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:

• 

  The New Jags Rock ! - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By PRI - July 10 - 7:33 am

  This is my second Jag. The first being a new 1974 E-Type "back in the day". My 4.2 S-Type is fantastic... everything they promised it to be. A real "head turner". Adjustable everything, great handling and style, better than advertised gas mileage (19/30). I drive more now (just to get it on the road for that Jaguar experience!).

• 

  very impressed - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By clipper - July 9 - 2:00 am

  I bought the 2.5 x type in september 2001. Probably should of bought the 3.0 liter, oh well. Power is sufficient, alpine upgrade a must for music lovers. Great car, so far no problems 19,564 miles, great service at any dealership. I drove the A4, 325, c class mercedes and the decision was easy

• 

  Its far better than I suspected - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Rich - July 2 - 11:50 pm

  I just passed the 60,000 mile mark on my 02 X-Type 3.0 with five-speed manual. The car has about all the options, including GPS NAV and the CD changer. I recently had one maintenance problem with the car and that was the coolant thermostat intermittably stuck at about 58,000 miles. It fully convered on Jags Special Edition warranty. No charge to me. Other than that, the cars been trouble free.

• 

  Great Car To Own - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By VitoD13 - June 25 - 1:16 am

  I got this car, did my homework on it and it was well worth the purchase. I had to put some bucks in it because I purchased used private, but overall the car is awesome - I love it. Fun to drive and having Caddys and BMWs and Benz, I really think this car holds up to them and I feel better driving it because the look is nice, the style stands out.

• 

  XK8 - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By abbefaria - June 22 - 10:00 am

  I never thought I would want a performance vehicle, but I am in Love! Its like riging on my own private high-powered cloud. Plenty of power, very reliable, and the perfect body design bar none.

• 

  Jaquar S - Great Car - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By robboulder - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This is an exquisite car. Love the handling -- and the reliability is great.

• 

  Love this car!! - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Aaron - June 16 - 9:33 am

  Just purchased an S-type 4.2 after trading in my Mercedes E320. Wow what a difference. This car will blow anything away with its 300 hp. I noticed after having the car for just a couple of days that they brakes were squeaking. The dealership ended up replaceing the brakes in the front for FREE. Something that is not even covered in warranty, so needless to say, we are happy. I love my British Racing Green Jag!!!

• 

  cal - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By cal195 - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Great handling car, lots of fun to drive. Could use a little more power, but good for a V6.

• 

  Great Choice - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By kevsjag - June 14 - 10:00 am

  just traded in my 1999 saab 9-3 convertible for my X-type great choice love it. If your thinking of a car in this class Drive the x-type then you will be a happy owner like me

• 

  Love My JAG - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By Slep - June 11 - 10:00 am

  This is my second S-Type. Had a 2001 and opted to end that lease early and get a new 2004. The styling of the car is the nicest on the road and the improvement of the 04 over the 01 are amazing. I loved the 01 but my wife didnt want to end the lease early to get into the 04....and then she drove it..and wow...we have trouble keeping it under 70 on the open road..handling wonderfully.....love the new dash/console over the 01 model