Overview & Reviews

Jaguar cars have a long history of elegant styling and sporting performance. The brand was born in the United Kingdom, and for years its vehicles were synonymous with the old-world luxury of the British upper classes. More recently, Jaguar has been under the ownership of other automakers, but Jaguar cars will always bear the unmistakable gleam of traditional English refinement.

The company traces its roots to the Swallow Sidecar Company, founded in 1922 by Bill Lyons and William Walmsley. Based in Blackpool, England, the company produced a popular line of aluminum motorcycle sidecars. Swallow eventually switched its focus to automobile production, changing its name to SS Cars Ltd. in 1933. The first vehicle to carry the Jaguar name was the SS Jaguar 100, released in 1935.

After World War II, SS Cars switched its moniker to Jaguar so as not to be associated with the Nazi paramilitary organization that bore the same initials. Its first postwar offering was 1948's Mark V. The luxury sedan was joined that year by the XK 120, a sports car that was the fastest production automobile of its day — its name indicating its top speed. The XK 120 proved quite popular, and helped Jaguar establish a strong presence in the sports car market.

By the 1950s, Jaguar had begun exporting luxury vehicles to the United States. Created just for the American market, the Mark VII Saloon was introduced in 1951 and was a hit with stateside motorists. In 1956, the car took the prize at the Monte Carlo Rally. Later in the decade, Jaguar added the Mark VIII and Mark IX to its lineup. Meanwhile, the XK became the XK 140 as performance increased. Then came the XK 150 which was obviously even faster, though not quite as curvaceously alluring as the 120/140 models.

The 1960s saw the launch of one of Jaguar's most well-known models. The E-Type (or XK-E as it was known in the U.S.) debuted for 1961. The new sports car, available as either a coupe or convertible, provided performance and refinement wrapped up in an undeniably sexy package. The success of groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and icons like Twiggy the fashion model made British culture a hot commodity during the '60s — a fact that likely had positive implications for Jaguar's popularity in the U.S.

A decade later, Jaguar introduced the XJ6C and XJ12C coupes to join the sedans. At one point, the XJ12 was the fastest production sedan of its day. By the mid-'70s the lovely E-Type was replaced by the relatively bland XJ-S. The 1980s saw Jaguar continuing to raise the bar in performance with the launch of the XJ-S HE and a true world supercar, the XJ220.
By this time, however, Jaguar's cars had also built up a reputation for questionable reliability, electrical problems being the chief source of owners' angst. Increased competition from German automakers and adverse exchange rates didn't help matters either. Without much capital to work with to improve matters, the company decided to pursue a partnership with another company. This decision ultimately led to a full buyout of Jaguar by Ford in 1990.

Ford's influence (and financial support) was evident with the 1997 launch of Jaguar's XK8 and supercharged XKR sports cars. Powering both was Jaguar's new AJ-V8, a compact yet powerful engine that was also used in certain Land Rover vehicles. A few years later, Jaguar made an effort to broaden its product line with the introduction of a lower-priced, entry-luxury compact sedan known as the X-Type. Unfortunately, this model sold poorly, as its modest European Ford sedan underpinnings proved to be a liability. Around this time, Jaguar's old-school traditional styling grew stale as competitors moved into the new millennium with cutting-edge, modern designs inside and out.

Sales plummeted, and Jaguar's financial problems caused further headaches for parent company Ford, which was also experiencing financial turmoil. Ford cut its losses and sold Jaguar (and fellow British premium brand Land Rover) to Indian manufacturer Tata in 2008. Though reliability still remains a concern, new models like the XF and redesigned icons XK and XJ seem to indicate a bright Jaguar future, as they feature modern designs sprinkled with a fair share of classic Britannic charm.

User Reviews:

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  Great GT - Pooooooor Electrical - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Frank - July 13 - 8:46 pm

  Love the car - Drives great - great head turned. Power is good but could be better. But the most annoying thing about it is the electrical problems - especially the display screen that is totally inoperable at times. The dealer has been no help and Jaguar Engineering who inspected the car is no help either. Awaiting decision on a buy back. Probably would not purchase another.

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  Road Comfort - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Furniture Corp - July 11 - 2:00 am

  The new Jaquar VandenPlas carries full comfort while driving in the city and especially on the highway. The faster you go, the smoother it feels. The 16 position seat gives the driver lumbar support that makes the drive tireless.

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  Autobahn driving - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By dncncwboy56 - July 9 - 12:31 pm

  We have had our 2004 Jaguar X-type 3.0 for four years now and we love it. Have not had one single problem with it. We regularly drive it on the autobahn in Germany where we live. It is electronically stopped out at 126 MPH but anywhere from zero to 126 MPH, the car handles like it is on a city street doing 35 MPH. I would recommend this car to anyone. It is AWD and handles great in snow or in rain. We have videos of us driving 90 MPH on snow covered roads. Extremely comfortable on long trips. Heated seat for the winter. Love it!!

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  Incredible Value - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By MM - July 7 - 8:13 pm

  I couldnt believe the price for this beautiful, like new Jaguar (under 12,450) purchased just this year. Never owned a Jaguar before, but am impressed by the 6-speed ZF automatic (same as used in BMWs 7 series), excellent fuel economy, and though a V6, it really accelerates. Gorgeous interior and exterior - cant take my eyes off of it. Quiet, smooth drive.

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  AWSOME - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Jon Hammack - July 6 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car

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  Not for everyone - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By g. osman - July 4 - 10:06 pm

  Handles well and is very stylish. Received a lot of compliments from consumers on tha appearance of the car overall. Do not like the 17" low profile tires. Prone to flats if running over obstacles in road. Jags overall ride is hard and you feel and hear every crack and bump in the road. This may be due to the low profile tires but maybe its the car suspension. Gas mileage leaves a lot to be desired. Open road I havent gotten over 25 mph.

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  Overall great car!!! - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By fcw - July 4 - 9:33 pm

  Fun to drive, a little hard to get into for a old man! Good economy, (28 mph hway). A good buy used, good looks, lot of great comments from people who would like to own one.

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  Back to the Drawing Board - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Dr JR - July 4 - 10:00 am

  This car has been a total joke (unfortunatly, on me). There isnt space or time here to elaborate on all the problems this car has had. New ones keep popping up ever day. The worst part is that the dealer AND the manufacturer dont have a clue on how to resolve them. The car now sits in my garage where it can do the least amount of harm to my peace of mind untill I can get Jaguar to take it back.

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  Cats, Bimmers and Subies 70K Update - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By KKear - July 1 - 6:23 am

  I bought it out of the lease only because it was the cheapest way to go. The tire wear was somewhat solved by using Fuzion HRi tires, good for about 30K miles. The headlights bulbs by going to GE silverstars, and the dash vents, superglue. Now the shocks all need replacement, and its a good thing this car is mostly Ford because most anyone can work on it. The dealer wants an arm, leg and one or two other appendages to replace them. I will be wary of buying another Jaguar.

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  Great car - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By lindal - June 25 - 10:00 am

  Excellent car and fun to drive. It has style much more so than the Lexus. Very distinctive. Good gas mileage considering ita a V8. Love the power and ride is smooth. All my friends were impressed.