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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  Defective seat - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By mimi1956 - March 12 - 9:14 am

  Our driver side seat craked a couple of years ago on our 2003 Discovery. The same seat keeps blowing the adjustment fuse. We have been getting burnt a little when we turn the heated seat on. My husband just noticed that it is black like a fire was starting, checked my coat and it is burned where I sit. Called the dealer said its not their problem, called Lard Rover od America and was told the same thing. I sort of think this is a manufacturer defect. This is probably why the seat cracked and the fuse keeps blowing. Should we get a lawyer?

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  This SUV made me sad - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By My dream SUV - February 5 - 10:00 am

  Land Rover Freelander 2002 was my dream SUV but I had sad news about this car. After 8 months and 60000 miles I had to replace the fuel pump and head gasket. Not mechanics were available to fix this vehicle, not guarantee. I had to pay $4,000.00 to fix this truck and I really was mentally affected for all the problems that this truck gave to me. I not recommend this truck to anybody. I had to give this in trading. Then, I received a letter from Land Rover about a recall part but I didnt have the freelander on my own. But, I had the all receipts, the answer from Land Rover was that if I dont have the truck with me I can not going to receive refund for all that I paid.

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  Do not waste your money on a Freelander! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Jennifer - January 10 - 5:50 pm

  I am the owner of a 2002 s Freelander. I have had nothing but problems. We had to have the windshield replaced, the passenger window fixed and just recently needed the transmission replaced. We are lucky for the fact that we purchased the extended warranty. Our dealership has also been terrible to deal with. If you do purchase a freelander, please buy the extended warranty, trust me you will need it.

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  Made a mistake - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Diana Sargent - December 18 - 3:53 am

  The ride was ok. felt safe. Loved the looks. No pick up. wipers broke motor in window went out. engine problems. LR does not stand behind there product. Warranty was denied under bumper to bumper. Inside controls were in a weird spots. seats were to stiff.

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  2002 Land Rover Freelander - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By J. - December 3 - 10:20 pm

  I purchased this used about 1yr 1/2 ago.Its been nothing but trouble.To start the back window wont roll up,the sun roof wont roll down,the heater went out,the A/C does not work.I have put over $1000 into this vehicle in the past year on top of car payments and have another $2000 to put into it to be able to trade in for a reliable vehicle,not a Land Rover.This truck has depreciated in value $3000 in 4 months. So all in all I lost $6000 by owning this vehicle for a little over 1yr. There was a recall on the brake lights,this truck should be recalled all together.My mechanic advised me to get rid of it asap.Im trading it in and taking the loss so I dont face another $6000 loss next year.

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  Low Quality Craftsmanship - 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport
  By Raining in Washington - November 29 - 5:15 pm

  Been to the dealer to many times to count. After four months the vehicle check engine light came on; injectors had to be replace and black plastic on top of license plate had to be replace because of squeaky noise. About eight months, engine overheat when setting in traffic, cooling fan had to be replace. Also water got in the driver rear marker light and had to be replace. Ten months or so, check engine light comes on: it comes and go randomly (software had to be updated and problem solve). On the 11th month, rear passenger seats and plastic on A pillar made squeaky noise (parts are being ordered and will be replace in a few weeks). The driver seat is not very comfortable, had to get aftermarket seat cushion. I own this vehicle for about a year now and drove this vehicle in all types of road and weather conditions and theres a great amount of road noise in cabin, huge turbo lag and poor acceleration. A few pros: good exterior design, heated/cooling seats works great and huge panoramic sunroof.

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  NIGHTMARE ON WHEELS - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By n - November 16 - 12:33 am

  If you own this car you need to run, not walk to trade it in! Do a little research and you will be sick. This car turned evil out of nowhere. There is a defect in the cooling system that should have been recalled and cant be fixed. I was stuck without a car for nearly 2mnths because of this devil. Had no choice but to have it repoed, because the cost of repair is equal to what I owe...not that it can be fixed anyways! Took it to 4 different foreign shops and they dont want anything to do with it. Now Im stuck having to file bankruptcy over this mess. I would hate to see anyone go through this, wish I would of done some research before buying Land Rover.

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  In the shop within a month of purchase!! - 2012 Land Rover Range Rover
  By rngrvrregret - October 18 - 4:52 am

  Do not buy this car!! The reliability issues are huge. Within a month of my purchase the coolant light was on - then the Heating/AC wouldnt work - and finally it needed a major mechanical repair that required me to have it in the shop for over a week!! I previously had a Lexus for 5 years that never needed more than an oil change. Do yourself a favor and dont be seduced by the Prestige - its not worth the headache.

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  Whatever you do keep it awayyyyyy!! - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By thesonnyjim - September 17 - 12:13 am

  I was the second owner at 38k miles with existing warranty paid 16.5k from Private seller about 5 years ago. At first glance I loved the car but after driving it for 6 months, a Nightmare!! The gaskets went, luckily I had warranty but still had to pay labor. Every little thing started to break down, cheap plastic pieces would break off and cost expensive for something that should cost very cheap & actuators go alot. Make a long story short after replacing the rear hydraulics (paid 4k & 2 months in the shop) I took the car to a dealer that took it in at a value of 4700 and traded it in for a 2012 Toyota Sienna SE. Im very happy with that vehicle. A Land Rover...Never again in this lifetime!

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  Wish I would have stayed with Nissan - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By Zachary - September 16 - 9:53 am

  I purchased my Disco because my father has owned one since 1995 and has had very good luck with it. So when I finally got the means to afford a disco I purchased my 2004. The first issue I had was the tranny coolant line went and left me stranded 6 hours into a road trip. Now Im also having issues with flooded floor boards after car washes and AC usage on very hot days. The things a gas pig and has a rear differential leak and maybe and engine leak. I had my oil replaced a month ago and had to add a quart of oil to the engine. Is this normal I would hope not. Over all Im thinking of taking a hit and purchasing another Pathfinder.