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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  It is not a BMW or a Mercedes.... - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Barry Lee - February 21 - 6:40 pm

  Within 3 months this car has been serviced 3 times for a bad transmission that they have not been able to fix. It has a jolt. Car is great but a problem is a problem and at this price I say go elsewhere. I never had this with BMW or Mercedes and I own all three. The dealer has never given me any confidence about repairs, as I think they are doing this often.

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  do not judge car by its goods looks - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By g d P - January 12 - 2:00 am

  totally disappointing in reliability. constant trip to the shop ... water pump , air conditioning ,door opening problems . never again!

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  Lucky to be alive - 2013 Jaguar XJ
  By trish78 - December 23 - 7:19 pm

  Ive had since Dec 2003(s done 50,000 miles and has been one careful driver - me- and sevice and checked by Jag dealer regularly. On Wed 13th November 2013 I was driving on a dual carriageway at 60mph when the car suddenly accelerated. I thought the cruise control was on and braked to cancel it, but the car just kept going faster. I tried switching to manual and forcing it into lowest gear with no effect, pumping brake and engaging the hand brake , but the car just kept going faster and I was rapidly approaching other vehicles. So I moved into the fast lane, which was clear, but then two cars pulled out in front of me to overtake a lorry. At 90mph I hit themand am lucky to be alive

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  Save your money - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By miKE - November 15 - 10:00 am

  Ive always had Luxury cars. This one drives me nuts. Have 24000 miles, and it is at the dealers everyh month. Had 4 radios installed. Still every time I hit a bump it jumps from FM to AM or my CD. Passenger door remote works 1/2/ the time. Air conditionere blew out, took 8 days to get parts. Low inventory at dealers for any parts. Cant wait to buy an Acura

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  Not Impressed thus far - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Smenard - October 27 - 10:00 am

  I just picked up my new X-type a week ago, and already I am having problems with the steering wheel shaking between 50-65 MPH. Drives great above 70 though, unfortunately I cant drive it at 70 all the time. Also I think the fuel ecomomy is below average. You would think for a car this size economy would be better. It looks nice on the outside and nice on the inside, but I dont feel like it is built the way it should be for the price. Kinda feels like a rental. I owned the 3 series BMW and LOVED it, it felt much more solid, the Jag doesnt compare.

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  Fords version of a Jaguar - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By nypsych - September 25 - 2:00 am

  Took delivery of my new X-type in December. The motor runs well, the car is quiet. Handling, however, is not good. The car and steering wheel bounce and rumble - perhaps the AWD gears arent smooth. As a result, the car has very poor feel of the road, since the steering wheel bounces on its own, along with the car freame - worse as the car speeds up. Ride is adequate at low speeds, however. The seat was loose and the tires underinflated and way out of balance as delivered. Handling improved a little when I had the tires balanced, but still not right (see above). Still a Ford, and a great disappointment.

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  2002 2.5 x-type - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By jim b - September 11 - 3:40 am

  Purchased this vehicle from a Jaguar dealer as a certified car. The car was fun to drive and is a great looking car. Reliability stinks. I was in and out of the dealer ever other month with little problems. Until the big one happen. 2 1/2 years later after I purchased my car I brought it in because of rust that I found along the rocker panel on both sides of the car. 1 month later the dealer came back to me saying that the car was not repairable. Jaguar purchased back the car from me. The dealer told me that this was a design problem and it was fixed in later year models. 2004 or newer. I purchased a 2005 3.0 x-type bacause of the after market accessories that I had on my 02.

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  Run from the 2000 S-type 3.0 - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By S Type Owner - August 31 - 1:33 am

  After reading the other reviews in here (very few of which were positive) I can concur with almost everything. This car, though gorgeous, is a mechanical nightmare. I bought mine used, its almost paid off, and I will get rid of it asap. If you ever by an s- type 3.0, youd better have a great warranty to fix the common issues seen on almost all s types eventually: (coils fail, o2 sensors fail, coolant seals fail, headlights fail, headliner falls, oil leaks, transmission problems, weak brakes, plastic parts eventually fail, rear window tracks fail.) if you do your research (like I should have) youll see negative comments all over the web about this model car. Buy it if you can afford many repairs!

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  The GOOD, the BAD,and the UGLY - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By scat - August 27 - 2:00 am

  The GOOD: Looks great, all-wheel drive works well, good acceleration. The BAD: 3.0 w/auto transmission no good--do not buy it! The tranny cannot handle the torque and horsepower of this engine with all-wheel drive. Mine blew at only 9,000 miles, many others had same experience. Should have been recalled but too many cars were affected, Ford was unwilling to spend the bucks. The UGLY: Customer service at dealership was appaling right from the get-go. You are buying Jaguars cheapest car, and they treat you as such. Service dept. horrible!!

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  Looks good, reliability not there... - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By terse - August 27 - 2:00 am

  First 12 months: 3 breakdowns, three tows to dealership, car out of service 27 days. Horrible experience w/dealer on third time, wont go back. Plus side: good ride, decent power, looks sharp. Negatives: Automatic transmission terrible, poor fit and finish.