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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  the best sport utility ever - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By mike smyth - May 20 - 10:00 am

  This is the greatest sport utility ever! You will love this truck.

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  wicked awesome - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By jumpeight - May 20 - 10:00 am

  have owned three other range rovers and they were mediocre. actually traded in a range rover with only 17,000 miles on it in the fall of 02 for a new bmw x-5. but when this vehicle came out i drove it and read the reviews. not even close to previous RRs. it has great brakes, great steering, great size. fixed all the "dead" qualities of previous years. kudos to bmw--they have built the best car i have owned to date, never mind the most fun! (well, besides my 911)

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  got new weel - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By stesy - May 20 - 10:00 am

  excellence excellence the best suv i ever drove and you see the look on the face when you go by. If you can effort it buy it leases it but get it ????????????????????

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  A TRUE MASTERPIECE - 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
  By SCOTT STIRLING - May 20 - 10:00 am

  NOTHING LESS THAN SPECTACULAR. THIS SUV IS A MASTERPIECE WITH AN ORIGINAL DESIGN. A ONE OF A KIND SUV WITH SO MUCH STYLE.

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  The perfect SUV! - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By James Chandler - May 20 - 10:00 am

  Bought the 2003 Discovery SE in the summer and still get a kick out of climbing in behind the wheel! Great looking vehicle with a little more class than your everyday SUV! No quality problems or returns to the dealership. Land Rover seem to get a bad rap, but I dont believe it any more or less reliable than any other make. Drove lots of other similar SUVs (BMW, Mercedes etc) before going with the Discovery, but none seemed to have the Land Rover edge. Also not so many of them around!

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  I love the RRS supercharged - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By joeygrouper - May 15 - 2:26 am

  I just picked mine up in July, I love the interior but agree the refrigerator needs to go. The supercharged engine is an awesome experience to drive. I havent experienced anything falty with the car yet, but I do have a defect in the wood grain that runs along the left of the center console. Its very noticeable and the dealer agreed to replace that part. My range is metallic black with black upgraded leather package seats and ebony stitching (piano black wood). I sueded my head liner with high quality suede. I would recommend to anyone wih this car to suede the headliner, it makes all the difference in regards to the interior ambiance. Style 7 20 wheels, all in all great ride.

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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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  Best Range Rover Sport Ever! - 2011 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By sobemen - May 12 - 2:00 am

  A superb vehicle. Fantastic response and handling

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  nothing but troubles - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By wildrover - May 11 - 9:06 am

  I have had NOTHING but problems with my Rover. It has overheated 4X. Been in the dealership for overheating 3X. They tell me the overheating is due to something different each time. so this time it is in a different shop, since it is now not under warranty. I searched for mechanics - no one wants to touch it. I finally found a place to fix it.. & they are charging me $900.00. They say it needs a new water pump and they have to take apart 1/2 the engine to get to it. I owe the dealership that I bought it from $1000.00 for its MANY other repairs. I am a single mom.. & my credit is awful, so I cant trade it in. I am working to pay for my work transportation. ERGH ! frustrating !

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  2011 LR4 HSE - 2011 Land Rover LR4
  By red_rover - May 11 - 8:11 am

  After years of debate, I finally bought one of these things despite the warnings of high costs, poor mileage, and electrical problems. Now I have an LR4 and am experiencing high costs, poor gas mileage, and electrical problems. That said, I love this truck. On-road it is elegant and well-behaved; Off-road it is unstoppable. However, the LR4 is not for everyone. It should be a purchase based on emotion, as it is primarily an off-road truck that happens to drive quite well on the road. If you think youll like it - youll love it. If youre worried about cost or reliability, or if you never go off-road, then you may want to consider something else. But then again, life is too short!