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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  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.

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  R type is the M-5 and AMG killer - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By lmcrane - October 4 - 2:00 am

  Recently replaced a BMW 740i with a 2004 Jaguar S-type R. More value in the Jag S-R than BMW or M-B. Felt that I had all the benefits of the M-5 or AMG for $25K less (and also beat the prices of the 545 and E- 500). The 390 HP pulls strongly at all rev levels, but is also smooth in city driving. The chassis/tires and computer controlled suspenswion can handle all of this with aplomb. The new Jag NAV system is excellent with an easily self replaceable DVD. The advanced sound system, part of the R package, is quite good and easy to use, with voice, steering wheel, or dash controls. Gas mileage has been 16-17 mpg in town, not bad for a 400 HP rocket.

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  living the fanatasy - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By wingwinj - September 30 - 10:00 am

  Some times fantasy is fulfilled. The new XJ-8 is comfortable, quick and well styled. The constant complements and smiles keep coming. Great pick-up and cornering and much better traction in a Chicago winter than I ever imagined. I feel great when I drive this car.

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  Best deal! - 2001 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Jagfan - September 27 - 5:16 pm

  Bought a used low mileage Jag - now owned it for a year and 15K. NO problems at all. Drives and handles beautifully, and draws looks and comments. I am shocked to find that with snow tires the handling is excellent on snow and ice. (a previous Jag I had was not a good winter handler) LOVE IT! Its a beautifully sculpted car that stands out from the crowd of jellybeans.

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  love the jag - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By love the jag - September 27 - 10:00 am

  I researched all the usual suspects: Benz c-class, BMW 3 series, Audi A4, etc. and ended up buying the baby jag. Love it. Its bigger than the rest and truly stands out. Definitely leaps and bounds better than the rest of the pack.

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  I love it! - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Big Cat - September 18 - 10:00 am

  I have owned this car for six weeks and am more than pleased. I cannot imagine a better value for the money (luxury car with leather, wood interior, AWD, sunroof, climate control, etc.) thanks to the marketing incentive. The styling is superior and the car turns heads. Who would buy a Honda Accord for $25K when you can but a loaded Jag for a few thousand more? Qaulity is very good so far. Drive is pleasing. It seats four average sized adults but could be a little bigger. I recommend this car highly!

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  Love the Car - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By jcwstep11 - September 16 - 9:26 am

  Thank you Jaguar. We traded in a Mercedes Benz for the new wagon. It is soooo much fun to drive and a real sport wagon. Both my wife and I enjoy driving the car. The new design really caught our eye and had to have one. We get lots of comments on the street about it and lots and lots of looks and smiles Again Thank you Jaguar

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  Ocean to desert round robin - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By proflovell - September 12 - 5:23 pm

  The only reason I did not give the interior design a 10 rating is because, at 61", I have tended toward larger cars. That said, a recent 1200 mile journey to Death Valley & return was our maiden trip to put the "darling little car" (my wifes description) through a gentle test run. We tent-camped in Furnace Creek, hauling all we needed in the cargo area; freeway driving was a fun run for a change with the sport-feel of the road; country curves & desert "thank-you-mums" were even more pleasurable with the X-Types road- hugging & shorter wheelbase handling. Our 25 mpg average on this trip was most welcome in light of the $3+ pump prices; a fair exchange for a downsized wagon.

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  great car - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By melbourne - September 4 - 10:00 am

  I was in the automobile business for 25 years and this is the car I leased. The quality is there and I am very pleased with the dealership as well as the automobile.

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  XJR: a sports car in a sedans body - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By donfenn - September 4 - 10:00 am

  This car has been a wonderful driving experience for my first few days of ownership. It is fast, quiet, smooth, and very responsive. It is a very slick, attractive vehicle, but it is clean, elegant and understated. The supercharger offers the power when you want it, but it is very driveable in normal city driving. I am getting about 17 mpg on the first few tanks of gas---- which seems good for a 390 HP V8 in city driving!