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:

• 

  Visit Repair Shop Monthly - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By DarnJag - November 5 - 10:00 am

  I have only had my jag for 3 months, and within the 1st week, the driver door lock failed allowing me no access. Never use the emergency brake. dont even touch it, because you will have a annoying loud clunking under the car for about 2 days until it wiggles it way back into place. Dont expect your car to start either. Fuel pump replaced at 29000 miles. Many other problems, seats recline on own when away from car, air bag failure light comes on and off. Wiper hoses dissconnect, seat stablizers loosen easily, crome worn out before 30,000. Still cant figure out how to get vent feature on a/c system.Im selling at 32,000 before i cant get my money back.

• 

  My new Jaguar - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Tonya Williams - November 5 - 10:00 am

  I just bought my new S-type last week and I really enjoy my car a whole lot. It is a comfortable ride wtih plush leather and beautiful wood trim. The engine power has enough of push for me and it is major upgrade compared to my 2000 S-type that I traded for this one.

• 

  Excellent - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By Blanky Bradshaw - October 16 - 10:00 am

  I have had Mercedes, Honda, Buick, Cadillac, however this car is excellent, excellent. Performance, quality, design, you name it has all. I love my Jaguar.

• 

  I LOVE THIS CAR - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Dr Mike - October 14 - 1:16 am

  This car is amazing. The dealer is fantastic and Ive had very few problems (a/c drainage hose clogged but was easily blown out by dealer and the lighter doesnt work). Otherwise the car has been a dream!

• 

  Jaguar X-type - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By Frank Swit - October 12 - 10:46 am

  We are very pleased with our X-type. We bought it for the styling, the all wheel drive and the over all "size" of the vehicle. We have not been disappointed.

• 

  2004 Jaguar X-Type AWD - Great Car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Tbirdtony - October 11 - 5:36 am

  I bought a new 2003 Acura 3.2 TL when I decided to purchase an entry level luxury car. After 1 year I traded it for the 2004 Jaguar. Driving the Acura was like owning a Honda Accord. The Acura had paper thin sheet metal, a fair interior, and I received 2 recalls on the engine & transmission. After 2 years of owning the 2004 Jaguar I am still impressed. Great build quality, great interior, good power, great AWD, and no problems or recalls. The Jaguar dealer provides great service on the FREE scheduled maintenance. This is a great entry level luxury car.

• 

  Lemon or not? - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By Rkfd - October 10 - 2:00 am

  Electronically a nightmare!!! EVERYTIME the dealership trys to fix something it causes another problem. Finally, after 3 weeks in the shop, CA flew to IL to figure out the problems. But then there is always more... (Nearly 2 months in the shop in all)

• 

  shag review - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By mitzibear - October 10 - 2:00 am

  i absolutely love my jag. always drove bmws and now i ask myself why? this car is miles above any bmw in every way. looks, both interior and exterior are gorgeous. the luxiorios ride and incredible speed make this the best car since the nissan 3oo zx. priced alot better as well. bravo!!!!

• 

  Excellent Fun - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Coach - October 10 - 2:00 am

  Fun to look at and even more fun to drive. A true winner of a car.

• 

  Edmunds is all wet on this Jag!! - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By wrkout - October 9 - 10:00 am

  Edmunds got it all wrong on its review of the X type. This is my first Jag. After two BMWs, this car rides as well if not better than my former 5 and 3 series cars. It handles great and it clearly gets the looks and great comments that BMW never did. Most importantly, in the first 100 miles of the car, I was nearly in an accident. It responded perfectly. So far, I couldnt be happier. Its a joy to drive. The dealership in the Pittsburgh area was first rate too.