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 a Freelander - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By schpank - September 4 - 2:53 pm

  Worst vehicle Ive ever had. Bloated dealer service, brakes need replacing every 10k miles ($400 if dealer does it), uncomfortable seats unless you are 51", no real S or U in an SUV. Ive owned Honda CRV, Audi A4, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Truck and Hyundai Excel - all were far better than this. This the worst vehicle mistake I hope to ever make. Buy something else!

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  Rover needs to step up electronics! - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Candace R. - July 10 - 1:53 am

  Unfortunately, I have had nothing but problems w/ the electrical & BlueTooth systems. Rover has been back to the dealer going on 3 times now. The speakers rattle horribly & the BlueTooth has so much static & drops calls so often that I have unlinked my phone. The phone system would also allow me to pick up calls, but then my callers could not hear me & I would have to pick up & speak through my cell. The camera dies out sometimes, but always seems to come to life when I schedule service. Pixels on display disappear or spread out occasionally. The driver settings clear out everytime I get out of the car. Its a real shame because the car is BEAUTIFUL & so much fun to drive!

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  Great Impressions, Problems persist - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By ATK - July 8 - 10:00 am

  When I bought this car I thought I got a reliable vehicle. I have had to take it to the dealer for recalls and other problems. The sprinklers broke, a window doesnt work, the car jerks when started, the descent control/4 wheel drive failed and when the dealer hooked my car to its computer it gave the wrong readings. After calling Rover about these problems they say the dealer will fix them. I cant go to the dealer regularly to fix these "small mechanical problems." The dealers are inept. I take my car to the Amarillo Dealer; they fix the current problem; a week later something just happens to break. If you want a reliable car, search elsewhere.

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  Sorry I did not buy another BMW - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Chris - July 2 - 8:26 pm

  My BMW X5 was coming off of lease and I decided to be practical and buy an LR2 - a 2008 "leftover". I previously owned a Discovery and a Range Rover (no problems with these). After 650 miles, the LR2 started to burn oil. The dealers shop said they could not find the problem. After 1700 miles it started to burn oil again. The car is in the shop for a week as they take the engine apart to find out why its burning oil. Not happy with this lemon. My BMW has 56000 (3 years old) and NO problems ever. I have opened a case with LR and have demanded they take the car back. So much for being practical!

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  My dream has turned into a nightmare! - 2015 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Greg Barsamian - May 14 - 12:15 pm

  I am a long time Lexus owner, both SUV and sedans, and stepped into a Range Rover Sport three years ago. Honestly it was the most exciting car I had driven. It is fast, handles like it is on rails and is good looking. So in 2015 I decided to add to my collection with the new HSE. I decided to go for the supercharged 6 for fuel economy since I live in Los Angeles and I am not towing anything. The car is very good looking and I have no issues with the interior finish but I did have an annoying rattle that the dealership cant seem to find and stop and the electronics have frozen up several times and I needed to turn off the car to reboot. Additionally, it takes 1-2 minutes when you start the car to initialize everything so dont try multi-tasking until the car is good and ready. For example, there is no chance of turning down the volume on the radio while activating your seat heaters while backing up. By the way you will do that more than you think. But the worst is my transmission has gone out three times and on the cars first birthday it got a brand new transmission. Isnt that special. Okay now 10 days after getting the new transmission, I pulled into a restaurant and couldnt get my car out of drive!! It literally wouldnt shift into any gear except Drive and I had to shut the engine off to put it into Park. Bravo the new tranny lasted almost 2 weeks. So ask yourself why are you buying the car?? You will look hot on your way to the dealership or being towed on a flatbed.

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  Sorry, but no Cigar! - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By mmr1 - May 6 - 8:07 pm

  Im the original owner of a 04 Disco and its been a living nightmare. Its had excessive oil/antifreeze leaks, consumption, blown head gaskets, axle replacement, worn cam lobes/lifters among many other things and now the infamous "slipped cylinder sleeve" rendering the block useless! All this at only 100k miles on a car which has been fully maintained, never over heated and has had the oil changed every 3-5k miles. Sorry, but complete engine failure at 100k miles is just unacceptable! Other Auto Mfgs. today hold a minimum durability requirement of 150k miles and have far exceeded this on vehicles costing half what this one did. So no cigar LR, Ill spend my money elsewhere!

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  I got a lemon...and they dont care! - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By landroversorrow - April 21 - 8:56 am

  My new rover has been back @ the dealership 3xs in 4 months and STILL runs like a 15 year old clunker. sounds like a lawnmower. AND...the mirror casing and 3rd row seat latches have popped off and when searching for a coin I dropped the hardware under my seat was so sharp it cut a 3" slit across my wrist.

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  Think twice - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Randy - March 26 - 8:10 pm

  I purchased this car in 2003 because I wanted a sporty, fun and upscale SUV. Since then, I have had numerous problems with this vehicle. These problems include the engine not shutting off while no key in the ignition, severe alignment issues that could not be fixed by Land Rover and an A/C system that shoots ice out of the vents on hot days. I am very diappointed in this vehicle.

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  Very disappointing - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By My headache is gone! - March 23 - 7:30 pm

  LR had a poorly build entry level SUV. Hard to attract current owners to move up to high end models. It eats up brake quickly. Cost almost $600 to change brake pads and rotars every 10K miles. V6 engine is weak and doesnt have any pick up power. Coolant leak even after the dealership fixed twice. Extremely high maintenance cost for a SUV/car that costs only mid $20K. When we purchased the Freelander, dealer was rude since it was the cheapest model out of all the LR models. The value depreciates quickly. After having it for 4 years, I finally sold it.

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  Completely disappointed, cheaply made - 2007 Land Rover LR3
  By e - February 27 - 5:00 am

  We sold our 2 year old GMC Denali to get the LR3, and have regretted it every since the first week. We have had nothing but problems, one thing after another and live 3 hours from the dealership. The Land Rover is built like a car 1/4 of the cost. To pay 50+K for our land rover, you should expect more things standard like a navigation system or at least something that tells you which direction you are headed. It seems the LR3 is poorly made and we will not be upgrading to the Range Rover sport as initially intended. I would NEVER recommend one. I am a mother of three and drive very conservative, still after less than 20K miles we are having to replace the brakes and tires. WHY? Cheaply made.