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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  Hot SUV - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Ron Panna - June 17 - 2:03 pm

  Replaces a ML 320 with 100K+ mileage. Also own a VW Touareg V-8. Love the RRS S/C. Looks great, rides & handles like as Sports Car and performs pretty close to one also. Interior is as luxurious as they come and the Brembo brakes speak for themselves. Just a really great ride. Wife is primary driver and an aggressive driver, she is as impressed as I am with this vehicle. Would recommend it if you are willing to trump up to to this price tag for an SUV.

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  Great First Month, Bluetooth needs a fix - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Mike - June 17 - 3:50 am

  Ive had my LR2 (fully loaded) for about a month now. Ive been very impressed with the ride (as good as the X5 and much better than the X3). The seats are comfortable and the sound system and tech package(upgrade) are worth the upgrade. My main complaint is the bluetooth technology. While the bluetooth connected with my sons simple Motorolla cell phone, you cant find a smartphone (ie, Blackberry, Treo, Q, etc) that works with any carrier. What was Land Rover thinking? Im told that other phones will be added. Most auto manufacturers that offer Bluetooth will have at least a couple of smartphones that connect. Im very disappointed that this great option is useless at this time.

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  2003 Freelander S - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By skier24060 - June 15 - 10:00 am

  Fun truck. Fuel economy is poor. Fun to drive though. Very solid feel.

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  Love it. Need to fix Bluetooth - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Mark - June 14 - 6:06 am

  Great off road on sand/beach and in some mountain off road. GPS works great and like the low fuel station finder. Lots of room. Mileage in line with expectations. Great sound system The Bluetooth not working with Blackberry and Smartphone

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  Beware - 2010 Land Rover LR4
  By Tim - June 13 - 10:00 am

  I owned this vehicle for 2 days and 30 miles. Noticed rust on the brake disc (not on the contact area which you expect to rust as soon as water hits it), which prompted me to look underneath. The vehicle was so rusted out it actually looked like it had been sitting in a salt bath. Every piece of metal had pervasive rusting.

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  Pretty but Terrible Quality - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By cmh - June 12 - 4:56 am

  We fell in love with the drive and look of the car, but our love quickly faded when everything started to breakdown and cost a fortune to fix (not to mention that the Land Rover repair shops are so overbooked because these cars are lemons-- most places cant even look at the car for a week theyre so booked up). Electrical system is a disaster. 3 times the car just died on me while driving my kids in our "safe" SUV. In the last month alone I have taken my car in 3 times for various major problems-- Electrical failure, alternater failure and hydraulic failure. It looks cool, but dont be fooled!

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  "You Dont Know What Youre Missing!" - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By New England Driver - June 11 - 4:30 am

  After 8+ months of ownership of my HSE (better known as Land Rovers best kept secret), I am relieved to know that the critics were wrong! This head-turner is the most responsive and fun-to-drive SUV I have ever owened. Other than a few cosmetic flaws, I am very pleased with its driving responsiveness. As a further compliment to Land Rover, another household member bought one also!

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  New Look, New Price, Its a Ford! - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By Geodillon - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Overall the new 2004 Land Rover Freelander looks a lot better than its previous models did. Its taken the Ford Motor Company look and has been a bit polished up from the 2002-2003 models. Other than the look, the price has changed and has been long due.

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  Test drove the S - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By nt2050 - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I spent nearly an hour with the sales person on the test drive. He is friendly and willing to take time to answer my questions. Most likely, I will drop the $$ on it after coming back from vacation in 01/2004. Hey, anyone know the "reasonable" price on S? The sales guide quoted me $36K (TT&L...) total.

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  Rover is a beast - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By doc1899 - June 8 - 7:50 pm

  All in all this is a truly awesome vehicle. It has got to be one of the most technologically advanced SUVs on the road. Its very "driver friendly" considering everything it can do and it only took a few days to learn my way around the cockpit. Its actually pretty quick considering its 6000lb. footprint but watch the gas needle because it moves quick too. The tft gauge display is as cool as it gets and its directly responsible for me passing on a few rebates for the 09 models. Overall this was a great purchase and buying experience.