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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  2002 S-Type 4.0 - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By Jim - July 10 - 10:23 pm

  Very fun car to drive. Limited interior space. It has been a very reliable car with over 75,000 miles since new the only maintenance has been regular service a new battery and 1 ignition coil (covered under warranty).

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  F-Type V8S - 2014 Jaguar F-Type
  By walterr5 - July 5 - 9:52 pm

  Just took delivery of F-Type V8S. BRG exterior and Red Interior. Beautiful looks Beautiful engine noise and great fun to drive. Wish I could post my picture here to show off. The car is a bit small for me but, I am very tall. Seats are comfortable and supportive, handling seems very tight. but it is a very small car. Rear view is extremely limited but it is a convertible. Still too early to say too much but, I am already scared of the cars performance.

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  Drives Nicely But Unreliable and Shoddy - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By fenn - July 2 - 7:56 am

  My 2004 XJR is a lovely car to drive, but it has the most atrocious reliability I have ever experienced. The car has numerous malfunctions and flaws and Jaguar customer service is unconcerned and callous. This car has been in the shop for every problem imagineable. This has been a horrible experience with respect to service and reliability

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  "Its a class act !" - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By ricky123 - May 29 - 5:33 pm

  Smooth and very quiet transmission, nimble and sporty pickup, and the leaping cat on the bonnet looks gorgeous !

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  Luxury & styling #1, reliability OK - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Alan B - May 28 - 2:06 pm

  Drives great, very luxurious experience, especially on the inside. Wifes favorite car. But understand you are buying the beauty and ride, not reliability or longevity. After 24 months had 3 recall/warranty items - didnt cost us a thing and Jag service was great! Nevertheless never had those issues with my BMWs, MBs, or even my Escalade. A fourth item, we paid $700 for rear brake pads/disks due to defective electronic parking brake no releasing fully (not covered). All this in 24 mo. If you love the car, recommend short lease 24-36 mo so you get it new. If youre buying for the long term/holding onto, Id recd something else. But, well still get another one!

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  Jags are still the coolest looking cars - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By The Chirag - May 14 - 10:00 am

  I have a racing green Jag X type 3.0. You can really feel the road with it. As with all smaller, sportier cars, you will feel every bump in the road. But its handling performance on the highway and around turns is great. Im sure the "luxury" cars (which I think are only suitable for people who look and feel old) are smoother riding, but nothing looks cooler than a Jag!

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  S Series is a big disappointment - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By JMcRey - May 8 - 10:00 am

  While a great looking and driving car, the quality and reliability (=maintenance expense) for this $50,000+ luxury car is bitterly disappointing. Ownership costs for maintenance alone exceeds $2000 per year - from basic manufacturing defects. Ford does not stand behind this product. Consequently, Ive purchased my last Ford product.

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  Fun to drive, expect build problems - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Geoff Miller - April 24 - 10:00 am

  I own a manual 2.5 w/Sport package and Xenon lights. Have ~2500 miles on it in first 6 weeks of driving. A fun car to drive with great handling, but it has several small gremlins in build quality: mine have been loose seat, intermittent fuel gauge, and a whistling sunroof. More frustrating, the dealer hasnt returned my voicemail requesting service in 3 weeks now. Fun car, but expect to have it serviced under warranty. The OEM ContiTour tires are cheap and noisy. I replaced mine w/Eagle F1 GS- D3ès and road noise went down significantly.

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  A victim of misjudging - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Curtis K - April 18 - 8:13 am

  My X-Type has treated me very well; power and handling are always there when I need it. On the road, Im confidant of the ability to pass someone even if they try to accelerate to close the gap. Sitting in this car, you really feel at one with the machine as the seat wraps around your body reassuringly, connecting you with the road as the roar of the engine actually sounds like the primal growl of a wild, angry jaguar. The steering wheel allows you to feel your way without becoming disconnected from the road as you do with many luxury cars. We have to remember, to judge this car in the same class as other high-end cars would be unfair. This is an entry level car delivering above par results.

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  Not sure yet - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Chris Parrilli - April 18 - 1:46 am

  I have had the car for two weeks and already put in &1,860.00. The dealer did a lousy job preping the car. I do love the look of the car I hope this is just a series of problems now solved. We will see