When you buy a Land Rover, you do so for many and varied reasons. For starters, you know you’ll get a car that has a level of instant recognition that is only shared by a very small group of automotive brands.
And even if they don’t know the difference between a Defender and a Discovery, or a Range Rover Classic and a Range Rover Evoque, passers-by will instantly know that you went for an SUV that has a massive heritage which can’t be matched by any of its competitors.
Your own natural habitat might more likely be the urban jungle rather than an actual jungle – but your choice of car make says you appreciate a brand that has a premium, even aristocratic image, given this is a marque which has close associations with the British Royal family.
And that might mean that you have to put up with some foibles and quirks – but isn’t that what you should expect when a Land Rover’s reliability has to be broad enough to suit anyone from the country farmer to the busy mum?
To give a detailed answer to the broad question posed by this article, let’s break the story down into four major components, represented by the main variants across the Land Rover and Range Rover model range.
- Defender Reliability
- Discovery Reliability
- Range Rover Reliability
- Range Rover Evoque Reliability
- Summary
What Do Critics Think of The Land Rover Defender’s reliability?
The Defender came along in 1984 as the successor to the original, series Land Rovers which were themselves the British answer to the venerable Willys Jeep. As such, it’s always been a car marketed more on the strength of its off-road capabilities than its prowess on tarmac, asphalt or concrete.
Motoring writer ‘Honest John’ and his team’s one-line description of the Defender is “The most capable and agile off-road machine you can buy” – and you can’t sum up why most Defender owners drive one better than that.
First and foremost, a Defender is built to withstand use in terrain which would be impossible for most other vehicles. But to achieve that level of capability off-road, owners know they have to accept certain compromises to their vehicles’ ability around town or on the motorway.
It also means that a Land Rover, or Range Rover, can often find itself faced with more extreme conditions under its tyres than most other cars can ever expect to encounter. Such likelihoods have spawned a massive market in original Defender parts, to replace ones which have been subjected to hard use over many years.
In addition, as many of these vehicles have grown older and passed through the hands of different owners, this has seen a huge new market open up for other specialised replacement components such as cooling and heating system parts.
As they have crossed more into the mainstream from having been seen purely as a utilitarian vehicle, the designers and builders of the Defender brought in some pretty basic but welcome enhancements, such as improved engines in 2007 and 2011, plus a six-speed gearbox, to enhance the rudimentary driving characteristics, and make newer models quite a lot easier to live with one day-in, day-out.
The great thing about a vehicle which has been around in its basic form for three-quarters of a century is that, in that time, many people have experienced all the highs and lows of Defender ownership.
So there’s a wealth of learnings, data and first-hand accounts of living with one to be found in mass-circulation magazines, and websites dedicated to them, such as Land Rover UK Forums and LandyZone.co.uk, where owners go to share their experiences – good and bad – and any prospective or new owner can ask or find answers to questions, whatever their level of technical or mechanical knowledge.
You’ve almost certainly also now seen some of the new Defender models on the roads. While it’s a bit early to say whether this is likely to fare better reliability-wise than its predecessors, American car website Motortrend.com has had a new Defender 110 on long-term test, and in its first year, found it could trace most of the faults encountered to software issues.
That’s no different from plenty of other 4x4s, and modern cars in general, but owners know that, if they’re going to drive a Defender on the tougher terrain it’s been designed for, then it’s going to be at greater risk of suffering unforeseen glitches – but owners’ feedback shows these aren’t likely to be serious
How Reliable Is A Land Rover Discovery?
The Discovery was intended to fill a sizeable gap in the Land Rover model range between the brawny-but-basic nature of the Defender and the altogether more refined yet rugged charm of the Range Rover.
As HotCars.com describes it, the Discovery was the meeting point between these two extremes – and its combination of the best characteristics of both its forebears gave it plenty of appeal. Importantly, the website also rates the Series 1 Discovery, launched in 1989, in its top five most reliable Land Rover models of all time.
In its 20-year lifespan, the Discovery gave many owners a completely new reason for buying a Land Rover. A vast swathe of potential owners whose needs had previously sat in the yawning space between the Defender and Range Rover crowds now felt there was a car in the range that was made for them.
The Discovery is credited with helping Land Rover survive one of the most turbulent periods of its history, and by 1998 and the model’s first major revamp, it had earned a strong cult following, thanks to what Land Rover Owner International magazine calls its combination of “seven seats and the rugged ability of a steroid-packed mountain goat”.
As with any Land Rover, there have been shortcomings, but the same publication praises the Discovery, or ‘Disco’ as it’s affectionately known by most owners and fans, for being “cheaper than grand-daddy Defender, and far more DIY-friendly, [and with] plenty of specialists, sourcing parts isn’t tricky, and ownership means you can go off road with the scores of Land Rover clubs”.
