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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  BEST CAR ON EARTH! - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By ROCKY BOY - June 23 - 2:00 am

  rocks! VERY GOOD CAR!I HAVE A BMW 525 AND MERCEDES E 240.....THERE ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO MY NEW JAGUAR X TYPE

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  Extremely stable - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By jkw - June 23 - 2:00 am

  I wanted an AWD car because my old rear- wheel-drive Lexus always skidded in unplowed snow. I ordered the optional Dynamic Stability Control System, and I couldnt be happier. The car handles beautifully. It is extremely stable and "under control", especially at high speeds. A pleasure to drive, especially with the Sport Pkg.

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  WOW - 2011 Jaguar XJ
  By Kirkari - June 21 - 9:56 pm

  I had a BMW 650 and wanted to get a larger car as my kids did not fit in the back any longer. So the natural choice was the 750Li. As I was negotiating with my dealer, I noticed with my preferred options, the pricing put the car over $102K. I stopped and thought I should shop around for other comparable cars such as the S550 and the Panamera S. Luckily the Jag XJL Supercharge caught my attention on edmunds.com. After test driving the Jag, I thought to myself, OMG, what a beast! I instantly fell in love with the workmanship and the power. First thing I thought, I’m going to be faster than the other 3 cars and save over $10K on the pricing. Goodbye BMW!

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  It is a Jaguar Again - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Craig Harmon - June 17 - 12:26 pm

  Mine is a Slate Grey coupe. I bought my first Jag in 1980, so went through the change from exotic car to Ford-in-drag. All that has changed. The XK Coupe is a Jaguar again. If you have seen it, you know what I mean. If you drive it, you will agree. Smooth power, stiff and agile. Comfortable at cruising speed. I like to use the paddle shifters and hear the exhaust note reverberate in my parking deck at work.

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  The Vanden Plas - 2002 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Cars4me89 - June 16 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle is my number one choice, I test drove all the others in this vehicle class,(the S-class, the 7 series and the Deville), nothing else compares to this beautiful masterpiece.

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  More Than Expected - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By squadronleader - June 16 - 10:00 am

  I bought the X-Type because I wanted a manual transmission and all wheel drive (the options Edmunds gives for the reviews didnt include the manual box).I drove the X-Type, BMW and the Audi. The X-Type, even with the Sport package rode better and handled as well if not better. The acceleration is equal to that of the other 2 cars. The overal comfort is better as is the interior room (particularly the back seat once you settle in) and trunk space (it is much larger).

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  shaguar - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By becks - June 12 - 10:00 am

  Sexiest car I will ever own, drives like a dream! I would recommend this car to anyone. Driven German cars for a few years now and I will never look back, I fancy an XJR one day!

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  xjr 2004 - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By graeme - June 12 - 10:00 am

  Perfection, need say nothing else

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  the most horrable nightmare - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By hoser1 - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I LOVE the design of this car and I LOVE to drive it...when it is not in for repair...I drive a rental more than my own car because it is always in the shop...for weeks at a time. the dealer ship couldnt figure out why it would always miss between 40-60 mph so they charged me over and over to "fix" different things...finaly the check engine light gave them a code which indicated the coils of which there are 12 they have been failing one at a time and each time I am back, last time I didnt get 10 miles from the shop. I am now driving another rental!!!!!!

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  New Cat in the Family - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Kraut - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I have found the X-Type a joy to drive, being surprised with its acceleration and handling. After switching between my Vette and the Jag., the usually reorientation between vehicles has narrowed considerably. Wisconsin winters no longer are the challenge they were in the past. Styling is a plus. Its is super ego boost to have the number of people who stop to look her over at the malls, stations, etc. Very pleased with the purchase of my little cat.