60 Years of Land Rover

[MCarN]

Anniversary of the best 4x4 manufacturer in words, images, hi-res photo download:

MotorCar News

60 Years of Land Rover « MotorCar News

[Ferrer]

Happy birthday, I guess.

[NSXType-R]

Ironic, since I think the company Tata, an Indian company now owns it, don't you think?

[pimento]

Originally Posted by NSXType-R

Ironic, since I think the company Tata, an Indian company now owns it, don't you think?

Well before them they were owned by an American company, and before them it was the Germans... given that India has a history of being somewhat occupied by GB, it seems only right that it should be they should!

[Auxin]

Id rather an Indian company owns Land Rover and Jaguar rather than an American company thats going nowhere fast. Especially since Tata have said that they will not interfere with either of the companys management or lineup. Both companies are probably just so happy to be free from ford.

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by Auxin

Id rather an Indian company owns Land Rover and Jaguar rather than an American company thats going nowhere fast. Especially since Tata have said that they will not interfere with either of the companys management or lineup. Both companies are probably just so happy to be free from ford.

Well Land Rover has made money under Ford management and their quality has improved dramatically, so I don't see how that's a bad thing.

Jaguar on the other hand is a completely different story...

[Matra et Alpine]

Land Rover has always made money
Unfortunately, British Leyland used it to prop up the rest of the empire and in part so did Ford.

In some cases quality has gone backwards in Ford's hands ... but that may have occurred anyway as the Land Rover became more "soccer-mum" than workhorse and the Range Rover became a status symbol

[valgabr]

My major problem with Tata is that they are associated with that ridiculous budget car they say will cost 2.500 dollars. I hope people will be smart enough and ignore it.

[MCarN]

I don't think there are any problems if an indian company owns a premium brand like Land Rover and I guess the brits will be more independent somehow than they were under Ford Motor Company

[kingofthering]

Originally Posted by valgabr

My major problem with Tata is that they are associated with that ridiculous budget car they say will cost 2.500 dollars. I hope people will be smart enough and ignore it.

Why? Like the Model T, it will bring cheap motoring to the Indian masses.

[Auxin]

Personally, i don't have any problem with the TATA nano. I think it will be an excellent way of bringing the automobile to billions in one of the world's fastest developing nations. In response to the comment that Land Rovers have become more "soccer mum", the LR3 and defender are still two of the most effective offroad vehicles on sale today. I know this about the LR3 from personal experience.

[Matra et Alpine]

Deffo on the Defender Auxin as it carries on the tradition of teh 110 LWB and SWB.
Disco and Freelander ? Not in the same ballpark ( Or mud field )
Definately aimed at the Chelsea crowd.
Now, they are still better than most of the other trash out there masquerading as 4x4 but not as robust or workmanlike.
Not had a chance with an LR3 yet ... and certainly not seeing any used in the horse comps However, sharing the RR looks and the technology I look forward to that one. Pricey though, you'd need a soccer husband to afford it

[nota]

1st gen Freelanders achieved about the worst reputation possible of any vehicle sold here in recent memory, eventually becoming virtually unsalable when new and of course has appalling resale

Mr Matthew-Wilson, a former motor mechanic, said the biggest "lemon" was the Land Rover Freelander 1997-2006 models, of which 7431 were sold in Australia up to the end of 2006, figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' VFACTS show. He said the vehicle was released to the public with 132 known faults, including engines that blew up after a few months, gearboxes that "disintegrated without warning and drive shafts that fell off while the car was being driven".

[charged]

Have to agree Nota, my brother is always fixing Disco, 110 and Rangies at his electrical auto shop. The Land Rovers seem okay for a while then they seem to self destruct at a alarming rate. Telstra a few years ago replaced half their remote service fleet with Land Rover 110 and they literally fell to bits, broken gearboxs, diffs, suspension failures after about 6 months on the outback so called roads. The Land Rovers have fantastic off road abilities but seem a little fragile when it comes to prolonged extreme off road conditions.

[Auxin]

What u said may be true Matra but the LR3 is still an amazing off-roader, the only way you are going to get stuck is if you have a bad driver but thanks to the technology an amateur driver can still hold his own. Plus id much rather drive an LR3 everyday thana defender.