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:

• 

  take the good with the bad - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By kmac - November 21 - 11:26 pm

  I purchased my X-type a couple years used and I believe I got a great value for the money, thanks to the high rate of depreciation on Jags. The car has been fairly reliable for me; it looks like it cost 3 times more than I paid for it; and the AWD is great in snow. The the downside of owning a used Jag is that once the warranty runs out (along with the included maintenance), upkeep is costly, especially at the dealership where $500 to $1,000 for scheduled maintenance is normal. I would say that if you value the "cool factor" more than such practical considerations as reliability, resale value, maintenance costs, etc., then this is great car for the money - if you bought used that is.

• 

  2001 Jag XJR - 2001 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Panzzax - November 9 - 8:20 pm

  Some electrical probs also with engine mgmt system.

• 

  Naughty..but Very Nice - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Algi - October 24 - 10:00 am

  Bought it for the looks and just plain concours elegance. I did have some repairs that I thought were not in standing with the cars great looks and new reputation under Ford. However, take the top down and DRIVE IT !! It handles well enough for what it is...an elegant automobile with looks to kill. It is NOT a Hot Rod, (if you want that get a Mercedes 500 SL) Overall, a true Modern Classic that I intend to keep forever...

• 

  Transmission problems for the past 2yrs. - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Gilfigga - September 14 - 4:10 am

  My 2002 X-Type just went out of warranty in March, 2008. This morning I took the car to the shop because the transmission began to slip. For the past 2 years, Ive been seeing a gear fault light but the service center could not duplicate the message. Now the transmission is gone and it will cost me close to $9K to get it fixed. The car is not even worth that much anymore! Where is the reliability for buying such an expensive car?

• 

  Fun car to drive - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By sudhir - September 5 - 11:00 pm

  This was my first luxury car - moving from a Camry, this car swept me off my feet. I call this my little cat. Fun to drive, very stable and very comfortable. My car has sport mode and it accelerates like a cheetah - or shall I say a Jaguar. :). I am very satisfied with the ride, except for its reliability.

• 

  S (SOUR)-TYPE R - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By JOHN DOE - July 30 - 10:00 am

  SINCE I PURCHASED THIS CAR I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS EVER SINCE 18 MILES. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP OVER 6 TIMES AND MOSTLY FOR THE SAME REASON. I HAVE HAD ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, AND HAVE BEEN AS BAD AS THE CAR GOING ONLY 15 MILES PER HOUR TOP SPEED IN 5 PM TRAFFIC TO MY HOME. I AM SURE I HAVE THE ONLY BAD APPLE IN THE BUNCH BUT I DO WANT TO LET JAGUAR BUYER TO BEWARE THERE ARE PROBLEMS IN THE R MODELS.

• 

  Black XJR - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Johnny T - July 30 - 10:00 am

  The performance of this car is incredible. It feels like a Porsche on steroids! It rides very smoothly and handles like a dream, withouth being harsh or jumpy. I dont like the ignition key, I keep blowing the horn when putting it away. The interior is finally the right size and I like the fact that they did not go overboard with the electronic gadgets.

• 

  Very Disappointed - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By HT - July 22 - 4:03 pm

  We had hoped that Jaguar had improved its reliability, but apparently not. We bought our S-type with 36,000 miles, and within two months the transmission went out (Jaguar said it needed to be replaced with a rebuilt for $7K; we had it fixed elsewhere for $3.8K, but still, ouch). The windshield washer pump also failed ($500), a rattle in the dash has cropped up, the AM radio cant hold a station (how hard is it to make an AM radio work?), and there is an intermittent warning light just comes on and off randomly. We love the way this car handles and looks, but cant wait to get rid of it.

• 

  2002 Jag XJ Sport - 2002 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By jp3558 - July 21 - 2:00 am

  2 years ago I bought this car for my wife for her birthday because she has always wanted a Jag. This is just a beautiful vehicle. It does have its quirks but they are far overridden by the cars elegance and luxury. All her local driving is done in her Maxima and long journeys are taken in the Jag. This is a touring car and is designed to be driven on the highway for long distances at cruising speeds(within the law, of course). Jags have had a horrible history with quality control that I believe Ford ironed out when they took over. Neither of us has ever quite driven a vehicle quality and luxury which is why it is probably the best car we ever owned.

• 

  Gorgeous, true head-turner! - 2000 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Evan W. - July 16 - 12:03 am

  Ive owned 4 cars (3 Jaguars) and this XK8 has been my best one so far. It has 70k miles currently and runs very smoothly. The driving dynamics are very luxurious and the exterior and interior are nothing short of beautiful; the coupe gets a lot of looks and head-turns. The power is ample and the torque is nice and low RPM. The real power comes in once youre at about 40mph and slam on the gas, all the while it feels smooth, linear, and effortless. Had one problem with the cooling system (was a common problem) and cost me $500; I have had no problems since then aside from a malfunctioning CD changer. Beautiful car that, if well maintained, is absolutely timeless!