mention a vibration in the steering wheel and the seats that Land Rover cant seem to remedy in 2006 RR SC, which car did not have when purchased)given the reviews- not the case..These cars are taken off-road in our household and long trips,(daughters own 2001, 2004 Discoverys ).Bought 2010 Range Rover and gave it back to Land Rover; the quality of the interior has gone down hill, it looks and feels like the interior of a Range Rover Sport! Ride is soft and bouncy and all over the place...

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  Still Wondering - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By still wondering - December 8 - 10:00 am

  Well, I sure do like the looks, feel and design. It drives well, it feels rock solid, but... It has 9000 miles, its on its third sunroof, it has a leak when it rains down by the gas pedal, two a/c vents have fallen apart in my hand as I adjusted them and the adjustable lumbar support in the drivers seat simply snapped and broke while I was driving along (Im not a big guy). The dealers been great about fixing the problems, but -- call me crazy -- I dont believe it should have these problems.

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  Agree with the class action suit - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Barb Pentz - November 29 - 3:30 am

  Had my car for 2 yrs, has 83000 miles on the car. The fuel pump went, upper air intake needed replaced and it too leaked coolant into the oil causing me to need a new engine. All in a 7 month period. The Land Rover dealer told me these cars are unreliable and they have this problem at least once a month. He told me to get rid of it because I will only have more problems. What does that tell you when the dealer thinks it is a piece of junk!!!

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  Its a Lemon - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Sad in Mass - October 4 - 10:00 am

  I just sold this car back to the dealership I bought it from. I drove it for 8 months/ 5000 miles- 4 trips to the dealership and one breakdown. The car had 20,000 miles when I bought it.

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  RIP OFF!!! - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Jean - September 15 - 4:36 am

  this car was a total problem almost right from the start. we didnt listen to all the talk about the air suspension problems dealing w/this car and low and behold when we bought it, after the lemon-law didnt apply, we had major troubles w/the air suspension becoming inactive (we had to take it in 4 TIMES!!) whats worse is customer service wont even help us with the problem. they wont offer us a fair trade in or a good price on a new one even though it was completely their fault. big car companies should know that when you spend this much on a car you pay for good performance and service. we didnt receive either. save yourself a lot of trouble and purchase a Lexus.

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  Worst car ever - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By mr0618 - August 24 - 8:53 am

  I was so excited to own a Land Rover. The excitement did not last very long. I only owned this vehicle for 2 years and it broke down every few months. It is also extremely uncomfortable, too tiny.

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  No Value For The Price - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By Never Again! - August 21 - 6:20 pm

  I will never buy another Land Rover product again. At 57,000 miles I had to have the engine replaced (past warranty but got it "comped" by the dealership, thankfully!). Now at 58,000 miles I have an O2 sensor that is out and an ABS problem AGAIN! The ABS problem has been looked at 3 other times. Additionally, it has had new brakes at 40,000 miles that now continually squeak. The fold out seats in the back continually squeak and the gas tank door has broken at least 5 times. Now the CD player is broken and we have had to replace the front left headlight (which seems to be a recurring problem with a lot of the reviews I have read. It will be someone elses problem after this weekend!

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  "Its Still in the Shop" - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By What next? - July 25 - 10:00 am

  At the beginning of this year, my 2005 Freelander with less than 50,000 miles started overheating. They replaced head gasket #4. They had the car for 2 weeks. Then, less than 2 months later, it lost power going up hills, they replaced head gasket #2 (they had the car another 2 weeks). Then, a month after that, the radio stayed on when I turned the car off. They changed out some electrical thing, (they had the car for a week). Approximately 1 month later the car was overheating again, it was head gasket #1. They decided to replace the engine (they had the car 5 weeks). Last week my new engine was leaking oil, faulty oil gasket in the new engine. (They had the car 1 week). Craziness..

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  Upside down nightmare! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By mary - June 7 - 1:23 pm

  Bought it used and thought I was buying a quality car. My mechanic told me was engine was ready to go and Ive been having coolant leakage. Currently owe 13,000, dealers will only give me $7,000 and I feel to guilty to sell it out right (would only get retail on it which is $10,000) knowing all of the problems these cars have. So, what do I do with this poorly made vehicle? Dont buy!