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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  Im a believer - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By DrJRapp - March 23 - 6:33 pm

  After having two X Type Jaguars which I found to be nothing special, I took the plung and bought the big cat. Im so glad I did, this is without a doubt the best car Ive ever owned. Each day I discover new things to love about it. Most amazingly, its big and its quick and still gives me 22 MPG average (and Im not a light foot).

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  Reliable and Stylish - 2000 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By woofi - March 20 - 2:00 am

  I considered several cars before buying this car, including the Mercedes S-500 and Audi A-8. When it came down to it, I had to ask why I was buying it. Had my plans including driving 100 mph on the German Autobahns, I would have chosen from the German cars. But I wanted style and something comfortable to ride around town and short distances within Texas. The Jaguar won hands-down!

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  Wonderful car. - 2017 Jaguar F-Type
  By Jim - March 19 - 11:26 pm

  Ive only had the car for a month. So my review will be limited to initial impressions. Looks. The car is stunning. Ive never had a car that people stop and take pictures of when its parked. And Ive owned some VERY nice sports cars. Sound. The car sounds incredible, especially in dynamic mode with the exhaust in loud. ive always thought Porsche flat-6s sounded the best, but the Jag is darn close. Handling. Im still getting used to the car, havent really played around with it with the stability control off. But it has minimal body roll, and very linear (if touchy in dynamic mode) throttle response. It throttle steers well in corners. Power is adequate. Book says 0-60 in a smidge under 5 seconds, and that feels about right. Yes, a new base boxster will about match it for less (I test drove one), but who wants to listen to a Subaru soundtrack. Turn in isnt as quick as my old Boxster, no surprise, but it isnt bad. As good or better than a Z4M Coupe. Braking is nothing short of incredible. I have the performance braking package, and while a bit touchy, stops are extremely short and consistent. Jaguar obviously uses a very soft "track" pad, as even a short drive will coat the wheels with brake dust. Which Im sure means shorter replacement intervals. Ride. Actually not too bad. My car has the 20" Carbon Fiber wheels (they are really aluminum with some attached CF accent pieces), but it still rides tolerably, I commute 110 miles to a client site twice a month, and the trip is easy and comfortable. (Bear in mind Ive owned sports cars my entire life, so my opinion of "comfortable" and yours might differ:)). Visibility. OK, here I need to deduct points. The door sills are high, so it is difficult to see curbs when turning and parking (I leave plenty of room) and resting you arm on the door sill leaves it at an odd angle. The nose is long, and I would HIGHLY recommend the package with the parking assist. I dont need the backup camera as much, but the front sensors for pulling forward are a godsend. Overall visibility really isnt that bad (better than a new corvette in my pinion). Just the price you pay for form over function. Storage space. a glove compartment, arm rest compartment, and open cubby are what you get up front. Generally all I need, but the rear compartment is rather small, there is a little area that is deeper, but you really are going to have issues with more than a few soft suitcases. Technology. Oodles. As expected, it has pretty much everything you could want. An awesome sound system, loads of customization for car systems, very good blue tooth integration, you can adjust the side bolsters in the seats (Ok, not really tech, but it is very cool), etc. The navigation system is not very intuitive though. Read the manual before you jump in and try to program in a destination. Youre welcome. Reliability. No problems to date. There is an annoying buzz/rattle in the right rear, which might just be the cover for the storage area, I havent located it yet. But other than that, nothing of note. Anyway, Id highly recommend the F-Type. Yes, you can buy cars that perform better for less. But unless youre tracking the car (and driving for track times) youll never notice the few tenths of a second here and there. You get a stunning car, that sounds incredible, and is a blast to drive. And you wont constantly pass yourself, as you will if you buy a Porsche, Corvette, etc.

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  Luxurious yet fussy - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Baka_Otaku173 - March 16 - 6:16 pm

  About 3 weeks ago, I purchased this vehicle and boy was I proud. I am 25 and driving a Jag. Luckily I also kept my trusty 04 Honda Accord just in case and now I am glad that I did. The Jag started to act funny within 2 weeks of purchase. The light bulbs fried, the transmission makes funny noises if not warmed up (driven for over 30 mins), the steering makes a clanking noise when turning hard. I am honestly becoming quite concerned over this vehicle. But the price for it was great! Worse case scenario, over the life of the vehicle Ill throw in some money to keep it running as long as possible. It is a JAGUAR in the end. Known for their temperamental behaviors.

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  01 XJ8L - A good buy for me - 2001 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By drobin9353 - March 12 - 10:06 am

  Has met every expectation. No customary brake problems (luck?). Smooth transmission. No oil leaks even at 72,000 miles. Occasional little nuisances crop up: auto tilt mirror failed to auto tilt, fixed by removing and reinserting all fuses in back seat kick panels (none were blown). Outstanding handling in snow w/4 very aggressive snow tires (forget all-seasons). Uses a little more oil than a car of this price range ever should (1 qt about 1,000 miles). Lack of a local dealer will influence me to trade below 100,000 miles.

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  Jaguar S-Type R - 2006 Jaguar S-Type
  By islam7 - March 10 - 10:49 am

  I have 105,000 miles on my Jaguar S-Type R and its still runs like new. My Jaguar never broke down. The only money spend is for brakes pads, new tires and oil changes. I use only Mobil 1 synthetic oil for the oil change. Next month I’m going to have spend some money; for the 100,000 service (New Spark Plugs & Belts). This is the best car I owned.

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  A Classic in Silver - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By Bob Varney - March 10 - 10:00 am

  After two years, our outstandingly beautiful silver S-Type remains in the same perfect condition as the day it was delivered to our home. (We still talk about that.) The car continues to turn heads and verbal compliments are common. All the reliability Ford promised to bring to Jaguar products appears to be present in our car. Drives and looks great!

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  The Class with the Flash... - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By Gary Brint - March 4 - 9:03 am

  Fun to drive. Will come out of the hole like a boy dog. Stand flat footed and jump a 5 strand barb wire fence. All of that and then some. Will be trading my wifes new Caddy in on one of these new breeds of X-Cat so that she will have one as well. We both loved our first two XJ-6s but these X-3s are the ultimate driving machines. There is only one way to look at it - when in doubt, take the Jag.

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  Finally a Jag for the Snow belt - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By sjp1 - March 3 - 10:00 am

  For years I have driven Jaguars and Have dreaded winter. Despite the low gear lock out I still had difficulties in winter. When I brought my last Jag in for routine service, my sales person, knowing where I live showed me a x type and asked me if I would like to try it out. When we came back I did not want to give back the keys.It has all the pleasures of the other models,but also has the handling for my climate in Northern New York, where snow can last in to mid may. I had some unusual things happen, a stress crack in the windscreen, and I needed a new program chip for my navigation system. All fixed and in a timely manor,Thank you Jaguar.

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  Great Sedan and Reasonable to Operate - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By GE1024 - March 3 - 5:23 am

  CATS air suspension really provides for a wonderful ride. The car sails on the highway with better gas mileage than you might believe for this 300 HP V-8 (I routinely get greater than 28 MPH highway and and average of 24 MPH with some in-town). The interior is lush. The experior appeal is super. Navigation works extremely well (get the 2007 disc). Sound system is super. If you happen to find one with the rear control-DVD system in the headrests, you will have the complete package.