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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  Second Time Around - 2007 Jaguar S-Type
  By JaguarRose - July 8 - 7:10 am

  This is my second Jaguar. I love the overall look of Jaguars, they have a look all their own. The S-type is luxurious and stylish. It rides well and is comfortable. This car is definitely eye catching.

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  Let Jaguar Work the Kinks Out - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Esteban - July 5 - 10:00 am

  A beauty, quick, fun to drive. Easily fits my 63" frame. But, at 100 miles an emergency brake warning came on. Took 3 weeks waiting for parts and an overnight in the shop before problem was solved with a new brake from England. I had to keep calling for latest updates; Jag customer Relations was no help. Also, 1-touch up for all windows are erratic, and dont work at all after visit to shop. Service manager observed this problem on several new XJs, but does not yet know the solution.

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  Leaper Triumphs! - 2008 Jaguar X-Type
  By Joan L - July 1 - 4:20 pm

  In winter gold, my new Jag X Type is elegance in motion. My neighbours have BMWs and Mercedes but my car has style in & out. Sadly, this the last year of production - a misguided decision by Jaguar.

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  New Cat in the Family - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Kraut - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I have found the X-Type a joy to drive, being surprised with its acceleration and handling. After switching between my Vette and the Jag., the usually reorientation between vehicles has narrowed considerably. Wisconsin winters no longer are the challenge they were in the past. Styling is a plus. Its is super ego boost to have the number of people who stop to look her over at the malls, stations, etc. Very pleased with the purchase of my little cat.

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  Great car! - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Deb - June 8 - 5:40 pm

  Car handles like a charm. I have the 2.5 and its all I need. Snow is no problem with the AWD. Love the way it hugs the road. I would prefer a little more head room, but Im very happy with it overall.

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  Great Car, but some disappointments - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By TRBaker - June 7 - 10:00 am

  This car is fun to drive for a lot of reasons. First is the shear power and handling. The CATS system really lets you toss it around with confidence. The Brembo brakes are just awesome. Second is the looks and compliments you receive. My wife and I joke about the looks we get from other S-Type drivers and the leers we get from the X-Typers. For the money, I really dont think there is another car that can beat its performance, style and cachet. The platinum silver is just a stunning color. The fit & finish are superb. The car just makes you feel good when your driving it. The gas mileage is suprisingly good for a 390HP car. 24MPG, PA to FL and back

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  BWMs X-Type - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By bwm - June 3 - 2:00 am

  Im a high milage driver and I have enjoyed my X-Type from the start. Fun to drive and great styling mane for a great vehicle. Basicly I have all os the options, except the phone, my favorite is the DVD navigation system which with the amount of driving I do comes in very handy and almost always works extremely well.

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  Great vacation car - 2002 Jaguar XK-Series
  By rmk - May 11 - 2:40 pm

  Just try to fit a suitcase or two and golf clubs into the new MB, Lexus or new Jag XK. Cant do it with the new cool hard/convertible tops down. Top down, trunk space gone. I really like the clean look of the new disappearing hard convt tops but not at the expense of the trunk. I use this car to take to the coast or mountains for vacation and pleasure driving. It has a large trunk and is very powerful, comfortable. I will not be getting a new one due to the trunk space issues.

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  My other Jag - 2000 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Daniel - May 6 - 10:33 am

  This is my everyday car. Fun to drive and very comfortable around town. Its big yet so nimble and easy to park. Interior is quite nice although the cup holder is placed awkwardly in the way of the gear shift.

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  Dont mess with gorgeous - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By sv - April 15 - 12:53 pm

  Outstanding bargain as a 2003 thanks to Jags old reputation for unreliability. Best performance sedan under 60K. Has been very reliable so far. Nothing more than scheduled maintenance. Impressive performance, especially if you factor in the automatic and all the Jaguar nanny electronics (delimiter, Traction, etc). Gorgeous exterior that gets looks everywhere. Its acceleration sneaks up on other performance cars, especially M3s and M5s. Interior fit and finish is excellent and sumptuous. Brakes are grabby (good) and stop the car with authority. The mesh grill and fat 275 tires make the car. Supercharger whine is music over 3500rpm. Butt-dyno feels like a 4.8-4.9s car, not 5-5.2.