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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  LOVE IT! - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By trevorlee - January 18 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. I drive a lot. I use to worry about the snow. NOW, I love driving in the snow. The all wheel drive and comfortav=ble cabin makes this car my favorite so far. It does get bit tight in the rear seats though. But that is the only con so far.

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  jaj s series - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By gilbert parker - January 13 - 10:00 am

  bought mine in1999 used about 6000 miles on car when bought. have had no problems of any kind. probably the most relieble car i have ever owned now has 40000miles

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  My Dream Car - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By Margaret Cloud - January 13 - 10:00 am

  I have really enjoyed owning this car. The v8 engine has plenty of pep and power and a great sound. It has never let me down and I have had no major problems with it. I drive this car around just for the pleasure of it and expect to always have one of these.

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  lrjgjag - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By lrjg - January 13 - 10:00 am

  We have been totally pleased with our Jaguar X 3.0. We use to drive a loaded minivan and havent missed it for a second. It has a very comfortable ride with as much power as you will ever need off the race track.

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  S - 2007 Jaguar S-Type
  By Lee - January 10 - 6:03 am

  Our Jag S-type is definitely one of a kind. Very classy, smooth ride, excellent design. However, we did notice that it needs work on the sunroof area. Theres definitely a vibration, a low rattling sounds coming from the ceiling near the sunroof. We took the car back into the dealer in efforts to fix the sounds but its still there. Maybe Im a bit more sensitive to sounds than other people but the sound is still there. Hopefully well figure out of a way to get rid of the sound. Other than that, an excellent automobile.

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  Pleasant Driving - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Matshum - January 2 - 10:00 am

  I found the Jaguar X 3.0 to be comfortable, fast, and easy to drive. Exceptional power and I like the all wheel drive.

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  X-Type I would buy again - 2008 Jaguar X-Type
  By Roger - January 1 - 12:43 am

  For an AWD car, this cannot be beat. It is powerful, handles great and is comfortable. I can even get a 2" x 4" home inside. No other car in its class comes close. I live in S. Florida where it rains like hurricanes. One day, I notice power transferring to another wheel while flying down the highway in a downpour. The X-type tracked straight and true in a blinding rain. Moments later, I saw a car which had hyroplaned off into a canal. What car will I buy next? One that has luxury features, AWD, 225 hp and an unsurpassed service program; all for the low $30,000s. There is only one such car. The X-type. A fantastic, fabulous car that has no comparable.

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  Jagster - 2003 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By grs - December 30 - 2:00 am

  My second XJR, and worth checking out. The supercharger helps the V8 get up to 60mph in a little over 5sec., not bad for a 4000lb car. Styling has been around for a few years, but still a head-turner and unique from the 4-wheel box cars out there now. Only option available is Brembo brakes (recommended), everthing else is standard (incl. DVD navigation system and CD player). The cheapest limited production, luxury, high performance vehicle you can buy.

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  Great Car - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Union Jack - December 30 - 2:00 am

  GREAT CAR GREAT PRICE BUT WOULD BE HESITANT TO PURCHASE AT END OF LEASE DUE TO UNKNOWN FUTURE RELIABILTIY

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  This Jag is Sassy - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By SJLEE - December 30 - 2:00 am

  I love this entry level Jaguar. It goes!! I cant believe that there are bad reviews about this vehicle. I would like to read them . I will say that very large people would fine it small for them inside. I like the sporty fit.