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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  Worst car I have ever bought - 2013 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
  By erinr - February 16 - 2:00 am

  Bought car january 2 from Patrick jaguar Naperville. Car towed one week later. All warning lights on, car would not shift to another gear, power steering did not work. Took one week to repair replace module. Complained to land rover and received $500 land rover certificates. Scheduled service appt. today because neither smart key worked. Tried to start car and would not start. Car towed again. Called land rover prior to appt. stated I had received one time certificate before and car under warranty. Did not offer help? Worst service I have had from a luxury car. Regret purchase. Will not buy again. My husband was considering jaguar. After this service changed mind.

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  2012 LR4 poor reliability, poor dealer support - 2011 Land Rover LR4
  By landog2 - February 5 - 3:36 am

  At 7000 miles, major control module failed. TATA\Land Rover refused to pay for loaner vehicle and cant figure out what is wrong with the truck. Ive owned over 15 Land Rovers. This is my last. Indian ownership has not improved Land Rovers poor reputation for reliability.

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  To be avoided! - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By sgriggs - January 3 - 6:03 pm

  I bought my 03 Discovery II with 75K miles after a local Land Rover mechanic (independent) gave it a careful inspection and discovered nothing immediately wrong. In the 1 year and 7 months since, it has spent more time in the shop than any other car Ive owned (including a vintage Bentley!) and cost me a small fortune in repairs. When I bought mine, I figured that none of the horror stories I read about would happen to me, and that if I was careful and took good care of my LR, I would be rewarded with a reliable ride. I was wrong. These things are poorly designed and built. The only up-side is that it looks good when parked outside my house. Which is more often than not these days!

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  Free at last! - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Jay D. - December 15 - 6:03 am

  At first I loved this car but as with many love affairs it wasnt long before the honeymoon was over. We did everything we were supposed to do to take care of this car but despite that it still was a nightmare. If it wasnt one thing it was another. Very expensive to repair and LRs customer service isnt very good (understatement). We were also told by them to trade it in before it was too late and thats exactly what we did. We are now proud Toyota owners. If you have one and it hasnt given you any trouble it wont be long before it will. GET RID OF IT! If you are thinking of buying one, STOP!

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  Absolutley Unreliable - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Ben - November 21 - 11:40 am

  I bought this Land Rover after trading in my 02 Chevy Tahoe. I quickly realized it was a big mistake. The morning after buying it it would not start. This $80,000 cluster of garbage wouldnt start on the second day. Afterwards, there were 15 engine and electrical problems in the car and then the transmission completely broke down. I ended up filing a lemon law suit in January 08 and now I bought a 08 Chevy Tahoe ltz. So far, not a single problem and it is much better in every category than the Land Rover.

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  Eats tires - Beware - 2006 Land Rover LR3
  By faganravens - October 6 - 1:40 am

  I leased this vehicle in April 06 and will turn it in early. It is a capable and comfortable SUV, but it eats rear tires. LR does not tell you about the TSB on its tires until after you chew through your first set at about 15K. I am on the second set of $1000 tires and they are going bald in the back at 34K. The vehicle is too expense to replace tires every year. Not isolated, see class action lawsuit against LR.

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  Quality not so good - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Mary - September 25 - 7:30 pm

  I am very unhappy with the quality of my SR2. The exterior paint is very thin, the drivers side seat has torn, the performance is horrible, the only good thing is the fuel economy. I have never been this unhappy with a vehicle in my life, I paid approx. $39,000 in Aug. of 2007. I was recently offered $25,000 trade in from the same dealership I paid $39,000 only a year ago. Wow! I have to take a $14,000 loss on this vehicle. I am so unhappy with this vehicle I am going to take the $14,000 loss just to get out of it, however I will never ever purchase another Land Rover or Range Rover ever!

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  Worst Car I Ever Bought - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Kerstin - September 25 - 3:23 pm

  This is the 2nd Land Rover Ive purchased. I had a 2006 LR3 and should have known better but figured the 2nd one couldnt be as bad as the first one. Wrong! The car was beautiful, orange, black leather, loaded. It was in for repairs more than I had it. I had some serious electrical issues that the dealer was unable to diagnose. Once the car stalled at a traffic light and I had to coast out of a major intersection. I only kept the car 6 months. It was not reliable and I worried constantly about being stranded in it. Never knew if it would start up or die on me. Only got 18mpg! (when it was running!)

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  What a Lemon! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Amanda Harle - September 17 - 7:26 pm

  Car was bought used w/24,000 miles on it. I had the car for three days when the transmission dropped. When I finally got the car back, one of the rear windows wouldnt go up. Driving 3 hrs to the nearest dealership in Grand Rapids, MI, the engine seized. The dealership told me they had to call the factory in Europe to confirm that a head gasket had gone. In the last couple years, Ive had the sunroof fixed 3 times, window motors replaced, speakers replaced & the air conditioner has NEVER worked. Now, at 60,000 miles, BOTH head gaskets have gone. The car I bought for reliability turned out to tbe the COMPLETE OPPOSITE. I would love to join a class action lawsuit against Land Rover....

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  worst SUV - 2001 Land Rover Range Rover
  By leboniz - September 15 - 5:27 pm

  I spent thousands of dollars on repairs air suspension failed converted to coil spring with new shocks $2500 at landrover specialist, water pump failed $600 , heater core leaked inashboard $1800 due to dashbomoval, overheated due to radiator leaks $550 , Alternator & battery $1000 , windows regulator $600 , windows master switch $180, tires $600, brakes pads & rotors $400, Muffler $350, coolant tank $120, at end electric problem in door actuator door can not open & AC heater control stoped, rádio stoped, , transfercase chain stretched out, i gave up and sold at big lost $3000 , it ruined my life and hard earned money :(