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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  Pleasantly surprised - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Jrgdechoudens - February 15 - 10:00 am

  I recently took delivery of this vehicle, and I am content with it. I was looking for a 4wd sedan for less than 30K and this one came on top for the type and options included. The vehicle did come with a lot of options, but with some patience and a great sales individual I managed to get a great deal for it. The ride is whats expected of a European sedan. The steering is precise and the transmission is smooth. Because it is a 2.5 the acceleration is not that strong, but sufficient enough to provide a joyful ride. The finish inside is good, and the chrome accentuates the car perfectly.

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  Faster than my old AMG - 2006 Jaguar S-Type
  By billk - February 13 - 9:16 am

  Once rolling, this car pulls strong in the mid-range and cruises easily up to 130+mph. Nav system slow. Brakes are grabby with tons of black dust all over the wheels. Most annoying is the wake the dead screeching brakes when brakes get warm and coming to a stop - factory wont warranty. When not moving and turning wheels, power steering jerky like not pumping enough fluid. Dealer sez this is normal on all Jags - NOT! The warranty people treat you like a Ford owner.

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  Big Cat - 2011 Jaguar XJ
  By ljosephus - February 3 - 2:10 pm

  We only have 3,000 miles on our SJL but, so far, we are really pleased. Performance is fine. Rear seat legroom is exceptional. With the exception of what appear to be overly wide gaps at fenders, hood, trunk lid, etc. the build quality seems excellent. Just a few minor niggles: The rear cup holders are positioned in a way that makes them virtually unusable. The wood grain on the front doors does not match that across the dash (under the windshield), there is no dead pedal and the electronic responses (start-stop button, for example) is way too slow. Ride is a little harsh. Standard radio is great! Both the transmission and engine are A-OK! And the value, overall, is outstanding.

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  Base is the Case - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By MK6331 - January 12 - 10:00 am

  I just had this car in for its 30k service and have not had 1 problem since I took delivery. I did not choose the sport ed. because the seats were just not comfortable. The shift between 1st and 2nd is a bit notchy but after driving it for awhile, Ive learned to rev the engine to about 4k rpm before shifting and it seems much better. Yes, it could use a little more horsepower but its still a spirited performer and absolutely stable in bad weather. At this point, once the lease is up, Im planning to buy it.

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  Great Car! - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Nick - January 5 - 8:03 am

  I have done a lot of review prior to purchasing this car. I have had a few in my day and this is by far the best car I have ever had. Runs great and the handling is by far superior to anything I have driven. The only thing I needed to do was replace the windshield wiper motor which was very very easy to do. Took all of 30 min. Very stylish for the money and fun to drive in any weather! My wife loves it way more then the Volvo S70 she had. Two thumbs up for me!!

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  looks great but repair happy - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By jagowner - December 9 - 10:00 am

  My s-type gets rave reviews for style and performance. But the car has many bugs (dashboard, trunk problems, transmission, engine computer, etc). Will sell it as soon as warranty runs out. Cant afford the $54 oil changes, $10 windshield fluid, $50 wipers, and $900 30,000 mile checkup!!

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  A Ford Contour w/ wood & leather - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Tommy K - December 9 - 10:00 am

  Unfortunately, this cars mainframe is that of a Ford Mondeo (European Contour). And it drives like a Ford, save the $ 20k for the wood and leather.

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  A Great Car without problems - 2000 Jaguar XK-Series
  By stan kase - November 16 - 10:00 am

  The appearance still turns heads even though the design has been on the road for seven years. Mechanically no problems . Even my knew Mercedes has given me more problems in 1 year of ownership.

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  Scary at times, but so far, so good. - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By devargo - November 13 - 6:43 am

  Got this in June 07 with 32k miles. Now have 55k on it, and the only repair has been a worn tie-rod end. I have heard horror stories about Jaguar reliability over the years, but I took the plunge and am glad I did. One thing I never get over is the odd noises that this car makes. Squeals, whines, whistles, bumps, woomps, thumps, etc. For one thing, it appears that every road noise comes inside. For another, wind noise actually makes a whistling around the A pillars. But, overall, I cant complain. 22-24 mpg, good looks, good performance, lots of features, and the cachet of owning a Jag for under $20000. Still keeping my fingers crossed, but so far, glad I bought this car.

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  Be careful with what you are expecting here - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By mr_dearborn - November 5 - 1:49 pm

  The car is pretty to look at, has a fantastic engine, and rides like a dream. These were the things I was looking for in a car. I was hoping that Fords $3 billion investment several years before this car would resolve reliability issues. Nope. This car had a number of advancements that didnt quite work and are expensive to fix: 1) electric parking break, 2) air suspension, 3) aluminum unibody (rust), 4) transmission leaks. Ive dropped $11K on my $18K car thus far. It has 50K miles. Also, the handling isnt quite on par with the German cars; it doest love curves and corners. In short, be careful with your expectations on this one.