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:

• 

  Transmission/Gearbox/Locks in park - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By BLUEBLUE - April 26 - 2:00 am

  My Jaguar was a gift from my husband. I love the body style of the car, however I am suprised that a recall has not been issued for the cars defaults such as transmission/gearbox failure. My cars has gotten stuck in park on three occassion, it happens on inclines.I have also experienced several small items breaking/falling apart on the car such as latch on opening to gastank,windows falling out, gastank replaced, seatleather redone. One other problem I have had was valves replaced. esomd

• 

  Kitty Corners - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Chief - April 8 - 2:26 pm

  I found a steal on a 2004 2.5 X-type with only 21k mileage. I couldnt resist at the under 10k price despite their maintenance reputation. I was shocked at how well it handles and with the 5 speed and 200 horses it can be driven like the cat it is. Im sure the 3.0 or the 430 horse versions are nice improvements. Being in the NW I appreciate the AWD in the snow but the torquey nature of the car will set you sliding if youre not careful. Not an Outback for sure but it looks hotter!

• 

  best looking car on the road - 2002 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By pknmzqs - March 27 - 10:00 am

  I have enjoyed driving this car, however I do travel and find, there is not enough trunk space. Otherwise a charming car.

• 

  S Type - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By gonzo - March 24 - 7:16 am

  When purchased the vehicle was a certified used vehicle. Went back within a month for a leak from the engine and had to constantly go back for transmission shifting problem, trunk latch stinking. The 4.2 engine is powerful. The exterior and interior is very elegant. Cup holders are too small.

• 

  Very Pleased - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Steve717 - March 3 - 4:06 am

  Will keep this short & sweet. Build quality is great, performace is more than adequate. Its a fun car to drive with just enough mix of luxury and sportiness to make it interesting. Would highly recommend.

• 

  2000 S Type - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By bkalin - February 25 - 2:00 am

  The console storage is small, there are too many squeeks and rattles for a car of this price, and the rear window motor gave out with less than 20,000 miles. The car handling is excellent for a vehicle of this size, acceleration is quick and with the upgraded tires wet weather handling is very firm. I was hit on the passenger side by a Ford F350 duel wheel pick-up with very little impact into the passenger compartment. The car is very sturdy. No passenger injuries at all. Unfortunately, it cost $8000. to repair my car, and took over a month to get the parts. I still consider this a great car for the price!

• 

  Electrical problems like any other Ford. - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By tgapoz - February 23 - 5:23 am

  This has been a great vehicle however maintenance is costly. Expect several hundred dollars for the simplest of repairs. My particular annoyance deals with electrical. Why would someone tie in the moon roof, interior lights and blower into one module. $300 to trace the problem and $500 to replace module. I refuse to replace and let this issue remind me to never buy a Ford product again. The work around was to unplug the module but that means no interior lights or moon roof. Oddly enough the blower worked. $1300 for brakes, $700 for an oil pan leak.

• 

  not a premium car - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By ed bowers - February 11 - 12:23 am

  bad electrical systems. Dash panel goes out. Exterior temp goes out. Lights inoperable. Rear end rattles. Squeaky brakes. Place a 4 lb item on passenger seat, seat belt allarm goes off.

• 

  COSTLY TO DRIVE - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By Sharfire - February 10 - 12:36 pm

  My Jag has had the tires replaced at 15,000 miles at a cost of $860.00 and a front end alignment at a cost of over $300.00. I had new brakes on at 22,000 and that included new front rotors. Now at 30,000 need new tires again because the tires are very loud and wearing out even though I have had them rotated on a regular basis. My car is eating tires and picks up road noise. Also, screws are falling out and the cover to fuses under passenger side glove box fell off and the sun glass holder has been replaced three times and it still wont stay closed. It has a surge in the engine that the dealer cant fix. The Jaguar decal on the front fell off (came unglued)

• 

  I love my Jag - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By Love my Jag - February 9 - 1:53 pm

  I bought my used Jag with 40000 miles in April 2009. Since then a few minor repairs, nothing crazy, but the ride and the looks are all worth it. Hitting 80 mph is too easy - watch out for the police because I have been at 105mph several times, turning heads is easy with this car.