The jeep is a jeep. The Range Rover is an air conditioned luxury vehicle AND has incredible off road ability. Not really comparing apples with apples. The FJ is a Toyota!! Hardly American! Clarkson would be the first to admit that Japanese cars are often incredible. The quality of Japanese cars isn't in doubt.
Regarding the parts, it was the important ones that came from Europe or had their input. Even your Indy cars are made in the UK.
Those cars were the cream of the crop. The supposed best that the US has to offer. Hell they even put much lesser Euro cars against the Yank stuff to give them an even better chance! It was fair and square.
For all the Freelanders faults it was never unsafe. Unlike the Hummer which had a habit of allowing its wheels to fall off.
The thing with British cars is that when they are ****, they are considered as such over here. But on the opposite side of the coin, you guys used think this
http://www.collectorcarbuff.com/collector/Lincoln_mark_V.jpg was the pinnacle of motoring!
Or this;
http://www.johndagostinokustomkars.com/images/67 Cadillac Eldorado El Conquistador.jpg
And about that new Vette. How many years of development of the Vette did it take before they actually had a car that handled like that? What, 40 odd years?