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 my Jag - 2006 Jaguar XK-Series
  By john webb - June 6 - 12:46 pm

  I looked at other mfgs like Benz and BMW. They just started looking alike. The Interior of the jag makes a statement and the body style stands out. Very large trunk space major plus over others and the backseat is very useful. It makes it easy to store items quickly. Back seat is a quick place to put items. The backseat was one of the feature that sold me.

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  Excellent ride surprisingly sporty - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Wendy - June 3 - 12:53 am

  Excellent ride, strong V8 and smooth transmission. More engine noise at high speed than S-class. Interior design and comfort is superb.

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  A great car - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By John1403 - May 31 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for four months and love it. Performance is wonderful, and, having had a 2000 4.0 S-Type, I have never seen a car so improved. In addition, I love the fact that the car looks fantastic; it does not look fast, yet you can smoke nearly any other car on the road.

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  "Its a class act !" - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By ricky123 - May 29 - 5:33 pm

  Smooth and very quiet transmission, nimble and sporty pickup, and the leaping cat on the bonnet looks gorgeous !

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  Luxury & styling #1, reliability OK - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Alan B - May 28 - 2:06 pm

  Drives great, very luxurious experience, especially on the inside. Wifes favorite car. But understand you are buying the beauty and ride, not reliability or longevity. After 24 months had 3 recall/warranty items - didnt cost us a thing and Jag service was great! Nevertheless never had those issues with my BMWs, MBs, or even my Escalade. A fourth item, we paid $700 for rear brake pads/disks due to defective electronic parking brake no releasing fully (not covered). All this in 24 mo. If you love the car, recommend short lease 24-36 mo so you get it new. If youre buying for the long term/holding onto, Id recd something else. But, well still get another one!

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  25t I love you - 2018 Jaguar F-Pace
  By Greg - May 27 - 12:22 pm

  The 4 cyl Turbo Gas engine is an amazing performer.....JLR are on-point.

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  Best XJ Yet! - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Lloyd - May 27 - 9:40 am

  We have owned XJ Jaguars since early 80s. We loved the exterior style; were non plussed about the performance; but, suffered the interior dimensions. At 6 4" in height it was a challenge to fit myself into the drivers seat (not to mention two equally tall sons in the rear seats). Now almost everything has changed. This model is an extraordinary improvement. The interior is very spacious. More head room than even my height can use. A back seat that provides two 6 2" gentleman with more than ample leg, shoulder and head room. Incredible handling and driving performance. It is fast, silent and smooth. All the while, it has retained the Jaguar elegance which we have always appreciated.

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  Performance, Luxury and Smiles! - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By PHILBERRINGER - May 23 - 1:03 pm

  In January 2005, I purchased a new fully loaded S-type R to go with my 2003 XKR convertible. I added to both cars a custom Mina chromed high performance exhaust, AEM cool air intake and a smaller supercharger pully. This increased the H.P to over 450 and the total cost was less than $1200.00. Custom made sheep skins were added for extra ride comfort and what a truly great high performance, luxury experience these cars are to drive. My wife and I can hardly wait to drive these cars and when we go out together, we flip a coin to see who gets to drive. Other than regular oil changes and recommended Jaguar maintenance, neither car has ever had one thing wrong with it. We will always buy Jaguars.

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  Edmunds is WAY OFF! - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By coolycat - May 22 - 2:00 am

  The car drives like a dream...Edmunds puts it down like a hot potato and I cant understand why...they seem to be in love with BMW 3s (which I used to drive) and cant get over them (geez)...anyways...drive one yourself...if you dig driving the streets like a rocket, then go for the BMW...if you like a sporty, great handling, powerful, classy, CAR (ie., ages from 30-65), then drive the Jaguar...

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  Excellent - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Blake - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I traded in my 2001 Lincoln LS for this Jag. Overall Iam very happy with it. The Jag dealership cannot compare to the excellent customer service to the Lincoln one though. My impression was that they are kinda snobby, and they looked at me kinda funny as I assume they dont think a 25 year old can afford a jag. 2 hours later I drove off the lot with one.