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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  Its the experience - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By jshrrh - April 1 - 2:22 pm

  Found my low-miles little old man owned black-on-black beauty. Drives like a dream, powerful, luxurious interior and a classic shape that makes a subtle statement that doesnt have to compete with the new swoosh shaped mobiles. The luxury for value of this slightly older car is amazing. Better still is the technology and appointments found in this car. Folks are astounded when I tell them that my 300 ponies in this extravagant car gain me 28+mpg on the highway... No need for an Optima. Jag can, and do it like no other. I compared Mercedes S500 (2005) when shopping and while I admire that car, its low fuel economy, complexity and lack of comparable character swing towards the Jag.

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  A Wonderful Car! - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By SDiegoGuy - April 1 - 10:00 am

  Ive not had one problem with the car.....only LOTS of compliments!

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  Maintenance - 2008 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Al - March 29 - 9:16 pm

  I have owned the car for a little over a year and the air-conditioning went out. We I took it in the said the brake pads had to be replaced. We only have 15,000 miles on the car. The dealer mechanic said we would have to change them every 20,000 miles or less. This does not seem right. Is this a design flaw in the car?

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  Big Cars mean Big Bills - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Phil - March 27 - 4:46 am

  Had it for one year (18,000 - 32,000 miles), solid & responsive car to drive, firm seats stand up to wear from 4th & 5th graders. Unexpected maintenance & problems as follows: 1. Complete failure of battery & remote entry system ($1,800); 2. Worn front tires, replaced all (28,000 miles, $600); 3. Complete brake job (28,000 miles, $800); 4. Car alarm goes off unprovoked at least twice weekly, still uncorrected; 5. Radio jumps to different band on its own; 6. Had minor wrinkle in front fender over wheel, didnt break the paint, est. to repair was $3,000 (aluminum unibody, I think), I had dent guy fix it for $200, looks ok.

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  The best Ive ever had. - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Terry Ruscoe - March 26 - 2:00 am

  The design features make a truly better mousetrap. One word can sum it up: awsome!

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  Awsome speed with class - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Mike F - March 19 - 2:00 am

  This is no plastic interior corvette or cheap plastic viper. Interior is wood with leather, very classy, with 390 horsepower it beats anything on the road less than $100,000 (except the 500 hp viper) Great bargain for great speed and class

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  XKR Better than the new SL500 - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Sheila Morgan - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I have purchased both cars. I like the XKR better for two reason. Its much roomier, and it is much more stylish in my opion I guess you can sum it up by the word "class"

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  03 S-Type R Dream Car - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By TD2 - March 19 - 2:00 am

  This car must be the best combination of performance and luxury in a mid-size 4 door car. Despite the price tag and poor fuel economy, Jaguar helps out by covering major maintenance for the first 50k miles. By the way, city driving is a pleasure. Just dont plan on using this car for long distance family trips. My recommedation, is use your other car presuming it is an SUV. While youre at it, buy your favorite oil stocks since youll be keeping a floor under the price of gasoline...

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  Baby Jag Thrill to Drive - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By eburford - March 19 - 2:00 am

  This JAG 3.0L is a thrill to drive. AWD provides safety, and the 3.0L automatic provides more than enough power. While driving at VERY high speed, everyone in the car feels very SAFE. Id recommend the 3.0L, not the 2.5L. Stick with the auto transmission and enjoy the J-gate automatic to control the gears, particularly when slowing down for freeway offramps. I love this car.

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  AWD is just not for winter - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By WinterDriver - March 17 - 8:36 pm

  Great vehicle for both winter and summer. There are several small nuisance problems, but no major issues. The dashboard defrost vents, cracking leatherette (handbrake and 5- speed shifter cover) are a few issues that have been rectified under warranty. The interior is tight, consistent with Jaguar lineage. The sports seats are the best of their kind, and will hold you in better than glue. To that effect, they are not for the obese or overweight. Well balanced handling, a bit of a long clutch for the 5-speed manual, but a very fun car to drive, and a definite improvement over my last Mercedes. Great price, too.