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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  Do not buy this unreliable piece of junk - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By House - June 21 - 4:13 am

  Ive had this vehicle for 1 1/2 years and Im counting down the days to turn it in. Thank god I only got a 2 year lease. I had to put all new tires at 16,000 miles. Every time it rains my wife gets soaked with water pouring in from the overhead lamps. Its been in the shop about 6 times in the last 18 months for various flaws. One day we were on a family trip in the winter and the LR3 simply shut down in the middle of the road.

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  Class Action Suit anyone?! - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By AKfreelander - June 10 - 2:33 pm

  Bought the Freelander (FL) in 03, and, loved it. As you can see from the other reviews, great car when its not in the shop. Went to the dealership for all service, oil changes, etc. Six months ago, I started having overheating problems. Dealer changed out the coolant tank, etc. Kept having the problem over and over until two weeks ago when the car would not start. Towed it into the dealer, needs a new engine. $8400 estimate. Do the research! This car is a lemon. The engine will blow out ~65K, good luck talking to LR if you are out of warranty. Its a money black hole.

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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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  It is okay - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By roverlover - May 18 - 8:06 pm

  It took some getting use to driving the Land Rover after owning a MB for 5-6 years. The LR Discovery is a very capable car, built reasonably well, have a few good options/features but it is no MB. I am still glad that I made the purchase. The LR Discovery performs really well during the snowy NE winter, which is the main reason why I purchase the car. I have had a few quality problems with my Discovery but the dealer fixed them under the warranty as expected. Some of the fixes took multiple trips to the dealer before they were fixed but the service dept didnt make it any more painful than it has to be. Thumbs up for the service dept!

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  My 2008 Range Rover a Supercharged Lemon - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover
  By rover73 - May 12 - 4:23 pm

  This is a $96,000 LEMON! I bought it new in January 2008 and from day one it has had many issues. The first week we discovered it had a cracked exhaust system that need to be replaced. The drivers ventilated heated/cooled seat was not working and after many attempts it had to be completely replaced. The rear brake light had filled with water after it rained so that had to be replaced. The adaptive head-lights that are supposed to turn as you go around a corner they ended up being "cross eyed" so they replaced the entire passenger side head-light assembly. The memory functions for the seats, radio and steering wheel have never worked properly. Search user rover73 on you tube for my video.

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  Fortunately the lease is almost up - 2007 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Bob Smith - May 5 - 8:23 am

  Where to begin? I live, work in wash DC, 33 month old vehicle has 27,000 miles. Performance: this winter had 3 major snow storms, had to be pushed out of snow three times in this "go anywhere, do anything" vehicle. Woefully underpowered, acceleration terrible, Burns gas like Boeing 757, Im at the gas station more than the office, handles like an 18 Wheeler. Both front/rear brakes need replacement in 20,000 miles-not covered under warranty. Needs "realignment" about every 7-8k miles (not covered under warranty). Interior: displays are small, difficult to read, green backlite awful, "mahogany" console trim so uneven you can cut yourself, bill Gates couldnt figure out electronics, nav system is a joke.

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  Junk car - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By ak - May 1 - 10:56 am

  I bought my freelander with around 42,000 miles on it. I didnt have any problems until the car hit 60,000 miles. Since then, this car has been breaking down like I have never seen before. I had to put a new fuel pump, sun roof, drive shaft, window regulator, cam seals, engine . The vehicle has only 80,000 miles on it currently. I maintain my cars and did all the factory recommended service maintenance. Also most of my driving has been on the interstate. I have a second car I do my city driving with. This is the worst vehicle I have ever owned. I will never by another landrover. Do yourself a favor and stay away from landrovers, unless you want a junk car!

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  needs help, but i love it - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By bogart - April 3 - 2:00 am

  This is the 2nd Discovery Ive owned, I love the look, the build quality. It carries a certain presence.I think the fuel ecomony could be better, and the window buttons could be a little more "user Freindly" and the gas and brake pedal are too close togther when you have boots or large feet they stick together and thats not the 1st complaint I heard about that.

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  poor choice - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By none61 - March 20 - 8:08 am

  Purchased from dealer with 28K miles. Spends most of its time in the shop. Was told the engine needs to be replaced at 55K miles. Land Rover mechanic says its junk.

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  dont do it - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By teri - March 13 - 7:46 am

  I have had nothing but headaches with this truck. Always in the repair shop. overheated 4 times, replaced fuel pump, temp gauge, radiator, headlights both went out due to an electrical problem, back window regulator went at $500.00 just for the part, a few recalls, inspection failures and the I replaced brakes 3x and rotors once. and heres the big one. My Tranny went at 65,000 miles. Land Rover said ... oh well its over warranty. Truck looks good but is a lot of trouble. Not worth it. Stay away from this one.