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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  My Jaguar - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By Jack Lynn - May 18 - 7:30 am

  This vehicle is well designed and I consider it a luxury car. It responds very favorably during automatic shifting of gears and handling ability. The vehicle is very accessible and provides excellent comfort. It has a very smooth ride.

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  lemon - 2001 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Hipexec - May 17 - 2:00 am

  This is an overrated, overpriced lemon! My Chrysler Concorde LXi has more features, better climate control, more power, bigger trunk. They sold me the car with Pirelli tires that wore out at 20,000 miles! Little things like it has no compass built-in. It doent go in the snow, and the heat of Phoenix causes it to overheat. Where does it go well? I dont know.

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  What a Fabulous Vehicle - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Very satisfied owner - May 17 - 2:00 am

  If there is a more satisfying luxury mid-sized ride in the world, I dont know what it could be. The S-Type Jaguar is the first of many fine autos Ive owned that meets or exceeds all of my lofty expectations. The only negative is that my standards have now become so demanding that I suspect I can never be as happy with any other car. The fit and finish is superb and the styling is the best of any other car in its class. The only equipment improvement would be to create a more compact key remote design (its impossible to attach other keys with the current fob). Be sure to get the Performance Package with adjustable pedals and steering etc.

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  Air Conditioning LED screen flashes - 2006 Jaguar S-Type
  By rogerelliott2 - May 12 - 4:05 am

  This is a 2006 S-type with an usual intermittent problem. Sometimes, the temperate display, a/c. fan, etc. flashes on and off endless. It doesnt seem to effect the a/c but it worries me that it m may be indicating a problem. A similar display message appears sometimes on the dash regarding cruise control. It says: "Cruise control not available." And then cruise doesnt work. It seems to fix itself though and although Im not noticing when, it starts working again. Any thoughts on either issue? I absolutely love this car.

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  Wife Loves It (so do I)! - 2003 Jaguar XK-Series
  By 2ndowner;2ndJag - May 10 - 12:03 am

  Wifes Xmas present 12/05. She said she always wanted one, and she couldnt believe it when it "appeared" in the driveway 2005 Xmas a.m! She drives it everyday. This is "our" 2nd Jaguar; had an 89 XJS coupe (V12) previously - what an improvement since Ford took over. The 03 is wonderful: 4.2 engine is buttery smooth, and not as fragile as former 4.0 of earlier years V8s. I put the XK-R wheels on it with all-season Michelins, and these work much better in winter than the 19s with Pirrelli summer/snows -- we have a lot of rough roads in Michigan. KNOW your mechanic, even if just warranty stuff. Not all dealers have "Jaguar certified" ones do work (some go out on own).

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  Jag-Plunk - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Jag-plunk - May 6 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my X-type for 18 months too long. The only good experience Ive had is that its allowed me to drive other cars while itin the shop. Terrible craftmanship and poor fit and finish make it feel like Im driving a Pinto!

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  Spectacular auto - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By J Hensing - May 4 - 11:00 am

  Finest car Ive owned. Drives with great accuracy despite its size. Power is remarkable with smooth acceleration/shifts. Rides beautifully and yet corners surefootedly. Interior is truly luxurious including the sound system and the back seat AV DVD system.

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  Forget about the manual transmission - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Dissapointed - May 1 - 3:36 pm

  I had a 5 speed 2004 X type, the styling, suspension and handling are Ok. The engine not very economical, but OK, needing 91 octane. My 5 speed gear shifting action was Ok, but the clutch was awful, and after only 20K miles the rear differential was clunking badly. The dealership changed the clutch, and I got to see the old unit - a terrible design. Lots of plastic pieces also broke. Happy to get rid of the car - I now buy Japanese.

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  Big Jag - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Boltman - April 24 - 2:00 am

  Repair cost, when needed, is very expensive. The parts drive the cost of repair up, the labor is usually competitive.

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  XJ8 is hard to beat - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By charlienmr - April 24 - 2:00 am

  Great looks, performance, style, and reliability at a price that is very attractive compared to comparable cars. Base model is very well equiped. Add a few options and the XJ8 competes with anything on the road and nothing looks better.