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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  JAG S-4 - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By SUPERGURU - August 1 - 2:00 am

  Runs great. mph 16-27. Side mirror reduces view when turning left.A little tight for back seat passengers. When turning into a street with speed bumps, a little bumpy. Go slow. Only car, besides previously owned XJ-6 that gets unsolicited rave compliments. When traveling over certain types of highway produces a bit high road noise. Radio station selection on steering wheel eliminates taking eyes off the road. Could use some front top windshield tinting, which I added. Ample trunk room.

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  LUV THIS CAT - 2003 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By SALVATORE ATANASIO - July 27 - 2:00 am

  WE SHOPPED MERCEDES, BMW, LEXUS AND JAGUAR. BOUGHT A SILVER XJR AND WE ARE VERY HAPPY. THE INTERIOR IS BEAUTIFUL, WE ESPECIALLY LIKE THE WOOD, THE ENGINE IS VERY QUIET, AND THE RIDE IS SMOOTHER THAN THE OTHER THREE CARS WE COMPARED. HAVE NOT HAD THE CAR BACK TO DEALER FOR ANY PROBLEMS YET. WE REALLY LOVE THIS CAR AND ARE VERY HAPPY WE PURCHASED IT.

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  jaguar - 2002 Jaguar XK-Series
  By anderson - July 23 - 2:43 am

  best all around car on the road

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  First Jaguar - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Mike V - July 17 - 10:13 pm

  This is our first Jaguar, Purchased it with only 14580 miles on it, Select edition certified. Have already put 2500 miles on the car and it is awesome! Fast, responsive, and good looking. The J shifter is fun, wood inside is looks great, Im a big guy and the seats are great, I spent many years driving a land rover and supportin OPEC, I get almost twice the MPG, I average 27 MPG on the highway and about 22 in the city. Jaguar is great! Im hooked!

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  2005 Jaguar S-type 3.0 Sport Package - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By kapriako1 - July 16 - 2:33 am

  I am amazed that Edmunds has such poor reviews for this car when they did not even test drive it. I would assume since this is the case with the test drive it is going off its older reviews and what the manufacturer says it changed. I love this car, never had a problem with it. I have owned several Jags throughout the years and this car stands out in ride and performance. I am also interested in the misinformation about Ford owning Jag for the XF, Ford no longer controls Jag or Land Rover that was out in 2008. I would say anyone wanting a Stype should buy one no older then 2005 but of course that is what i would say with any car. Make sure its been well maintained and keep it up.

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  From BMW M3 to Jag Type S? - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By Ernie Bello - July 13 - 4:16 pm

  Went from a 97 BMW M3 which was a wonderfully reliable, striking, and fun to drive vehicle because my wife was tired of shifting in heavy traffic, etc. Bought the jag from one of my customers- it has been a wonderful vehicle! No headaches, suffering, or disasters! Had a couple of small problems, quickly and easily solved. Thje car is certainly more sedate and refined than the M3, while the M3 is certainly the sportier of the two. The Jaguar has more options, more toys, etc. While the M3 is the better "race car" the Jaguar is certainly the choice for long, fast & relaxed cruising; the V8 engine has ample power for spirited driving in traffic. Good mileage, too: 27mpg highway.

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  LOVE THE CAR!! - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By kip smith - July 10 - 10:00 am

  AN EXCELLENT ENTRY-LEVEL JAGUAR.....EVERYTHING I WOULD WANT IN A CAR.

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  Great Car. - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Patrick McLaughlin - July 10 - 10:00 am

  Great Car, Proforance Great,handling better than my new corvette,and the ride is the best i,ve even driven.

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  This is not a car, its a Jaguar! - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Minetta Robinson - July 4 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. It rides beautifully and I love the "get up and go" of it. The trunk space is great as well. I never thought I would own a Jaguar, but now that I do, I am hooked.

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  LOVETHISJAG - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Ron x-typeowner - July 4 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Jag last month and Iam enjoying every second. I looked at the 2.5 but it lacked the power I needed. I just splurged and got the3.0. I am really satisfied and to me it burns the 3 series BMW and the C-Class Merc in style and appeal. This car is just perfect.