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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  I feel decadent! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By crazycat - January 6 - 10:00 am

  Im a new Freelander owner, so I cant comment on things such as reliability and the like, but I must say that I couldnt be happier with my purchase. People assume that since its a LR that it has a high price tag; I keep telling friends that the base model is truly reasonable, which it is! The LR buying experience is truly no hassle, and the 3.9% financing cant be beat. Customer service from everyone was SUPERB!!!!! This mini-SUV is perfect for me, as Im only 51", but my husband, who is 63" would like more head room and a drivers seat up/down switch. Even if you have no plans of buying one, treat yourself and go drive one.

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  A LIL BIT - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Ric & Adrienne - January 4 - 12:26 am

  Having had to only do minor maint. Love it. Gets 22 + MPG , great in all aspects driving in Texas and a joy to zip around in here. Wife ,son and future daughter in law leave their cars at home in bad weather to take the Freelander.

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  Land Rover is bad - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By sw - January 3 - 10:16 pm

  Terrible electrical and water leaks from inception. Poor construction and quality. Poor gas mileage. Failure of abs module which lr will not make good on. No redeeming features

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  STYLE, FUNCTION AND FUNK.... - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By yogidoc - January 1 - 12:10 am

  Traded in 03 Aviator which was functional but boring yet very comfortable like driving on air with big wide full seats Owned 2 previous discos which i always loved despite freq repairs; was totally psyched about LR3, funky, beastly, cutting edge technology picked up SE blk/blk yesterday which looks great..dealership was great!

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  LUV My Land Rover - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By jkincaid - December 28 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love my Land Rover. It sounds like some folks have trouble with theirs, but I have had none. I am going on almost a year now with it. I love the seating position, it drives through anything (including 18 inches of snow this last winter). There is tons of room for anything you would ever want to take with you. My Dad bought a 4Runner at the same time I bought the Discovery and is ready to get rid of his car now that he has driven mine. The dealership is great. They are friendly, keep to their appointments and finish on time. Just budget for GAS!!! I spend about $200 a month driving around town. Its a lot - but well worth it to me.

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  Performs great., expensive to fix! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By erica - December 24 - 2:43 am

  I love my freelander, however, the cost to fix anything or replace anything is outlandish. Not worth it at all. I am trading it in after putting over 2000 of repair into it in the last year! If youre going o buy, buy new!

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  Disco Series IIA - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By mistermaher - December 24 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Disco and I must say its been the most complete vehicle I have ever owned.

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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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  excellent - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By houstonjer - December 20 - 2:00 am

  before last weekend, my freelander wouldve gotten about an 8. but when we took it offroad, i was blown away! with street tires, this thing took us everywhere we wanted to go; mud, steep hills, rocks. this thing just never let us down. the dealership sponsored an off-road event and we were one of 3 freelanders. ill say this, the freelander definitely held its own against the stock discos and range rovers. once again, extremely impressed!!!

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  LOVE - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By BillB - December 20 - 2:00 am

  YOU must take this thing OFF ROAD - it is what it was built for - FUN OFF road