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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  Land rover quality - 2007 Land Rover LR3
  By carz - September 18 - 4:40 am

  I love my vehicle. It runs smooth and no problems what so ever. I dont like the fact I get 15 miles per gallon. One stumbling block I have had is I bought a boat recently and now need a hitch. The dealer quoted me almost $800 for a hitch. If you dont need a hitch and dont care about gas mileage this is the greatest SUV.

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  Great vehicle - 2005 Land Rover Range Rover
  By spemberton2000 - September 16 - 9:10 pm

  Ive had the car for a year now, and I have been extremely pleased with it. The dealership have been pretty poor though, and need to work hard to improve their customer service - something they dont seem to want to do. The car though has been superb.

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  Worst Electrical Ever - 2015 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Mark - September 16 - 12:50 pm

  Complete nav/computer reboots all the time. Buttons connected to computer SLOW. Takes 2-3 seconds every time you press a button to respond. Navigation takes up to 3 minutes to initialize after starting vehicle. Worst computer integration EVER! Doors have unlocked and opened while driving! Wow! Update: Vehicle has been in service for about 50 days over the past 6 months for a multitude of problems. The nav screen continues to reboot about every 2 hours of drive time. They have no idea whats going on. Have been told by service that this is a common problem. The computer integration with all of the functions just blows! To turn on the seat heat and massage, you have to go into the navigation screen! I do not like my passengers touching my navigation screen. Same with their climate control. You cant just put all the functions into the nav screen. Way too many steps to do much of anything. I find myself thinking that I would like to do something, but it is just too much of a pain in the butt to do so. The screens look like they were designed by a 12 year old. A real pet peeve is that I like to see the navigation FULL SCREEN. So, I press the screen to put it that way (getting rid of the road exit information). Then every time I go to a different screen , or the navigation gives a direction, it goes back to showing the road exit information. Petty? Yes. But just shows the lack of detail that went into this vehicle. On the satellite radio, they put so much worthless info on it, that you dont see the name of the song, just the artist, and the channel number. Really? Its a large screen, plenty of room if they did it correctly. I know thats minor, but, every little detail was ignored in this vehicle. When you pay this much for a vehicle, it should be easy to use, fun, and informative. Not at all. My Hyundai Genesis has a navigation/computer integration that totally blows this away. At less then half the price. I prefer to drive the Hyundai! Thats pretty bad. After putting 18,000 miles on this vehicle, I have found this to be the most uncomfortable vehicle Ive ever owned. The seats are HORRID. Like sitting in the cheapest airline seat. This is a common comment from many passengers Ive had. It hurts to drive this vehicle for more than 2 hours at a time. Your butt is just killing you. There is NO padding in the front or rear seats because they cheapened it up so much to save weight. My 2012 Range Rover SC was way, way, way better and nicer. Also, the dashboard, which in my 2012, people used to comment on how nice the leather was, has been replaced with PLASTIC! The interior looks and feels cheap when you really get looking at the details. There are WAY better vehicles for $120,000. I really feel ripped off. On the plus side, the acceleration, is outstanding, though and the ride is very nice. Update 4/7/16. Land Rover has agreed to repurchase this vehicle under the California Lemon Law. Good Riddance! Many people have exactly the same issues with this vehicle...

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  Lots of HP, at your command !!!!! - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover
  By JoBob - September 15 - 6:20 am

  I own the 06 supercharged. ive never been in control of so much horsepower (400hp).I beat sport cars, trying to show -off.only downside that ive noticed since ive had it is , console compartment places, for example..places to put small things that you would use with-in 3-4 days at a time.

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  Great SUV!! - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By Mike C - September 14 - 8:46 am

  Ok folks, this SUV is a must have. I sold my BMW X5 to purchase the LR3; the LR3 stands alone in the luxury category. The 3rd row seating is comfortable and the stadium seating keeps all in the conversation. It is a joy to drive and have taken off road..what a rush. I have had no problems with reliability or quality and the Red Nolan dealership in Colorado Springs know the true meaning of customer service. GO BUY ONE TODAY!!!

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  My 04 Rover - 2004 Land Rover Discovery
  By Hardest Dog - September 11 - 4:20 pm

  This is my first Land Rover, and I love the way it drives and manuvers through traffic. The body style stands out proudly and demands respect. I am looking forward to taking it off road in the near future! Catch you on the trail.

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  Sitting Pretty - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By College Dude - September 10 - 6:23 am

  I bought the Range Rover Sport because I wanted something that not many people drove. I was originally going to get a luxury sport sedan of some sort, but I fell in love with this Range. The exterior is what really brought me to buy it. It is extremely sleek and sexy. I get looks everywhere I go. The interior really surrounds you and makes you feel like you are part of the car. The only draw back that prevented me from buying it the day that I saw it was the Land Rovers terrible reliability. The dealer assured me that those days were over, but within a week of my purchase, some suspension lights came on. I got that fixed and havent had a problem since. This car stands out.

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  What the RRS should always have been... - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By LR Newbie - September 6 - 7:00 pm

  I always liked the idea of the Range Rover Sport but to me the interior was always too close to the LR3/Discovery and no where near the Range Rover. The 2010 model has addressed this biggest flaw and at the same time brought the standard model up to a performance level which is worthy of the word "sport". I took delivery on Friday and drove 500 miles over the weekend on a combination of highways and back roads. The car feels very solid on the highway with great control on the more winding roads and the seats are superb. Its a big step up in comfort from my old ML550 but performance isnt close to the ML but certainly on the right side of adequate.

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  The Ultimate Luxury SUV - 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By Flash G - September 5 - 11:53 am

  I traded in my 1997 Range Rover 4.6 HSE for the new Range Rover Sport HSE. You get the best of both worlds with the Range Rover Sport: The classic Range Rover styling and off-road capabilities coupled with the performance of a luxury sedan. The design of this vehicle is very upmarket. It is a handsome car. The interior quality is excellent. I have the very rare upgraded "Ivory" leather and cherry wood which looks much more opulent than the darker "Alpaca" and standard black "Ebony" interior. It looks and feels like a fine British coach. (I do wish the seats had darker piping like the big Rover.) Excellent power, handling and ride. Electronics are top notch. All A+

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  Perfect - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By rangerover - September 4 - 10:00 am

  This Vehicle is Amazing, i seriously love it