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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  Love My 2nd XJR - 2002 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Randy Walker - September 6 - 8:33 am

  My favorite car every. I loved my straight 6 cyl supercharged 97 but this 02 is even better. Unlimited smooth instant rear wheel power with fully defeatable trac. Light them up through 3rd! Perfect for dad with a few kids. Great everyday driver!! Tires and brakes are pricey. I have 94k as of now, bought with 19k. Highly maintained all services and drives so well I find myself leaving the music off just to hear the engine and car itself. Nothing drives like this car. I have come close to wrecking cheap rental cars many times. Tires squeal when I am turning and braking. Seems I wait to long too turn and wait too long to brake in thise cheap cars.

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  Beautiful car - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By charlyn - September 1 - 12:16 am

  We have had only one problem with this car, a door handle. It has been replaced, but still is not completely fixed. It works.We have had trouble with the service dept. where we purchased it. That is our biggest complaint. The car is a wonderful car. I dont think it looks as classy as Jaguar used to, but its still distinctive.

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  Galpin not up to the level to do the job - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By royce - August 28 - 10:00 am

  i am tire of getting my car not fixed and the job not getting done correct and most of all dirty and oil in the interior i have spent alot of money over the years and Galpin does not respent the car owner and i will not buy a car from them again i have to drive to LA to have my 3 jaguars fixed when i talked to the owner they said well we are makeing money so we are doing something right they never seem to call me about the service when i have a problem ???? so Jaguar does not know

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  Jauguar S-Type/Style & Performance - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By Stephen Bailey - August 15 - 2:00 am

  Leased my 2001 S-Type in March, 2001 and havent looked back since. The car is a "looker" and different style than the typical Mercedes/BMW that seems to be everywhere. Ive enjoyed quality performance and a quiet ride. The S-Type has performed excellently and I look forward to driving it in the future.

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  A beautiful car - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Doug Andresen - August 15 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car because Ive always loved the looks. The fact that they retooled it in aluminum and modernized the body but kept the "Jaguar" look really sold me. It is a very quiet ride and handles well. I thought it wouldnt be a big deal to upgrade the sound system outside the dealership but no one wants to mess with it. All in all, I love the car and look forward to enjoying it for many years.

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  2004 X Type 3.0 - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Koze - August 15 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car! I love it.

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  XKR 100 Coupe First Impressions - 2002 Jaguar XK-Series
  By J. S. Henry - August 14 - 10:00 am

  High performance, incredible luxury! Tackles any road at crazy speeds. Braking is outstanding, throttle response especially quick, gas pedal feedback too light. Engine is smooth, quiet, very torquey. Automatic trans is excellent; 6-speed would be more fun! Steering is tight and predictable, too insulated from "road feel". Recaro seats are spectacular. Buttons are "Fordish", but intuitive. Gas door/trunk release are too easily bumped. Sound system is great, needs in-dash CD player. Nav system accuracy and capabilities are better than most. Overall: Far classier than anything in its class. Interior luxury to match exterior sexiness. A spectacular car!

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  XKR 100 Coupe First Impressions - 2002 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Jeff Henry - August 14 - 10:00 am

  High performance, incredible luxury! Tackles any road at crazy speeds. Braking is outstanding, throttle response especially quick, gas pedal feedback too light. Engine is smooth, quiet, very torquey. Automatic trans is excellent; 6-speed would be more fun! Steering is tight and predictable, too insulated from "road feel". Recaro seats are spectacular. Buttons are "Fordish", but intuitive. Gas door/trunk release are too easily bumped. Sound system is great, needs in-dash CD player. Nav system accuracy and capabilities are better than most. Overall: Far classier than anything in its class. Interior luxury to match exterior sexiness. A spectacular car!

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  Underrated - 2007 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Underrated - August 12 - 2:10 am

  After owning almost every other premium import sedan over the last 20 years, I finally bought the XJ8L Jag. What a surprise. It may be sold as a luxury sedan, but it performs like a sports sedan. Quick reflexes without the hard ride. Comfortable seats, tons of room and excellent mileage. Plus its straightforward interior controls and ergonomics beat BMW and MB to death. Its sad that this car is not considered by more enthusiasts drivers wanting luxury as icing.

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  OMG - What a car !! - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By callum2 - August 3 - 5:25 pm

  Well, I have had my 2004 XJ8 for a week now and I cannot believe how awesome this car is. Full disclosure - I an 49 and waited a long time to drive the perfect car, I found it in the XJ8 I could not afford a new one and this 2004 is a close second best. I have a mercedes C320 ($58k new) wagon sports which I like, but the jag has it beat Anyone in the market for a 2004 with some low-med miles can expect a truley great car John beat Good news for those of us looking for a used Jag is there aint a lot of folks looking so proices are lower that Merc or BMW wagon sports with all bells and whistles and sports package 20 2002 and I like it