In 2003 I leased the top Land Rover model (the Discovery HSE) for my small business. The reason for choosing the top model (many $thousands more) was because it had GPS Navigation.
Anyone who knows anything about GPS Navigation realizes that the data quickly grows stale, so it's important to subscribe to an update service. We were told that was automatic with our purchase and that we'd be informed whenever updates were available, typically every six months.
When that didn't happen, we contacted Land Rover, who told us "real soon now" for THREE YEARS. This year we finally penetrated the Land Rover BS machine and found the manufacturer of the GPS system, Harmon Becker (a division of Harmon Kardon). We learned that Land Rover had dumped Harmon Becker as a supplier in making no allowance for updates for its existing customers.
They also had made the system COMPLETELY PROPRIETARY TO LAND ROVER, so no updates will ever be available.
When we contacted Land Rover's Executive Offices and suggested that they take some responsibility, an executive assistant to the CEO of Land Rover told me to open my owner's manual and turn to a specific page. That page contained the disclaimer stating that Land Rover reserves the right to make changes to their products without the obligation to incorporate them into past products. The assistant smugly told me this meant I was on my own and Land Rover had no obligation to do a thing.
So — if you're planning on purchasing anything from Land Rover, or from Ford, which is its parent, be warned. You can purchase a very expensive vehicle (the Discovery HSE, which my video production company leased as a field production vehicle, cost over $40,000) and they'll cheerfully abandon you and tell you "YOU'RE SCREWED! NOT OUR PROBLEM!" Be sure you're okay with this if you're thinking about buying anything from them.
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