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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  X-Type Dissapointment - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Spruceforest - November 19 - 10:00 am

  Good Points: Engine very responsive, great sound system, good visability, excellent handling. Bad Points: Many rattles and squeeks, very loud road and wind noise, breaks are also loud. Overall quality is poor, especially for a car costing over $40k. This was an impulse purchase. I did a lot of research and I was intending on buying an Audi A4 or A6. I regret my decision every day I drive to work.

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  A Hopeless Lemon - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By boughtalemon - September 20 - 10:00 am

  A pretty car which is completely unreliable. Jaguar has replaced my fuel tank, my trunk lock 3 times, my navigation system twice, my integrated phone 4 times. The phone still doest work right, and they say it is not fixable. My childproof window locks are unreliable and fail nearly everyday. My headlights have failed. On the plus side, I think the blue color is pretty. A total disaster!!!!!

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  2004 XType - Very Disappointing - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Bob - July 2 - 4:53 pm

  I have the 2004 X Type for a year and a half now and cant wait for the lease to be up. Both key remotes have broken at different times. Both headlights have gone out at different times. The wipers stopped working and had to be serviced with a new motor. The car now started emmitting a whining noise from the rear and now has to go back. The seats are very small and uncomfortable. The heated seats and rear defroster shut off at 15 minte intervals which is annoying. Horrible sounding stereo. Cup holders are made it appears for cups of British tea rather than water bottles. Rear seat is cramped. Great AWD in snow. Ample HP with 3.0 engine but nothing exciting. Hood ornament is best feature!

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  LEMON - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By LemonJag - March 25 - 9:40 am

  Leased this vehicle hoping that Jaguar has improved the build quality with the assurance that I would be able to give the car back in 3 years if I was unsatisfied. Unfortunately... or Fortunately... mine was a lemon! Returning the Vehicle after only 6 months!!!

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  Dont believe the hype - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By petersouth - March 13 - 2:00 am

  Purchased for girlfriend. Test drove the Audi A6, Lexus GS300, Acura RL, and Q45. She had to have the Jag for the status I guess. I was very disgusted in her decision. You get very little vehicle for the price you pay. Paid for the "Premium" stereo, sound quality is marginal at best. Single cupholder? Completely unacceptable for a 50,000 vehicle. Seats are not that comfortable. Sloppy transmission. Very poor resale and , I dont care what other reviewers have said, there are too many cheap looking interior bits. When comparing this car side by side with the above mentioned, it is VERY difficult to understand the logic in the purchase. Must be the cat on the hood.

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  lemon - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By lemon - February 18 - 2:00 am

  The car was in the shop for 10 mechanical defects, trans, compressor, drive shaft, power steering rack, steering column. Vent grids came off, headlight washers came off. The dealer tells me they are swamped with this car for repairs. It was bought back by Jag. BEWARE!!!!!

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  X-Type - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By johnremax - January 21 - 10:00 am

  ITS IN THE SHOP MORE THAT ON THE ROAD. THE FINISHING WORK IS BELOW GRADE, I CAN GET BETTER WORKMANSHIP IN A HONDA. I EXPECTED BETTER FROM JAGUAR.....

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  Similar Cats -Sable/Jaguar - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Confused Cats - January 7 - 2:00 am

  When I first saw this car I thought it was unique and inexpensive (a $349/mo lease) so really anybody can afford it. The reality is that it is not unique and looks just like the Ford Sable. I am not surprised since Ford does own Jaguar. The reliability is questionable since we all know both Ford and Jaguar do not have the best records. In summary the reality is this car is a Sable in Jaguar clothing! Remember, you get what you pay for.

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  A typical Ford - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Todd R. - June 10 - 10:00 am

  I am so unhappy with this car. It has had so many problems, I hate the fact of even getting in the car. The transmission went at 9,000 miles, the car has been at the dealer at least 7 times in one year. Thank goodness they offer a free loner car. I have had every color X type in my driveway The sad thing is they all seem to drive like my old ford tempo. Sad because they are a nice looking car. I am not usually one to complain, but I am going back to Acura when this lease is up.

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  Jaguar Never Again - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By kevin1 - May 9 - 2:00 am

  Car is a 2002 x-type. Nice looking car. At 12000 miles the entire transmission had to be repaired. Further on down the road, the steering rack had to be replaced. The power locks, trunk latch, fuel door latch all had to be replaced. The clear coat paint was defective and begin developing air bubbles, had to be repainted. At a stop light once, the clamp for the hoses broke, all fluids drained, the car had to be towed. Engine does not always seem to have full power. Recently I was made aware that the Chasis on the 2.5 x-type is a ford tempo and on the 3.0 is a ford taurus.