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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  First Jag owned since E-type - 2014 Jaguar F-Type
  By badcat2 - March 27 - 12:33 am

  Dont let the magazines talk you into spending more $$ for the S or V8 models. This cat has PLENTY OF POWER!!. Took delivery of this special ordered car in 8 weeks from deposit on August 1. Purchased full leather performance heated seats/steering wheel and XM radio. Total cost $72,445 before discount. Awesome machine and sound...better than my Maserati Grand Turismo and most Ferraris. This vehicle is even better looking in person and guarantees exclusivity. Base car is fully equipped with navigation, stereo and super cool led running headlights. Trunk will hold full set of golf clubs!

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  Disappointed, Frustrated & Angry - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Let Down - March 25 - 10:00 am

  I have a 2003 3.0 Automatic. Loved the car at first - the style and sporty drive. Now after only 10,000 mi I have had the transmission replaced 2X! They finally had to admit that they had transmission problems with these cars. I have talked to other X-Type owners and they have experinced the same thing. At first the dealer denied there was a problem until I made a real stink. It still isnt right so they are calling in Jaguar HQ.

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  XKR Coupe - 2005 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Young Mach - March 23 - 4:53 pm

  This has to be the hottest car in the street. This car gives you great confidence every time you drive this fantastic automobile. Put some TVs in the headrest and set of 20-inch chrome giovannis with some yokohama low pro z- rated tires and youre good to go.

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  Love my Jag - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By Armando - March 20 - 4:50 pm

  Handling on winding costal roads on Highway 1 was excellent. The automatic transmission shifted up/down perfectly with a good solid feel for the road. The brakes never faded or grabed. A very comfortable and relaxing ride in town on the free way or on winding twisting roads. Plenty of power from the quiet smooth 6cyl engine.

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  Class of the road - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Nornk - March 18 - 10:00 am

  The 2004 Jag XJ8 looks great,and drives great.It has incredible pick up and speed and handles superbly.You feel like royalty behind the wheel.

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  Muscle car in a Tuxedo - 2006 Jaguar S-Type
  By Oldengineer - March 18 - 4:56 am

  My car is the VDP model with navigation. The car is very luxurious both inside and out, yet, handles and runs like a muscle car. On trips, the fuel economy this car gets, despite having 300 HP on tap, is excellent. On the interstate, the car is dead quiet, and, very comfortable on long trips. This is my third Jag, and, by far, the best one yet.

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  So far so good - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By bigbaby - March 17 - 2:53 pm

  Bought used 2002 X-Type 2.5 for my wife whose 95 XJ6 finally bit the dust. Car has about 1 year left of certified pre-owned Jag warranty and 58K miles. Car is absolutely beautiful inside and out. Not a rocket but is ok to get around town. Took long trip in Texas and performed well, but I found the seats a bit tiresome on long drives. Tranny shifts quickly and smoothly.

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  A lot of little car. - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Jess - March 17 - 12:06 pm

  I have owned this car for 8 months now and I believe I am sold on Jaguar for life. It is such a joy to drive at any speed. You can really feel the road with this car and you have to make a conscious effort to push it to the edges of its performance envelope. I have the sport suspension and manual trans and when I get on a twisty road I really want to wring it out. The car is very quiet with respect to wind and the all wheel drive and traction control systems are top notch. The engine will rev to 7000rpm and has power from about 1500 rpm on up. After owning about 20 cars I cannot praise this car enough if you like performance in your subtile family sedan.

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  The Perfect "Kitty" - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By celcis1 - March 12 - 2:00 am

  I am smiling because I just took delivery of my new cat! I hope I am not disapointed down the road but for now I am HAPPY.

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  Big Mistake - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By ascorvettemike - March 10 - 5:23 pm

  Great looking exterior, but too bad the rest of the car does not measure up. The transmission and stereo are phenomenal. The back seat is useless, and the driving experience is ho-hum. This is a nice car, but at this price-point, I expect much more. The seats are average, the ride is simply okay - not exhilarating. The car handles okay, but is a tad rough, which is surprising given its size. The size is one of the main problems - this car is simply too big for a 2 seater.