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 Cat - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Goins - October 23 - 3:46 am

  This is my third XK and by far the best. It is a class act and nothing on the road distracts you from the looks.

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  Great Automobile! - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By mjmcdaniel - October 22 - 4:36 am

  I am thinking of buying a new car, however, I hate to give this one up! It has been one of the best cars that I have ever owned. I have had absolutely no trouble with it at all. I have kept it serviced and have never had to have any repair work done.

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  Awesome Car Awesome Service - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By jjmccain - October 15 - 2:00 am

  As a previous Audi A4 and BMW 323i owner, I know great entry level luxury sedans. Service is the differentiating factor here. BMW service is the most awful, painful experience ever! Audi is great, but the old A4 was too tight inside. The X-type gives you performance and a service/dealership experience far superior to BMW or Audi. To the car - great car inside and out for an unbelievable price. We got the factory lease deal and had a no haggle price. Wood dash, great leather, and all-wheel drive makes this car hard to beat.

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  Great Car - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By JagLovR - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Use this car as both a weekend car and my driver takes me to work in it during the week. Great features, lovely woodwork. SUPER FAST SuperV8! SATNav EASY TO USE! Comftorable Ride! After owning XKRs I know Jags to be well built machines. I have no doubt my SuperV8 will be!

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  Really Happy - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By gatorbait - October 10 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car for my wife. She and I both love and I am now looking into buying a second X-Type for myself.

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  Excellent - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Par - October 5 - 10:00 am

  Outstanding car. Bought two cars at the same time - BMW-xi and Jaguar X-type and like Jaguar more. Design - excellent, fuel economy - 30 ml/gl at 65 ml/h, comfort - excellent. Price - got 6000 discount from MSRP. Reliability - do not know yet.

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  Value for the Money - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Roy Fazio - October 3 - 2:20 am

  When shopping, compared my X-Type to Audi, MC C Class and BMI and after options were piled (leather, CD,etc.,) the other vehicles were $5K more. This car comes loaded. Car handles great and is fun to drive. Solidly built. Had a few minor trim problems when i first bought the car (vents loose and visor mirrors), but dealership swiftly too care of problems. Car is great in snow too.

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  Singing in the Rain with my Top down! - 2003 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Simone - September 22 - 2:00 am

  This car has changed my life,liturally! I no longer stress in traffic jams, I have the convertible top up or down with ONE touch of a button,I feel safe and it almost drives itself. Their are features to let you know how far you are behind and in front of and obstacle with a ring of a ascending bell. My trunk is HUGE, holds 2 sets of golf clubs and ALL the Holiday Shopping I can do in one day! I look forward to going to the store a quick errand. When I drive I am wrapped in Performance and Luxury.

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  owned it - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By ge1024 - September 22 - 2:00 am

  4.0 liter is best, handling and ride super, careful driving and the mileage was 23! Very reliable, great breaks

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  3 time owner - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Vivian Whitehead - September 22 - 2:00 am

  This is our third Jaq. and it is by far the best.