Also going in the Discovery’s favour is that petrol models did more favours for Land Rover reliability than their diesel brethren, with Which? magazine finding that fewer than one in five petrol Land Rovers needed non-routine attention before they reached four years old.
Can I Expect A Range Rover To Be Reliable?
Although the oldest models are some 15 years younger than their famous sibling the Land Rover Defender, the Range Rover has arguably played a greater role in transforming the driving tastes and habits of the buying public – and to some degree, the public perception of the Land Rover brand too.
Before its introduction in 1969, it’s quite likely no one would have believed that a car could combine the utility and go-anywhere capabilities of a Land Rover with anything approaching the comfort of a large, spacious family car.
When you ask the question ‘are Land Rovers reliable and can I expect my Range Rover to be dependable?’, it’s reassuring to know that official statistics show that more than three-quarters of them generally pass the MoT test first time, while the manufacturer’s time spent under BMW ownership from 1994 to 2000 had positive effects on the quality of the cars made during this time.
The influence of BMW on the quality and reliability of Range Rovers carried through to the car’s third generation, with the electronics of the 2001-04 model year cars being sourced directly from BMW. After this, the cars switched to systems developed by Land Rover’s new parent company, Jaguar, and as fitted to models such as the XF.
Mechanically too, there were changes, as between 2006 and 2012, Range Rovers were fitted with Jaguar petrol engines, or diesel engines built by Ford. This certainly helped reliability, as it meant greater compatibility of Range Rover parts with those of other manufacturers, and therefore they could be sourced more easily from plants manufacturing the cars around the world.
Cooling systems have been the source of a couple of major problems with Range Rovers built between 1994 and 2000, with hoses found to be a weakness, and possibly leading to a loss of power steering fluid.
What Is The Reliability Of The Range Rover Evoque Like?
The Evoque was Land Rover’s attempt to crack the mass market for SUVs, which had blossomed massively through the early 2000s.
Many rivals had already cottoned on to the growing appeal of smaller models with the obvious appeal of a high driving position with good all-round vision, mixed with the implied status that came with a car that stood out among the more compact models which were gaining sales traction at the time.
Entering production in mid-2011, it was the first production three-door Range Rover variant. It boasted extensive use of lightweight, carbon composite materials, and was the first Range Rover model to feature a four-cylinder engine.
The Evoque transmission parts also saw a great deal of improvement, thanks to a new nine-speed system, which had much lower gearing and a lower first speed ratio than the six-speed option seen in earlier Range Rovers.
The Evoque features Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, which alters throttle response, power distribution and suspension settings according to the terrain.
One of the most common sources of problems with any Land Rover comes not from the owners, or the way they might (mis)treat their vehicles – but rather, their pets!
Damage caused by carrying dogs in Land Rovers and Range Rovers is widely reported, which means it will always pay you, or your friendly local specialist to know a good source of trim parts for the Range Rover Evoque.
Enjoy The Adventure Of Personalising Your Land Rover Or Range Rover
There are certainly places where you’d take a Land Rover or a Range Rover where you probably wouldn’t want to go in any alternative – and surely that’s the whole point of owning one. Owners generally realise that some Land Rover parts will need more regular replacement if their vehicles are taken off the beaten track, as they encounter more irregular driving conditions..
Their off-road prowess has been the catalyst for the development of a huge market for Land Rover suspension parts designed to make taking one into the wildest, most inhospitable terrain safer, with enjoyment rather than trepidation.
When you’re in the market for such a sophisticated and specialised car, it’s always a good idea to scope out the availability of Land Rover parts or Range Rover parts before you commit. And as we did in the preparation of this article, consulting online owner forums is a good way to assess Land Rover reliability, as these will give you an idea of the kinds of recurring issues of which you might need to be aware.
Land Rovers and Range Rovers carry a weight of responsibility of ownership that’s similar to that of owning any other prestige marque. In the case of these makes, there’s a massive choice of established and reliable OEM and aftermarket parts manufacturers to choose from, which can help ease the pressure of that burden.
But navigating your way through the maze of these makers and suppliers can be a tall order, especially if you’re new to Land Rover or Range Rover ownership. As the appeal of Range Rovers spreads to younger owners, the demand of personalisation and tuning options has mushroomed, with many trusted businesses offering ranges of Land Rover parts for styling and tuning their vehicle to their own tastes.
Getting the right parts, first time, for such desirable and specialised vehicles is our stock-in-trade at Scuderia Car Parts. Founded and run by people who live, breathe and sleep prestige cars, we’re on a quest to bring together the leading suppliers of original parts and aftermarket upgrades, and offer their products to you.
If you don’t know your bull bars from your big end, don’t worry, because we can help you navigate through a huge variety of original manufacturer and aftermarket Land Rover parts, with all the advice you need on the end of the phone or through our online chat facility.
When you need your Land Rover or Range Rover to be ready for anything, in any weather and all conditions, we at Scuderia Car Parts are right with you.