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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  Fun car - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Jaybob - July 31 - 10:00 am

  Have had many Cadillacs but did not know the driving pleasure I was missing until buying the Jag. v8 S-Type! Rear wheel drive makes cornering so much better. I have owned many cars and this is the most fun to drive Ive had in years. Power to spare!

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  xj8 greatest car - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By geowel - July 31 - 10:00 am

  the car is perfect in every way!

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  jaguarcutie - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Sharon Roop - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I love the way it hugs the road. I like the body style. I get great gas mileage. The only thing I would change is the color,I have black,I would have choosen white.with a 3.0 engine.

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  Recalls - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By David Peikin - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I have had 3 recalls at 13,000 miles 1. Replace fuel injectors 2 Replace read brake pads 3. Rough upshifting

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  JAGUAR X TYPE - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By lance alspaugh - July 31 - 10:00 am

  glorified Ford Tauras. We were trapped by the Jaguar Promotional Media blitz when this vehicle entered the market. While it seems to be well built, quality of desirable extras (needs a decent stereo) very little leg room and extremely small back seat. You get what you pay for in this case. Great on the freeway, however this does not make up for its shortcomings nor can we recommend the vehicle.

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  Happy customer - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By uclatico - July 25 - 10:00 am

  The car has pick-up and speed that match its styling. I love the car. I love how, unlike most other cars in this category, it doesnt look like a MB clone.

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  S-Type V8 with Sport Suspension - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Loose Cannon Liberal - July 25 - 7:00 am

  This is my 3rd S-Type, minor issues with first two, tranny whooping noise which dealer fixed. Excellent car for long drives, avg 28-30 MPG at 75 MPH. The 18" wheels and Conti Sport Grips are awesome on this V8, the ongoing improvements to the car are very noticeable. For the money, a certified Jag is a much, much better buy than a Benz, Beemer and Audi, and with the V8 Jag, there is literally no maintenance other than oil changes. Brakes every 30-40K, I use a shop that works on BMW, Benz, Audi and Jags, they say the long term maintenance on BMW is worst followed by Benz, Audi and the newer Jags. I have been driving CPOs for almost 6 years and love them, my next one will be the XJR.

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  2006 X-Type personal car - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By J.MAY - July 22 - 7:20 am

  The ride and quiet of the car is excellent. It is the perfect size for me and my family.

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  six months ownership - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By N.B. - July 19 - 10:00 am

  Excellent service from salesman. However, recieved car with 50lbs pressure in each tire (did not discover until after 3 weeks).Should be 32lbs in each tire. Gas Mileage is rated 22/28. However, have not yet done better than 22 miles/gallon (car has 5-speed stick). Vehicle handles very well; is fun to drive, especially on highway with curves. Holds road extremely well. Manual suggests oil change every 10000 miles but was advised to do so at5000 (at my expense).

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  all I expected, and more - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By wallace robbins - July 19 - 10:00 am

  looks the best, plenty of power, test drove many other imports (mercedes, volvo, bmw, lexus, acura.) this was the best.