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:

• 

  If you need 4 doors and speed - wow! - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Karen - October 13 - 1:13 am

  I had been missing my fast cars after purchasing a 2001 E320 MBZ, but I needed the room of a sedan. This car with its racing suspension, brakes and supercharged engine is definitely it! I beat our 96 Porsche 911 off the starting line. It is so responsive and quick and does not hesitate when down shifting the automatic. In corners you can feel it completely set down and hug the road - no fishtailing here. Its a sports car in a sedan body style.

• 

  Ready Set Go!! - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By 1..2..3.. GO - October 7 - 5:56 am

  This car is unbelivable. Ive owned this vehicle for 7 years now and have never given it credit to write a much deserved review. Going on 46,000 miles this car remains in my personal showroom. But when its pulled out on weekends you better believe it delivers. I just cant get rid of it! Always sporty and a pleasure to drive, not quite a thrill as my E500 or Lexus GS 430 but still is a number one contender in the luxury midsize division. For a seven year old car it still turns heads and has always caught the eye of any common bystander in any parking lot.

• 

  Thrilled - 2001 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Exton - September 1 - 10:00 am

  Purchased used with 21,000 miles. Meeting all my expectations. Mainly highway driven. Quiet, comfortable, smooth and fast.

• 

  Jaguar XKR - 2006 Jaguar XK-Series
  By blairm - August 16 - 6:03 pm

  AS my third XK I was delighted to see this car the new "carbon" interior is a pleasant change from the traditional wood. My only regret is that the capability of the vehicle with its massive supercharger is reduced by the silly electronic limiters.

• 

  Quick Silver Cat - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By lflouie - August 12 - 1:03 pm

  Great combo of performance, style, and luxury. Competent handling at 8/10ths, great acceleration only limited by "open" rear end, electronic trac control and lazy ECU that limits revs in lower gears. Incredible suspension for great ride and good all around handling. Gets more looks (especially females) than my M5 and is much a more enjoyable ride around town. Had a few annoying but non-critical electrical glitchs, overall releiability is good but build quailty is only average. 28 mpg on the hwy..WOW. I love the car... its unique, stylish, comfortable, quick, and overall a very competent sport sedan. Used prices offer an incredible value if youre the buyer. LOVE IT!

• 

  The Jaguar Experience - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Alexandros - August 6 - 10:00 am

  I recently purchased a black Jaguar XKR Convertible, and have had the pleasure of driving it around, although mostly on the weekends. The overall performance of the car is overwhelming and it has proven to be both an elegant and a great sports car, both at high and low speeds. Fuel economys not so good, but you forget about it once youre cruising.

• 

  Wow GREAT Performance for 2.5S - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By AC - July 30 - 3:06 am

  I purchased the jag with 56k mi about 1 1/2 yr ago and I was blown away on how well the performance of this car it sounds like an American muscle car when I punch it to pass uphill or entering freeway. Its fast for a V6 and it does roar. Now Im hooked on jag! The only thing is when I needed oil pan gasket fix its hard to get into the pan without taking apart everything from the bottom and labor was expensive plus parts $1000. When I purchased it I did not know that it was an AWD and my gas mileage is poor in mix driving but you can get good mileage on the freeway.

• 

  jaguar x type - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By sreese - July 17 - 2:13 am

  good car need larger space for back seat

• 

  Unreliable Jaguar - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By motorman3 - June 21 - 4:56 am

  Excellent driving car and good road mileage. But just spent $4,523 for repairs on a car with only 43,652 miles on it. Bought it with 20,000 miles on it and have taken it to only the dealer for service. Head light leveling device went out, $932.75. Clunk in rear end at low speeds, replace flange-output, $586.63. Brakes and rotors,$1,779.57. Dealer said sorry for first two items. I expected to pay for brakes. They said it is out of warranty, which is 4 years or 50,000 miles. Even Hyundai has a 10 year and 100,000 miles! I have owned three BMWs and great backup in the past. I owned a 62Jaguar XKE convertible and loved its driving but hated it unreliability.

• 

  Jaguar X-Type: Long and Short - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By JagDude - June 17 - 10:00 am

  Disagree with Edmunds review of the new X-Type Jag. Edmunds got a lemon. There are some caveats and no car is perfect. I had to have a driveshaft replaced in under 500 miles, and a headlame as well, but the auto now works well and is great fun to drive. Much prefer my BabyJag to BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus.