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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  Goodbye to my SUV - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Gar - April 22 - 10:00 am

  Ive been driving my new 2.5 X type Jag. for about a week. It is hard to believe you get this much bang for your buck. It was about the same MSRP as my Nissan Pathfinder, which I thought was a great car too, but this is real comfort. The inclusion of scheduled maintainance, road service and a loaner is the cherry on top of the ice cream. It is truly a luxery car and I like it better than my Mercedes

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  Great choice for free - 2001 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Drunkchef - April 14 - 6:06 am

  I had had all real makes, and this one rocks, bought it for $13,000 with 55k on it, replaced the tensioners straight away with metal ones as this is the only issue with this car. Bought an amazing sports car for free basically, cant even get a Kia for this price, highly recommended !!!!

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  2000 Jaguar S-Type - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By Dan - April 9 - 10:30 am

  Smooth body style with smooth driving control and chrome Jaguar rims to add to the great looks.

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  2001 XJ8 - 2001 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By jk8 - April 8 - 10:00 am

  THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST CAR I HAVE EVER PURCHASED! I HAVE 2 CLASSIC JAGUARS & LOVE THE FACT THAT THIS CAR WILL NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE. I HAVE WORKED HARD FOR MY MONEY & AFTER SHOPPING OTHE LUXURY CARS, THIS CAR WON HANDS DOWN!

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  Terrific value - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By wickradio - April 8 - 10:00 am

  Bought 2.5 L new for 22,9K + tax. Thats it. What a deal. This car has lots of spunk and its shifter and steering is as nice as my Miata. Beautiful looks with its British racing green color, loads of fun, and the prestige of Jaguar! Now whenever I drive to and from work I have a smile on my face when I put the key in the ignition. When the students at my school ask I proudly say, "Thats my Jag!"

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  2003 X-Type - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Ron Turkett - April 2 - 2:30 am

  Had differential, prop shaft and window regulator replace along with dash electrical and other smaller items. The dealer had the car for more than one week for the first three months and then not so frequent.

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  Silk Cat / Sharp Claws - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Joe - April 2 - 12:30 am

  After 52,000 miles still an amazing driving experience. Rock sold body structure and build quality. Still turns heads and elicits admiring comments with its timeless design. Engine and powertrain among the best on the planet. Rocket-like acceleration and cat like handling when you want it, civility when you dont. Had a failure of the adaptive HID headlight (left side) out of warranty, but Jag paid 1/2 the bill. Just noticed grease seal leak on right rear suspension. Interior temperature sensor replaced last year to fix malfunctioning A/C. Thats it for repairs. Mid 20s highway mileage very reasonable

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  New Jag Impressive - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Enegster - March 30 - 10:00 am

  Bought a Jag S 4.2 liter as a company car and its an impressive ride. Extremely quick and the transmission is seamless. Bought the car for its great looks, but Im starting to be more impressed by the quiet performance. My personal car is a Porsche Boxster, so now I have two top flight vehicles, each with their own styles. Dont think the Jag could beat the Porsche, but the Jag is no slouch!

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  used is ok too - 2001 Jaguar XK-Series
  By mesamark - March 29 - 7:23 am

  This car has been an excellent vehicle as the second owner. Fuel economy for a V-8 has been very good. The only caution is it is very gas sensitive, meaning lower quality premium fuel will impact performance significantly. Id recommend the car to anyone

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  2 years and still Smiling - 2003 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Mike J. - March 28 - 12:56 am

  I traded in a 2003 XJ8 Sovereign for this 2003 SuperV8. I needed the extended wheelbase and extra rear seat leg room. The Super has a few more bells and whistles including a plusher seat package. The main difference is the supercharger. It really brings the V8 to life. The standard engine has plenty of power, this just puts it over the top. Very comfortable, the SuperV8 has a bit stiffer suspension than the standard models but it is still very smooth. The Alpine sound system is superb.