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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  Rave for Jag S - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By picklepep - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I have had a excellent experience with both this dealer and with the vehicle itself. This jag makes you want to drive everywhere! Even young people give me thimbs up when they walk past me at a stop light! Ive had only a few minor problems with this pre-owned beauty, all covered under warranty,and no hassles about it at all. Ill definitely buy another one.

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  X Type Sucks - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Keith/Jag - February 5 - 2:00 am

  Although I like the cars handeling and looks,,,, I have had a lot of problems from day 1 of my purchase. At the 50,000 mile make a leak in the drive train sent oil everyware under the car and on to the exast system. The repair was $1000 and the cost of the rental car $250.00. Jag corperate said "tough break" "Deal with it" Needless to say... I am NOT very happy

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  Great car -still going strong - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By yklktk - January 28 - 3:30 pm

  Wonderfully smooth on the highway, with paw like handling on country roads. The manual shift 2.5 gives back performance lost in the automatics I tested - the car will really move with revs kept above 2500.

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  2002 xjr 100 - 2002 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Rodney Chanin - December 22 - 4:46 pm

  The xjr 100 has very good performance and if driven civilized surprisingly good fuel economy. The fitting of the body is of high quality. The exterior design is getting a little tired.

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  My rainy day car - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By Digby - December 19 - 2:00 am

  I purchased a 2000-S with 24,000 miles from Budget. I figured that a car with a supposedly poor reputation would have been driven less than say a Ford Victoria.I had it appraised by a Jag dealer and there were assorted minor faults. Budget paid for the repairs totaling about $400. From reviews, I always use the brake pedal or the parking brake before moving from park to drive. So far, no problems, a delight to drive, seafoam color (a rare one). Mileage is poor, but with a car like this why complain. When I want to be pampered, its the S type. Listening to the beat of the car is so important for any car. Do this with the Jag and it will serve you well.

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  gets looks - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By spice - November 18 - 10:00 am

  People really look twice at this car. The appearance is quite unusual and distinctive. And, the "retro look" is really in now. The creature comforts of this auto are tops. It is like driving a legend

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  A fine car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By aperez301 - November 12 - 2:00 am

  The X-type 3.0 has been a pleasure to drive. Although we have not had the car long enough to experience any maintinence intervals however the dealership experience blew us away. The car has good power although acceleration is hampered by the AWD. Downshifts under full throttle could be quicker but this is a "touring car" isnt it? The interier is fabulous. It looks and feels richer than any of the other cars we considered (Mercedes, BMW, Saab, Volvo, Infiniti). This car is well worth a serious look.

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  FUN - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By t. j. fields - September 29 - 10:00 am

  I wanted a 5 speed car and when I took it for a test drive I fell in love with it. The all wheel drive feature makes it handle so well, rather like the Audi 4 (another choice). The price is great, although with a sun roof and 6 CD player it came to $37,500. The front view is beautiful, the back not so bad but the side view is pure Ford Taurus...but I live with it for the price and the way it drives. I see very few where I live but I think it is a little low end for the neighborhood...the S is getting popular here as well as the big ones. tj

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  Owned since new - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By bigjim13 - August 5 - 3:45 pm

  Ok, Ive owned my Jag since 2004 bought it new in Texas and drove it straight to Arizona. Ive had only a few issues with the big cat in the 8 years Ive had her. Electric issues with the A/C, and the cruise control. Thats all! Once fixed Ive had no other issues with them. My Jag has 58,375miles and is an awesome family car. My kids love the cool factor, my wife loves the way it drives and I love the safety features that it offers. Im not a Jag man but I do love owning it. I also own a 2001 Ferrari 360, 2009 GMC Sierra and a BMW M3. I take care of my rides so they can take care of me.

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  Finally! - 2005 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Toni Elkins - July 21 - 12:43 pm

  After years of wanting this car--I got it! A gift from my husband---and it was worth waiting for! Excellent!