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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  Jaguar Fever - 2003 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Dr. Henry - August 7 - 10:00 am

  I bought my XJ Sport Jaguar new from a dealer in LA in the year 2003. I love this car. Yes, a bit expensive-yet extroardinarily satisfying. No other car in the market today beats the exterior styleing. Mine lacks the 370/now390 hp supercharged engine, however the stock 290/300hp 4.0L V8 is, to me, quick enough. My son drives my car on a pretty frequent basis and I worry about him out on the road w/ 390supercharged hp to his disposal (although i suspect that his new WRX may be a bit quicker). GREAT CAR! go buy one of the new ones!

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  Lots of fun... Sometimes - 2016 Jaguar F-Type
  By Austin - August 1 - 6:37 am

  I got the manual transmission and like the early reviews, the clutch slips... BAD. Getting on the freeway and accelerating with a shift into third? Clutch slips, all the way to redline. And itll do it all day if you let it. Shift above 5000 rpms? Ditto. Heres where it gets even better. Jaguar says take it to the dealer Dealer says its normal. Drive slower, dont shift so fast! Well let you know if Jaguar come out with a fix. Turns out, Jaguar updated the clutch and flywheel part numbers. What for, if nothing is wrong? One owner even had his clutch explode. But Jaguars covering it up. The rep even acknowledged the problem in the piston heads review. Nobody will do anything!!! $72 grand gets you the clutch that belongs on a Corolla. Everything else, yeah its fun. Look great well built, sounds amazing. But who cares if you have to baby it? Its a joke. I wish the auto news sites would help me get through to Jag but nothing yet. Just the same runaround from their customer non-service liars and robots.

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  Pleasantly Surprised - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By Michael Reis - July 28 - 9:10 am

  This is my first Jag replacing my 5th Mercedes, the last being a very reliable 91 300E. So far the build quality of this 2002 S-Type Jag and the V8 gas mileage is surprisingly good. Hope the reliability/durability hold up per current JD Power ratings. BTW, I just changed the rear mufflers and now the V8 snarls nicely.

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  excellent Jag - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By AJ daoud - July 15 - 2:00 am

  great car fun toi drive, priced right, good looker, can use bit more interior room

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  dwrm jaguar 06 - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By dw221a - July 14 - 8:16 pm

  excellent. no problems to report classic looks fun to drive missing almost nothing in terms of options or feature that you might want

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  First time Jag owner - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Carlos C. Cardenas - July 8 - 9:13 pm

  The car style and curves sold me for a high quality 4 door sports car. I quickly experienced sluggish transmission issues. Then I started having interior electrical issues that started with the heated seats then cig. lighter now the moonroof is malfunctioning. I have kept an optimistic view that these were just minor issues. I still have a jerky and slow responding transmission after several visits to the dealership over a years time. I have to say that I like the responsiveness on the highway and the ride is comfortable.

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  Good value but has drawbacks - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By S. Chapman - July 8 - 9:46 am

  Bought this car as it had excellent value for resale and was AWD - others tested were the Audi A4 & Volvo S60 - the Jag just seemed like a better value for $$$ - the 3L V6 engine delivers smooth cruising power but has enough pickup punch to pass slower trucks/traffic on the highway. The AWD is great in poor weather and snow (make sure you check to see if its equipped with Traction control - mine was not and feels somewhat like a RWD car in heavy snow - light tail end). Also the name brand: Jaguar - it has a lengthy pedigree and the car is not very common on the road - unlike other executive BMWs & Audis - which seem to be everywhere.

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  Jaguar X-Type 3.0 - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By wingr - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Nice car. Accelerates well. Handles great with all wheel drive. Ride is a little stiff and generally smooth but you can feel any road irregularities like a sport car suspension. Interior is nice and comfortable. Back seat is a little tight. Base stereo sounds good.

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  Its a good car; dont listen to haters - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By dhard - May 25 - 8:10 pm

  I have owned this 2.5 sport since late 2002 and have loved it. Ok, it isnt the fastest car on the planet bu the 5 speed manual makes driving the 2.5 liter a heck of a lot of fun. The ESC is a must-have and keeps this AWD car in control in all conditions including the icy conditions here in the carolinas suring winter. Lets be honest here....this car has had some issues but I must say that the local dealer has made service a real pleasure. They offer free loaner cars with all service (including the scheduled maintenance which includes oil changes). I am looking forward to purchasing the new 3.0 2005 sport model. Do not listen to the haters...this car is fantastic!

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  Its a good car; dont listen to haters - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By dhard - May 25 - 8:10 pm

  I have owned this 2.5 sport since late 2002 and have loved it. Ok, it isnt the fastest car on the planet bu the 5 speed manual makes driving the 2.5 liter a heck of a lot of fun. The ESC is a must-have and keeps this AWD car in control in all conditions including the icy conditions here in the carolinas during winter. Lets be honest here....this car has had some issues but I must say that the local dealer has made service a real pleasure. They offer free loaner cars with all service (including the scheduled maintenance which includes oil changes). I am looking forward to purchasing the new 3.0 2005 sport model. Do not listen to the haters...this car is fantastic!