What is the best Land Rover?
Land Rover is known for its off-road four-wheel-drive vehicles – but which model is the best?
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Land Rover is a brand steeped in off-roading history, and has been producing some of the most capable off-roaders around for decades.
Today, the brand is more synonymous with desirability and luxury, but each and every one of its models continues to be tested to the extremes.
Whether you’re looking to buy a Land Rover based on its off-roading credentials or you want to turn heads, these models won’t disappoint.
Best used Land Rover: is it a Discovery Sport?
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The Discovery Sport is the company’s smallest seven-seater SUV and is popular with families who need to transport children, pets, and all their gear.
Some were also sold as five-seaters, so if you need the extra seats, keep that in mind when buying.
Because it’s designed to be a smaller version of the Discovery, it’s a capable off-roader – not that many will find themselves venturing off the beaten track in this family car.
Still, it can wade through 60cm of water, which is 10cm more than the BMW X3 and 20cm more than the Volvo XC60.
Although it’s one of the cheapest Land Rovers, it still comes standard with luxuries like a heated windscreen, which is great for speeding up defrosting and deicing, a reversing camera, and heated front seats.
Adding to its appeal as a mid-size family SUV is its five-star Euro NCAP rating and spacious interior, including a large boot space that’s usable even with all seven seats in place.
Is a Discovery the best Land Rover?
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This is Land Rover’s most affordable full-size SUV. While it’s still very expensive to buy new, there are plenty of used models to choose from.
Conversely to the Discovery Sport, this is Land Rover’s largest seven-seater SUV and even the rearmost seats are spacious enough for adults, making it one of the most practical seven-seaters you can get from any brand.
It’s available with 2.0-litre diesel engines that are meant to be more efficient, but we think the 3.0-litre diesels are best suited to this car’s heavy weight.
It’s the only Land Rover car not to have a plug-in hybrid power option, but this is likely to change fairly soon.
It’s much more suited to off-roading, too. With a steep approach angle, such as fording a river, it can wade through 75cm of water.
With a less severe approach – for example, a flooded road or a ford – it can get through an even deeper 90cm of water.
The clever air suspension system can raise to give a ground clearance of 283mm, but on the tarmac, it sits much lower to improve aerodynamics, making it more efficient.
While it’s not a Range Rover product, the interior still consists of high-quality materials that are durable enough to live up to your active lifestyle, making it a very pleasant and relaxing place to be.
Is a Defender the best Land Rover to buy?
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For a long time, the Land Rover Defender was a rugged, back-to-basics off-roader designed to tackle virtually any terrain you threw at it.
When the drastically redesigned model went on sale in 2020, Land Rover added a layer of luxury on top of the very capable off-roader.
It’s a utility vehicle first, which means plenty of hard-wearing materials and robust parts that aren’t afraid to be knocked about, yet it still feels like a premium product.
There are five-seater, three-door versions (badged Defender 90), five- and seven-seat, five-door versions (Defender 110), and extended eight-seater versions (Defender 130), plus two-seater commercial variants of the 90 and 110 models that almost act as ultra-premium pick-ups.
All are capable of wading through 85cm of water, or 90cm with air suspension, which is up to 20cm more than the equally plush Mercedes G-Glass, and there are plenty more off-roading stats to back up the Defender’s abilities.
Land Rover Range Rover models
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It’s true that all Land Rover cars are built to a high quality, but the Range Rover has the last word. It’s an SUV equivalent to luxury saloons like the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series.
It’s not without off-road abilities, but that’s not what this car is about. Rather, it’s one of the most comfortable cars you can buy from any manufacturer and is just as commonly used as a premium business car as the popular S-Class.
Power most commonly comes from 3.0-litre or 4.4-litre diesel engines, but there are also plug-in hybrid options, though those require regular charging to be as efficient as Land Rover claims.
The new 2022-onward model has a much larger 38.2kWh battery, which is as big as some small electric cars, meaning it can do up to around 70 miles on electric power alone, but it remains expensive to buy.
Depending on the age of your Range Rover, expect it to include car tech like adaptive cruise control, electrically adjustable seats and a powered boot lid, and a large touchscreen infotainment system which controls some of the car’s off-road and comfort features.
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
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Range Rovers are hugely desirable models, and as such, can be more expensive than other similar SUVs. The Evoque is the brand’s most affordable model, and shares many parts with the sporty Jaguar E-Pace.
While some versions can handle themselves off the beaten track, many buyers opt for two-wheel-drive versions, which are more efficient.
Previously, it’s been available in a three-door coupé-SUV format, but newer models are five-door only.
It's been tested to -40 degrees and up to 50 degrees and has been driven thousands of miles in harsh conditions such as deserts and stop-start traffic before being released, so it should be able to hold up to your family use just fine.
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
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For a long time, the Range Rover Sport was the only premium Range Rover car to be available with seven seats, but the 2022-onward Range Rover also has that option now.
It’s about the same size as a BMW X5 and is a versatile option that’s just as happy cruising around town as it is knee-deep in mud.
Land Rover measures its boot sizes to the roof, while most other manufacturers stop at the window level. The Range Rover Sport has 780 litres of space, which is less than you’d find in the Volvo XC90 to the roof (1,007 litres) but more than you’d find in a Volvo XC60 (613 litres).
It’s another model that’s available with some 2.0-litre engines, but it's better suited to the V6 diesel options. The plug-in hybrid models are also viable for drivers with access to a home charger.
Land Rover Range Rover Velar
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The Velar is similar in size to the Range Rover Sport but looks more similar to the Evoque because it has a sloping roofline.
Still, it’s not quite as coupé-like as a BMW X4 or Mercedes GLC Coupé, and has a more useable boot space.
It’s built to be stylish and luxurious and is only available in higher trim levels with some of Land Rover’s more powerful engine options, which means every model is well-equipped.
Inside is a very pleasant place to be, and it looks more modern compared to some other Land Rover cars. The dashboard features a pair of touchscreens plus an additional screen for the digital instrument cluster.
There are no seven-seat versions, but rear headroom and legroom are great and there’s plenty of boot space, making it a good choice for families with older children or teenagers.