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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  A Let Down! - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By A Let Down! - November 24 - 5:13 pm

  The sunroof has been replaced twice so far. Drivers seat belt pretensioner replaced twice and seat belt light comes on when belt is buckled! The key cylinder in the read cargo door fell out and had to be replaced. Seats are hard to keep clean. I expected better from Land Rover and am now afraid to buy the new LR-2!

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  Roving the Rockies - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By AL Lan Madrogoran - November 24 - 2:00 am

  The Land Rover Freelander is a great deal for the money. I would like a little more power especially for the gas miliage.

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  Congratulations Land Rover! - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By BL - November 24 - 2:00 am

  The 2003 Range Rover is for all of the devoted Range Rover fans that have stuck by this company through the years. Now that Land Rover is able to provide their customers with the most extreme capability, luxury, and unquestionable dependability (thanks BMW), maybe everyone else will finally catch the Land Rover bug! Ive had my 03 Range Rover for 3 months and I cannot think of one thing I would change or complain about. For all of those nit picky people that think otherwise, go drive a G-wagon and see how this awesome machine outshines everything that tries to compete with it. Cheers to the Brits for an amazing accomplishment!

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  A soccer moms dream! - 2007 Land Rover LR3
  By ML - November 23 - 1:50 pm

  This is my favorite SUV! Waited to write review in case I had reliability issues that I had read on this site - 9 months/20K KM and nothing so far. Compared to my past Escalade, Denali, Touareg, Jeep GC ltd, and MB 430, my Rover is way more fun, sturdy yet nimble, tows with ease, has more versatile interior space, much quieter cabin, better road view & headlighting, most headroom, and all the luxuries to boot. Not quite as quick as Touareg (V10 mind you!), 5.4L Jeep, or MB430, but shift into sport and it provides more than enough power for the average Joe. Breaking is strong and confident for a vehicle this size. Purchased the LR3 over the Lexus 470 & Audi Q7 - glad I made the right decision!

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  Easy to Drive - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Neil Schroeder - November 21 - 8:30 am

  Just purchased vehicle therefore too early to determine reliability. First impression is a great vehicle. Smooth, quite, plenty of power and fun to drive. The interior is very classy and I cannot wait to go on long trips to Colorado. More to follow after a few months of ownership.

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  Disappointed Buyer - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By Sadly Disappointed - November 17 - 6:16 pm

  I absolutely love the look of my Freelander inside and out. However, I am disappointed at the ergonomics. I am only 55" and I constantly hit my head getting in and out of the vehicle. Also, in order to reach the pedals I have to sit so far forward that I cannot use the armrest and the sunroof ends up behind me. Also, if I put the sunvisor down I cant see out the front windshield. I have only had my Freelander since January 29th but I am looking at trading it in for something else. This is very frustrating because I spent months researching vehicles but apparently not long enough to get something good!

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  Best LR Yet - Lot of Vehicle for the $s - 2010 Land Rover LR4
  By NaplesLR4 - November 17 - 2:36 pm

  After 2 months, loving this vehicle more and more every drive. When storms and rain kick up it somehow makes me feel even safer than when pavement was dry. Great on the highway. Havent been off-road yet, but if it handles like previous LRs it is sure to be amazing. 375 horse has some kick but supercharger would be nice option. Cant stand the heater elements in the windshield. They are less noticeable with sunglasses. Priced out a new windshield without them for $675 - we dont have ice on the windshield in S Florida. Stadium seating in the back beats all the competition. In fact, you cant find a vehicle out there for 7 with all the quality LR4 has for the price period. Nothing compares.

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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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  Great Vehicle - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Ken Daniel - November 15 - 7:53 am

  What a surprise my wife and I received after driving the LR3. WE drove all the other models including the new Acura MDX, the new Volvo and the new BMW X5. They were all good, but not great. The LR3 drove as good or better than all of them. It was very comfortable on the highway, tight and responsive, all the bells and whistles and more, including the GPS, fold down second and third seats, unique Europeon styling and one of a kind looks. Give it a try before you make that final decision. After 3 months, not one problem, as good as the day we drove it off the lot.

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  fun but not reliable - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By r-a-m-a - November 14 - 10:00 am

  not very reliable when it comes to functional items but very good offroading and comfort.