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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  stay away - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Patrick Garrigan - May 20 - 10:33 pm

  List convertible top - cables replaced rear motor Windows replaced. 10 days in shop navigation system not functioning 4 days upload hardware electrical issues, constantly, battery replaced 2 times. Beautiful disaster. I am at home and have to wait two days until the car can be towed back. If the car was not under warranty I would hate to see what the costs are. Wow. Never again.

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  Ok for a first luxury car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Jason - May 4 - 7:30 pm

  I was 25 when I bought my X-type, my first "luxury" car after I finished grad school. The car is not perfect as it has been in the shop several times and Ive spent about $2000 on little annoyances in just a few months, but I feel safe and its no lemon. Be sure to find a reputable repairman quick! The car is BEAUTIFUL to look at and after a year of ownership I still turn back and look at it. The interior is also nice but the seats are a little flat. Gas mileage is OK and my 3.0 in sport mode picks up pretty well. In sum if youre looking for a true luxury car you may want to look elsewhere but if youre young and looking for a eye-catching ride you cant go wrong with the X-type 3.0.

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  Great Car but not from Cherry Hill NJ - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By BoroBulldogs - May 1 - 10:00 am

  My Jaguar 2004 x-type has been a reliable vehicle as far as the powertrain is concerned. It is a great performing car that handles turns with tremendous agility. However, there is a defect with the interior design- specifically the interior peeling from around the windshield and back window. This is documented in many places on the internet. Please check the interior edges in these locations before making your purchase and be wary of what dealership you choose to deal with. When our original dealership closed in Mays Landing NJ we were forced to do business with Cherry Hill Classic Cars in NJ, which I strongly advise you to STEER CLEAR of as they turned the deaf ear on this defect!

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  Love/hate relationship - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By Craig Mount - April 15 - 3:16 pm

  I and everyone else who rides in the car love the styling, inside and out. It is very comfortable and cruises great on any highway - smooth, fast, quiet, and 30+ mpg. My spouse really loves it in every way. But I pay the maintenance and repairs!! And at 30000 miles it has had a lot of repairs - radio (several times), transmission, heater valve, upper radiator hose, trunk, front wheel well, etc. We have 5 vehicles and drive a lot of miles a year 85,000+. I love to drive this car - it is my favorite, but the repairs are very disappointing.

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  Great Car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By dwbarry - March 30 - 3:56 am

  I bought my X-Type new in 2004 and still have it. After over 90K miles there are only two problems - the interior cloth material falling away from the front and read roof posts (like several others have mentioned) and the headlight assembly breaking due to what I guess is the front end stiffness. My dealer in New Orleans has been terrific and fixed the interior cloth issue for free. The headlight repair estimate was quit expensive so Ive opted to operate the car with less than perfectly aligned headlights. Overall the car has been one the best cars Ive owned in 41 years of driving.

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  Looks great but needs minor improvements - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By jd7425 - March 27 - 10:00 am

  Looks and drives great, handles well on the road and is quite comfortable on long trips. Havent experienced any major mechanical malfunctions, only gripe I have is that the car needs better quality parts on the smaller items. For instance, the gas cover needs a metal latch versus the plastic one it has (broke once already). The window mechanisms tend to breakdown quite often (3 times) causing the window to drop down into the door and in Yuma, AZ during the summer its not a great experience with over 100 degree temps during the day. The stereo amp was replaced due to a loud humming noise even when the stereo was turned off.

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  Fun car but uncomfortable - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Junaid - March 15 - 2:00 am

  Good for the price. Good nav.

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  Not the stereo-type Jaguar - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Jeff - February 19 - 1:50 pm

  I have a 2.5 X-type with 5-speed which I purchased new and its now about 5 year old. This car has had one warranty issue in 5 years and otherwise it has been perfect. Handling is great although you must be willing to let the car lean into a curve on back roads. AWD has been great for trips to Vermont. I will definitely buy another Jaguar. The old stereotype of quality is way over. This is a very good entry luxury car for the money and its not just as common as dirt like so many other makes either German or Japanese.

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  Triumph of engineering. - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Gruderian - January 28 - 7:30 am

  Designed for those who have enough experience with cars to appreciate all that it offers. Holds the road like glue. Power is more than enough for todays driving. Very comfortable for 2 people. City gas mileage is around 12 to 13 mpg. Highway 21 to 22 mpg. at around 90 mph with a lot of downshifting to pass. No problems of any kind so far. Feels like what it is, a luxury sports sedan, no matter where you drive it. Sound system is as good as I have heard in any car, regardless of price if you set it up right. This car is for the young at heart who like to experience excitement when they drive. One test drive will validate what I just said. Top value for the money. Highly recommended.

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  Another Jaguar - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By JonMI - January 25 - 2:00 am

  I replaced my 2001 S-Type 4.0 with the XJ8. When I drove it I couldnt believe the differences from the past XJs or even the S-Type. It is fast, smooth and handles incredibly well. In fact, believe it or not, you might even say it is too powerful. If its even a remote thought of a car choice, go drive it and see what you think. The only negatives rest with the brakes being too sensitive and a couple of rattles. It certainly doesnt have the style differentiation of the S-Type, but its a car I will be pleased to drive for three years.