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:

• 

  Buyers Beware - 2003 Land Rover Freelander
  By Jocita - April 28 - 10:00 am

  Filed Lemon Law on my vehicle! Ashamed that I had to give the vehicle up after a year. Had to take car over 13 times for brake squeak and got fed up. Electrical problems: Wipers ,back window, & radio shorted out. Back seat had annoying squeak when rode over bumps. Dealer could not fix problems. When shifting automatic, it was easy get gear shifter to get stuck between D & 4 on the gear shifter.

• 

  The best REAL SUV/4x4 - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By j kish - April 25 - 2:00 am

  I owned Fords for years and thank God Ford has not infiltrated the designers at LR, yet. If you want a true 4x4 with the style and grace of the overpriced overvalued overgrown station wagons such as the BMW, Mercedes, Porche, etc. Look no further than the Disco 2. It is a beast with a Swans exterior. Rugged, yet smooth as silk in the city. Its small enough to fit anywhere but deceptively roomy inside. I am over six feet and 250 lbms and I fit just fine inside. Elegant, yet VERY DURABLE.

• 

  Great 4x4, should have been a sports car - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By mike - April 21 - 4:46 pm

  Very impressed with ths vehicle. Glad we waited for its release. The size is right and it handles like a sports car unlike what you might expect. My only gripe might be gas mileage which is increasing as it breaks in. Otherwise we are pleased with all other aspects of this vehicle. My kids love the nav- (we have all options) and find it very easy to use. Would recommend to anyone who wants a real 4x4 and all the options without the big bloated feel of most other 4x4s.

• 

  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.

• 

  Great compact SUV! - 2004 Land Rover Freelander
  By zipdedoda4 - April 21 - 2:00 am

  Great fully-loaded SUV if youre not willing to cough up the $40,000 for the X3. Ive had it for about 8 months and still havent had any problems. Love it!

• 

  8 MONTHS INTO MY DISCO - 2003 Land Rover Discovery
  By JSEA2 - April 14 - 10:00 am

  I FIRST WROTE WEEKS AFTER PICKING UP MY 03 DISCO. NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED. RELIABLE , SOLID RIDE, ALL SEEMS TO BE HOLDING UP WELL. DONT KNOW IF I WOULD GET ANOTHER ONE THOUGH. COMFORT LEVEL NEEDS A BOOST!! A "RANGE" WOULD BE THE NEXT BEST THING, BUT THE STICKER IS KILLING ME!!!!

• 

  LR# - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By stwsam - April 13 - 2:16 pm

  I have owned 5 new LRs in the past 4 years. This takes the cake. Even more bullet proof than our 2004 Range Rover. Just everything is flawless. 3800 miles and not the first sensor light. LR is catching up at long last. The ride is smooth, the power is great and the sound system with blow you away.

• 

  Better than expected reliability. - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By runtgun - April 11 - 12:40 pm

  After buying a used 2000 HSE and putting about 40,000 miles on it, weve been pleasantly surprised by the reliability. In that time, we had the tie-rod ends replaced and the drivers seat heater element replaced. Nothing else has failed and it still drives like new. The Michelin tires are hardly worn (original!). The small details (side mirrors dimmable, etc) are welcome, but its the solid, unflappable performance on poor traction surfaces that makes it our favorite vehicle.

• 

  City Range Rover 2000 SE - 2000 Land Rover Range Rover
  By T. Sharrock - April 6 - 7:33 am

  My wifes car. She loves the great visibility from the Range Rover. Interior finish is top notch. Plenty of cargo space for hauling all of the trinkets from the shopping trips. Nice sound system. Car looks rugged but not flashy.

• 

  This car is a Lemon! - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By AM - April 3 - 11:03 pm

  This car is a lemon. Engine needed to be replaced at 29K, Transmission at 40K miles. And this car was well- taken care of. We were told by the service dept to get rid of the car at the end of the warranty because of all the problems the Freelander is known to have. Too bad we didnt get the same warning from the sales dept!