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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  Balance of Performance and Luxury - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By fenn - January 10 - 4:53 pm

  A sumptuous luxury car that goes from 0- 60 in five seconds! Feels luxurious, but it also feels quick and lively, due to the light weight chassis and body. A nice blend of attributes. The XJR seems like a wolf in sheeps clothing. Feels really quick and sporty when compared to other cars in this price range. A similarly equipped A8, LS430, S Class, and BMW 750 will price out at a similar 75-80k price range to the performance version Jaguar XJR, and they seem much less lively,

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  The Cats Meow - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By John - January 8 - 12:20 pm

  This car has standard suspension and has excellent handling and braking. The interior layout is just fair. It lacks thoughtful displays a dedicated driver needs; eg, the information panels are tiny, LCD panels that cannot be read when wearing polarized lenses. The old J-gate transmission shifter needs updating. The auto on/off lights and wipers are terrific. The seats are extremely comfortable, even in back, where the seats can fold down. Unfortunately the trunk is so designed as to limit access of some larger boxes.

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  No Other Car Like It - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By George - January 5 - 4:40 pm

  This car has no equal. Drive one for a while and youll see what I mean. Power is adequate, handling on wet roads is simply unbelievable. Ive had 3 BMWs and the X-Type easily, very easily, and Ill say effortlessly, could run off and leave them on a winding road--wet or dry. On the straight interstate above 115 mph handling is about the same as the BMWs Ive had, maybe a little better but nothing outstanding. Interior is nice with the VDP package. Interior doors handles are hard to pull to open the door and that is common to all X-Types. Bad design using a cable. Have to remove a lot of stuff to change plugs on the rear cylinder bank. BMW is a lot easier.

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  What a car - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By Bill Weigold - January 5 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for about 6 weeks and if your looking for something different, then this is the car. Ive been driving a Toyota Avalon and was looking to upgrade. But although the styles of the various cars were different from the outside, once I sat in them, it was just another Avalon - and the Avalon was a great car. This really moves down the highway and you need to be careful because at 80, you feel as if your no moving as the ride is so smooth. Its great on turns as if it was hugging the road and although I didnt rate the gas mileage very high, Ive been getting around 21 to 22 miles per gallon. Its a great car if you want to be noticed.

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  what a car!! - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By ilsa - January 5 - 10:00 am

  The jaguar x type is a fantastic auto!! Deserves a look if you are looking for a luxury mid sized car. Best deals seem to be buying one after it has been leased for a year or less, with 10000 or less miles. Handles the wisconsin snow like no car I have ever driven. We are x type owners for life!! Handles extremely well in any conditions and has power to spare. The sport seats really hug your rear end and not that its too uncomfortable but you do have to get used to it.

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  An amazing car particularly at the price - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Jurgen - January 5 - 10:00 am

  I drove nearly every car under $40,000 that had AWD before getting a 2.5L w/ manual. (Merc C class, BMW 325 / 330 xis, Mitsu Evo VIII, Volvo S40-FWD, then AWD, and Infiniti G35x). X-type had the most exciting and classic exterior and interior styling, the most standard equipment, and IMO the best compromise of comfort/handling (handles Boston potholes admirably) among these choices, while offering in the manual xmissions the most fun driving experimence. Only exceeded by Volvo in

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  Entry level jag - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By 167wood - January 5 - 10:00 am

  Great car. surprisingly good in snow and rain. i did slide off the road once in ice, but that was probably because i was a bit overconfident.

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  Fantastic handling - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Chris - January 1 - 8:13 am

  I was seriously looking at the Aston Martin V8, because of its better looks, but after a test drive it was clear: the XKR is by far a better car. It handles great and shifting gear is much prettier.

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  who has a lemon - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By oh well - December 31 - 3:06 pm

  I was looking for schematics of the front diff. (pumpkin) and came to Edmunds and found this review of a lady totally dissatisfied with her x- type. I am sorry but I purchased a 04 with 40,000 miles for my wife and the car has been exceptional. Nothing but normal stuff...rear brakes. this lady who says it has been nothing but trouble must have received a Monday/Friday car and am truly sorry she cannot enjoy the luxury of a Jaguar. This is what Ford intended...to have a luxury car be affordable to the middle class. I am a GM fan, oh well cant win them all.

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  Kudos to X-Type - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By b. dandar - December 22 - 8:53 pm

  Before buying the X-Type I used to drive an XJ8. Although I love the style and ride of the XJ8, I always felt that the XJ8 was too much car for me (I am 5 tall and petite). The X-Type is a glove fit for me and I am so pleased that I made the change. My husband who has an XR series, was firmly against the X-Type predicting a litany of problems, etc. Happily, I have had no problems. The X-Type is sporty and stylish with many of the interior features of the XJ8. The trunk space is much larger than in the XJ8 and the rear seats fold down with minimal effort if more space is needed. I feel so connected with my car and Ill be in the market again within the next two years for another X-Type!