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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  XKR Coupe - 2005 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Young Mach - March 23 - 4:53 pm

  This has to be the hottest car in the street. This car gives you great confidence every time you drive this fantastic automobile. Put some TVs in the headrest and set of 20-inch chrome giovannis with some yokohama low pro z- rated tires and youre good to go.

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  Love my Jag - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By Armando - March 20 - 4:50 pm

  Handling on winding costal roads on Highway 1 was excellent. The automatic transmission shifted up/down perfectly with a good solid feel for the road. The brakes never faded or grabed. A very comfortable and relaxing ride in town on the free way or on winding twisting roads. Plenty of power from the quiet smooth 6cyl engine.

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  Class of the road - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Nornk - March 18 - 10:00 am

  The 2004 Jag XJ8 looks great,and drives great.It has incredible pick up and speed and handles superbly.You feel like royalty behind the wheel.

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  Muscle car in a Tuxedo - 2006 Jaguar S-Type
  By Oldengineer - March 18 - 4:56 am

  My car is the VDP model with navigation. The car is very luxurious both inside and out, yet, handles and runs like a muscle car. On trips, the fuel economy this car gets, despite having 300 HP on tap, is excellent. On the interstate, the car is dead quiet, and, very comfortable on long trips. This is my third Jag, and, by far, the best one yet.

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  The Perfect "Kitty" - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By celcis1 - March 12 - 2:00 am

  I am smiling because I just took delivery of my new cat! I hope I am not disapointed down the road but for now I am HAPPY.

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  Traditional Jaguar - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By John F. S. - March 7 - 10:00 am

  All I expected in a Jaguar. Performance and handling - WOW!!. (I have the 4.0 Engine.) I relly enjoy the stiff suspension but this is not to my wifes liking. I have had this car for 2years and have had no problems. Only requires service every 10,000 miles, included in purchase price. I voluntarilly have had a service at 5& 15 at my own expense.

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  Niiiiice Cat !! - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Ad-man - March 7 - 2:00 am

  This car pleases the driver in every way. From the tight handling to the smooth ride. Interior amenities are superb. (The seats seem pretty firm at first, but they make you love them with a little use) I have a near base 2.5 automatic. First impression is little weak off line until you are serious, then the claws come out! Exterior says JAG in no uncertain terms, and truly grabs attention. Great Car!

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  2004 Jaguar X-Type - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Peter - March 5 - 4:00 pm

  Nicest car I have ever driven, fun to drive (other reviews say underpowered,I say not unless you have to have >200hp to enjoy, and dont mind the coresponding gas guzzling). AWD is excellent, be even better if it was 50/50. Decent mileage, and runs fine on regular gas. Very comfy, except over bumpy roads I drive, stiff like a Subaru Outback, hopefully means suspension will last longer. So far (15K) excellent realiability, Ford engine is way better made than Jags used to be reliability-wise (my 79 X-J6 was a mechanical nightmare). Lastly at $23.3K new for manual/black, it beat Audi price by $10K, cant beat it.

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  A car to Enjoy - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By jagged in rochester - March 5 - 10:00 am

  Have had the car a month. Love it to death...it I could sleep with it I would. The 3.0 liter has buttery smooth acceleration with plenty of passing and get-up-and-go umph. Exterior and interior styling and finish exudes pur class. More room upfront than the audi a4 and more elegant than the Bimmer. AWD (espeicially with Dynamic Stability Control) make like you feel your on rails especially in a torrential downpour...cant wait to try it in winter!!!!

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  Rock Star - 2011 Jaguar XJ
  By 1970L78 - March 3 - 11:30 am

  I must say Jaguar was not on my list of cars to consider. On the insistence of a friend, I begrudgingly agreed to take a quick look. My God is this the purist, most advanced car on the market today! I bought one the next day as I just wanted to review my thoughts. This car is the grandest and liveliest full size sedan the world has yet seen. I drove the Panamera and was almost angry when done. The 750 LI was a heavy driving complicated mess of a design gone wrong (and this car was 1st on my list). I tried so hard to like it. I did not. The Jaguar was breathtaking in both form and function. Everywhere I go, it turns heads. A saw a lady walk into a light pole the other day ogling the car.